by Jasmine Walt
“Not permanently,” I 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,” I added with a smile, thinking of how carefree and beautiful she looked frolicking in the waves. If moving to a beachside town meant seeing her in a bikini more often, who was I to complain? She’d also want a houseful of pets, I expected, and a veterinary surgery to keep practicing her skills.
“Speaking of traveling,” I said, “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 Sunaya grimaced in distaste, as if the very memory pained her. “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.”
Sunaya snorted. “That’s the understatement of the year,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Thankfully we managed to escape, and just in time, too. There’s still so much to be done.” She sighed, flopping back down onto the couch.
“I should go and find Mina,” I said, noting that Sunaya’s exhaustion was finally beginning to catch up with her. Even Iannis, who always seemed full of energy, was sagging a bit in his chair. I touched the serapha charm, and the tug in my chest told me that Mina was not too far away, in the direction of the port. Good, so they were with Comenius by now. After inadvertently standing Mina up the other night, I’d better not keep her waiting any longer.
“All right,” Sunaya said sleepily. “You said you were staying at the Marwale, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s much too far away,” Iannis protested. “You and your friends must come stay here in the Palace tonight. It’s getting late for such a long drive.”
“I agree,” Sunaya said before I could protest. “I’ll have a suite readied for you and will tell the staff to expect you. Tell Com I said hi, and that I’ll come see him when I’m alive again.”
I promised to do so, and left Solantha Palace with a bounce in my step. I couldn’t wait to tell everyone that the danger was past, and that Sunaya and Iannis were finally back.
23
Mina
Barrla and I arrived at Comenius’s place to find that it was quite crowded. The shop had already closed for the day, and when the door to Comenius’s upstairs apartment opened, we saw that Marris was lounging on the couch, waiting to give his report. A pretty blonde girl, who must be Comenius’s daughter Rusalia, was sitting at the table doing homework.
“Come on in,” Comenius said with a smile, waving us through. I took a deep breath in and inhaled the delicious scent of beef stew. “Elania was just finishing up dinner.”
“That smells amazing,” I told Elania as Barrla rushed over to embrace Marris.
“Thank you,” Elania said with a smile that morphed into a frown as she turned toward me. “You look like you’ve been baking away in the sun!” she exclaimed, snatching a large white pitcher and two glasses off the countertop. Before I could say anything, she’d pressed a glass of what looked like lemonade into my hand. “Drink this,” she ordered, handing one to Barrla as well. “It’s my special restorative recipe for hot days.”
“It works like a charm,” Marris confirmed, holding up his own glass, which was empty. “I was beat when I got here after painting all day in this heat, and that stuff perked me right up.”
I took a sip from the glass and was pleasantly surprised when a rush of cooling energy filled my limbs. Invigorated, I drained the glass. “Wow. That was amazing.” I made a mental note to get the recipe from her.
“I told you it would be.” Smiling, Elania took the glass from me, then pulled me aside and said in a low voice, “You really should be more careful not to get dehydrated, especially in your condition.”
I blinked. “My condition?” Could she know…?
Elania smiled slyly. “Yes,” she confirmed, still speaking softly—Comenius was at the table helping Rusalia with a math problem, and Barrla and Marris were talking on the couch. “You are pregnant. Trust me—with my talent I am able to tell at once. I’m also a bit more sensitive to such things just now,” she added, “as I too am in the early stages of pregnancy.”
“Really?” I asked, excitement overtaking me. I’d suspected for the past two or three days that I might be pregnant, but I hadn’t been sure—aside from a slight tenderness in my breasts, I didn’t feel any different. “Does Comenius know?”
“Of course he does,” Elania said with a chuckle. “And you should tell your man, too, if you haven’t already. You must also urge him to visit his parents—they came around here asking for him. They believe that Fenris is their grandson, and they told Comenius to let Fenris know that they are staying at the Golden Wave Hotel.”
“I will definitely make sure Fenris visits them,” I said—we’d already discussed it. I knew that he was nervous about this reunion, but I found it touching that his parents wanted to meet him so badly, even knowing that he was a shifter.
We were in the middle of an animated conversation when a knock came at the door, and Comenius opened it to reveal Fenris standing on the doorstep. “I have excellent news,” he said, beaming as he came inside. “The Resistance plot has been foiled, and even better, Iannis and Sunaya have returned!”
“Really?” Comenius and Elania said together in excitement.
“How did they look?” Comenius asked. “Were they injured?”
“How has the plot been foiled so quickly?” Marris asked, looking confused. “I didn’t hear anything about that.”
“Without our help?” Barrla asked, looking disappointed and relieved at the same time.
Fenris shook his head as he pulled me into his arms for a hug. “Sunaya and Iannis were exhausted but in good health,” he said, then turned to kiss my forehead. “And they are especially excited to meet you, Mina. They invited us to move to the Palace, since the hotel is so far away.”
Fenris then proceeded to describe the day’s events to us. Even Rusalia stopped her homework and listened in fascination when he described how the Resistance’s plans were uncovered and their weapons confiscated.
