"Very well," the bony woman sniffed, turning back to the captain. "All is forgiven. See to it that this does not happen again."
"It will not," the captain promised. "Now if we are done, Terpan will escort you out."
The humans filed out of the room, Terpan on their heels.
"Congratulations on catching that foul criminal," the man said to me as he passed. "I will sleep better now, knowing that he's behind bars and that I do not have to worry about him assaulting one of my own daughters."
Terpan closed the door behind them, and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Here you go, Captain," I said, handing off the report to him, which was now a little crumpled thanks to Terpan's rough treatment. "I just need your signature on the bounty collection slip."
The captain nodded. "Have a seat, Melcott."
I lowered myself into one of his visitor's chairs, a little uneasy at his grim demeanor. Several minutes of silence passed as he carefully read the report.
Finally, he set the paper down on his desk and pinned me with that frank, no-nonsense stare. "You did good work today here, Melcott," he said. "But I can't have another incident like this happen again. You and Terpan need to sort out your issues."
Anger surged through me, and I gripped the arms of my chair, hard. "You're blaming me for Terpan's behavior?" I accused, incredulous. "It's not my fault he's been acting like a total ass! I've just been doing my job!"
"Yes, you have," the captain said, "but you've also been egging Terpan on. Whose idea was it to have that bet?" he demanded.
I opened my mouth to argue, but he wasn’t finished.
"Was that really necessary? The Enforcer's Guild has a history of competitive behavior, which was good under the old system, but now that we're switching over, we need to start working together. Enough of this lone wolf nonsense, Annia. Join up with Third Squad, take over as the foreman. It's what the Guild needs right now."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Are you threatening to kick me out if I don't join with a crew? And do you really think that taking over as foreman will make things better when Terpan wants that position so badly? That's just going to make him resent me even more!"
"Maybe at first, but he’ll get over it eventually," the captain snapped. "Terpan may be hot-headed, but he knows how to follow orders, and when he's not being an idiot he's one of my best enforcers. As to your other question, no, I can't kick you out of the Guild for not joining a crew. But as more of the system gets implemented, it's going to get harder for you to find bounties. The change is inevitable, Annia—you're either going to have to run with it or find yourself another job."
I shook my head and stood up. "I don't believe that." As long as I remained proactive, I'd continue to find and bring in bounties. "Say what you like, Captain, but I'm not taking the foreman position, and I'm not leaving the Guild. I'm doing fine as it is."
I stormed out of the building before he could get me to reconsider, stopping only to collect my bounty on the way out.
In no mood to sit at home and stew, I headed east, eating up the pavement as I tried to burn off my frustration. Before I knew it, I was standing outside the port, staring out at the seemingly unending row of docks jutting out into Solantha Bay. The Firegate Bridge glittered in the distance, and between it and the shore, Prison Isle squatted, a dark blot in the middle of an otherwise cheerful bay. A castle-like structure with thick walls and iron gates took up most of the island—a temporary home for the prisoners who either served out their sentences there or were sent off to the mines to work off their debt to society.
How many of the criminals who'd passed through those gates were ones I'd personally scooped off the streets? How many lives had I saved, how many homes had I made safer? And for what? So a shifter with an attitude problem and a bureaucracy-hungry captain could try to muscle me out of the Guild? Sure, I knew the captain didn't really want me gone; he really did want me to take that foreman position. But Terpan couldn't seem to get it through his thick skull that I wasn't interested, and he was determined to make an enemy of me. Just how did the captain expect me to make up with him?
"You could always make him fall in love with you," Garalina suggested, popping into my head. "There is an old brew that the brujas of my time used to make to handle troublesome men, though I do not quite remember the recipe. But I'm sure your friends Comenius and Elania would know how to make it. Don't they live near here?"
