by Jasmine Walt
That’s not really fair, I told myself. If shifters and humans had the ability to ward ourselves from Resistance soldiers, we damn well would have done the same thing. All the mages did, or so I guessed, was put up a boundary that stopped any non-mage from coming through. The same thing would hardly work for the rest of the city, which was mostly comprised of non-mages. But still, I wished there was some kind of magical protection we could give everyone else, to keep them safe from the Resistance.
The neighborhood around me changed again, apartments and townhouses giving way to elegant homes and mansions butting up against the coastline, vying for the coveted view of Solantha Bay. Solantha Palace rose above them all, a sprawling white stone edifice with red tile capping the roofs and turrets. Casement windows sparkled in the moonlight, and rune carvings shimmered on the edges of various ledges. To my surprise, there were no guards stationed outside. As I passed through another set of wards and walked up the garden path to the entrance, I could see none guarding the front door either. Strange. I’d never seen the Palace without guards before.
I took the wide staircase two at a time, wanting to get inside as quickly as possible. The massive double doors were closed tight against the evening, and with no one around to help me, I was forced to pull one open myself. An impossible feat for a normal human, but my shifter muscles managed. Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it to catch my breath, allowing my illusion to drop with a sigh of relief.
The reception area was deserted as well, but at around four in the morning, that was hardly a surprise. Still, with the city under attack, I’d have expected guards to be around. The complete lack of people made me uneasy, which was saying something since I really didn’t like Privacy Guard employees. They tended to slice first and ask questions later. A few of them had ganged up on me the first night I’d stayed at the Palace, and they’d nearly succeeded in killing me. Strength in numbers and all that.
Shrugging my unease off, I continued past the reception area, heading toward the south wing where the Mages Guild was located. The reception area for the Guild was empty as well, but I found a note pinned to a corkboard just inside the hall that led toward the Guild offices. It announced that by order of Chief Mage Iannis ar’Sannin, all routine apprentice activities were suspended until further notice, and that everyone available needed to report to the Guild Director for special assignments.
Well, well, well. Guess every cloud really did have a silver lining. Not that I was especially looking forward to taking orders from Lalia Chen, the Director of the Mages Guild, and in fact, I was going to go out of my way to make sure those orders came from Iannis instead. But my old apprentice duties had been boring as fuck, and I was glad to be rid of the grueling paper-pushing and mind-numbing grunt work, at least for a while.
Since nobody was around to report to at this hour, and it was too early to get anything done by myself, I made my way down to the kitchens to grab some food. The scent of freshly baked bread teased my nostrils even before I hit the stairwell, and my stomach growled in earnest. Food would give me an energy boost, something I really needed since my sleep was cut short.
“Good morning,” I sang as I sailed into the kitchens. The kitchen staff didn’t like me, mostly because I inhaled so much food every time I came in, so I tried to combat their dark looks and sour mood with extra cheeriness. “You got anything for breakfast?”
“Miss Baine!” I nearly toppled over in shock as the head chef bustled toward me. She was beaming, and the effect made her look like a sweet, middle-aged lady instead of the lemon-sucking matron I knew her to be. “I can see you’re famished. Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll get you something?”
“Uh… sure.” My tone was cautious, and I wondered what kind of alternate reality I’d walked into. I allowed the chef to steer me over to the small wooden table in the corner where I usually ate my meals to avoid the other mages who congregated in the upstairs dining hall for mealtimes.
“Let me get you a glass of orange juice. I’ll be right back.”
I stared after her round figure as she hurried away, watching as she barked an order to one of her juniors. Oranges were plucked from a basket, sliced open, then pressed with a citrus juicer into a tall glass that the head chef herself carried back to my table.
“We’ll have your food out soon,” she promised.
“Wait.” I grabbed her wrist as she was turning away and glowered at her. Maybe not the most appropriate response, but I was severely sleep deprived. “Why are you being so nice to me, Mrs. Tandry?”
