by Jasmine Walt
“Gee, thanks,” I choked out, right before my stomach heaved again. The stench was absolutely awful, especially to my shifter nose, but I had no choice but to let this take its course. I clutched the edge of the cot as I dry-heaved for a few moments more, then collapsed back down and wiped my mouth with the back of my shaking hand.
Footsteps sounded, and a shadow passed over me, blocking out the glaring light from the fixture set into the ceiling as Captain Galling bent over me. He had a glass bottle filled with water in his hand, which he held out to me.
“Drink.”
I struggled up into a sitting position, then took the bottle from him. My fingers were so shaky that I nearly dropped it, but my body was so desperate for water that I managed to get it to my lips after a few seconds.
“Easy now,” Captain Galling said in a gruff voice as I guzzled. “You’ll make yourself sick again if you drink too fast.”
I glared at him over the bottle, but slowed down, knowing he was right. When I had my fill, I set the bottle down on the floor, next to the reeking bucket, which I glared at.
Captain Galling sighed, then rose and stuck his head out the door of his office. A moment later, an enforcer came in to take the bucket away. The look on his face told me exactly how the man felt at being delegated to perform such a menial task, but he didn’t say anything, just took the offending bucket by the handle and left the room.
“Anything else you need?” Captain Galling asked, pulling up one of his visitor’s chairs and sitting down so that he was next to my cot. “Should I bring you some smelling salts?”
“It would be great if you could revive the civilian lying dead on the street behind the building,” I sniped. “Once you do that, I think we’ll be peachy.”
Captain Galling scrubbed a hand over his square face. “I regret that,” he said. “But you have to understand the enforcers were just doing their jobs.”
“Yeah, they earned five stars for their performance today,” I sneered. “Surely they could have brought me inside before asking me to show myself, couldn’t they? Those fuckers knew I was disguised. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure at least one of them was hoping I’d be attacked.” And now he’s dead, too.
“Again, I apologize for that,” Captain Galling said, his voice harder now. “And I also apologize for what happened to you in the hall earlier today, but as much as I’d like to claim otherwise, I can’t control the way my men feel. If you want their respect, you’re going to have to earn it. Sneaking around in disguise, wearing the face of a more popular enforcer, is hardly going to help with that. And they’ll hold the death of the guard who was shot against you too.”
“At this very moment, I don’t give a shit about their respect,” I snarled, digging my fingers into the lumpy cot. “I just want them to back the fuck off.”
“Noted.”
“How’s your wife?” I asked casually, leaning back in my cot as I changed the subject. “Has she been cured yet?”
“Yes, she has –” Captain Galling paused, the smile freezing on his face. “How do you know about that?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m the Chief Mage’s apprentice, remember? I know a thing or two about what goes on in the Palace. And I know you agreed to haul the Guild back into line in exchange for your wife’s health.”
“Fine.” Captain Galling growled. A vein pulsed at his temple, and his hands clenched into fists on his lap. “I’ll make sure the enforcers know to give you a wide berth, and that they’re not to block you in any way when you come to the Guild. But you at least have to present your enforcer bracelet. We have to maintain some level of security here.”
“Thank you.” I inclined my throbbing head. That was the best I could hope for, really.
“I’ll make sure that the bounties for the thugs you brought in are credited to you as soon as possible,” Captain Galling added. “The enforcers on guard duty were planning to take the reward for themselves. Which, of course, is the reason they tried to shut you out. I’ll be docking their next bounties as punishment.”
I wanted to be angry about that piece of information, but I was just too damned tired and heartsick at Gorden’s death, so I let it go. “Is there any way you can get a few more enforcers into Maintown? I promised…” A lump swelled in my throat, and I forced back tears. “I promised that I would see about sending some guys out there to police the thugs.”
Captain Galling’s dark blue eyes softened briefly. “I’ll see what I can do, but we’re stretched pretty thin now that Privacy Guard is refusing to work with us.”
