The Burning Chaos (Smoke and Mirrors Book 2)

by Melissa Giorgio

  Leonid leaned forward. “Sir, I can explain—”

  “You don’t have to,” Parnaby interrupted. “I know you left the prison to chase after some woman I already told you was of no importance.”

  No importance. If he only knew.

  “Sir, she had something of mine—”

  “And this trinket was more important than finding out who poisoned fourteen people last night?” Parnaby pointed to my hairpin, and I resisted the urge to remove it from my hair and tuck it into my pocket. “Was it that? A gaudy piece of jewelry is more important than stopping a mass murderer? Is that what you’re telling me?”

  Leonid looked so crestfallen that I felt compelled to speak up. “We just stepped away for a few hours. Do you really think we would have been able to find out anything in that time?”

  “You.” Parnaby stood suddenly, his chair scraping noisily against the floor, and I shrunk back, regretting opening my mouth. “You do not get to speak, Irina. You are not a soldier, and you’re a lousy spy. You can’t follow orders, and you think this is just a game. Do I think you would have discovered something if you had remained in the prison instead of traipsing across Dusk? In those few short hours, as you put it?” He pounded his fist against the table, rattling his cup. “Weston found out which poison was used. It only took him two hours. What did you do in those two hours, Irina?”

  I had no answer for him, although part of me wanted to tell him about Aeonia, and how she knew about his magic and his amplifier. I would have enjoyed seeing the shock on his face.

  “I will share something with you, Irina, since you seem incapable of figuring this out on your own,” Parnaby continued. “With cases like these, time is of the utmost importance. The faster we figure things out, the faster we can zero in on the culprit. Fourteen people were murdered last night. We have no idea if this will happen again, but we must do everything in our power to prevent it. Or are you trying to tell me that your stupid barrette is more important than a human life?” His voice had risen to a shout, and I winced, wishing I was anywhere but here.

  I had felt such happiness only moments ago, and now all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry. Parnaby was so good at making you feel worthless.

  And the fact that Leonid hadn’t said a single word in my defense made Parnaby’s words hurt even more.

  Parnaby turned his attention back to Leonid. “I want you to return to the prison. Do not come home until you’ve found something.”

  “Yes, sir,” Leonid said softly, staring at the table.

  “And if I see that you’re distracted by her again, then this relationship will cease to exist. Have I made myself clear, Leonid?”

  A muscle twitched slightly in Leonid’s cheek and I realized Parnaby was using magic on Leonid, forcing him to bend to Parnaby’s will. Leonid was struggling to resist Parnaby’s orders, and I held my breath, silently pleading with him to win. But then his shoulders collapsed, and Leonid nodded, the movement short and jerky. “Yes, sir.” He rose woodenly and left the room without sparing me a single glance.

  Even though I knew—hoped—it was the magic controlling him, my heart still felt like it was shattering in my chest. A single tear rolled down my cheek and I swiped it away quickly, not wanting Parnaby to see. I started to rise as well, but he snapped, “Stay seated.”

  I glared at him. Was this the part where he tried to use magic on me, to make me forget things? Make me forget Leonid even? I squeezed my left hand into a fist, pleading with Jaegger to protect me.

  But the dragon remained silent.

  “Oh, Irina,” Parnaby said softly, “what am I to do with you? Do you know how easily I could erase your existence? Make Leonid forget he ever met you in the first place?”

  My stomach cramped with fear. Maybe Parnaby’s magic wouldn’t work on me, but it would work on Leonid. It already had. “Don’t—”

  “Did you ever wonder why someone as young as him is one of my most trusted men?” Parnaby sat down and folded his hands on the table in front of him. “It’s because he’s damn good at what he does. Gerald saw something in him, and because I trusted Gerald’s judgment, I trusted Leonid. I have not once regretted that decision. Until now. You may not think what you did today was wrong, but if I do not put a stop to it now, where will it end? With someone else being murdered while the two of you are in bed?”

  My cheeks burned hotly. The worst thing was, Parnaby was right. That’s exactly what we had come home to do.