A guilty look flashed in her pale blue eyes, and her round cheeks reddened a little. “I’m sorry we misjudged you when you first joined the household,” she said, lowering her voice a little. “After the way you rushed out so fearlessly to save Lord Iannis when he went missing, and all the work you’ve done to help keep the city safe, it’s obvious you’re a true friend of the Palace, and Solantha. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
I caught the glimmer of tears in her eyes as she hurried away, and was surprised to find a lump swelling in my own throat. An odd feeling welled in my chest, one I couldn’t quite describe, and it was threatening to bring tears to my own eyes. Strange that, after mostly holding it together in the face of all kinds of bullshit these past few weeks, this simple act of acceptance from a human woman was enough to make me cry.
You’re just tired, I told myself, shaking my head a little. Tired, and on the verge of heat. I grabbed the glass of orange juice and downed it in one go. The sugar hit my system fast, giving me a tiny burst of energy, and my engines revved, ready for more.
By the time the food came – a mountain of scrambled eggs, fried sausage and potatoes, and toast slathered with butter – I was ravenous. Only the fact that I didn’t want to damage my new friendship with Mrs. Tandry stopped me from throwing myself on it like a starving animal. But I made damn good use of my fork and knife, shoveling as much food into my belly as possible. And when my plate was empty, I asked for seconds.
By the time I was finished with my third helping, I felt much better. Satisfied, I leaned the back of my chair against the wall and considered a nap. It would be another couple of hours before anybody worth speaking to arrived at their offices, so I might as well catch up on sleep.
Before I could get up, the sound of footsteps in the stairwell caught my attention. A moment later, a grey-robed apprentice with carrot-red hair staggered in, soot smeared across his freckled nose and exhaustion rimming his blue eyes.
“Coffee,” he gasped. “I need coffee. Please, Mrs. Tandry,” he begged.
“Coming right up,” the head chef said, not even bothering to turn around. “Go ahead and have a seat.”
I canted my head. I was never down here at the same time as any of the mages, so I’d never seen the head chef interact with them. It was interesting that the head chef treated him as if he were one of the Palace staff, instead of a mage. Yes, he was an apprentice, but he was still a mage, and she was a human.
Then again, she did control the food around here. So maybe that afforded her more status.
The apprentice staggered into the chair opposite me, and I wrinkled my nose as I caught a whiff of singed hair. “You catch fire or something?” I asked.
“Something,” he agreed, dragging a hand through his hair. If he was trying to fix it, he failed – the action only caused it to stick out in all directions. “A group of Resistance members attempted to steal several ships from the harbor tonight, and the fight got pretty ugly. When they realized they weren’t going to be able to get away with it, they set fire to them instead.”
“What kind of ships?” I asked curiously. “Passenger ships?”
“No, cargo. They were mostly loaded up, set to leave tomorrow morning for Garai.”
“Huh.” I pursed my lips as I thought about that. If the Resistance was stealing cargo ships, it was likely one of the ways they were getting their supplies. Maybe they weren’t as well funded as I’d thought. �
��It sounds like the battle going on in Shiftertown might be a diversion.”
“No, it was the Mages Guild’s idea to attack there, to try to hit the Resistance during the evening when the humans among them are more vulnerable. The Resistance might have decided to time the theft to divide our forces, though. They were prepared for our attack, which likely means they still have spies in the Palace.”
“I see.” I didn’t like the idea of the Mages Guild mounting an attack against Shiftertown, where I’d grown up, but since the Resistance had taken root there, it wasn’t as if they had a choice. “I’m guessing our new ‘special assignments’ have to do with defending the city and attacking the Resistance?”
The apprentice nodded. “Lord Iannis himself is organizing the defense. He was out there with us tonight, along with that savage wolf of his, and a group of other mages too.” A frown creased his brow. “We should have taken them easily tonight, but the blasted humans have managed to get their hands on real firepower.”
