by Jasmine Walt
After we’d finished eating, I kissed Iannis and let him return to his work while I cleaned up and continued my leather-working experiment. I felt downright domestic, taking care of all the cooking and cleaning and other “housework” while he slaved away with that formula. While I’d done pretty well at math in school, I’d never studied the more advanced techniques necessary to understand those Tua equations.
Besides, there was something satisfying about working with my hands. I could never be a housewife or artisan, I decided, not for the rest of my life. But I didn’t mind it just this second.
I was just finishing off a belt I’d made from one of the strips of leather when Iannis suddenly cried, “I have it!”
Dropping my craft project, I twisted around to see him holding up the book triumphantly, the latest formula scribbled across it. His eyes shone, and he was grinning broadly.
“Yes!” I jumped up from where I was sitting and raced over to him so I could give him a hug. “I knew you could do it! Do you want to try it right now?”
“Let’s eat first and pack up whatever we want to take with us,” Iannis suggested. “We are going to need all our strength, and if this goes wrong again, I want to be better prepared.”
We packed up our supplies, then quickly ate some of the dried quasi. “I’ll need to borrow your energy this time,” Iannis said, taking my hands. “You’ve gotten significantly stronger since you disappeared,” he added with a smile. “We are very nearly equal now, stronger than most mages I have ever met. A lot of them would be frightened of you, if they had any idea.”
“That’s thanks to the Tua power boost,” I said as I curled my fingers around him. “I really ought to thank Nalan and Alara if I ever see them again. I wouldn’t have survived without them, or Broghan either.”
Iannis pressed a quick kiss against my lips, then spoke the spell he’d worked out. I sucked in a breath as I felt a strong tug at my power, and our hands lit up as my magic began flowing into him. Suddenly, we were yanked forward, the prairie around us disappearing into a swirling kaleidoscope of colors. Iannis and I clung to each other tightly as we hurtled through time and space, and I buried my face in his chest as I began to feel dizzy. Unlike last time, which seemed to only take a few seconds, the experience seemed to stretch out endlessly, until I began to panic, wondering if we’d somehow gotten stuck again and would never come back out.
“Relax,” Iannis said in mindspeak. “We are on the right track. The two dimensions are not closely aligned, which is why it takes longer.”
I blew out a long breath, forcing myself to let go, to trust that Iannis knew what he was doing. He’d never led me astray before. He would get us through this, just like he did with everything else.
Finally, we began to slow down, the pressure squeezing in on all sides gradually alleviating. Lifting my head, I saw that the colors swirling around us were beginning to meld, and as I stared, the landscape around us solidified into an endless landscape of yellow grasses and scattered trees. The air was hot, the sun beating down mercilessly on us, but it looked normal, and the sky surrounding it was a clear blue.
“A savannah,” Iannis said, still holding me tight. “And those are gazelles off in the distance. I do believe we are in Faricia.”
“Yes!” I pumped a fist in the air, and that was when a tribe of dark-skinned natives charged out from behind a clump of nearby trees. They wore skirts garnished with some kind of white and black fur, and their bodies were painted with clay in elaborate patterns. I drew my crescent knives as they pointed long spears at us, and Iannis threw up a shield. The natives hissed as the air around us shimmered with magic, and they jabbed at the shield angrily. They didn’t seem happy to see us here, and what was worse, Iannis’s shield wobbled beneath their blows. I tried to fortify it with my own magic, but after that transportation spell, we were almost tapped out. A wave of nausea swept through me, and it took everything I had to keep upright as my stomach twisted into knots.
“Damn,” Iannis murmured as another native came forward from behind the trees. This one was taller than the others, with an elaborate headdress and several colorful amulets dangling from his neck and furs. He pressed his weathered hands against the shield and spoke in a strong, resonant voice. The shield flickered, then died, leaving us completely exposed.
“Please,” I said, the word coming out in a strange language that I couldn’t recall ever speaking. “Don’t hurt us. We mean you no harm.”
