Marked by Magic: a New Adult Fantasy Novel (The Baine Chronicles Book 4)

by Jasmine Walt

  “I am a fairly good judge of character,” Fenris said, sounding a little offended that I would doubt him. “I’ve rarely been wrong about suitable subjects for suggestion magic.”

  Suggestion magic. That was what Iannis had called it too, during that time when he had used it to break into the house where the sick Federation Minister had been held against his will. That would be such a useful talent to have…

  “Here we are.” The manager pulled out a logbook, then turned and handed it to us. It was a little beat up, and the leather binding had seen better days, but the handwriting on the pages was clear and neat.

  “Thank you. We’ll be just a moment,” I told the manager before turning around and placing the book on the desk nearest us. Fenris and I bent our heads together to look over the pages, and I quickly flipped through the last few months, scanning the records with ease. I’d developed an eye for paperwork after weeks of doing grunt work for the Mages Guild, and though I never thought I’d be thanking them for putting me through that hellish torture, I had to admit it was paying off now.

  “Here. And here. And here again,” I told Fenris, pointing to certain shipments that caught my eye. “These must be the ones who are going to the Resistance.”

  “Ah, yes, I see.” Fenris’s eyes narrowed as he nodded in agreement. “These shipments are much larger than any of their other customers, and unlike the other recipients, there is no shipping address listed here.” The records only showed that the merchandise was picked up by boat, but not where it was delivered to, and that the bills were promptly paid by a company called Supplysafe.

  “Do you know where Supplysafe is located?” I asked over my shoulder.

  “W-what?” the manager stuttered, clearly unprepared for the question.

  I turned around to face him. “Supplysafe. According to these shipment records, they’re currently your biggest customer. Where are they located?”

  “I’m not sure. Gaston, I think,” the manager said, referring to a distant town on the East Coast. “We don’t know very much about them.”

  I arched a brow. “I noticed. You don’t list an address for them on your shipments. Isn’t that unusual?”

  “Yes, it is,” the manager mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked at the ground. But then, he pulled himself together and looked straight at me. “But as you mentioned, Inspector, they’re currently our best customer, and business had slowed down in the past year. With the quantities they order and their willingness to pay promptly, it didn’t seem wise to push them when they neglected to provide a delivery address. The extra income from their business has allowed us to purchase several additional steam-canning machines, and for the first time in years, we’re looking at expanding again.” He folded his arms and gave us a beady eye, as if the explanation could justify his apparent willingness to look the other way. “There aren’t very many businesses that can say that in these troubling times.”

  “Indeed,” I said sharply, and he flinched. “Your records say that the shipments go out by boat. Where are your captains told to bring the freight?”

  “They aren’t,” the manager admitted. “Supplysafe sends their own boats to pick up the shipments. Like I said, they’re a great customer.”

  Fantastic, I grumbled to myself. “How did Timbran’s first come into contact with them?” I demanded. “Surely a representative must have gotten in touch with you, or vice versa.”

  “All our business with Supplysafe has been via letter and messenger,” the manager explained. “And the messengers work for courier companies, as far as I can tell.”

  “So you’ve never met the owners?”

  “Never.” The manager frowned. “What did you say this was about again?”

  I bit back a sigh as Fenris took control of the conversation, using his suggestion magic to steer the manager’s suspicions away. We asked him a few more questions, but the only other information we managed to get out of him was the billing address Supplysafe had given them, and the account numbers used to pay the bills. My eyebrows went up as I noticed the account belonged to Sandin Federal Bank. There was no way that was a coincidence. If I could find a link between Sandin and Supplysafe – aside from their initials – we might be that much closer to discovering the Benefactor’s identity.

  “My nose isn’t as well trained as yours,” Fenris said once we were outside and headed back to our vehicle, “but as far as I could tell, the man seemed truthful. Do you concur?”