“Guns?” My eyes widened at that. Guns were banned in the Northia Federation, and the penalty for possessing firearms of any kind was death. The Federation had a department specifically dedicated to the prevention of illegal firearms smuggling, as did the local Mages Guilds. Not even the enforcers, or any of the privately owned security companies such as Privacy Guard, were allowed to own guns. And there had been none at the Resistance Camp we’d infiltrated, at least that I’d seen.
“This is very bad news,” I murmured, dragging a hand through my hair. “If the Resistance has guns now, they’ve got a foreign contact somewhere that’s helping them.” Foreign affairs weren’t really my thing, but even I knew there were a few countries in the Far East where you could get anything for the right price, no matter how illegal, while their authorities looked the other way. The firearms were likely coming in by way of the docks, which would explain why the camp I’d run across didn’t have any yet; they were in a landlocked state. “You guys need to start monitoring the docks more closely.”
The apprentice glared at me. “This is the first time we’ve seen guns of any kind being used in an attack by the Resistance. I’m sure Lord Iannis will be urging the Department of Firearms Control to get to the bottom of this.”
He better be doing more than urging, I thought, but I kept that to myself.
Closing my eyes, I focused in on the serapha charm that rested against my chest, carefully tucked away beneath my clothing. The tiny stone grew warm as I activated its magic, and a tug on my chest confirmed the apprentice’s story. It was pulling me in the general direction of Shiftertown, which meant Iannis was there right now. Part of me was annoyed he’d gone without me, but I understood that Iannis wouldn’t want to put me in a position where I might have to fight my friends and relatives.
Finished in the kitchen, I headed down to the East Wing to grab a shower, and then a change of clothes from my old bedroom. The huge corner room still looked exactly the way it had when I’d left it – decorated in pale greens and earthy browns, a huge four-poster bed draped in green silk dominating the far side and a sitting area with a fireplace directly in front of me. Three rectangular windows framed with gossamer curtains provided a gorgeous view of Solantha Bay, and through them, I could see just a hint of dawn beginning to creep over the horizon.
Glossy wooden floorboards creaked beneath my weight as I crossed the room and entered the walk-in closet. It was mostly bare, since I’d cleared this place out after I’d gotten my own place, but, luckily, I’d left a few items of clothing here in case I needed to change after my magic lessons – a deep red button-up shirt, black leather pants, underwear, and a pair of sturdy boots. Sighing, I dropped my towel and changed into the clothes. My mood sank as I realized that aside from the dirty clothing I’d stripped off, my weapons, and my harness with its many pouches, these were the last items I owned. Everything else would have been destroyed in the fire by now.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I wasn’t all that attached to physical possessions, and certainly hadn’t owned that many of them, but still. I felt like the Resistance was determined to take everything from me. They’d already taken Noria Melcott, my best friend Annia’s sister and a lovable genius scamp I’d grown quite fond of. They’d tried to kill Iannis, forcing me to fight tooth and nail to rescue him. And now, they were trying to take my life, too.
Suddenly exhausted, I left my boots on the floor and crawled into bed. This defeatist attitude wasn’t going to get me anywhere. A couple of hours of sleep would get me in the right frame of mind, then I was going to regroup and plan a counter-attack of my own. No one took what was mine and got away with it. No one.
3
Four hours later, I awoke to the sight of daylight streaming through my gossamer curtains. Groaning, I shielded my eyes against sunlight that was far too cheery considering the circumstances, and rolled out of bed. Coming to stand in front of the mirror, I realized my hair was an insult to rat’s nests, and my skin was still pale with fatigue.
I could sleep for a week, I thought, scrubbing my face with my hands. I slapped some color into my cheeks, then wet my hair before pulling the brush through my damp mane, taming the unruly locks as quickly as possible. I needed to get down to the Mages Guild and find out what my ‘special assignment’ was supposed to be.
The brisk walk from the East Wing to the Guild reception helped wake me a little more, and by the time I got there, I realized the four hours of sleep had done me more good than I initially thought.
