by Jasmine Walt
On the mainland, a small, private dirigible was waiting already, courtesy of the local government. It took us to the Southlands, the country that took up the southern section of the Northia continent, directly below the Federation. There Iannis took me shopping for more suitable clothing – I was dressed in my torn leather pants and one of his button-up shirts – while the pilot restocked food and drink supplies and the coal needed to heat up the air inside the dirigible.
Once again, Iannis and I had vastly different ideas about what clothing was considered suitable. He wanted me to arrive in mage robes, to pave the way of our engagement announcement, which I adamantly refused. Resinah had said to embrace both halves, not become a mage completely.
Eventually, we compromised, and I boarded the dirigible in a red-and-black dress with three-quarter length sleeves and a skirt that fell just below my knees. My bare feet were properly covered by a pair of cute, low-heeled boots, and I crossed them at the ankles as I settled into my cushy leather seat for take-off.
“So,” I said, once we were in the air, alone in the small, but well-appointed cabin. “We really need to talk.”
“About?”
“Changing the system.”
Iannis nodded slowly. “I agree that the current set-up cannot continue as it was. I had already planned to discuss possible reforms with the Council and Director Chen.”
I arched a brow at that. “You’re all mages. Do you really think you guys are going to be able to come up with anything workable on your own, considering how out of touch most of you are with the shifter and human communities?”
Iannis sighed. “It wasn’t always that way, you know. We used to know more about the people and their political inclinations than they did themselves.”
I blinked. “Is that so?” I couldn’t even imagine such a thing.
Iannis smiled slightly. “I know you don’t fully agree, but we mages are best suited to ruling.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up a hand. “Hear me out, Sunaya. The average lifespan of a mage is many times longer than that of the average human, which means we cannot help but amass more knowledge and experience, and take a wider perspective. There is also the fact that through magic, we are able to create wealth without being forced to exploit the workforce. Believe it or not, when mages first came to power, there were various experiments with human self-government. In case you haven’t noticed, we do still allow the humans a certain measure of self-government today, as well as the shifter clans. But giving them too much power has never ended well.”
“That may or may not be true,” I argued, “but you mages govern without giving the shifters or humans any opportunity to voice their opinions or concerns. Why are there no human or shifter representatives on the Council, for instance?” Iannis’s brows rose, and I took his lack of immediate response as encouragement. “Having them there would help prevent such barbaric customs as the magic-wipe law, for example. That practice needs to stop, and the Mages Guild needs to set up some sort of training facilities for those who are manifesting mage powers.”
“The constitution of Canalo does not allow the inclusion of non-mages in the Council,” Iannis pointed out. “The current Councilors are already troublesome enough, and the weekly council meetings a great waste of time I can ill afford. If there were humans and shifters on it too – it does not bear contemplating.”
“And why should humans and shifters heed that constitution, or the Council, if they had no say when it was established?” I demanded. “The public won’t be content to be kept in ignorance forever.”
“What you suggest is not something that can happen overnight,” Iannis warned. “I have already suspended the magical testing in the public schools until a better solution can be reached, but keep in mind that many human families may still want the option for their children to remain human. Training them as mages means taking them from their families, a thing that very few parents desire. Shifter families might be even less happy at sending their offspring to the mages for training. Of course, mages are hardly ever born into the clans – you are an exception only because your father was a mage.”
“Right.” I bit my bottom lip as I considered that. It was true that many families might prefer their children never inherit magic powers, but… “Don’t you think the child should also have a say? It’s their powers, after all, and their life that is being forever altered when those powers are taken away. If you’re going to keep the testing, it should be done at the latest possible age, so that the child can be consulted.”
“Twelve years old is still very young for such a momentous decision,” Iannis mused, gazing thoughtfully out the window. “Most children are likely to embrace their magic, once that option exists. But perhaps further testing and questioning could be done to determine whether each individual child is best suited for life as a mage, or if the child would be better off raised with their human family, as a human.”
I pressed two fingers to the side of my forehead – I was starting to get a headache just thinking about the ramifications of all this. “Obviously, this needs way more thought and discussion,” I said. “But back to my original question…what did you mean when you said that mages used to know the shifter and human populations better?”
“It used to be common practice for us to mingle with the other races in disguise, much as you do now,” Iannis explained. “Doing so allowed us to understand their needs and concerns better, and also to predict and head off any societal disruptions or catastrophes. But around one hundred years ago, the Federation mages decided to eliminate that part of apprentice training. The Chief Mages considered it a waste of time. Besides, sending mages into the population in disguise led to undesirable entanglements and friendships.”
“You mean like my mother and father?”
“You could say that,” Iannis said carefully. “Certainly, there were more shifter-mage hybrids born back then, and the Mages Guild didn’t know what to do with them. Many had their powers suppressed, as you did, and ended up outcasts who lived and died miserably, their lives often ending well before their time. Others were sent out of the country by their parents, either to live in hiding or to settle in other countries that were friendlier to their kind.”
