by Jasmine Walt
It hadn’t been long since the Resistance had been beaten back from Solantha, and their attempt to take over the city was still apparent in the damaged buildings and sidewalks I passed. However, there were plenty of humans and shifters out and about as I drove through Rowanville, and more than a few construction crews repairing the damage. The sight of the city recovering so quickly brought a smile to my lips—Iannis had heeded my advice about putting the citizens to work repairing the town, using gold from the Mages Guild’s coffers. At this rate, Solantha would be back to normal within the next couple of months, and the Resistance attack would be reduced to a faint memory.
Pretty soon, the houses and storefronts of Rowanville receded, and the Port came into view—a series of piers that lined Solantha’s eastern shore. It was one of the largest shipping ports in the Federation, with ships from all over Recca constantly coming and going, loading and unloading goods and passengers. As a result, quite a few shops were set up in the area, and it was a popular tourist spot.
I rode my bike all the way down Witches End, then parked it outside Over the Hedge, Comenius’s shop. The front door was locked, the ‘Open’ sign flipped toward closed, but it was a simple matter to unlock it with an open-door spell I had recently mastered. “Com?” I called as I entered the shop, the bell on the door tinkling to announce my entrance.
At this time of day, Comenius was probably having lunch, or working in the back room where he prepared and stored extra merchandise. I could definitely smell him nearby—his woodsy scent lingered beneath the scents of herbs and sea salt that permeated the store.
“Naya?” Comenius called, his crisp, throaty accent muffled by the curtain behind the counter. A moment later, the curtain parted to reveal a tall, lean man with ash-blond hair, cornflower blue eyes, and angular features. He was dressed in a dark green tunic, most of his upper body obscured by a large box he was carrying in both arms.
“Need a hand?” I asked, coming up to the counter as he set the box down.
“No, this is just some inventory I need to put out on the shelves.” He patted the box, then came around the counter and gestured to the sitting area—a group of wicker chairs and couches located in a cozy nook where customers could sit as they waited for Comenius to mix up an order for them. “Why don’t you come over here and sit with me? Elania was just about to—”
The doorbell tinkled again, announcing the arrival of Elania Tarrignal, Comenius’s girlfriend and the owner of The Black Curtain, a witch shop that was quietly known for its under-the-table hexes. She was a tall, voluptuous woman, her face always perfectly made up, her mass of black hair piled atop her head in an elaborate do. As usual, she wore one of her curve-hugging black dresses that made me secretly envious of her figure.
“Why hello, Sunaya!” she exclaimed in her exotic, slightly musical accent as she caught sight of me. A covered basket dangled from one arm as she used the other to shut the door behind her. “I believe this is the first time I’ve seen you in weeks.”
“I believe you’re right.” Smiling, I closed the distance between us, then took the basket with one hand as I gave her a friendly hug. “You’ve been taking care of Comenius for me?”
“As much as I am able to.” She sighed a little, her dark eyes instantly going to Comenius as we broke apart. “He is worried about Noria, and wonders constantly if he could have done anything more to stop her from joining the Resistance.”
“I’m worried too,” I admitted, bringing the basket over to the small coffee table in the sitting area. I sat back so Elania could set out the food and plates she’d brought, and tried to ignore the scent of seasoned pork, cabbage rolls, and cheese. “In fact, I came here hoping you’d received news from Annia and Elnos. Surely by now, they must have caught up with Noria.”
“I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything,” Comenius said, worry tightening his voice. “I’m not certain if that’s cause for alarm—if they managed to find their way to Noria within the ranks of the Resistance, it’s quite possible they simply haven’t had the opportunity to send me a message safely. New recruits will be carefully watched, after all. Even so…”
“You’re worried they may have been compromised,” I finished for him.
“Yes.”
“Here.” Elania handed me a paper plate with a cabbage roll, a wedge of cheese, and the diced, seasoned pork. “You should eat.”