The man’s eyes widened. “You speak our language?”
“Yes,” I said, without missing a beat. I realized that Nalan and Alara had gifted me with the ability to understand and speak any language, not just Tua. “We are travelers blown off course, just trying to return to our home.”
“Do not hurt them,” the man, who I guessed was their shaman, said to the others. “I wish to find out more about these pale-skinned travelers who have appeared so suddenly in our midst. They are weak just now, and easily within my power to control.”
“This isn’t good,” Iannis said to me in mindspeak as the shaman began to engage in a spirited debate with another native, who looked to be the hunt leader, about what to do with us. The hunt leader pointed out, reasonably enough, that one killed enemies when they were weak, and that it might not be prudent to keep strange mages around any longer than necessary. Apparently, there were very strict rules about that in their tribal customs. “They are just as likely to treat us as honored guests as they are to sacrifice us to whatever god they believe in.”
From what I’d overheard, the latter was a far more likely outcome. “Great,” I said, surreptitiously sidling closer to Iannis. “Maybe now would be a good time to get the hell out of here?”
Iannis quickly grabbed my arm, then pulled out the gulaya from his sleeve and activated it. The natives turned to us, shouting, and the last thing I saw was the astonished looks on their faces as we disappeared in a flash of light.
20
The moment our feet landed on solid ground, I dropped to my hands and knees and threw up in the nearest clump of bushes. They happened to be rose bushes, and familiar ones at that—even through my retching, I could tell that we were back in the gardens of Solantha Palace.
“Are you all right?” Iannis asked as he gently rubbed my back. How come he doesn’t get nauseous after gulaya travel? I wondered, more than a little envious at his composure.
“I’ll be fine,” I gasped, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. I pulled out my canteen from my sleeve and took a swig of cool water—water from another dimension, I thought wonderingly—to drown out the acrid taste. “All that traveling was just a little too much on my system,” I said as I straightened.
“I know what you mean,” Iannis said. Even he looked a bit unwell, his face paler than usual. But his eyes were bright with excitement as he looked around. “We’ve made it back, though, haven’t we? There were some moments I doubted we would.”
“We definitely have.” Grinning, I flung my arms around him and squeezed tight. “Even better, we’re finally free of Ta’sradala! She did say she wouldn’t come after us if we survived that last trap she set for us.” Not that she’d expected us to ever get home. She probably thought we were wasting away in that desert right now. It gave me great pleasure to have finally gotten the best of her.
“Indeed.” Iannis’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction. “After being bested again and again, she won’t want to continue this confrontation. With any luck, we won’t meet her again for at least a century.”
“Or ever,” I said hopefully, though that was probably too optimistic.
A gardener chose that moment to walk around the corner. He dropped the shovel he was carrying, his eyes widening in astonishment. “Lord Iannis! Miss Baine! You’re back!”
“And here comes the cavalry,” Iannis murmured as the guards came running from their posts to greet us. We were quickly escorted inside the palace amidst loud cheers. I did my best not to cringe at all the eyes fixed on us a
s we entered the building—after all that solitude, the gawking crowd was a bit disorienting. Every mage we passed wanted to know where we’d been, if we were all right, why we looked all dirty and disheveled, but Iannis and I deflected their questions as we headed straight for his rooms. There would be time enough to give explanations and get reports on what had been going on at home—for now, I was so tired that all I longed for was soaking in a hot bath and taking a long nap. And not necessarily in that order.
We were almost at Iannis’s suite when a familiar voice echoed in my mind. “Iannis?” Fenris asked, sounding tentative. “Sunaya?”
Iannis and I froze, giving each other startled looks. “Fenris?” I cried, my heart leaping. Could it really be he? Here, in our home?
A few seconds later, Fenris’s door, which was just a few feet from where we were standing, burst open. I squealed as Fenris rushed out—he looked exactly the same as when I’d last seen him, though he wore modern clothes instead of his usual tunics. My exhaustion forgotten, I shot across the hall to wrap him up in a bear hug.