I let out a breath. “I guess I was lucky Roanas decided to take me in.” He’d caught me stealing food at a market stall, and instead of a thief, he’d seen a grubby, starving kid with nowhere to go. As the Shiftertown Inspector, he could have prosecuted me, but instead, he’d taken me into his home and raised me as his own.
What would my life have become, if not for that fateful day? Would anyone have helped me? Or would I have grown up on the streets, perhaps killed before ever reaching adulthood?
“You were very lucky,” Iannis murmured, his eyes on me again. “I wish I could have spared you the pain of your childhood, but your unique background is the reason why you are so good at what you do. I would have probably uncovered the Benefactor and her plan on my own at some point, but by then, it would likely have been too late to squash the rebellion without resorting to genocidal methods.”
I shuddered. “Well, I guess you could call that a silver lining.”
“Indeed.” Iannis’s eyes twinkled. “In the meantime, though, you have demonstrated to me that withdrawing from the population was a mistake, and one that will be rectified immediately.”
I didn’t know how I felt about the idea of mages walking among the shifter and human populations in disguise, keeping tabs on us. There had to be a better way of ensuring the safety of Canalo’s citizens, without resorting to espionage.
You’ve done it yourself, you know, a voice in my head reminded me. Don’t act so hypocritical.
“You’re thinking too much,” Iannis said, and the next thing I knew, he’d yanked me into his lap. “Let’s postpone the rest of this discussion, as my mind is far more occupied with what lies beneath this dress.” He slid a hand up my bare thigh.
“Well, don’t let me derail your train of thou
ght,” I gasped as his fingers moved higher. He covered my mouth with his to muffle my cries as he found my sweet spot, and I decided that, for now, this flight was better spent doing things other than talking about social issues. They would be waiting for us when we landed, and, for now, I wanted to savor the alone time Iannis and I still had left.
When Iannis and I disembarked from the dirigible, what seemed like the entire Mages Guild was waiting for us on the front lawn of the Palace. They clapped and cheered in unison when the two of us emerged together, and I wasn’t sure if they were cheering because Iannis was back, because he was successful in rescuing me, or both.
“Welcome back, Lord Iannis!” Director Chen beamed as she and Fenris stepped forward to greet us. They bowed. “We are all very relieved you have safely returned, and of course, that Miss Baine is with you.” She inclined her head to me as well, though the enthusiasm in the gesture left much to be desired.
“Yes, we are very glad to see you both,” Fenris added, putting firm emphasis on the word both. He stepped forward to embrace me then. As I hugged him back, he whispered in my ear, “And especially you, My Lady.”
“Flatterer,” I muttered with a grin. I knew from the look in Fenris’s eye that he could scent evidence of our recent lovemaking, and that he’d already deduced what that meant. But neither of us said anything more about it, and he retreated to Director Chen’s side again.
“Thank you,” Iannis said, raising his voice to acknowledge the crowd of mages as well. Turning back to Director Chen, he asked, in a lower voice, “I hope your relief does not stem from any serious problem that has occurred in my absence.”
“Oh no, Lord Iannis,” Director Chen said confidently. “Everything is under control right now. The rioting has all but ceased in the streets, and the enforcer patrols have ensured that citizens are discouraged from looting. We do have hundreds of captured insurgents awaiting your disposition, and there is the matter of all the civilian criminals as well.”
“I will address all of that shortly,” Iannis promised Director Chen. “But right now, I have an announcement to make.”
“Of course.” Director Chen stepped aside so that Iannis could address the crowd, and a little thrill shot through my veins when Iannis twined his fingers through mine.
“I would like to inform you all of my engagement to Miss Sunaya Baine, daughter of the Baine Clan, and also a mage by birth. The wedding date will be announced in due course. We hope you all share in our happiness,” Iannis added with a broad smile, which was rare for him in public.
Director Chen went utterly white, and Fenris grabbed her by the elbow to steady her. For his part, he simply grinned at us, and the rest of the crowd broke out into applause. Sincere applause, I realized with some shock. Many of the ones closest to us came forward to shake our hands and congratulate us, and though the Council Members in particular did not seem thrilled about the engagement, most of the good wishes we received were genuine. Maybe mages weren’t as rigid and closed to change as I’d thought, if they were willing to accept the idea that I would be their new lady, as Fenris had called me.
“Come,” Iannis murmured, drawing me away from the crowd. “I’ve an engagement present for you.”
“An engagement present?” I asked as he led me through the gardens and up the steps to the Palace entrance. “I thought the jewels in the box were my present.”
“Don’t be silly,” he chided. “I was only joking about that. I may have opened that chest for you, but you found it, so the contents were rightfully yours to begin with.”
“Oh.” Flustered, I said nothing more as I followed him up the curved double staircase and to his rooms in the West Wing. I really hadn’t expected any kind of engagement present from him.
“I don’t have a present for you,” I blurted out as we stepped into his sitting room.
Iannis turned, then gently cupped my chin with his long fingers and tilted my head back a little. “You can count the books you found as a present, if you like,” he said, smiling. “Or use one of those many gems to get me something, if you absolutely feel you must. But as far as I’m concerned, the only thing I want from you is what you have already given.”