“Good morning, Miss Baine.” Dira, the receptionist who often acted as an aide to Iannis, greeted me. She didn’t smile, but her voice was pleasant. “I’m glad to see you’ve returned safe and sound.”
“Thank you.” I inclined my head, resigning myself to the fact that I was just going to have to get used to the fact that people were starting to be nice to me. First, the man who’d helped me escape the apartment building, then the head chef, and now the receptionist. Who was next? Canter, the grumpy old mage who manned the front desk at the Palace entrance?
Ha. Yeah, right. I didn’t think anything would break through that old man’s derision.
“Do you know where I might find the Chief Mage?” I asked Dira.
“He’s in conference right now, with Director Chen and Captain Galling.”
By Magorah. Doesn’t he ever sleep? “What about?”
“I’m not privy to those details,” she said firmly. I knew that was a lie, but I also knew I had a better chance of getting Iannis to dance naked across the Firegate Bridge than I did of getting her to tell me what she knew. “I would suggest you ask him yourself, when he’s done.”
“All right then. Thanks for being so helpful.” Careful to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, I sauntered to the hall on my left, the one that led toward the Guild offices.
“Miss Baine, you can’t just barge in!” Papers shuffled and a chair scraped back against the marble tile as Dira hurried to her feet.
I shot her a withering look over my shoulder. “Don’t be silly. I’m just going to wait in Director Chen’s office. After all, I still need to receive my ‘special assignment’, don’t I?”
The receptionist gave me an aggravated look, but she didn’t say anything more, and I moved on. I was dead certain that entering Director Chen’s office without her knowledge or permission would displease the Garaian-born mage, but considering that the Guild owed me big time for bringing Iannis back, she was hardly in a position to object too strongly.
The door to her office was locked, so I ducked into another one, then returned with a paperclip. It was easy enough to jimmy it open, and since she hadn’t thought to activate her wards, I slipped inside easily. Casting a dirty look at the incredibly uncomfortable visitor’s chairs I’d already been acquainted with, I crossed directly over to the wall on the opposite side, sat on the floor, and pressed my ear to the silk wallpaper.
I hadn’t actually come to Director Chen’s office because I wanted to report to her for
an assignment. The conference room Iannis was using was directly on the other side of her wall, and I wanted to listen in on the conversation.
“Captain Galling, please put your understandable resentment aside in the interest of the greater good,” Iannis was saying. “I am willing to consider suitable amends for the Council’s mistake of imprisoning you. In their panic at my disappearance, they did not know whom to trust, but such an error will never happen again. You have my word.”
“And mine,” Director Chen added in a tight voice.
“Hmm.” Galling appeared to be wavering.
Iannis persevered. “By refusing to do anything, you’re aiding and abetting terrorists. Can you square that with your conscience, to know you’re effectively aiding the wrong side?”
Captain Galling barked a laugh. “That’s easy for you to say, that I’m on the wrong side. You weren’t here when the Mages Guild was sweeping through the streets and snapping up anyone who was even remotely defined as a suspect. They took some of my best enforcers too, and they’ll be just as angry.”
“I apologize for that,” Iannis said. Anger simmered beneath the sincerity in his voice, and I nodded, satisfied. He hadn’t let the matter go yet, which meant that those who were still unjustly imprisoned would be freed soon, if they hadn’t been already. “But the first priority at this moment is to re-establish order and safety for all citizens in Solantha. That becomes nearly impossible if the Captain of the Enforcers Guild won’t lift a finger to help me drive the Resistance from our borders.”
“Even if I wanted to help you,” Captain Galling growled, “I can’t. Most of the enforcers hate the mages even more now, and they want nothing to do with this war.” Exhaustion entered his deep voice. “Besides, the apothecaries have been shut down, and I have no access to the medicine that my wife so desperately needs. I’m not interested in resuming my office while she is suffering.”
“What if I could cure your wife?” Iannis asked softly. “Would you be more inclined to help us then?”