by Jasmine Walt
He’s dying.
“I believe you,” I said softly, pulling away. “You can go now.”
Argon stared at me. “You’re not going to arrest me?”
“What would be the point?” I shook my head, motioning for Rylan to return to my side. “I don’t see why we should waste an executioner’s axe on you.”
I walked away as Argon sputtered, feeling both triumph and pity. Yes, maybe arresting the former Director of the Mages Guild and putting him on trial was the right thing to do. But it seemed more just to let him live out the rest of his numbered days, knowing he was reduced to the very thing he loathed—a mere human.
“You were right,” I said to Annia as we rode back to the Palace in the steamcar. “He was an enemy, even if he didn’t mean me any harm just then. How did you know?”
Annia’s eyes flicked to Rylan, and they assessed him for a moment. “I get…feelings, sometimes,” she said. “Not quite premonitions, but more like a really strong gut instinct.”
It was clear she didn’t want to say more in front of Rylan, so I didn’t push. When we got back to the Palace, Annia and I went to meet Iannis and Director Chen in the Winter Garden for lunch. A somber mood settled over our group as we sat down and ate, and even though Iannis led the discussion as normal, going over our accomplishments for the day so far, and our plans for the week, there was a tinge of sadness to his gaze that was barely noticeable unless you knew what to look for. Subdued, I told them about my encounter with Chartis among the homeless in the tent city.
“So Argon Chartis has been turned into a powerless old man?” Director Chen asked, sounding incredulous. “I’m not sure the Council will agree with your decision to let him go, Miss Baine, but I understand why you did it.”
“My nose told me he has only days to live,” I explained. “Two or three weeks at most. I don’t think it’s worth the effort to arrest and prosecute him under the circumstances.”
“As Sunaya said, Chartis is already suffering the worst punishment that could be imagined for a mage,” Iannis said as he forked up some salad. “A quick death would be almost too merciful for that traitor. There is little point in wasting resources on indicting him, when we have so many other things to worry about.”
I was about to ask Chen where Kardanor was—he’d attended our other working lunches—when the door opened and a servant hurried in. “Lord Iannis,” he said breathlessly, pulling a letter from his breast pocket. “Urgent news from the mines.”
Iannis took the letter, his violet eyes scanning it swiftly as he unfolded it. “There have been cave-ins at the prison mines,” he said, his voice tight. “Over three hundred dead.”
“No!” Annia jumped to her feet, her face white. “Noria. Is Noria alive?”
“I don’t know,” Iannis said gravely. “The message doesn’t list the names of the victims.”
“I need to go there,” Annia said, her voice trembling. Her eyes were diamond hard and bright, her skin stretched too tight across her face. “I need to see my sister, make sure she is safe.”
“Of course,” Iannis said. He pulled a piece of stationary and a pen from his magical sleeve, and quickly began writing. Glancing over his shoulder, I saw that it was an order to the mine overseer that Annia should be admitted immediately, and allowed unrestricted access to her sister. It also said that all mining must be suspended until the place was certified safe, and that a representative from the Guild would be coming out to inspect the place soon.
“Take this,” he said, handing the order to her. His official seal was stamped on it—a magical ink that shimmered across the bottom of the page and could not be covered up or removed. “Go and see Dira, inform her that you have access to any form of transportation you may need.”
“Thank you.” Annia stuffed the letter into the inside of her jacket pocket, briefly exposing the torque around her neck. My throat swelled again, and I swallowed back the emotion. Was I about to lose another friend? Noria had left for the mines, hating my guts after we’d made the very tough decision to prosecute her for joining the Resistance. I hated the idea of that bright spirit going to her grave with that same hatred in her heart.
“Please,” I said, throwing my arms around Annia in a hug. “Tell Noria I love her and I’m thinking of her. That we all are,” I said.
“I will,” Annia told me. She hugged me hard, then spun on her heel and ran out, leaving me behind with a heart so heavy I couldn’t do anything more than stare after her and wonder if she would return.
21
One week later
“No,” I said from my seat on the couch, making a slicing motion with my hand. “Mrs. Gorax should definitely not be on the list. Strike the name off. I know the company helped with the repairs, but they’re responsible for much of the damage in the first place, and Mr. Gorax is in prison. They don’t deserve to be honored.”
“Very well.” Nelia made a scratching motion with her pen, then pursed her lips. “What about the Tomlinsons? They donated over five hundred loaves of bread from their bakery.”
Holding in a sigh, I continued going through the guest list Nelia had drawn up for the reception we were planning. Everyone had been working around the clock to repair the damage from the quake, and Iannis had decided a morale booster was needed. But I was having trouble looking forward to the party, what with Annia gone again and the loss of Fenris still so recent and raw. I was still waiting to hear if Noria had survived the cave-ins.
To keep my mind off Fenris’s death, and Noria’s fate, I’d thrown myself into the various recovery projects, organizing volunteers to help with the food deliveries to the tent city set up on Solantha’s outskirts. Shiftertown was almost completely cleared, having been the area least affected by the quake. Most of the displaced shifters had already moved back into the city and started work on repairing their streets and what damaged buildings they did have. Maintown was another story entirely—only a third of the buildings were currently inhabitable, and most of the survivors were still living in tents.
