by Jasmine Walt
“Can’t say I blame you,” Barrla said with a grin. She sat down in the chair across from me and crossed her legs, causing the pale pink skirts of her dress to ripple. “I wonder when Marris is coming back,” she said, the expression on her face turning wistful. “I do hope he’s safe.”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” I said—Fenris had filled me in on what was going on with Marris on our journey to Haralis. “He’s a resourceful young man.”
“He is, isn’t he?” Barrla said admiringly. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about everything Fenris told me—how Marris risked his neck to give gold to our poor neighbors in the dead of night and is now on the run because of it. It reminds me of one of my favorite books, The Secret Knight.”
“Ah, yes, I remember that one.” Barrla had been obsessed with it—another one of her shifter novels, of course, about a fugitive with a golden heart.
“Marris might not be a shifter,” Barrla went on, “but he is certainly heroic, and since you’ve taken the only shifter in town, he’s the next best thing. He’d better come back soon, though,” she added with a huff, crossing her arms. “He owes me a date.”
“He’s crazy about you, Barrla,” I said gently, sensing the undercurrent of nerves in my friend’s flippant tone. I knew that beneath her posturing, she was deeply worried that Marris might not come back to her. “I’m sure he’s just as eager to get back to you as you are to see him.”
“Yes, I know you’re right,” Barrla said, sighing a little. But then she seemed to gather herself. “Enough about my worries, though. Let’s get back to you and Fenris. Are you two truly a couple now?”
“Yes.” I beamed, my heart filling with joy as I remembered the moment Fenris had finally told me that he loved me. “We’re engaged.”
“By the Ur-God!” Barrla shrieked, clapping her hands and scaring Oscar. He shot off the couch and into the kitchen. “Is that what the new ring on your finger is about, then?” She glanced down at my left hand, where the sapphire now sparkled.
“Yes.” I grinned foolishly as I held it up. The other ring that had the illusion spell tied to it was on my right hand—I was still attached to it, for sentimental reasons. After all, both were from my beloved. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely gorgeous,” Barrla declared, and if there was the barest hint of envy in her voice, we both chose to ignore it.
After I finished my visit with Barrla, I returned to my own house to finish packing up my things, then loaded them up into my small rig and headed for Fenris’s farm. Now that I’d told Barrla, word of our engagement would spread like wildfire, so I saw no harm in living with him even though it wasn’t quite proper. I was very much looking forward to waking up in bed with Fenris every morning. Soon, we would be moving to a bigger, more luxurious house that we could fill with children and pets.
When I came into the farmhouse, I was greeted by the sound of a hammer. Dumping my belongings in the bedroom, I followed the hammering to a room in the back, which Fenris and I were converting into a temporary surgery. He was shirtless as he worked, installing a couple of large sinks and cabinets to hold my instruments and medications. The metal table for exams and surgeries, along with the cages, would have to be transported later.
I leaned against the doorjamb for a moment, watching his back muscles flex as he pounded in yet another nail.
“How did your visit with Barrla go?” he asked without turning around, and I smiled. Of course he’d sensed me—he probably had known I was here before I’d even walked into the house.
“Well enough. The cat is staying there.”
“Thank the Lady for that,” he said fervently, putting down the hammer so he could kiss me. I settled my hands on his broad shoulders and felt dampness—he must have been working quite hard if he was starting to sweat.
“As much as I enjoy seeing you like this,” I said, pulling back, “wouldn’t it be faster for you to use magic?”
Fenris shrugged. “I like working with my hands from time to time,” he said. “Although now that I think about it, it uses more energy than magic does. I’m starved.”
He took a break, and I made sandwiches and poured cold milk for the two of us. As we sat at the kitchen table, enjoying our simple meal, we discussed our plans.
“How long do you think we’ll stay here in Abbsville?” I asked. “You only just moved here, but I can’t imagine raising a family together here, especially since our children will undoubtedly all be mages.”
“Oh, we definitely won’t be raising children here,” Fenris agreed. “This place is far too humble for a lady of your means. Besides, the Watawis mages are not very progressive and will become suspicious if you marry a shifter.”
“True enough,” I said. “But where will we move? I suppose Solantha would be a good choice, but since you can’t return there…”
“We’ll figure it out when the time comes,” Fenris assured me. “For now, we ought to focus on the wedding. We’ll need to find a mage temple, and someone willing to—”
We were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Fenris’s eyes flew wide with pleased surprise. “It’s Marris!” he exclaimed, jumping out of his chair. I rushed to the door with him to answer it.
“Courier service,” Marris said with a grin as we opened the door. He was dressed in a dusty white shirt and khakis, a large wooden box sitting at his feet.
