“True, but Solantha Bay is lovely too,” I gushed, easily slipping into the role of tourist. I’d spoken to enough of them that I knew how to behave like one. “The Firegate Bridge is just spectacular. Have you ever walked across it?”
We chatted together for a little while as I finished my pancakes, and though I tried to keep things friendly it was clear the guy was trying to hit on me. So after I was done, I reached into the money pouch tied to my belt to settle up so I could head out.
“Oh don’t worry about that,” the male said, pulling out a pandanum coin and several bronze ones from a large money pouch. “I’ve got it.”
“No kidding.” I stared down at the pouch, wondering how I hadn’t noticed it before. “Say, I noticed a lot of people seem to be flush in these parts. Did the Canalo government give some kind of handout to the shifters here?”
“Oh, you mean this?” the male laughed, hefting his pouch. “No, this definitely isn’t from the government. This is thanks to Sandin Federal Bank.”
“Sandin Federal Bank?” I blinked. They were one of the largest human-owned banks in the Northia Federation. “They’re handing out free money now?”
“Practically,” the male said with a grin. “They’ve been advertising interest-free loans specifically for shifters, and a lot of us have cashed in on them.”
“Seriously?” I sat up straight and looked around the room again. “That explains why everyone’s talking about going on vacation.” Maybe I could cash in on some of this “free” money too. I was certainly going to need it if the Chief Mage wouldn’t let me get back to making a living soon.
“Yeah, no kidding. My parents are planning a trip to the East Coast.” His eyes twinkled. “Maybe I’ll go up and visit Parabas sometime, see if you’re in town.”
“Oh sure,” I said with false enthusiasm. “You should definitely do that.” I made a show of checking my watch. “Sorry, but I’m gonna be late for a meeting. I’d better go.”
“Wait!” he grabbed my arm. “Are you sure I can’t buy you a drink later?”
Later on, he wouldn’t even recognize me. But rather than turn him down, I scribbled a fake phone number onto a napkin, then made a quick exit, heading for my bike in the back. I had one more stop, and then I needed to haul my ass to the Palace before the Mages Guild decided to do it for me.
5
This time Comenius’s shop was open for business, the front door propped open to allow the cool sea breeze to waft inside. I stepped into the shaded, homey interior, inhaling the scent of herbs and candles, and smiled at the sight of customers inspecting the various charms and potions and making purchases. I remembered when Comenius had set up shop here several years ago as an unknown. I’d been one of his first customers, wandering into his store to see what he charged for protection charms because the guy I used to go to was charging me an arm and a leg. The two of us had connected quickly, and we’d even tried to make a go of a relationship, but that didn’t last. Still, we were good friends, and I was glad to see how far he’d come.
“Naya!” Comenius smiled at me from behind the counter, his pale blue eyes lighting up. He was tall and lanky, dressed in a dark green tunic and brown trousers, his ash blond hair curling ever so slightly around the edges of his square jaw. “It’s been too long,” he said, coming around the counter to embrace me.
“Hey Naya!” Noria Melcott, his part-time assistant, paused in the middle of ringing up a sale to wave at me with a grin. She looked the same as ever, her wild red curls exploding around her small, freckled face, still wearing the same loud short-sleeved shirts and multi-pocketed pants that hid all kinds of tools. A techie to the bone, Noria loved to work with gears and gadgets, and I was surprised she worked for Comenius instead of a shop that could put her talents to use. But I wasn’t about to object – at least this way I could see them both at the same time.
“Hey you,” I called back as I embraced Com. His woodsy herbal scent engulfed me, and I took a moment to inhale deeply. Comenius’s presence was always soothing to me; it was one of the reasons I was drawn to him even though these days we weren’t more than friends.
“I dropped by yesterday to see if you wanted to hang out, but you weren’t here,” I scolded, drawing back so I could peer up into his square face. “What’s up with that?”