  “I do,” I said as I got into the steamcar. “If there’s more to this story – and I’m sure there is – the manager doesn’t know about it. The Benefactor has not only done a great job of covering his tracks, he’s also ensured that the people he deals with can’t give much away, since they know next to nothing themselves.”

  “Will you consult with the Finance Secretary, then, regarding the Sandin Federal connection?” Fenris asked as he started the steamcar and guided us back down to the dirt road. “I imagine he could be quite helpful in this matter.”

  “First chance I get,” I decided, settling into my seat for the ride. “Now hurry up and get us back.”

  Somewhere along the drive back home, Fenris developed a lead foot. We got back to the Palace in half the time it had taken us to get to Timbran’s, which was a good thing because I was getting antsy to move on with the investigation. Fenris, it turned out, had matters of his own to deal with, so I left him to take care of returning the steamcar, and headed toward the Mages Guild to enlist the Finance Secretary’s help.

  Unfortunately, Cirin wasn’t in his office, and I didn’t think he’d appreciate it if I enlisted one of the few overloaded staff he had left to help me, without his permission. Annoyed, I went to see if I could speak to Iannis, but Dira informed me he was out again, dealing with the prisoner crisis. Damn. These problems were stacking themselves on top of each other, and I knew if I could just get a few moments to talk to Iannis, my suggestions might help him figure out a solution.

  If we could keep our hands off each other, that was.

  Shoving my hands into my pockets, I headed back out of the Guild offices, trying to figure out what to do next. My feet took me in the direction of the West Wing, and the next thing I knew, I was standing outside the library. Hmm. Libraries were supposed to be good resources of information, right? Maybe there was something in there that could help me.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Baine,” Janta said, pushing up her spectacles as I entered. She was dressed in set of daisy-yellow robes today, her silver hair braided into a coil and wrapped around her head. Once again, she was all alone. “Is there something I can help you find today?”

  “Maybe.” I dragged a hand through my hair, wondering how to phrase my request. “Umm, is there a way to find out who the owners of a company in another state are?”

  Janta smiled. “But of course. The library has a nation-wide company directory, and updates are published biannually. It’s never entirely up to date, but close enough.”

  “Really?” I grinned, surprised and pleased. “Do you think it’ll have companies listed that are located in remote towns? Like, say, a company called Supplysafe in Gaston?”

  “That may be a tough one,” the librarian admitted as she rose from her seat. “But we’ll see. Give me just one moment.”

  She bustled away to, leaving me alone at the front desk for a few moments. I drummed my finger against the wooden surface as I waited, trying not to get carried away by the hope dancing around in my chest. It seemed like an eternity before Janta came back – although it was probably only a few minutes – but when she emerged from between the shelves, she was carrying a large, heavy-looking book.

  “Here, come around to my side of the desk,” she said kindly, pushing aside some papers so she could set the tome down. “We’ll have a look at this together.”

  I did as she asked, snagging a chair from one of the tables and bringing it over so I could sit next to her. Janta opened the book to a certain section, then scanned the
directory with a slender finger, drawing my attention to her silver-painted nails. She murmured softly as she read the names aloud.

  “Supplysafe,” she finally said, raising her volume to an audible level again. “It says here they are a subsidiary of something called the Bellington Trust.”

  I bit back a groan. “I don’t like the sound of that.” The last thing I needed was to go through a bunch of different companies, only to hit another dead end.

  “Now, now.” Janta gave me small smile. “Don’t be so impatient, Miss Baine. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  Using the alphabetic index, we found the entry for the Bellington Trust, which was based in Dara rather than Gaston. Janta’s research skills managed to unearth the interesting fact that the trust was also a majority owner of Privacy Guard. Moreover, it had its fingers in dozens of rather important pies, including the recently disbanded Sandin Federal Bank.