His remark reminded me of the strange lack of guards outside the Palace, and I frowned. I had thought perhaps Iannis had decided to get rid of them for some reason, but I hadn’t realized they were no longer working with the Enforcers Guild either.
“What the hell is up with that?” I demanded. “Why is Privacy Guard refusing to help?”
“They’ve issued a statement that they’re suspending all activity pending the outcome of the ‘insurrection’, as they put it,” Captain Galling said tightly. “Because of that, we now have to look after our own prisoners and guard the building as well. We could have managed if we still had our previous numbers, but since a lot of us have left, it’s slim pickings around here.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, and I meant it. I didn’t envy Captain Galling’s job right now – he had too much to do, and too little manpower to do it with. The fact that Privacy Guard was refusing to lift a finger was just another straw on an overburdened camel’s back – and just what were they up to, anyway? Why were they standing back from the fight, when they should be taking advantage of the opportunity to make good money? Was the owner of the company allied with the Resistance somehow?
Something else to look into, I thought, adding it to the list.
“Don’t be sorry,” Captain Galling said, rising from his seat. “Be effective. You seem to be pretty good at nosing your way into the heart of things, Baine, so put that nose of yours to good use and find out who’s behind this. I’m sick and tired of all this fighting, and the last thing I need to do is drop dead at the business end of a Resistance rifle after my wife’s just been healed.” He shook his head, laughing bitterly. “That would be a cruel dose of irony, wouldn’t it?”
I smiled sadly. “I have a feeling that a lot of that’s been going around.”
Captain Galling arranged transport back to the Palace, which was a damn good thing because I was healing way too slowly for my liking. My shoulder had been bandaged up when I’d been unconscious, and it wasn’t bleeding, but it still ached like hell, and my headache was taking a long time to dissipate. I needed to raid the kitchen, and then I needed a few good hours of sleep.
You could see about finding Iannis, a voice in my head suggested as I trudged up the Palace steps. He’ll want to know you’re safe, and he’d probably be happy to heal you.
The idea lifted my spirits momentarily, and a quick consultation with my serapha charm told me that he was in the West Wing, maybe even in his rooms. But then I remembered he’d been up for close to forty-eight hours, and that he’d used his magic to bring down a rainstorm and heal who knew how many injured civilians. Iannis was powerful, but even he had limits. He probably needed a recharge by now.
The kitchen staff was gone at this time of night, the lights turned off and the ovens shut down, so I raided the pantry, loading up on dried meat, cheese, and bread. After all, it wasn’t as if I had anything to fear since there were no Privacy Guard employees in the Palace to try and jump me anymore. They’d done that the last time I raided the pantry, on my first night here, and nearly killed me. Of course, I doubted they’d have the balls to do it again now that I was an official apprentice, but still. I’d made sure to stay away from the kitchens when they were closed after that incident, until now.
I hauled my load to the little table in the corner and started scarfing it down, heedless of manners since there was no one around. I was halfway through a round of cheese when I heard
footsteps on the stairwell. I paused, my senses going on high alert. Then I relaxed as I recognized the scent.
“Fenris,” I called. “Come to share a midnight snack with me?”
“Something like that,” he said, smiling as he emerged from the darkness. I’d turned on the lights, and his yellow wolf-shifter eyes squinted for a moment as they adjusted. As he stood there, I took a moment to study him. Fenris looked well enough, his dark hair and beard shining from a recent shower, but there were smudges of fatigue beneath his unusually heavy-lidded eyes. As usual, he was dressed in one of his old-fashioned tunics, this one a dark grey, but unusually, he had a short sword strapped to his waist.
“Can you even use that thing?” I asked as he approached the table.
Fenris smiled faintly and switched to mindspeak. “Mages have been known to engage in combative sports for pleasure, such as fencing. This blade isn’t the same thing as a rapier, but I think I can manage it if I have to.”
I shook my head as he took a seat across from me. “It’s still hard to believe you’re actually a mage,” I muttered, matching his discretion by keeping the conversation silent. You never knew who might be lurking in a corner of this huge building, listening to conversations that were none of their damned business.