Bodies were still being dug out of the ruins, though we hadn’t found Fenris’s yet. There were mass graves dug and filled daily, since the few cemeteries were insufficient for this sudden influx. Once we’d finished clearing out the city and tallying up the dead, we would hold a memorial for all the quake victims. I didn’t know how I would be able to face it, but I knew I had to. I was a public figure now—I couldn’t just hide in my room and cry.
One body that had been recovered from the rubble was Thorgana’s, as well as the rest of the Mendle family. I’d gone to inspect her crushed remains myself, to make sure it wasn’t a fake, and I’d been relieved to confirm that it was indeed her.
Iannis had recruited Noria’s former boyfriend, Elnos, to help figure out how to dispose of the Magic Eraser, since he was a mage with a background in science. He was still chewing on the problem, but in the meantime, he’d ordered the deadly object to be enclosed in a thick lead casket and kept in a location far away from the city. The lead seemed to lessen the harmful effects of the object, though it was still inadvisable for mages to get within five feet of it. Garrett had stayed for a couple of days, wanting to see if the scientists would make a breakthrough, but once it was clear they needed more time, he and Harron packed up. They’d left by dirigible this morning, to both Iannis’ and my great relief.
A knock on the door interrupted my discussion with Nelia, and I caught Kardanor’s scent. “Come in,” I called before Nelia could answer, much to her annoyance. I gave her an apologetic smile at the interruption, but I wasn’t about to turn Kardanor away.
“Good morning, Miss Baine,” Kardanor said with a smile as he let himself in. He looked as dashing as always, though there were a few patches in his red coat and the pants beneath looked like they’d seen better days. “I hope I’m not interrupting?”
“No, no, we’re about done.” I sat up, then gestured for Nelia to put her things away. “Why don’t you go take an early lunch, Nelia? We’
ll pick this up later.”
“Yes, Miss Baine.” Nelia gathered her things up, looking somewhat disappointed, though she tried to hide it. Her entire face had lit up when Kardanor walked in, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her fickle affections. I was tempted to tell her not to bother, since Kardanor had his sights set on a certain female mage, but I decided not to break the bad news just yet. At some point, she’d have to learn to guard her heart better.
“What can I do for you?” I asked him once Nelia had gone and he’d settled himself in one of my chairs.
“I hate to ask you this at all,” Kardanor said, scratching the back of his head. The tips of his ears reddened, and I was startled to see embarrassment in his dark blue eyes. “But I was wondering if you might be able to use your magic to make me look a little more…respectable, for Thursday night’s reception.”
I frowned. “What’s wrong with the way you look now?” I gestured to his face. “Have you not noticed the way women look at you every time you walk by?”
Kardanor gave me a sheepish grin. “It’s not my face or form I’m worried about, Miss Baine, but my attire.” He gestured to his shabby clothing. “My house was damaged by the fire, and the few decent outfits I have here in the Palace positively reek of soot and dust, after all the rescue work. The senior mages here are always so elegant, not a hair out of place…” He trailed off as a dreamy look entered his eye, and it wasn’t at all hard for me to guess who he was thinking about. “Anyway, I hear I am to be mentioned in the Chief Mage’s speech, and I would prefer to look less shabby when every eye is on me, however briefly.”
“Wait a minute,” I said slowly, anger building inside me with each word that came out of his mouth. “Are you telling me that you’re living in poverty right now?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Kardanor said quickly. “My home is still standing, if damaged, which is much better than most Maintown residents can say. But yes, I am just about broke now, because the bank where I keep my account has not yet reopened since the quake.”
“Well, we can’t have that,” I said briskly, standing. “I’ll have Nelia get you fitted today, and arrange for proper evening wear in time for the party. And I will make sure you are compensated for your time and hard work.”
“Oh, I don’t want to trouble you—” Kardanor began, shooting to his feet as I strode past him. “Have I offended you in any way?”
“Of course not.” I opened the door, then turned to smile at him. “I just remembered I have something I need to speak to Iannis about. Nelia will come to your rooms at three with a tailor in tow. We can’t have our favorite architect showing up for the reception in rags.”
I showed Kardanor out of my quarters, then strode off toward the Mages Guild in search of Iannis. By the time I reached the lobby, I was positively fuming. Dira glanced up as I stormed in, a startled look on her face, and asked if everything was all right. Ignoring her, I bulldozed straight through the small crowd milling about the lobby, following the tug from my serapha charm.
The door to the council room opened before I reached it, and the council members spilled into the hallway along with Iannis, Director Chen, and Cirin.
“Miss Baine,” Cirin said, starting at the sight of me. I could tell he was taken aback by my expression, as were Chen and Iannis. “Is everything all right?”
“I need to speak with you three,” I said tersely. “Immediately.”
“Very well,” Iannis said cautiously. “Please excuse us, Councilors.” He stepped past them, and they watched, wide-eyed, as the four of us filed into Iannis’s office.