I rolled my eyes. "The absolute last thing I need is to make Terpan fall in love with me." Shifters could be extremely territorial, and I did not need a hulking wolf breathing down my neck, demanding to know my whereabouts and trying to swaddle me up in cotton so I wouldn't get hurt. Still, I thought, it would be nice to pay Comenius and Elania a visit, see what they were up to. Elania had been pregnant with twins for some time now—when were they due? Was she ready to pop yet? I glanced toward Witches End, a pier lined with magical shops where the magic-user immigrants who'd settled in Solantha lived and worked.
"Surely not all shifters are like that," Garalina said, her tone reasonable. "Rylan doesn't treat you that way. And I think you should visit Comenius and Elania. I'm very interested to see what sort of offerings they have in their shops."
"That's because Rylan's not in love with me," I said, reluctantly turning away from the docks. Much as I wanted to visit Com and Elania, I had a hot date tonight I needed to get ready for. And I was running way behind.
5
"Annia!" Sunaya jumped up from the chair she'd been lounging in as I walked through the door. She and Mina—our friend Fenris's wife—had been sitting at the small dining table by the grand picture window in her suite, nibbling on appetizers and drinks. Well, Mina was nibbling, I amended as Sunaya rushed over to embrace me in one of her spine-cracking hugs. Sunaya had probably inhaled two plates while she'd been waiting for me.
"Hey, Naya," I said as my face was smooshed into her cloud of riotous curly hair. Though she was an inch or two shorter than me, Sunaya more than made up for the height difference with an additional twenty pounds of muscle. The two of us couldn't look more different—she was dark-haired, tanned, and curvy; I was tall, fair-skinned, and willowy. She had eerie green cat-shifter eyes, while mine were normal human brown.
But she was my best friend, and no amount of racial or social status differences would ever change that between us.
"Hello, Annia," Mina said from behind Sunaya as she rose from her own chair. A petite blonde with a heart-shaped face and kind blue eyes, she'd won Fenris—and just about everyone else—over with her strong and compassionate yet oddly gentle spirit. As she moved closer, I saw she wore a gossamer pink empire- waiste gown that showed off her tiny baby bump. "It's good to see you again."
Elania, Mina, and Sunaya. Was everybody getting pregnant around here but me? I’d already known Mina was pregnant, but it was one thing to know it and another thing to see it.
Sunaya sniffed at my neck, then glanced up at me with a puzzled frown. "You've been hanging out with Rylan today? I can smell him on you."
I made a face. "Has anyone ever told you that blurting comments out like that can be a little disturbing?" I disentangled myself from her embrace so I could hug Mina.
Sunaya laughed. "We've been friends for close to a decade now, Annia. You should be used to it by now. How's my cousin doing? Staying out of trouble? And have you both been keeping an eye on the Tua?"
"Yes, and yes," I said, sitting down at the table with them.
Sunaya lifted a hand, and a bottle of red wine floated from the liquor cabinet, uncorked itself, and poured a generous amount into the waiting glass for me.
"You're awfully comfortable with your magic now," I observed, a little jealous.
Sunaya quirked an eyebrow. "Well, of course I am. I've got Fenris's memories to guide me, and a year of practice under my belt now that my magic's no longer blocked up. Why? Are you having trouble with Garalina's magic?"
"She is," Garalina said, popping up nex
t to Mina.
Both women startled at her sudden appearance—they both knew about Garalina, but they still weren't quite used to her presence.
"But only because she completely refuses to use it,” Garalina said. “Will you talk some sense into her, Sunaya? This stubborn attitude of hers is really getting quite ridiculous."
Mina raised her eyebrows. "You're refusing to use Garalina's magic? Why?"
I glared at my ghostly companion over the rim of my wine glass and took a long sip. "Because I believe in following the law," I said as the alcohol slid through my body, giving me some much-needed fortitude. "And using magic to take my landlord's voice away or bewitch a fellow enforcer into being nice to me isn't legal, Garalina."
Garalina tossed her feathered head. "Please. Don't act as if those are the only incidents. You won't even use my magic to tidy the house, or catch criminals! We didn't need Rylan to catch that rapist today—the only reason you took him along was specifically to avoid my magic."