“Dammit, Fenris!” I yelled as he returned the hug just as fiercely. “I missed you so fucking much,” I mumbled into his shirt. Tears stung at my eyes as I lifted my head to look up at him, and my throat swelled with emotion as his yellow eyes blazed with happiness. Taking in a breath, I savored his familiar scent…and caught another one that smelled of magic and lavender and sunshine. “Figures you would take advantage of the quake to ditch us and go find a mate,” I said, flashing him a grin. “I can smell her all over you.”
Fenris cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed. “We’re not actually married yet,” he said, stepping back. “Though I hope to be, soon.”
“You must invite us to the wedding,” Iannis said, sweeping in for a quick, hard hug of his own. “I’m so glad you will be here for ours.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Fenris said with a broad smile. He looked us both over, then said, “You both look exhausted. I’ll let you rest, and we can talk more in the morning.”
“Oh, hell no,” I said, grabbing his arm. “You just got back—I’m not letting you out of my sight so soon.” After all this time away, he was just going to leave us? I had an irrational fear that if I allowed that, he’d vanish again, perhaps for good.
“Technically you are the ones who just got back,” Fenris said as I dragged him into the suite. I noticed he wasn’t putting up any resistance. “I’ve been here in Solantha for several days.”
“You have?” I exclaimed as we sat down in front of the fireplace. The door opened almost immediately, and I sighed a little in relief when a group of servants came in and set drinks and snacks down on the coffee table. My stomach rumbled, and I quickly snatched up some smoked ham—I was famished. “What have you been doing here this whole time?”
“I came here to warn you,” Fenris said, helping himself to a glass of wine and a small plate of cheese and crackers. “There was a plot afoot—some of Thorgana’s former associates were gathering ex-Resistance members here in Solantha and planned to seize the city after attacking the Convention in force. They hoped to kill the country’s strongest mages in one go and improve their chances of seizing power. Luckily, they were discovered just today, their leaders imprisoned and their weapons seized. It was an impressive collaboration of the Mages Guild under Director Chen, the enforcers, and Director Toring’s office.”
Iannis and I exchanged alarmed glances. “It would seem we’ve missed quite a bit,” he said.
“And you, too?” I asked Fenris. He made it sound like everyone else had been involved, but I knew him better than that. “There is a tinge of gunpowder in your scent.”
“I was there,” he admitted. “Now that I have been outed as Lord Polar’s illegitimate son, Garrett Toring has been surprisingly pleasant,” he added wryly.
I chuckled. “So you know about that, huh? I hope you’re not too offended—I kind of came up with it on the spur of the moment, and since I thought you were dead at the time, I didn’t think there would be any ramifications to you.”
Fenris smiled. “It was inspired, but you’ll need to tell me every detail of your invention, so I don’t accidentally give myself away.”
“Never mind all that now. I want to know more about this plot,” Iannis said, his violet eyes narrowed. “I knew there was a chance something like this could happen when the Minister announced he’d hold the Convention here. We took precautions, but we hadn’t gotten wind of anything like this before I left.”
The door opened before Fenris could reply, and Director Chen strode in. “Thank Resinah you are back,” she said fervently in a rare show of emotion, making a beeline for Iannis. “I was beginning to reach my wits’ end. Are you both unharmed?”
“Yes, thank you.” Iannis smiled. “I apologize for leaving you hanging, Director Chen, but I trust you’ve had things in hand. I gather that on top of everything else, you had to deal with this Resistance plot Fenris was telling us about?”
Director Chen nodded, taking a seat in one of the empty chairs. “Fenris sent an anonymous warning on his way here, but it was not taken seriously. We acted quickly, however, after he connected with Director Toring. Fenris helped me get the crucial information out of the main suspect, Moredo, another of those construction tycoons… was that only six hours ago? It seems longer.” She passed a hand over her brow in a weary gesture. “Then he also helped take care of the plotters, just in time for your return.”
“You all did very well,” Iannis said. “I am glad everything is in hand.”