“Oh, I couldn’t.” I tried to hand the plate back. “I had breakfast not too long ago, and I didn’t mean to come here and eat your food. I know you didn’t make enough for me.”
“Well, I would have if I’d known you were visiting, but never mind that.” Elania sat with her own plate, refusing to take mine. “It would be rude of me not to offer you some food, especially since I can hear your stomach growling from here.” She winked at me.
My cheeks heated, and Comenius grinned a little despite the heavy atmosphere. “She’s right, Naya. We know you’re always hungry. Eat something.”
“Fine, fine.” I popped a piece of pork in my mouth, then paused to savor it—it was damn good. “Any ideas on what we should do?”
Comenius shook his head as he poked at his cabbage roll with a fork. “Without knowing which state Noria was sent to, it’s impossible to determine where Annia and Elnos are headed. I suppose we can track them to the Resistance camp they initially went to, but there is always the risk of unnecessarily blowing their cover.”
I sighed heavily. “It’s a tough call,” I admitted. “Annia would never forgive me if I blew her chances of rescuing her sister… but I would never forgive myself if she died because I sat back and did nothing.”
“You may need to risk her wrath if you do not hear from them soon,” Elania said. Sadness sat heavy in her dark eyes as she regarded me. “I know Noria is important to you both, but you must not forget she did make this choice of her own free will.”
I clenched my teeth against the angry retort that sprang to my lips. I wanted to shout at Elania, to tell her Noria was simply misguided, that she was too young to know better… but was she, really? She was a technological genius, far more intelligent than the average seventeen-year-old. I couldn’t pretend she was simply an impressionable child, devoid of responsibility for the decisions she’d made. Especially since she was about to turn eighteen. Maybe she was misguided, but Annia and I had done our best to dissuade Noria from her path. The fact that she’d chosen not to listen was on her, not on us.
Not that Annia would see it that way, of course. But as fond as I was of Noria, she wasn’t my kin. Objectively speaking, of the two sisters, Annia deserved to be saved more than Noria did. Not to mention poor Elnos. They didn’t deserve to die for trying to rescue Noria.
“I suppose the only thing to do is keep an ear out for any news, and hope we’ll get a chance to rescue Annia and Elnos, if they get themselves in trouble,” Comenius said.
“You’re right.” Unzipping my jacket, I flipped open one of the pouches at my belt and withdrew an emerald and two rubies, all three roughly half the size of my thumb. “Here, take these.”
Comenius’s eyes widened as I dropped the gemstones into his hands. “Alter Schwede, Naya! What is this for?”
“I want you to help me buy an airship,” I told him. “I absolutely refuse to go on another rescue mission in a hot air balloon, or scramble around for transport when I have money now.”
“You certainly do,” Comenius said, sounding more than a little bemused. He examined the gems for a moment, then tucked them into his pocket. “I know a reputable jeweler who will give a fair price for these. I’ll call him today to set up an appointment.”
We finished lunch, and I bid them both goodbye. I tapped my enforcer bracelet twice to activate it, so that I would receive any emergency broadcasts, and took a ride around Solantha on my steambike. I had time to kill before my lesson with Iannis, and I figured I might be able to catch a bounty while I took a look around the city to see if the other neighborhoods were improving.
Not that I needed the money, I reflected as I rode down one of the very steep hills on the main drag of Rowanville. As I’d just demonstrated to Comenius, I had plenty of it now. Even if I did somehow find a way to blow all the gold and gems I’d acquired, Iannis or the Mages Guild would likely find me some way to earn more, now that I was the Chief Mage’s bride to be. Besides, all mages, even lowly apprentices like me, received a stipend in gold once a year.
I was determined to make my windfall last as long as possible, though, as I really didn’t want to rely on charity from Iannis. It would be one thing if we were actually married, but until that day came, I was still a single woman. And seeing as how a year was a long way off, I might as well put away some extra money to hold me over until then.