“He was hanging out with Elania last night, of course,” Noria called out in a teasing tone. “She showed up here in a tight black dress right about an hour before closing time and told him she needed some help with making dinner. I’ve never seen him close up shop so fast!”
“Zum Donnerwetter!” Comenius exclaimed as I chuckled, a pale pink flush splashing across his cheeks. “Do you have to say that so loudly in front of everybody?”
“What?” Noria shouted over the chiming of the cash register. “I can’t hear you over the sound of all the money I’m making for you!”
I couldn’t help it – I laughed. “She’s one of a kind, isn’t she?” I teased, giving Comenius a consoling pat on the shoulder.
“You could say that,” Comenius said dryly, turning his gaze back toward me. “So what brings you here today, Naya? Did you drop by just to say hi?”
“I wish.” I sighed, glancing out the window at the sparkling blue bay. Hanging out with Comenius at his shop sounded like paradise, but that wasn’t in my future for today. “I actually came by to talk to you about the silver murders.”
“The silver murders?” Comenius’s pale eyebrows drew together in a puzzled frown. “What about them? Has someone else been poisoned?”
“No, no, nothing like that.” I glanced at the doorway as the last customer exited the shop. “Is there any chance we could sit down for a moment and go over this?”
“Of course.” Comenius waved Noria from behind the counter, and we settled into the wicker chairs grouped together to form a seating area a little ways off from the front desk.
“So what’s going on?” Noria asked, concern in her dark eyes. “If it’s something to do with the silver murders it’s got to be serious.”
I sat back in my chair and told them about how I’d run into Inspector Lakin, and how he’d just come from interviewing Sillara’s lover. I filled them in on the details we’d found, telling them about the disappearances and how none of the victims’ families had received any ransom notes.
“How strange,” Comenius said. “So these shifters have all been disappearing?”
“All within the span of the last year or so,” I confirmed. “I was thinking maybe we could pick through those old Shifter Courier papers you have and see if we can’t dig up anything else useful.”
“Of course.” Comenius turned to Noria. “Would you mind getting them for me?”
“Sure thing.” Noria hopped to her feet, then disappeared around the counter and into the back.
“So,” Comenius said. “How is your training going at the Palace?”
I groaned. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“That good, eh?” Comenius’s lips twitched. “The Chief Mage must be putting you through your paces.”
I snorted. “Yeah, for a very small amount of time every week. The rest of the time I’m running around the Palace or the city doing grunt work for the Mages Guild in exchange for all the wonderful training I’m not getting.” I sighed in disgust. “I probably get the least amount of training of all the apprentices at the Guild.”
Comenius frowned. “Yes, but at least you’re finally learning how to use your magic. And more importantly, you’re alive. I think that’s worth having to put up with a teacher who has limited time to train you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Figures you would take the Chief Mage’s side.” But Comenius was right. If Iannis hadn’t decided to claim responsibility for me and make me his apprentice, I would have been executed for the crime of having a magical talent without being born into a mage family.
Technically, I did have a mage family somewhere in the world, but I had no idea who my father was or any family he m
ight have. So I’d been born into Solantha’s Jaguar Clan, and since my late mother’s older sister, Mafiela, was the Clan Chieftain, I’d been accepted into the clan without question, the secret of my birth kept from all but my immediate family. Unfortunately my aunt Mafiela couldn’t stand me, because in her eyes I represented the bastard who’d knocked up my mother and ruined her chances of getting a proper mate; so when my mother had died I’d found myself on the streets not too long after that.
So much for family.
No matter how I looked at it, I owed the Chief Mage everything, and I knew I should probably be more understanding of his position. But shifters are emotional by nature, and I had feelings for him that I did my best to suppress, feelings that were constantly being hurt by his absence and neglect. It didn’t help matters that once or twice I’d been convinced that he had feelings for me too. And it definitely didn’t help that our Master/Apprentice relationship didn’t allow for those feelings.
By Magorah, but I wished I could put my emotions aside the way Iannis did so effortlessly. My life would be much easier.