Seeing there was a shifter and a strapping young man joining them for dinner, as well as Barrla and myself, Elania called for takeout to supplement the stew she was cooking. We settled down around the truly impressive spread of food and took turns briefing one another about our day.
“It seems strange that none of us have heard about these arrests yet,” Marris commented around a mouthful of stew. “The foremen were issuing cudgels, whips, and axes to the men this morning, and we were assigned stations throughout the city. They didn’t say anything about guns, though. They told us that in the next week we needed to have our weapons ready at all times.”
“I assume tomorrow they will countermand those orders and tell everybody to disperse,” Comenius said optimistically. “Once they learn the leaders have been arrested, they will see that there is no point in staying.”
“We’ve been stocking up on healing tonics and poultices, just in case,” Elania told us. “I’m happy to hear that they won’t be needed now.”
“Now that the danger is over, at least you won’t need to continue posing as a Resistance soldier,” Barrla said to Marris. “Surely you can pull out now, rather than wait for them to send you home tomorrow. The last thing I want is for you to end up arrested by the mages once they spread their net wider.”
“I’ve had more than enough of paint fumes and brushes,” Marris admitted. “I may as well rejoin you, though I’m still not keen on staying in that hotel.”
Barrla rolled her eyes. “You can handle it for another couple of days. I’m going to meet the Chief Mage and see the Palace, now that the danger is over.”
&nb
sp; “Fenris,” I said as Barrla and Marris began to bicker about when they would return home. “Can we talk privately?”
“Of course.” Fenris took my hand, and we excused ourselves from the table. We went outside for a walk along the pier, enjoying the briny sea air and watching the last vestiges of sunset merge into twilight along the horizon. Aside from distant seagulls cawing, and the waves lapping at the shore, it was almost completely silent, and a wave of peacefulness washed over me.
“This is one of the two gulayas that I ordered from Elnos,” I said, pulling it out of my purse and handing it to Fenris. “They’re programmed to transport us to a beach outside Solantha. I’m glad you got through the day’s events without needing them, but since we are living so dangerously lately, I’d feel better if you carried this.”
“Thank you.” He kissed me. “That would have come in handy in jail and will work just fine as extra insurance.” Fenris’s eyes gleamed as he took the palm-sized charm, which was cast into the shape of a rose. “Sunaya’s life was saved by one of these not long ago. I’m looking forward to tinkering with them when all of this is behind us,” he said, tucking it into his magical sleeve.
“There’s something else,” I said. “Something that I found out when Barrla and I were spying on the Minister.”
“Oh?” Fenris frowned. “Is everything all right?”
I took a deep breath, then glanced around to make sure nobody was listening. It didn’t seem like anyone was nearby, but even so…I muttered the privacy bubble spell that Fenris had taught me, and waited until the air shimmered around us before speaking again.
“Wow.” Fenris raised his eyebrows. “This must be serious indeed.”
“When Barrla and I were spying on the Minister’s mansion,” I said, “Mirrine, the journalist from Forrane we met at the Marwale, came to visit him. I thought that she was simply there for an interview, but it turns out she was there to blackmail him. I suspect she is no more a journalist than I am.”
“Blackmail Minister Graning?” Fenris’s eyes widened. “With what?”
“It turns out that she and the Minister were married long ago, in her home country.”
“Married!” Fenris exclaimed. “But that’s not possible. The Minister had a Northian wife, whom he married for her wealth and connections. She died only a few years ago…ah.” His eyes lit with understanding. “So our esteemed Minister Graning is a bigamist, then.”
“Yes, and Mirrine is using that against him—she wants him to stop sabotaging a trade agreement between Forrane and Bilam,” I said. “She said that if anything bad were to happen to her, the truth would be published, so I imagine she has letters that are waiting to be sent out if she dies, or is imprisoned, or disappears.”
Fenris’s mouth quirked up into a smile. “A clever woman, that Mirrine,” he said. “Threatening Zavian Graning would take some very steady nerves. He is a dangerous man. Does Barrla know about this?”
I shook my head. “I said I had to discuss it with you first, since it might be a dangerous secret. For now, only you, I, and Mirrine are aware of it.”
“Good.” Fenris squeezed my hand. “Barrla and Marris would be in over their heads if they decided to use this knowledge and might very well end up dead. I will tell Iannis about this, though—he of all people would know how to use this information without repercussions.”
As we walked a little further along the pier, I wondered if I should tell Fenris that I was pregnant. He would be overjoyed—my stomach still jumped in excitement whenever I thought about it. But I decided to wait a bit longer. As a veterinarian, I knew that during the early days, the viability of a pregnancy was not a sure thing. It would be cruel to get his hopes up and then immediately dash them.
Besides, knowing Fenris, the moment I told him that I was carrying his child, he would whisk me back to the Marwale and refuse to let me anywhere near the city, which wasn’t something I could abide. I wanted to be his full partner, not someone who had to be wrapped up in cotton wool and coddled. Like Barrla had said, I had come too far in this venture—I wanted to see it through until the end.
“It would be nice to get married here, in the same temple as your friends,” I said instead, leaning my head against his shoulder.