Besides, the future might look bright now, but the turmoil I’d experienced over the past few months was proof that life was forever uncertain. My newfound wealth might come handy in an emergency. If anything happened to Iannis, or if we ended up breaking off our engagement…
No. I resolutely shoved those gloomy thoughts away. I wasn’t going to let anyone, or anything, take my hard-won happiness from me. Iannis was mine, and if anyone thought they could change that, they’d be singing a different tune once I got my hands on them.
4
I rode through Shiftertown first, the area which had taken the brunt of the damage in the uprising. It had been less than two weeks since the Resistance had finally been driven out of here, so many of the buildings and homes still sported holes in their walls and roofs, and boards covering broken windows. But there were construction crews in the town square, rebuilding the town hall and fixing up the shops. The rubble had been cleared away from the streets, and shifters were walking around openly again. Many faces turned toward me as I passed, and though some gazes were still filled with mistrust and derision, there were others who were cautiously friendly, and even a few that looked happy to see me.
I stopped by Aunt Mafiela’s house, located on Third Street in the wealthier section of Shiftertown, with the intention of inviting her to lunch. I hadn’t seen her since I’d come to warn her about the shifter kidnappings. Though she’d been less than kind to me the last time we’d met face to face, she had sent me a thank-you card after I’d rescued Mika, her granddaughter. Maybe she would actually be amenable to the idea of lunch. Hell, if she was willing to give me information on my father, I’d invite her to the wedding.
You should invite her to the wedding anyway, a voice whispered in my head.
Ugh, I thought to myself as I parked my bike on the curb outside her house. Let’s take things one step at a time, shall we? You haven’t even invited her to lunch yet.
I took a moment to study the house before I walked up the front steps. It was a three-story residence with grey siding, dark purple roof tiling, and matching purple shutters. Normally, it was immaculate, but one of the dormer windows was missing, the hole covered by parchment paper and adhesive, and the front door appeared to have been replaced recently. The neighboring houses also showed minor damage—I guessed the Resistance soldiers had bashed in windows and doors when taking over some of these residences for their own use.
I bet Mafiela was still steaming over the fact that a group of filthy soldiers had been living inside her precious home. Not long ago, the thought would have made me grin, but as I trotted up the front porch steps, I couldn’t help but sympathize with her a little. She’d been through a lot recently.
I lifted the heavy, jaguar-head-shaped knocker and knocked twice, then waited. Bare feet sounded on the steps leading down from the second floor into the lobby, and to my unpleasant surprise, my cousin Melantha answered the door.
“Oh, it’s you.” A wary look entered her yellow-orange shifter eyes, and her hand curled protectively around the doorjamb. Like her mother, Melantha was always perfectly coiffed—her blond hair curled, her makeup done, her peach-colored blouse and cream slacks perfectly pressed. But there were shadows beneath her eyes, and her clothes hung loose on her frame. I imagined she’d lost weight during her time on Prison Isle, and she was probably suffering sleepless nights.
“Yeah, it’s me.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets, not sure what to say. The last time Melantha and I had seen each other, she’d practically broken down my apartment door and tried to gouge my eyes out. Her daughter, Mika, had just been kidnapped, and Melantha had blamed me. At the time, it hadn’t mattered to her that I’d tried to warn her family to be on the lookout for a shifter kidnapper.
“Is your mother home?” I asked. “I wanted a moment of her time.”
Melantha shook her head. “She’s at a council meeting. They’ve been meeting almost daily since they were released from Prison Isle—there’s a lot of work to do if we want to get Shiftertown back on its feet.”
“Mother?” a teenage girl’s voice called from out of view. “Who’s at the door?”
Melantha hesitated. “It’s your aunt Sunaya.”
Footsteps sounded, and Melantha dropped her arm as Mika came into view. She was a stunning young girl with long, blonde hair that fell to her waist—practically a carbon copy of her mother, though she had her father’s square face and wide mouth. That mouth curved into a shy smile.
“I never did get to thank you for saving me,” she said, sounding a little ashamed. “And to apologize for attacking you.”