“Marris!” I flung my arms around him in a quick hug, relieved—we’d known each other quite a while now, and I was very happy he’d returned safe. “Barrla’s been pining for you, you know,” I said with a wink as I pulled back.
Marris’s grin turned downright devious. “I suppose I’ll have to go and reassure her that I’m all right,” he said as Fenris pounced on the box like a man in the desert who had just stumbled upon a jug of fresh water. “You need any help with that?”
“Not at all,” Fenris said, carrying it inside with ease. “Why don’t you come inside and have something to eat? You look parched.”
I fixed Marris up with a sandwich and milk while Fenris set the box on the living room floor and tore it open with the claw side of the hammer. “Ahh…” he said with a smile as he began to lovingly unpack the contents—a series of leather-bound texts, some of which looked quite old. “I cannot tell you how much I’ve missed these.”
“You planning on putting those up here in the living room?” Marris asked. “Because they might attract the wrong kind of attention if you get visitors.”
“He has a safe place planned for them,” I said wryly. During the flight to Haralis, Fenris had been sketching out plans for a hidden bookshelf that would stand behind a sliding wall, and he was eager to start the project now that we were home. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he abandoned my surgery entirely to start on it, now that the books were here. In the meantime, they would sit in a chest hidden beneath the floorboards, where he’d already placed the ones he’d bought during our trip. All these were only temporary measures, since we were not planning to live here for much longer. I decided that whatever house we bought together should have a big library for normal books, as well as a hidden bookroom for Fenris’s magic collection.
“Did you have much trouble retrieving these?” Fenris asked as he carefully continued to unpack the trunk, smiling at favorites. He was clearly eager to delve into their pages, and I couldn’t help grinning—he was like a child in a toy store.
Marris shook his head. “I found out that somebody had been watching the box a few months back, but only for a week or so, and then they left. There was definitely nobody snooping around when I arrived.”
I bit my lip at that—Marris was naïve when it came to the ways of mages. It was possible someone could have been watching from afar or even placed a tracker on the box.
“I’ve checked already—the box has not been magically tampered with,” Fenris told me via mindspeak as our eyes met.
I nodded subtly, then forced myself to put it out of my mind. There was litt
le point in worrying about it right now, and I didn’t want to taint this otherwise happy moment. “Did you have any adventures along the way?” I asked.
“Not exactly, but I visited some old Resistance buddies here and there,” he said. “A few of them were getting ready to travel to Solantha at the end of the summer—there’s supposed to be a big society wedding, and all the most important mages in the Federation are going. It’s a prime opportunity for a strike. They looked forward to reversing our setbacks and winning a decisive victory when the mages least expect it.”
Fenris dropped the book he was holding, and it landed on the floor with an ominous thud. “Did you find out who was organizing the operation?” he asked sharply.
“No, and I don’t know who the target is supposed to be either,” Marris said. “I had half a mind to join in if it turned out to be too dangerous for me to come back—it sounds like fun, everyone getting together one last time. If the mages are trying to catch me anyway for minting those gold coins, I might as well get my revenge in first,” he added, a little viciously. “We might get to strike at the Minister himself!”
“Don’t be foolish,” Fenris said sternly, all traces of delight gone from his expression. “Disrupting a wedding is very bad luck. Besides, haven’t we agreed that our goal should be preventing injustice rather than lashing out at mages in general? You wouldn’t get at the Minister without killing lots of innocent bystanders.”
“Your goal?” I echoed, looking back and forth between them as Marris winced guiltily. “What in Recca are you two talking about?”
“Er, you mean you haven’t told her about the League of Justice?” Marris asked Fenris.
“I’ve been preoccupied,” Fenris said dryly.
I stared. “The League of Justice?”
Fenris sighed, then proceeded to explain to me about the new group Marris, Cobil, and Roth had formed, and how they’d asked Fenris to join right before our trip to Haralis.
“Well, if there is going to be such a league, then I demand to be enrolled at once,” I said, torn between amusement and genuine interest. I wasn’t sure what Marris thought he could accomplish, but with Fenris’s level head to keep them on course, perhaps they could actually do some good. We certainly could not let Marris go off to join some doomed and, from the sound of it, extremely dangerous terrorist attack in Solantha. “I have a feeling Barrla will want to be a part of it, too, once she ferrets this out of you.”
Marris chuckled. “I don’t want to get her involved with anything dangerous, but knowing her, she’ll find a way to force herself in anyway.”
Eventually, Marris took his leave, eager to finally go and see his lady love. As soon as he was gone, Fenris turned to me, a grave expression on his handsome face.
“I am very concerned about this possible plot,” he said. “If there is any threat to Iannis and Sunaya’s wedding, I must warn them immediately. I’ll need to go to the inn and use the phone booth.”
“You mean you’re just going to call them?” I asked incredulously. “What about going to help them?”