Fenris kissed the top of my head. “I think that is an excellent idea,” he said. “Our engagement is scandalously short by mage standards, but since we are nobody of importance around here, there is no way for anyone to know we have only been engaged for a few weeks. Solantha Temple is lovely, and Sunaya and Iannis can be our witnesses. Unless…did you want a bigger wedding?” he asked, sounding uncertain.
I smiled. “No, a small wedding is fine,” I said. “Since I don’t have any family left, it’s not like we need a big wedding. But,” I said, poking him in the chest, “we must invite your parents.”
Fenris winced. “Right. I guess we’ll have to give them an invitation when we see them tomorrow, won’t we?”
I grinned. “So you’ve already made an appointment to go meet them?”
“No, but I knew you were about to suggest it,” he teased, leaning in for a kiss. “And as always, I am loath to disappoint my lady.”
24
Mina
“Where is everyone?” I asked as we stepped back into Comenius’s apartment. We’d stayed out on the pier for a bit longer, watching the stars in the night sky, but we hadn’t expected to only find Elania and Comenius when we returned.
“Rusalia went to bed,” Comenius said from the kitchen as he helped Elania with the dishes. “She had a sleepover planned, but even with this latest news that the plot is foiled, I’ll be keeping her much closer to home until the Convention and wedding are over.”
“I don’t blame you,” I said as Fenris closed the door behind us. “I wouldn’t want my children to leave my side if there was the slightest danger of big men running through the streets with cudgels and axes, looking to maim or kill anyone with magic. And though the leaders have been arrested, most of the simple soldiers are still around, and armed, from what Marris told us earlier.”
Fenris winced as Comenius’s face paled, and I immediately felt guilty for bringing it up. “You are quite right to be extra careful with your daughter,” Fenris said as he led me to the couch. “Where are Marris and Barrla?”
Elania smiled. “Your friends have gone out dancing at a nearby club. They said they would come back this way when they were finished, and if you were gone by then they would find a way back to the hotel you’re staying at.”
“Good,” I said, smiling. I was happy that Barrla and Marris weren’t squandering their time together. Neither of them had any intention of leaving Solantha just yet, and there was no point in them wasting time squabbling with each other about it. In fact, both of them seemed to thrive in the lively atmosphere of this city and would probably look back fondly on this first adventure together for the rest of their lives.
“Knowing those two, it’s very likely they will be out until the small hours of the morning,” Fenris said. “We might want to head to the Palace and let them find their own way back to the hotel.”
I frowned. “How are they going to get a ride this late at night, though? They can’t afford a cab and would probably be swindled as out-of-towners anyway. I don’t want Marris taking Barrla back to wherever he’s been sleeping—she shouldn’t be around all those Resistance soldiers.”
“I’ll stay up for them,” Elania said as she came over with a tea tray. “I have some work I meant to catch up on anyway. If they come back very late, they’re welcome to sleep on the couch.”
I thanked Elania for her hospitality and let Fenris drag me off to the Palace. It was close to midnight by now, and if Elania was correct about my being pregnant, I needed to get enough sleep.
By the time Fenris and I arrived at Solantha Palace, Iannis and Sunaya were asleep. Thankfully, the staff had been told to expect us, and we were able to get inside without incident. Though they tried to show us to a suite, Fenri
s firmly moved toward his old room, and I went along, curious to see it for myself. There were lots of books and several large chests that took up most of the space, and the bed was small. But even so, it felt more cozy than cramped. Exhausted from our long day, we fell into it, snuggled together, and slept deeply.
I was just having a pleasant dream about our wedding day when a discreet knock at the door woke me up. I squinted—there was a note that some servant had pushed under the door. Disentangling my limbs from Fenris’s, I climbed out of bed and retrieved it. “Wake up,” I said to his broad back. “Sunaya and Iannis are inviting us to share breakfast in their suite!”
“Hell,” Fenris swore, rubbing at his eyes. He sat up, and the sheet slipped down to reveal his naked chest. Desire stirred low in my belly, and I nearly reached out to run my fingers down his abs before I remembered that we had just been summoned. “I could have done with a few more hours’ sleep, but then again, I am hungry.”
“So they want us to have breakfast with them?” I bit my lip. “I didn’t even bring a change of clothes with me.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Fenris said soothingly as he rose from the bed and quickly treated my pile of wrinkled clothing to a cleaning spell. “They won’t care. They already love you and they haven’t even met you yet.”
Sure enough, when we went down the hall to Iannis’s suite and knocked on the door, Sunaya was delighted to see me. “So you are the infamous Mina,” she said, smiling broadly at me after she’d embraced Fenris. “I’m so glad to finally meet you!”
“Fenris has told me so much about you,” I said, smiling shyly. I offered a hand, but Sunaya bypassed it, embracing me instead. Now that she and Iannis were standing before me, they seemed larger than life—Sunaya in her leather with her weapons strapped to her legs, and Iannis standing tall at her side, impossibly handsome with his long red hair and aristocratic features, his violet eyes glowing with health. Power seemed to subtly charge the air around them, and I knew instantly that they were a formidable couple.