“A pain in your ass?” I half-joked as he dipped his head toward me.
“No.” His mouth curved against mine as he kissed me. “Your love.”
His hands found mine, fingers curling around them as he kissed me deeply, and I gasped as power surged through me, forming a circuit between us. The sensation was familiar – he’d done the same thing the last two times he’d accessed the lock my father had placed on my power in order to give me more access. This time, though, the current that ran through me was hotter and brighter than before, and my body trembled from the force of it. By Magorah, but what was Iannis doing to me now?
A sudden tug at the center of my body ripped a cry from my lips, and something cracked wide open. Power spilled through me so suddenly that my knees buckled, and Iannis grabbed me about my waist and pulled me tight against him to keep me from falling.
“That is one of your gifts,” he murmured into my hair. “You have more power than you realize, and it will take some getting used to now that you have access to all of it.”
“All of it?” I looked up at him in surprise. “You’ve broken the lock my father put on my magic?”
“Permanently.” Iannis grinned at the stunned expression on my face. “It wouldn’t do to have my future wife handicapped in any way. Besides, you’ve gained enough control over your emotions that I can trust you won’t blast someone into smithereens whenever you get angry.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said dryly, and he chuckled, pulling away. Lifting my hand, I directed my magic toward a small, potted tree by the window, willing it to sprout a few blossoms. Power surged through me, and I gasped as the branches exploded with dozens of tiny purple blossoms – quite a few more than I’d expected.
“I guess I need to recalibrate,” I thought, scratching my head as Iannis laughed. Yesterday, I would have had to push harder to get the same effect.
“Indeed.” Grinning, Iannis kissed the top of my head, then pulled a key from my sleeve and placed it in my hand. “Your second gift,” he explained when I frowned down at the key in puzzlement. “You’ll find a brand-new steambike with your name on it when you next go snooping in the garage.”
“Wow.” I stared at him, at a complete loss for words. “You don’t know how much that means to me,” I finally said as I threw my arms around him and kissed him hard.
Sometime later, Iannis lifted his head, breathing heavily. “Much as I would love to continue this, we do have other matters that need attending,” he reminded me. “I must call a council meeting and determine what to do with the prisoners.”
“Of course.” Sighing, I unwrapped myself from around Iannis’s body, then stepped back. “You’re inviting me to this one, right?” I asked, giving him a beady eye.
“I wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise.”
26
Several hours later, I left the council room exhausted, but triumphant. I’d lobbied hard for lighter sentences for the shifter and human civilians who had been incited to violence by the rebellion, insisting that it would be more productive to put them to work rebuilding the city via community service projects than having them languish on Prison Isle, or relegating them to back-breaking mine work. The council had grudgingly agreed, especially when Iannis threw the weight of his approval behind me.
As for the Resistance soldiers themselves, that was a tougher battle, particularly as the Resistance was still active in other states of the Federation. I argued that because the Resistance had brainwashed the shifters with propaganda and false promises when the plan all along was to kill them, the shifter soldiers should be given lighter sentences. Between the higher taxes levied against the shifter community, and the Herald’s successful attempt to turn the population against shifters, they could hardly be blamed for latching onto the promise of a system where
they would be treated fairly.
The council members contended that regardless of the reason, these shifters had willingly participated in heinous crimes against civilians, and needed to be punished accordingly. But a few of them agreed with me to give them a second chance, and Iannis pointed out that, at this time, goodwill toward the community was needed far more than punishment. Eventually, we came to an agreement that the shifter members of the Resistance would be sentenced to a maximum of five years’ hard labor in the mines, depending upon how long they’d been with the Resistance, and whether or not they’d directly contributed to acts of terrorism.
As for the humans, the higher ups were facing execution after their trials, and the regular soldiers either many more years of hard labor in the mines than the shifters, or some equally gruesome sentence. I suppose I could have argued for some of the soldiers as well, but honestly, I didn’t give a shit. I remembered all too well the congregation that had applauded Father Calmias’s sermon – they hadn’t been an oppressed people looking for fair treatment. They’d been a group of elitists, ready to commit genocide to get what they wanted.
I found out at the council meeting that though Chartis had gotten away yet again, Yantz was in custody, as were Thorgana Mills and my cousin Rylan. I wanted a face-to-face conversation with the last two, so after the meeting dispersed, I left the Palace and rode my new steambike to the Port to catch a ferry to Prison Isle.
News of my engagement to the Chief Mage had spread across the city like wildfire, so when I arrived at the island, the prison staff practically tripped over their feet to accommodate me. I informed the warden on duty that I wanted to speak to Rylan Baine, and I was promptly led to a private visitor’s chamber to wait while they brought him in. I was amused when one of the hulking prison guard mages offered me refreshments – they’d never been this accommodating when I’d come here on enforcer business. My first impulse was to decline the offer, but I figured Rylan might want something to eat or drink. So instead, I asked for whatever they had available.