  “Wow.” I sat back in my chair nearly an hour later, glancing over the growing pile of record books we’d amassed. “I can’t believe you managed to find all this, Janta. You’re amazing.” For the first time, I felt like I was finally getting somewhere with this. I wondered if maybe after this was all over, I could enlist Jana’s help in finding my father. I knew Iannis wasn’t keen on the idea of me searching for him, but I wanted to know the truth, dammit, and ten years was far too long to wait.

  The librarian shrugged off my compliment, but still seemed pleased. I was definitely getting better at reading mages. “I can find out more,” she promised. “I have a colleague in Dara whom I can consult regarding the Bellington Trust. She may be able to help us establish the identity of the owners.” A slight frown creased her brow. “It may take a while, though, because the few lines in the Palace that can be used for out-of-state calls have been reserved for emergencies.”

  “Don’t worry, Mrs. Urama,” I said, rising from my seat, filled with new optimism. “Finding the identity of the Benefactor is a major part of the current emergency, and might just be the most important task aside from fending off the Resistance attacks. I’ll speak to the Chief Mage today, and get you cleared to make your phone call.”

  And with that in mind, I swept from the room, determined to locate Iannis and get my long-overdue audience.

  16

  A quick consultation of my serapha charm told me that Iannis was back in the Palace, so I followed the tug in my chest, hoping I might find him alone for once. Unfortunately, said tug led me back into the Mages Guild, and Dira flagged me down as soon as I stepped into the lobby.

  “The Chief Mage is a holding meeting, and it’s starting right now,” she told me. “He requires your presence in the conference room immediately.”

  I couldn’t find it in me to be annoyed that I wasn’t getting my private audience – I was curious what this conference was about, and why I was being summoned to it. Thanking the receptionist, I made my way to the conference room, which was next door to Director Chen’s office.

  “Miss Baine,” Iannis greeted me with a nod as I walked in. “Please, come join us.” I caught just the briefest flash of pleasure in his eyes before he retreated behind his stoic mask, and I had to bite back a smile. He was at the head of the conference table… right between Director Chen and Fenris, who was attending in human form for once. The urge to smile quickly disappeared as I noticed just how close Chen leaned in toward Iannis – they were practically rubbing elbows.

  I glanced dubiously at the only seat available –to the left of the very bottom of the table, furthest from the Chief Mage. Iannis opened his mouth to speak again, but I cut him off. “This will do great,” I said cheerfully, pulling out the chair and giving Secretary Bosal, who was occupying the foot of the table, a wide smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Secretary.”

  “And you as well,” Bosal said, inclining his head courteously. I’d helped rescue him from the Resistance camp along with the other delegates not long ago, and as a result, he was friendlier to me than most of the other mages. The Finance Secretary was sitting on this end too, and though he and I weren’t exactly friends, I was reasonably sure we were in the same camp.

  The discussion was pretty interesting at first, as the senior mages reported how the conflict against the Resistance was developing. A few key Resistance members had been captured, and were being kept apart from the looters and other riff-raff in a special cell on Prison Isle with extra security. Privacy Guard was still on strike, and they all agreed to boycott the company in future. I mentioned that I was investigating the company’s ownership, and that there might be ties to the Benefactor through something called the Bellington Trust in Dara. Iannis seemed pleased to hear it, and readily agreed to authorize Janta’s further investigations into the matter.

  As the discussion turned back to the prisoners, I wondered if my cousin Rylan was amongst them, and added that to the increasing list of topics to discuss with Iannis in private. I didn’t like the thought of Rylan stuck on Prison Isle, but at least it would mean he wasn’t causing any more trouble, or in major danger for the moment.

  Since most adult mages had volunteered to help with the defense and counterattacks, there was a severe manpower shortage in the Mages Quarter. Mages were having trouble coping with the menial chores that were usually delegated to human servants. Some of the apprentice mages were helping out with cooking and cleaning and bitterly grumbling about it, but the better-trained ones had been drafted to set wards and taking care of other tasks related to defense. Everyone agreed that this could not go on for much longer.