  “Leonid is destined for great things,” Parnaby said, “while you seem destined to ruin everything. And again, I ask, what am I to do with you? I clearly can’t have you working with Leonid. You are a distraction, and he cannot afford to be distracted.” Parnaby paused, but I could tell it was just for effect. He’d already made up his mind about me. “You care about the conditions of the slums. You’ve asked me to allocate some funds to help improve conditions, which I’ve done. But that’s not enough, is it? You still worry and wonder, asking me if there’s been any improvement. Therefore, starting tomorrow, you will head down there to oversee things yourself.”

  The slums. I was returning to the slums. How did Parnaby know this was one of my biggest fears?

  “A-Alone?” I managed to choke out.

  “You can take Vernen,” he said with a wave of his hand. “It’s better than having him sit around playing cards all day. I’ll expect a report at the end of each day, Irina.” He stood. “Remember what I said. I can make Leonid and the others forget about you. Think carefully before you act recklessly again. The only one I will allow to suffer from your foolish actions is you.” The conversation clearly over, he left the room.

  I waited until I heard the front door closing before I dissolved into tears.

  “Irina?” Vernen appeared, staring down at me in concern. “He yelled at you, didn’t he? I heard him. The others didn’t, but I did.”

  Parnaby had cast a spell to prevent the others from listening in, but Vernen had somehow still heard our conversation… Panic seized me. Grabbing his hand, I said, “Vernen, you mustn’t tell anyone you could hear us. All right?”

  Puzzled, he nodded slowly. “All right.”

  I wiped my face, determined to keep my tears in check. Crying was for later, when I was alone in my room wondering if Leonid would ever hold me or kiss me again. “We have a job to do, Vernen. Tomorrow we’ll visit the slums!” I tried to keep my voice light even as I wondered how I’d be able to force my feet across the bridge and back to my old home.

  But at least I wouldn’t be alone. Vernen might not be the old Vernen any longer, but I still cherished his company. And Parnaby was right about one thing: It would do Vernen some good to get out of the house.

  “What about Leon?” Vernen asked. “Doesn’t he need our help?”

  “He’s got West and Aden and the others,” I said. “He doesn’t need us.”

  Vernen frowned. “That’s not true. He needs us. You especially, Irina.”

  I knew he was right, but at the same time, it was extremely difficult to silence the voice inside my head that wondered if Parnaby was right as well.

  Was I really a distraction to Leonid? Would it have been better for everyone, for all of Dusk, if we’d never met?

  LEONID DIDN’T RETURN HOME THAT NIGHT.

  As the hours ticked by and the shadows grew, it became increasingly obvious that Parnaby had used magic to compel Leonid to stay away until he solved the case. I squeezed my pillow, wondering if Parnaby had also used magic on me without me realizing it. Jaegger was still silent, and without his reassurances I had no idea if my thoughts and actions were my own or Parnaby’s.

  I had been manipulated before, by Bantheir, and it had been awful. I’d thought I was going crazy, and any time I tried to disobey the voices in my head to listen to reason, my body was racked with such pain I was certain I was dying. If Parnaby planned on doing something similar to me, I would tear his mansion apart until I found his amplifier so I could personally deliver it
to Aeonia.

  I didn’t want Dusk to fall. I didn’t want to see the people harmed. But I wasn’t Parnaby’s puppet.

  And neither was Leonid.

  I wasn’t stupid, though. I couldn’t just walk into Parnaby’s office or his bedroom and find the amplifier. Something that important would be hidden, and since I had no idea what I was looking for, I could walk right by it without knowing what it was. Jaegger was the key. When he decided to speak again, we would form a plan. Until then, I would follow Parnaby’s orders and hope that I was free of his magic.

  Visiting the slums would be good for me, I decided as Vernen and I left the house after a silent breakfast of toast and tea. It would distract me from what had happened yesterday with Leonid. Despite that moment of struggle, he hadn’t been able to win against Parnaby’s compulsion. So how come I’d been able to fight Bantheir’s?

  Maybe because Parnaby is that much stronger than Bantheir, I thought, shuddering. No wonder Aeonia wanted the amplifier.