He frowned. “I was a mage,” he corrected. “Now I am a shifter.”
“With some mage abilities,” I pointed out, arching a brow.
He sighed, picking up a crust of brown bread. “Perhaps I do not truly understand what I am,” he admitted out loud. “But I do know I am not who I once was.”
Same here, I thought as I polished off the rest of the cheese in my hand. As I swallowed my last bite, my shoulder began to itch, and I realized my regenerative abilities were revving up. Hot and uncomfortable, I shrugged off the jacket Captain Galling had lent me, draping it across the back of the chair. Oh well, at least it was my healing abilities causing this discomfort rather than the heat, which had temporarily abated beneath the stress of my wounds.
“Sunaya!” Fenris’s eyes widened as he caught sight of my bandaged shoulder. “I thought I’d smelled blood, but I didn’t realize it was more than a scratch. What happened?”
“Someone took a shot at me outside the Enforcers Guild,” I said darkly. I recounted the story for him, starting with my apprehension of the thugs and ending with being knocked out by the enforcer I almost killed.
“It’s no wonder Iannis asked me to wait up for you,” Fenris said, his dark eyes glittering with fury. “Danger really does seem to stalk you wherever you go.” He pushed up from the table, and his chair made a screeching sound against the concrete floor. “Let me take a look at your wounds. I didn’t use much magic today, so I’m sure I can heal you,” he added in mindspeak.
“Don’t bother.” I held up a hand. Fenris’s magical reserves were limited, and I didn’t want him wasting them on me. “I’m healing well enough on my own, now that I’ve eaten. I just need some sleep, then I’ll be good as new.” It wasn’t a lie – I was regenerating well enough that my heat was starting to kick in again, responding to Fenris’s proximity. I bit down on the inside of my cheek, hoping the pain would distract me from the surge of hormones.
Fenris’s nostrils flared as he caught my scent, and understanding lit his eyes. “Very well,” he said, reluctantly returning to his seat. He eyed the rapidly diminishing pile of food. “I imagine you should be going to bed soon.”
“Soon,” I agreed, ignoring the dirty flashes the word ‘bed’ conjured in my mind. “But first, I want an update. How are things going on your end?”
“It depends on who you ask,” Fenris said ruefully. “But overall, not terribly considering that we no longer have Privacy Guard to help with the defense. We’ve warded off the entire Mages Quarter from anyone without magic. Doing so poses a problem for our human employees since they can no longer leave or enter, but it also makes this area the safest section in Solantha. I can tell you that the mages are much less troubled about going out and fending off Resistance attacks, knowing that their families are safe behind the wards.”
“Yeah, about that,” I said, remembering my decision to look into Privacy Guard. “Do you know who the hell owns Privacy Guard, anyway? I can’t help but think that their refusal to assist means their owner is involved with the Resistance somehow.”
“Yes, I also find their behavior highly suspicious,” Fenris agreed. “I will ask the appropriate department to investigate the company’s origins. In hindsight, it was a mistake to rely on a single private company to such an extent, and I will advise Iannis not to do so again. We will need to look into other private security companies in the future.”
“Or hire your own staff,” I suggested. “There are plenty of unemployed humans and shifters in the city who would probably thank you for it, even now. Not everybody who’s stayed behind is a Resistance supporter. Come to think of it, there are probably some lower-ranked mages you could employ as guards too.”
“That’s a good idea,” Fenris said, nodding slowly.
We both turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and I scowled as Cirin Garidano, the Finance Secretary, walked in. “What the hell is this?” I snapped irritably. “Did I put out a memo that I was hosting a party down here tonight?” Talking to Fenris was one thing, but I wasn’t interested in an audience. Especially a male one.
Down, girl. The Finance Secretary was good-looking, but he was a little too similar to Iannis for my liking. Even if I was able to throw my conscience to the wayside, and even if Cirin was interested, I wouldn’t be able to help but think of Iannis anyway.