"Is this because you're worried about being prosecuted?" Sunaya asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You know I wouldn't let anything like that happen to you. We'd figure something out if your situation ever went public."
"I don't want any special treatment," I said stubbornly. "And it's not just about that. I've managed to live for close to thirty years as a normal human being, Sunaya. I don't see why I suddenly need to start using magic in every aspect of my life just because I have access to it now."
Sunaya narrowed her bottle-green gaze on me. "Are you afraid of using it?"
"It's not about fear," I said, knowing Sunaya would detect even the tiniest lie. It was a bad idea to lie to any shifter—their sensitive noses picked up the change in scent when you weren’t telling the truth, making them great lie detectors and interrogators. "I think it's fine to use magic in emergencies—like when Garalina saved me. I appreciate what you did for me, and I know you're just trying to be helpful, but I feel like using magic in place of good, old-fashioned detective work is like an admission that I'm shitty at my job. And I'm not shitty at my job."
"Of course you're not," Mina said in that calm, soothing voice of hers. "But magic isn't a crutch; it's a tool. And even though you're perfectly capable of using your human senses and skills to do your job, don't you think you could be so much more efficient if you just used your magic? How many more cases could you close? How many more lives could you save and criminals could you lock up if you used all the tools at your disposal?"
"See?" Garalina beamed at Mina. "It's so nice to listen to a voice of reason for once."
"Not so fast," Sunaya said, holding up a hand. "Just because Mina and I believe in using magic doesn't mean that Annia has to. I won't pretend to understand what it's like to suddenly have magic forced on you after a lifetime of not using it. I spent my whole life wishing that I could use the magic I knew was inside me, and frustrated that I couldn't control when it came or went. When Iannis released the spell that was blocking me from my power, it was a huge relief, like I'd finally reconnected with a piece of myself that was missing.
"But," she added, switching her attention back to Garalina again, "it's different for Annia. Trying to get her to integrate with your magic is like trying to fit a puzzle piece into a puzzle that's already been completed. You either have to take out a piece of the existing puzzle and reshape the new piece so it fits into the gap, or you need to expand the puzzle. Both are easier said than done."
"That was...oddly philosophical of you," I said, not sure if I should be amused or annoyed at being compared to a puzzle.
Sunaya gave me a crooked grin that was identical to Rylan's. "Fenris's memories have been rubbing off on me. Half of them seem to be stuffed with philosophical writings and texts. You wouldn't believe how much time I've spent contemplating the universe since I absorbed his knowledge."
Mina laughed. "Fenris is a thinker, that's for sure."
Garalina frowned. "I'm not trying to make my magic a permanent part of Annia," she protested. "After all, it is my magic, not hers, and she won’t have it forever. I just wish she would use it more often. She's agreed to help me track down my killer. How is she supposed to do that if she wastes her time on tasks that could be more easily solved by using my powers?"
Sunaya shrugged. "That's between you and her to figure out. And to be honest, I don't care what kind of agreement you two reach so long as you don't put her in danger. If I feel that you've become a threat to Annia's life at any point, I'll remove that torque from Annia's neck by force, and destroy it."
Garalina gasped. "You wouldn't!"
I stared at Sunaya. "Can you do that?"
"It would be extremely difficult, but Iannis and I would figure it out." Sunaya spoke calmly, her body language relaxed as she lounged in her chair, but the predatory glint in her eyes as she looked at Garalina told a different story. She meant every word.
"I'm sure there won't be a need for that," I said hastily. Garalina looked like she was about to erupt, and the last thing I needed was for her and Sunaya to end up in a magical duel. Sunaya was a powerhouse, but Garalina's magic seemed to defy what today's mages knew about magic, so I had no idea who would win. Besides, Garalina was my friend, too, even if we weren't getting along right now.
"Of course there's no need for that," Garalina snapped. "The fact that either of you think I would put Annia's life in danger is insulting. I may not understand all your laws and customs yet, but I am not a simpleton."
"No one thinks that," Mina rushed to say. "We all know you are just trying to do what you think is best for Annia."