“Here we go,” Noria called, coming back into the room with a stack of old papers in her arm. She dropped them onto the low wooden coffee table with a loud thump, then plopped back down into her chair. “So, where do we start?”
We divided up the papers amongst ourselves and aside from a few customers here and there, spent a mostly uninterrupted hour going through them, checking for any references to shifter disappearances. As I half-expected, we only found a handful – the article regarding Tylin, and two more concerning clanless shifters who just so happened to work in Shiftertown.
“Ugh.” I tossed the last paper down onto the table in disgust. “I don’t get it. There were at least twenty names on Sillara’s list. There should be more than just three articles here!”
“Well, you did say most of them were clanless shifters,” Noria pointed out. “The Shifter Courier mostly focuses on Shiftertown happenings, so maybe they just didn’t feel like covering those other stories.”
“Normally I would agree with you,” Comenius said slowly, setting down his own paper, “except that the Shifter Courier has been struggling for a while now, and they need good content. Even though the majority of these victims weren’t Shiftertown residents, their disappearances would still have been of interest to the Shifter Courier’s readership. I have to agree with Naya – it is quite suspicious that there has been so little coverage.”
“Just like the silver poisonings,” I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest. “Say what you want, Noria, but this whole thing stinks of a cover up. I want to go and investigate the Courier and find out what’s going on over there. Yantz was the one pulling the strings over at the Herald; I don’t see why the same thing couldn’t be happening over at the Courier too.”
Noria opened her mouth to say something, but the telephone on the counter rang. Comenius sighed, then got up to go answer it.
“Over the Hedge. How can I help you?”
“Good afternoon,” a cool female voice answered. My sensitive ears picked her up clearly, and I froze – that was Dira, one of the secretaries at the Mages Guild. “Can you please inform Sunaya Baine that she is expected back at Solantha Palace immediately? The Chief Mage requires her presence.”
“Certainly.” Comenius slanted me an arch look as he spoke. “I will send her over right away.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t have the morning off?” Noria asked with a grin as Comenius hung up the phone.
“No,” I grumbled, shoving myself to my feet. Dammit, I’d been caught red-handed. “Guess I’d better head back to the Palace and find out what my Lord and Master wants.”
“Try some humility,” Comenius called as I strode out the door. “I find that works best when you’re apologizing for something you’ve done wrong.”
I bared my teeth at the idea. I had a few ideas about things I wanted to say to the Chief Mage when I saw him, but an apology definitely wasn’t on the list.
6
By the time I skidded to a halt outside the manicured grounds of the Palace, I’d worked myself up into a fit of righteous indignation. The sun blazing high above my head seemed to champion my thoughts, and I marched up the walkway with my shoulders back and my head held high, determined not to look like I was crawling back to my master with my tail tucked between my legs.
I took the steps of the wide staircase two at a time, the white stone edifice of the Palace looming up above me, majestic as ever with its red-tiled roofs and proud turrets that speared the gorgeous blue sky. The large, elegant foyer I stepped into was equally impressive, the sun shining in through the tall, stained glass windows splashing colorful patterns onto the walls, the oil paintings, the parquet floor and the thick, expensive rugs that covered it. Canter, the old, grizzled mage who manned the reception desk, gave me a disapproving glare from behind his hooked nose.
“You’re late.”
“Thanks for pointing out the obvious.” I rolled my eyes at the supercilious look on his wizened face – Canter hated me, and no doubt his shriveled little heart was bouncing up and down with glee at the idea that I was about to get a scolding from the Chief Mage. Ignoring him, I made my way up the right side of the double staircase that curved around both sides of the foyer, and down the carpeted hallway towards the West Wing, where the Chief Mage’s study was.