  It would be better for everyone if I just destroyed it. Not that I had any idea how to destroy some powerful object that apparently contained the magic of hundreds of dead magicians. Jaegger probably could. Too bad he wasn’t speaking to me at the moment.

  I was tired of such heavy thoughts. Shaking my head to clear it, I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as we traveled south. We’d already stopped in at a bakery, where I’d used some of the funds Leonid set aside for groceries and other necessary sundries for the household to buy every loaf of bread they had. It wouldn’t feed even a fraction of the people living in the slums, but it would help someone. I can’t help them all today, but I will help them.

  The river grew closer with each step, and I took a shuddering breath to calm myself. I had deliberately led Vernen southwest, away from Aeonia’s shop. Crossing paths with her was the last thing I wanted to do, especially with Vernen by my side. She’d already figured out Parnaby’s true identity and knew about the Essence buried in my hand. Something told me she’d take one look at Vernen and discover all of his secrets as well.

  We passed a group of boys playing tag in the street. One ran past us, looked at me over his shoulders, and skidded to a stop. “Irina!” It was only then that I realized the boy was actually Quinn. Once again her hair was tucked securely under her cap.

  “Hello, Quinn.” I tapped her hat with my free hand. “I didn’t recognize you!”

  “Oh, that.” Quinn lifted her hat up and let her dark hair fall down over her shoulders. “One time when we were playing, Roger—that’s that big oaf over there picking his nose—grabbed my hair and yanked. I fell right on my butt, I did.”

  “He did not!” I exclaimed.

  “Don’t worry; I made him pay for it.” She held up her fists, showing me exactly what she meant. “After that he swore up and down he’d never do it again, but I don’t want to take any chances. He’s an oaf and a liar.”

  This girl knows how to take care of herself, I thought. “So that’s why you wear your hair up all the time?”

  “That and…” The girl trailed off sheepishly. “I did want Captain Fancy Pants to think I was a boy, that time. So he couldn’t find me.”

  “Ah. But the other boys you stay with—they don’t mind that you’re a girl?”

  Quinn waved a hand. “Course not. I’m not the only girl at our place. There’s Anna and Lauren and Kylie… They’re just not playing tag today. Anyway,” she said, eyeing me curiously as I shifted the bag of bread from one arm to the other. “Where are you off to?”

  “The slums.” I could see this surprised her, and who could blame her after the way I’d acted the day before? “No, it’s all right. I’m going to bring some food to an orphanage, and talk to some of the people in charge.”

  “Do you work for the president?” Quinn asked, her eyes going round with wonder. Irritation stabbed at me, even though I knew it wasn’t Quinn’s fault. Everyone blindly followed Parnaby because they had no choice. And I would be acting just like her if it wasn’t for Jaegger.

  “I do,” I said.

  “What’s he like?” Quinn fell into step with us, waving for her friends to continue playing without her. I guessed that meant she was coming with us to the slums. It probably had something to do with the bread we were carrying.

  I bit my lip, unsure how to answer that. If I told her Parnaby was rude and vicious, she’d probably grow indignant. “He’s… different.” Vernen and I exchanged a look, and he smiled slightly at my description.

  “But he must be good if he cares about the people living in the slums,” Quinn said, skipping along to my left.

  “Mmm.” I couldn’t deny that. Long before I asked Parnaby to divert more funds to the slums, he’d been working to improve conditions in the south. Leonid had been the one to tell me that. I’d been so quick to assume Parnaby only cared about the rich in Rise, but I was wrong. Much like everything else he did, Parnaby worked from the shadows to pull the strings. He didn’t want to take credit for all that he did for Dusk, which didn’t make any sense to me. When I asked Leonid why, he confessed that he didn’t know either. There was a reason Parnaby was hiding his true identity, but he was the only one who knew why.

  Now that I knew about the amplifier, I wondered if that was part of the reason. And I realized I’d been wrong—I was certain there was one person who knew why Parnaby did what he did.

  Elyse.

  Asking her without arousing any suspicion would be difficult, however. When it came to the amplifier, I would have to tread carefully. If Parnaby found out my true intentions, forget about erasing my memories. He would destroy me. But at the same time, if I did nothing, Aeonia would reveal what she knew. I was caught in the middle and, somehow, I had to outwit both sides if I wanted to survive.