“You aren’t the only ones who get hungry in the middle of the night,” Cirin said dryly. He sauntered over to the table, plucked a length of summer sausage from the pile, then deftly unwrapped it with his long fingers. “I believe I’ve just as much right to this food as you,” he added when I bared my fangs at him.
“Fine. Well, if you’re going to intrude on my dinner, the least you can do is be helpful.” I kicked out a chair with my foot, gesturing for him to sit. As he did so, I blinked in surprise as I caught a whiff of smoke clinging to his clothes. “Were you out helping with the defense tonight?”
“Yes, then I had to go back to my office to take care of a few things, so I didn’t get a chance eat until now. The kitchen staff had a buffet set out in the dining hall for us, which I missed, so I decided to come here instead.”
“Oh.” I pouted a little at that – it would have been nice to have a cooked meal. “I guess it’s gotta be tough, doing Finance Secretary stuff while helping with the defense.”
Cirin shrugged. “Lord Iannis ordered all the more powerful mages in the Guild to scale back their normal duties until the emergency is over. I’m hardly the only one juggling paperwork with magical defense.”
“Thank Magorah I don’t have to deal with that,” I muttered around a mouthful of bread.
The conversation turned back toward the rising crime in the streets. I told Cirin and Fenris about the swelling prisoner population and the problems the Enforcers Guild was having due to being shorthanded.
“Many of the looters were honest citizens up until recently,” I said, waving a crust of bread in the air as I spoke. “I’m not going to deny that a good portion of them are assholes, like the thugs I apprehended earlier today, but a lot of them are just desperate. It doesn’t seem right that they should have to endure the punishments we normally dole out for theft.”
Fenris sighed. “We can hardly maintain any level of order if we allow them to roam free,” he said. “Doing so will just tell the citizens that we condone this sort of behavior, and it will embolden the looters while making the victims feel less safe.”
“Indeed,” Cirin agreed. “And considering that our reputation is suffering every day this goes on, we need to demonstrate to the citizens that we are reasserting control and not abandoning them.”
A wave of exhaustion hit me then, and I leaned back in my chair. My body was trying
to force me into shutdown mode, so it could use the food I’d eaten to finish healing.
“I’m going to get some sleep,” I said with a yawn as I stood up. “Will you tell the Chief Mage, when you see him, that I need to speak with him?” I asked Fenris, knowing he would likely run into Iannis before me.
“Is speaking really the right term?” Fenris asked, giving me a knowing look. I blushed a little, surprised he’d even gone there considering how reserved he normally was.
“What does that mean?” Cirin asked with a frown.
“Never mind,” I said, then hurried from the kitchen, bidding them goodnight and leaving them to deal with the leftovers. “Good night.”
I headed up to my room, hoping for a restful night’s sleep for once, instead of the hot and heavy dreams that usually came with heat. Resinah’s advice about getting in touch with my mage half was obviously the key to controlling my heat, but whether I’d be able to do it within the darkness of my sleeping mind was another story entirely.
13
“Sunaya!” Fenris’s voice shook me awake as he knocked on my door. “Sunaya, are you awake yet?”
Groaning, I sat up and glanced at the clock on my bedside. Eleven in the morning. Damn. I’d slept longer than I’d intended. I’d gone to bed around midnight last night, and because I’d been so exhausted, my sleep had been dreamless, the heat kept at bay by my body’s need to recover.
But now that I was awake, I was hyper-aware of the fact that I was sitting up naked in bed and that only a single wooden door stood between a virile male and me. Warmth rushed through my body, and I threw off the sheets, my skin too hot and sensitive to bear them.
“Just a second,” I called. “I’m not decent.”
Instead of hurrying across the room to grab some clothing, I stood in the center of the room, away from the windows, and took deep, calming breaths. Instinctively, I fell back into a breathing pattern my mentor Roanas had taught me, the one he used to clear his mind and focus.