“Who else was involved?” I asked, leaning forward. “Did you find out anything about the details of the planned attack?”
Fenris and Director Chen fully briefed us on the particulars. I tried to listen attentively, but as I sat on the comfy couch, curled up against Iannis’s warm body, I began to feel sleepy again. It seemed like we’d missed all the excitement—thanks to Fenris and Mina’s sleuthing, and Director Chen and Garrett’s quick action, the perpetrators had been apprehended. Even better, everything was still on schedule despite our long absence, so there was truly nothing to worry about.
“I’m glad you are able to go around Solantha in your own face once again,” I said to Fenris after Chen had left, called away by an urgent appointment. “Sorry we weren’t here when you first arrived. Your run-in with Garrett must have been scary as hell since you didn’t know what I’d told him.”
“How exactly did you run into him?” Iannis asked. “What did you say?”
“He helped me out of a tight spot in jail,” Fenris admitted. “I was snooping around downtown when an enforcer arrested me on the orders of some gang or criminal businessman he was working with. He falsely charged me with trying to cheat a brothel owner.”
I snorted with laughter. “A brothel owner? Just what kind of snooping were you doing?” I teased.
“Not that kind,” Fenris said dryly, not taking the bait. “Anyway, Director Toring found out that I was in jail, and he took pity on me and sprung me. Believe it or not, he actually took me out to dinner, then told me that my parents were in town and that I should visit them.” He shook his head. “I still have to go and see them. I have to admit that I’m not entirely looking forward to that visit, since they believe me to be my own son.”
“They came here first, and I was sorry I could not help them,” Iannis said. “They will eventually find out that you have resurfaced. Better that you go and see them in person than having them find out from a third party.”
“I’m so glad that Garrett bought the story,” I said, relieved. “He seemed convinced when I spun it, but that was months ago and I wasn’t sure how he’d react if he ever saw you again. I tried to make you sound like a poor victim of your parents’ indiscretion, brought up by your old great-uncle in that remote country house of his, and hidden away behind the library sofas whenever he had a visitor. I told him you grew up in that library, which explained your love of books and scholarship, and w
hy you were so different from other shifters.”
“It’s a bit insulting how readily he and my parents believed your story,” Fenris said with a frown. “I would never have treated any child of mine like that, shifter or no. But never mind all that,” he added with a smile. “I am very happy you did this. Now that I am engaged to Mina, it means that the two of us should be able to live openly together. And my interest in ancient magical lore and my knowledge of Loranian no longer need to be hidden. I can even practice magic to some extent.”
“And wear robes, if you want to,” Iannis said. “That old great-uncle could have apprenticed you.”
“I wish that you’d brought your Mina with you,” I lamented. “I really want to meet her. She smells nice, Fenris—like lavender and sunshine. I bet she’s one of those sweet and gentle types.”
Fenris grinned. “She is, but she does have a fiery side if provoked. She is very excited about meeting the both of you, although she is a bit nervous.”
“She won’t have any need to be,” Iannis assured him. “We’ll make her feel right at home. I don’t know that we’ll have much time for social affairs before our wedding, what with everything going on, but we’ll have to get together before you two leave.”
“Leave?” I demanded. “You’re not going back to whatever cave you’ve been hiding in, are you, Fenris?”
“Not permanently,” Fenris admitted, “but Mina and I do need to settle our affairs in Watawis—that’s where I ended up. We are thinking of moving back out to Canalo, but it will likely be nearby, and not within Solantha itself. Mina is very fond of the beach. And speaking of traveling, where in Recca did you two disappear off to? I heard that you might have gone to Manuc, but nobody knew for sure. What was so important that you had to leave at a crucial time like this?”
“It’s a long story,” Iannis said as I grimaced. The last thing I wanted to do was recount those painful experiences, not when the memories were still so fresh. “I’ll have to tell you the details when I have more time, but in short, we had trouble with some of my Tua relatives. They were not pleased with my choice of a bride and would not be ignored on the matter.”