"And yet you threaten me as though I'm the enemy." Garalina drew herself up to her full height and swept us with a glare that might have been strong enough to level a building if she were corporeal. "I know when I'm not wanted, so I will make myself scarce. Enjoy your meal."
"Wait—" I said, reaching for her, but Garalina had already disappeared. "Why is it that whenever I try to talk to her about this, I only get myself into more trouble?"
"Trouble!" Sunaya's ether parrot squawked, materializing on Sunaya's shoulder. He cocked his head at me in a very bird-like manner, ruffling his feathers a little as he settled. "Hi, Annia."
"Hi, Trouble." I stared back at the glowing bird, bemused at the intelligence in his glowing eyes. Sunaya had accidentally created him when she was trying to conjure an ether pigeon—temporary magical constructs that mages used to deliver messages—and he frequently popped in and out, most often whenever someone accidentally said his name. "Is it just me, or is he smarter than he used to be?"
"I used Fenris's knowledge to improve him a bit," Sunaya said, stroking the bird's ghostly feathers. "He's about as smart as your average three-year-old and can hold conversations."
"Are you okay?" Trouble squawked. "You look hungry?"
I laughed, a little startled, and the others joined in when my stomach growled. "It is dinner time," I said, glancing ruefully at my half-empty glass of wine. "And I haven't eaten since...well, since breakfast, I think."
"By Magorah." Sunaya snapped her fingers, and they glowed briefly as she triggered some spell. "I'd be gnawing the tablecloth if I were you! Let's eat."
A servant bustled in moments later with a rolling table covered in dishes, and in no time I was tucking into a giant plate of salmon, whipped potatoes, and asparagus. "Mmm," I groaned. "I forgot how good the palace cook is."
"I'm just happy the cook hasn't gone on strike, what with the amount of food I've been ordering every day," Sunaya said between bites of food. "Pregnancy is hungry work!"
"Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl yet?" Mina asked, her eyes sparkling as she put her hand on her own belly. She and Fenris had already determined they were having a boy—apparently there was a spell that could be used to detect gender.
Sunaya shook her head. "We won't know for another six weeks. Iannis says it's dangerous to test the baby before then because the exposure to magic can cause complications."
I frowned. "Why? Isn't the baby constantly exposed to magic?"
Sunaya shook her head. "The womb protects the baby from any magic I perform, as long as it's directed out of my body. But if someone were to use magic on me, it could have negative effects on the baby." She glanced at the ceiling, letting out a frustrated huff. "I'm happy that we're having a baby, but not being able to shift is starting to get to me. It's been five weeks since I last let the panther out—the longest I went before this was maybe a week, tops."
"That sucks." I gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around the hardship, but I sort of imagined it would be like if I was forced to wear the same clothes for weeks on end without being allowed to take them off. Clothes were great and all, but we were born naked, and it was unnatural not to take them off from time to time and allow yourself to breathe.
Sunaya smiled. "Thanks. I'll get through it, though. And it hasn't been all bad. Pregnancy sex is awesome, am I right?" She winked at Mina.
Mina blushed, but she grinned nevertheless. "It is, now that I'm in my second trimester and don't have morning sickness anymore. Don't you deal with that still?"
The two of them launched into a discussion about pregnancy, and I sipped my wine, trying not to look uncomfortable. The three of us represented a hodgepodge of styles: Mina looked like an adorable nymph in her flowy pink dress, gold jewelry, and loosely styled blonde hair, while Sunaya wore a T-shirt and denim jeans. Her only adornments were the serapha charm, which hung from her neck and connected her to Iannis, the wedding band on her left hand, and the crescent knives strapped to her thighs. I was somewhere in between, wearing a pair of white jeans, midnight-blue top, and strappy sandals.
But the two women in front of me were bonding over the babies growing in their bellies, and I couldn't help feeling like an outsider.
"Annia, is everything all right?" Sunaya asked, interrupting my train of thought.
Tempted by Magic: Mischief and Magic: Book One Page 5