  “We have been lucky with our food supplies thus far in the Mages Quarter,” the Finance Secretary said, “but I fear we’ve only enough for a few more days until we run out.”

  “That should be sufficient,” Iannis assured him. “The situation will be resolved by then. The Resistance is beginning to lose ground now that we’ve captured some of their higher-ranking officers. The loss of leadership is affecting their morale, as well as the fact that they have not been able to get the entire population on their side, as they apparently hoped for. The enforcers returning to their jobs are also making a difference, and as mentioned earlier, Miss Baine and Fenris have made some strides in the investigation of the Benefactor’s identity.” He inclined his head at me, and I kept my face blank, determined not to light up like a silly schoolgirl at his acknowledgement. But I did nod back – it would be rude not to respond to the praise.

  The discussion moved on, and though the mages were still deeply unsettled by the unexpected emergency, they seemed to be happy with Iannis’s leadership, and confident they would triumph now that he was back.

  An aide sidled in and whispered in Iannis’s ear. Despite the distance, my sharp ears caught the words “Minister” and “emergency.”

  “Please excuse me,” Iannis said, “I have an urgent matter to attend to. Director Chen will continue to chair the meeting in my stead.” His eyes met mine for the briefest of moments before he swept from the room, and I fought against a smile as I caught just a hint of warmth in them.

  “Let’s resume,” Director Chen said in her clear, smooth voice as the door shut in Iannis’s wake. “Are there any other suggestions for dealing with the Resistance, or pertinent information that has not been voiced yet?”

  “To further demoralize the enemy, we should take a few of the captured officers and set an example with public executions,” one of the mages declared. “It will make the citizens think twice about defecting to the other side.”

  “That would be a terrible mistake,” I protested, and all eyes turned toward me. Director Chen pressed her lips together, and the mage who had spoken reddened, but I ignored their reactions. “Haven’t you guys learned from your mistakes yet? The council’s heavy-handed measures are what got us into this mess in the first place. More violence isn’t the answer.”

  “Then what do you suggest we do?” the mage snapped. “Sit back and let the Resistance take the city? They are not shy about using violence against us �
�� surely you, of all people, can’t be suggesting that we show weakness and leniency to them? Or are your loyalties divided, since so many of the Resistance are shifters?”

  “That was out of line, Secretary Corwin,” Fenris said. “The Chief Mage has complete confidence in Miss Baine.”

  “His apprentice may be loyal, but hardly objective, when she has one foot in either camp,” another mage objected. “How could she be? Anyway, I support Corwin’s proposal about public executions. These renegades understand no other language. Not to punish them with utmost severity would send the wrong message.”

  “It is certainly an interesting proposal,” Director Chen said to the last speaker. “I have concerns about the timing, however.”

  By Magorah. Was she fucking serious? I couldn’t believe Director Chen was going along with this bullshit.

  “No,” I said firmly, drawing all eyes toward my end of the table. “Obviously, we have to fight back – I’m not an idiot. But if you execute the prisoners while emotions are running so high, you’ll make them martyrs, and that will only rally their successors and bring even more people to their side out of sympathy. Sentence them to labor in the mines – it’s a better deterrent anyway – and find a different way to discourage the citizens from joining the Resistance. Maybe you could even start by convincing them why they should side with you in the first place,” I added with a sneer. “Why would they show the slightest loyalty to mages, the way you have been treating them all this time?”

  “Preposterous!” the execution-happy mage roared, and the other mages at the table began to add their arguments as well. The words ‘ignorant’, ‘naïve’, and ‘ungrateful’ were thrown around, and to my frustration, Director Chen did nothing to stop them. In fact, she was listening attentively to their asinine arguments. I tried to subdue the anger bubbling in my chest, but it was hopeless. It was obvious the mages didn’t understand why they needed to care about the views of stupid humans and shifters. In their eyes, the shorter-lived races were unable to understand their own best interests, and it would be a waste of time and sign of weakness for the Mages Guild to explain itself.