  I was playing a dangerous game, one I wasn’t sure I had any chance of winning.

  Quinn kept up a steady stream of chatter as we approached the slums, and I was grateful to her. It kept me distracted from both my dark thoughts and where I was headed. I did pause before we crossed the bridge, my feet firmly planted in Way as I stared across the river. Thirteen years ago, I’d left this place and never looked back.

  Until today.

  “Irina?” Vernen hovered by my side, concern on his face.

  “I’m all right. This is good, Vernen. I should be here. I should be helping these people. No one helped me or my mother, but I will help them. I want them to know they aren’t alone.”

  He smiled. “They’re going to love you.”

  After crossing the bridge, I exhaled softly. I did it. Vernen took the lead, and I scanned our surroundings as we followed him. My memories of the slums were murky and from the perspective of a child. I expected it to be dark and imposing, but it wasn’t too different from the area we’d just left. I knew the worse parts were farther south, where gangs ruled the streets instead of the soldiers. I’d never ventured there with my mother. We had lived in the northern streets, begging for food and finding shelter in doorways. I remembered always being hungry and cold. That first night after I met Bantheir he’d taken me to a small restaurant and I’d eaten not just my bowl of soup, but his as well. Then I had fallen asleep in a real bed with pillows and sheets for the first time in my entire life. When I told him that, he had stared at me with such a sad expression on his face.

  That’s why I had such a difficult time, even now, equating that man with the one who had easily slit the throat of Vernen and others just to save himself. It was like Bantheir had been two people, and the one I thought I knew was just an illusion.

  Just like Parnaby, I thought sadly. He had also been kind to me, but now that I knew his real identity, he was downright awful. I wished I could go back in time to when I was ignorant and Bantheir hadn’t gone insane. But then I wouldn’t have met Leonid and the others. For the first time in my life, I had friends, people who truly cared about me. Would I trade them away that easily for a life of ignorance?

  No. A thousan
d times no.

  As we walked, we passed people slumped over in doorways, their tattered clothes wrapped around them tightly to stave off the cold. My heart hurt to see them like that, but I knew if I stopped to help each of them, we would never reach the orphanage. I reminded myself that I would be back, and I would continue to return for however long it took to improve their conditions.

  The orphanage was a two-storied building in the middle of the block. Like all the other buildings we passed, it was old and rundown, with cracks in the bricks and a roof that looked in danger of collapsing. I frowned. That was a problem that needed to be fixed immediately and I would have to tell Parnaby to send workers here as soon as he could spare them. There was no shortage of work for them in the slums.

  According to the history of Dusk, the original settlers chose this part, near the river, to build their village. As the settlement prospered, they expanded again and again, but where I was standing right now was the oldest part of the city. These buildings had seen life and loss, joy and grief, and it was important that we preserve them. We owed it to the original settlers, and to future generations.

  Inside the orphanage we were greeted by an older woman with silver hair tucked into a tight bun. Her eyes widened when she saw the bread we were carrying. “They’ll be so happy,” she said, leading us into a large room where at least fifty children played. I asked the matron not to make a big fuss with introductions, and instead circled the room, stopping to talk to the children. They ranged in age from tiny babies in cribs to teens only a few years younger than me. Some were shy, and only nodded when I asked them questions, while others sat in my lap and demanded I read them stories. Quinn started an impromptu game of tag with some of the older children, while Vernen let the little ones climb all over him. We paused for lunch, where the children hungrily attacked the loaves of bread, and then I did a small magic show for them using some of the props I’d stuff into the pockets of my coat on a whim. They sat, entranced, as I pulled candy from their ears or guessed their cards correctly. I wasn’t as showy as Bantheir, and I couldn’t use magic like Parnaby, but to these children, I was magic. When I finished, they begged for another trick, and I didn’t have the heart to turn them down. It was Vernen who finally said we needed to go, as the sun was beginning to dip in the sky. The children followed me outside, asking us to visit again tomorrow as they hugged my legs, reluctant to let me go. A few of them were crying, which broke my heart.