Warmth spread through my chest, and I cleared my throat against a rush of emotion. “You don’t have to do either of those things,” I said gently. “It was partially my fault you were taken. And you only attacked me because of those horrible drugs they gave you. You did nothing wrong.”
Mika shook her head, stepping out onto the porch. “I said mean things to you at first. Maybe I didn’t know any better, but they were still mean.” She flung her arms around me and squeezed tight. “I’m sorry, and no matter the circumstances, I’m grateful that you saved my life.”
Shocked, it took me a few seconds to react to the affectionate gesture. But I did, wrapping my arms around her tightly and turning my head to the side so that Melantha couldn’t see the tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. I hadn’t expected to talk to Melantha and Mika, since they didn’t actually live here, and I certainly hadn’t been prepared for any kind of emotional reunion.
“You’re welcome,” I finally said when I was sure I could speak again. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“I, too, must thank you for what you did,” Melantha said as I stepped back. The words were a little stiff, but I sensed no lie in them—it was just hard for her to admit the truth. “Mother told me the Mages Guild gave Shiftertown a generous sum of money to rebuild, and I doubt we would have gotten so much without your influence with the Chief Mage.” Her lips curved a little. “Congratulations on your engagement, by the way.”
“Thank you.” I gave her a small smile in return. “I’m glad things are starting to look up.”
“Me too.” She hesitated a moment, then said, “Perhaps you should come over for tea sometime.”
“Maybe,” I hedged, not sure if I was ready for that. “Speaking of which, the reason I stopped by was because I wanted to invite Aunt Mafiela to lunch.”
Melantha’s eyebrows rose. “I suppose it is a good time to bury the hatchet, what with your recent engagement. Mother’s been much more interested in acknowledging your relationship with our clan ever since she learned you were going to be the Chief Mage’s bride.”
I fought against the urge to roll my eyes—of course she was. “Well, if you can just let her know I made the offer, and to contact me at the Palace, that would be great.”
“Are you inviting us to the wedding?” Mika piped up. I turned to see her looking hopefully up at me, her eyes shining with the possibility of attending a grand wedding.
I smiled. “I’m sure I will, but it won’t be for some time yet,” I told her, unwilling to disappoint her. “I’ll send you invitations, but for now, I’ve got to run.”
We made our goodbyes, and I
hopped back onto my steambike, hoping I could shake the cocktail of emotions rolling around in my chest before I got to Lakin’s place. He lived closer to the town square, on a row of single-story, one-bedroom homes that were small and neat, but looked like someone had copied the same simple design over and over. Boring. The last time I’d been to Lakin’s, a duo of bird shifters had been in the middle of trying to convince him to support the Resistance. He hadn’t agreed, of course, especially after I’d informed him that the Resistance planned to turn on the shifter community once they were done overthrowing the mages. But if he was still in touch with those Resistance soldiers, he might have information that would help me rescue my missing friends.
I pulled up to Lakin’s house, and the sight of his steambike parked in the drive assured me he was at home. My nerves jangled a little as I headed up the path to the front door—Lakin had a huge crush on me, and he’d made it known on more than one occasion that he wanted more than my friendship. I hoped he wouldn’t react too badly to my betrothal to Iannis, and that he would still be willing to help me out.
“One second,” Lakin called when I knocked on the door. It sounded like he was toward the back of the house, maybe in his bedroom. My lips twitched as I remembered the first time I’d knocked on this door. He’d answered wearing very little and looking quite embarrassed about the fact. Hopefully, he’d put on a shirt this time.
Yeah, unless that was just a strategy to get you into bed.
I frowned. I hadn’t thought of that at the time. I hoped Lakin would respect the boundaries I’d set for our friendship, because I would hate to have to end it. He was Roanas’s successor, after all, and responsible for the safety of Shiftertown. I didn’t want things to be weird between us.
“Sunaya!” He threw open the door, a friendly smile on his rawboned face. His reddish-yellow shifter eyes glowed with pleasure, and an answering grin sprang easily to my lips. “I was just thinking of you.”