As soon as the door was shut, I rounded on them. “Do you three realize,” I said in a deceptively calm voice, “that Kardanor, the very man who is responsible for saving thousands of our citizens, and who has worked tirelessly since I first brought him to the Palace to help with the earthquake plans, has not a coin to his name, nor a stitch of clothing beyond what is on his back? And that we have not thought to do anything about it?”
I turned my glare on Director Chen, who had worked with him the closest, and she recoiled. “Mr. Makis is welcome to as much gold as he needs,” she said. “I had no idea he was in such dire straits, or I would have offered him money myself.”
“He would never embarrass himself by asking you,” Iannis said. “He is a proud man, and an idealist—not one seeking material reward. And he fancies you, besides.”
Director Chen’s ivory cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink. “Well, then, how are we to help him if he will not accept our money?”
“We don’t have to give him charity,” I said. “Name him Secretary of Planning and Reconstruction, and give him a proper salary. Magorah knows he’s the most qualified person for the job, and there’s work enough to keep him busy for years to come.”
All three mages looked astonished by this idea, and began talking at once about how unprecedented it was. But Cirin pointed out that it was only custom, not law, that all secretaries be mages, and they agreed there was nobody else more qualified or motivated to take the position than Kardanor.
“He is already doing the job anyway,” Director Chen said. “He’s been going over plans with me to put in a better system that will ensure the building codes are not circumvented or ignored again, and I would be hard-pressed to find someone with more enthusiasm for the task. We may as well give him the title, as Sunaya suggests, and see that he is handsomely compensated for his hard work.”
“I will speak to him about it,” Iannis decided. “And if he is agreeable, I will announce the appointment at the reception.”
“Thank you.” I beamed, pleased with how quickly we’d come to a decision. Kardanor had saved all our asses, and he deserved way more than an honorable mention in Iannis’s speech.
“Should I also confirm Captain Skonel tomorrow night?” Iannis asked me. “I have not had much time to observe him, but he seems quite competent. In times like these, it would be best to have a permanent captain, rather than an acting one.”
“I have no objection to that,” I said. “He worked very hard to prevent looting during the aftermath of the quake. But we need to do a major overhaul on how the Guild is being run. There are some practices I’m not happy with that are causing a lot of discontent amongst the other enforcers.”
“Very well,” Iannis said. He dismissed the others, and we spent the next half hour discussing my concerns about the bounties, the extra bonuses, and the crew system in general. These were small issues in the grand scheme of things, but solving them might allow the Enforcers Guild to fight crime smarter and more effectively. And as Iannis and I discussed the pros and cons of possible solutions, I couldn’t help but think that Fenris and Roanas would be proud if they could see how far I’d come.
22
The next day was a whirlwind of activity as Nelia and I worked our asses off to prepare the Palace for tonight’s reception. We decided to go with dawn colors for the décor—gold, royal purple, and deep and pale pinks—to symbolize that we’d overcome adversity, and that our city had risen again to a new dawn. The dead had been buried, the streets had finally been cleared of rubble, and the city was ready to rebuild and move on.
To my relief, just about everyone we invited had accepted despite being given such short notice. By the time the last guests trickled in, the ballroom was absolutely packed with guests—more full than I could ever remember seeing it. However, the conversation was subdued, rather than deafening. There was an air of muted pride and a sense of accomplishment, mixed with lingering grief and exhaustion, which wasn’t surprising as there was still a lot of work to do. The mage, shifter, and human council members were all present, as well as those humans and business owners who had risen to the occasion and provided exemplary service.
Solantha’s respective neighborhoods were hosting their own celebrations, and the entire city was sparkling with celebratory lights, the air filled with music and the sound of the occasional firework exploding. We hadn’t allowed the citiz
ens to light their own, due to the recent fires, but city officials had decided to put on a show, and we could see brilliant displays exploding over the bay from the windows lining the ballroom’s far wall.
“I am very glad you are around to organize these affairs now,” Iannis said in mindspeak as he surveyed the crowd. His hand slid beneath the hem of my reddish-gold silk gown, and sizzling heat rushed through my veins as he squeezed my thigh. “Perhaps I should put you in charge of them permanently.”
I stifled a groan. “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I agreed to become your wife,” I said to him.
“But you’re so very good at it,” Iannis said, winking.
One of the Maintown councilmen approached Iannis, engaging him in conversation before I could respond. Done with my food, I wandered down to where Comenius and Elania were sitting, only a few tables away. Rusalia was there as well, and they sat with Kardanor, chatting very enthusiastically together. Rylan, once again in guard uniform, stuck close to my side—he considered the crowd a risk to my safety, no matter how carefully we had vetted the guest list.
“Naya!” Comenius greeted me with a big hug. “I’m so happy to see you are looking well.”
“You look beautiful,” Elania said, beaming at me. She was dressed in a gorgeous black velvet gown with a halter top, her hair done in one of its trademark updos, and glittering onyx jewelry at her ears and throat.
“Thanks.” I smiled back, then turned to Rusalia. “I love your dress.” It was pale blue taffeta, and with those blonde curls and large eyes, she looked very pretty.
“Thank you.” She smiled shyly, ducking her head a little. There was no hint of anger or resentment in her little face—she seemed like a normal ten-year-old, her eyes bright as she took in the splendor around her.