It wasn’t too long before I found myself in front of the familiar carved mahogany door, and I sighed, tracing the elegant patterns carved into the wood with my eyes. It seemed that every time I came to this room, it was always so that I could get into a fight with the Chief Mage. And even though it was in my nature to balk and fight, there was a part of me that wished that for once he would summon me to his study for a pleasant reason, like telling me that I was doing such a good job shuffling papers around, or that he was going to take off the restrictions he’d placed on my power level so I would have full access to my magic.
If wishes were steambikes, I thought, and pushed open the door.
The Chief Mage looked up from the report he was studying, his violet eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I see you’ve forgotten the art of knocking.”
“Yeah, well you don’t wear pants, so I figured there was no chance of catching you with them down or anything,” I quipped, shutting the door behind me. “Would you like me to go back out into the hallway and try again?”
Something suspiciously like humor flickered in Iannis’s eyes, but his stony expression didn’t budge. “Sit down,” he ordered, gesturing to one of the two chairs in front of his desk.
I did as he asked – if we were going to fight, I might as well make myself comfortable. Settling myself into the low, cloth-covered scoop chair, I crossed my right ankle over my left knee and clasped my hands in my lap, then looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to make the first move.
“Well?” he finally demanded. “Where have you been all morning?”
“I’ve been working on an investigation,” I said evenly, determined to hold onto my temper for as long as possible. “You know, because that’s what Enforcers do.”
His iridescent eyes turned glacial. “You’re my apprentice first and foremost. I expect you to act like one.”
“I do act like one, ninety-nine percent of the time,” I snapped, digging my fingers into the arms of my chair. “Don’t pretend like I haven’t been working my ass off every day at the Mages Guild, because I have. But there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to work on this investigation, no matter what you say my schedule is.”
“I see.” The Chief Mage’s icy expression didn’t change one iota, and I sighed, wondering if he really did see. There were times when he showed glimpses of compassion, but for the most part he was like a rock wall – completely impenetrable without the assistance of explosive devices. Which probably explained why I blew up at him so often.
“What is this investigation that was so burningly urgent?”
“Oh
, you don’t know?” I asked mockingly. “I figured you’d know what I was doing, since you magically seemed to know exactly where to have your secretary call this morning.”
Iannis gave me an impatient look. “I put a tracking spell on you after you were kidnapped by Yantz, so that I could find you again should you end up in a similar situation.”
“You what?” I jumped to my feet, anger pumping hard through my veins.
“The last time we were incredibly lucky that someone had seen Yantz and Talcon carrying you into his house, or we never would have gotten to you in time,” Iannis snapped. “Since you insist on gallivanting around the city and sticking your nose into trouble instead of staying at the Palace where it is safe, I put the tracking spell on you.”
“You have no right.” I forced the words out through gritted teeth, my hands trembling with the shock and anger of his betrayal of my privacy. “I’m not your property, Lord Iannis, to do whatever you like with. You can’t just go putting spells on me like that, especially without even telling me!”
Iannis slowly rose to his full height, his violet eyes gleaming dangerously down at me. “Might makes right,” he said softly. “I am the Chief Mage of this state, and I am also your master. Your life is my responsibility –”
“Bullshit!” I slapped my hand down on the desk, and a triangular paperweight jumped under the force of the blow. “You can’t go throwing around the master-apprentice card, not when you’ve been such a crappy master to begin with!”
Iannis’s expression froze. “Excuse me?”
A shock of fear rippled through my nerves as the energy in the room shifted, but it wasn’t enough to make me back down – I was tired of this one-sided relationship, and damned if I was going to be silent about it any longer.
“You’re probably the worst master in the entire Mages Guild!” I shouted. “You saddle me with all this grunt work because I’m supposed to be paying for my ‘training’, and yet we only have three lessons a week, lessons that you constantly cut short or cancel on! And then you have the nerve to tell me that I’m not improving enough!” My nails lengthened into claws that bit into the flesh of my palm, claws that I wanted to rake across his face. “You’re a fucking hypocrite, and you know it!”
Bound by Magic: a New Adult Fantasy Novel (The Baine Chronicles Book 2) Page 4