Fenris froze. I could tell he wanted to do exactly that, but was torn. “If I were to go,” he said after a moment, “I should go alone—I cannot put you in harm’s way, in case I am recognized. If I am arrested, you might be caught up in the backlash.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “Of course I’m going with you. I would very much like to meet your friends. After all you have been through together, Lord Iannis isn’t going to have you arrested if you return. You’ll just go in disguise, anyway, like in Haralis.”
“It is doable,” Fenris murmured, a faraway look in his eyes that told me he was already plotting it. “But it could be very dangerous.” His gaze sharpened. “The Resistance can be cutthroat in its methods—you have not truly experienced what they are capable of. And mages are just as dangerous when cornered.”
“If that’s the case, it’s even more important that I be by your side,” I insisted, slipping a hand in his. “I’m not about to let the man I love go charging off into trouble while I sit at home and twiddle my thumbs. The only way you would convince me to do that is if we had a houseful of babies and wolf cubs.”
Fenris’s expression softened, and I was rewarded with a reluctant smile. “I suppose I ought to marry you soon, then, so we can get started on that,” he said, leaning in for a kiss.
“Mmm,” I said in agreement as I kissed him back, sliding my arms around him. Fenris might try to argue again later, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist for long. I was very much looking forward to visiting Solantha despite the possible danger—I’d heard it was a fascinating city, and besides, it had a mage temple. Who was to say that Iannis and Sunaya were the only ones getting married there soon?
To be continued…
Fenris and Mia’s story will conclude in SAVED BY MAGIC, Book 3 in The Baine Chronicles: Fenris’s story!
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Glossary
Abbsville: a small town in the state of Watawis, population ca. 800 including the surrounding farms.
Abbsville Book Club: popular with the local ladies. Among its members are Mina Hollin, Barrla Kelling, Mrs. Cattin, Mrs. Vamas, Mrs. Tamil, Mrs. Bartow, Mrs. Staffer, Mrs. Canterbew and ancient Mrs. Harpton.
Ackleberry Farm: a farm outside Abbsville that Fenris has bought from the Ackleberry family, sight unseen, under the name of J.F. Shelton.
Apprenticeship: all mages are expected to complete an apprenticeship with some master mage, that usually lasts from age fifteen to about twenty-five. Only after the final exam may they use colorful robes, and are considered legally of age. Otherwise they only attain their majority at age thirty.
ar’: suffix in some mages’ family names, that denotes they are of noble birth, and can trace their descent to one of Resinah’s twelve disciples.
Baine, Sunaya: a half-panther shifter, half-mage who used to hate mages and has a passion for justice. Because magic is forbidden to all but the mage families, Sunaya was forced to keep her abilities a secret until she accidentally used them to defend herself in front of witnesses. Rather than condemn her to death, the Chief Mage, Iannis ar’Sannin, chose to take her on as his apprentice, and eventually his fiancée. She struggles to balance her shifter and mage heritage.
Baine, Rylan: Sunaya Baine’s cousin, and like her, a panther shifter. An active member of the Resistance, with the rank of Captain, he was captured and imprisoned during the uprising in Solantha, but ultimately pardoned.
Baron: a young mage, friend of Troina and Maxin, that Mina meets in Haralis.
Barnas: a town in the state of Uton, home to a large wolf shifter clan.
Barrla, see under Kelling, Barrla.
Benefactor: the anonymous, principal source of financial support to the Resistance, who was eventually unmasked as the socialite Thorgana Mills (now deceased).
Black Horse: the best hotel in Haralis.
Boccol: family name of a wealthy farmer family in Abbsville.
Branis, Garton: false name that Fenris uses to inquire about Mina’s family mansion.
Brialtha: a young mage Mina meets at a party in Haralis.
Canalo: one of the fifty states making up the Northia Federation, located on the West Coast of the Northia Continent.
Cantorin, Allira: Mina’s aunt and closest surviving relative, sister of her deceased mother.
Cantorin, Bobb: Mina’s uncle by marriage.
Cantorin, Vanley: Mina’s cousin, the reason she ran away from her guardians’ home at fifteen.
Cattin, Mrs: wife of Abbsville’s pastor (for the Ur-god temple), a leading member of the local book club.
Central Continent: the largest of the continents on Recca, spanning from Garai in the east to Castalis in the west.
Chief Mage: head of one of the fifty states of the Northia F
ederation, usually addressed as “Lord Firstname”. The Chief Mages come together as the Convention every other year, usually in the capital Dara.
Cobil: childhood friend and co-conspirator of Marris Dolan and Rotharius.
ar’Contir, Haltinas: a mage employed by the Legal Secretary of the Watawis Mages’ Guild.
Convention: the assembly of all Chief Mages and highest authority in the Federation.
Creator: the ultimate deity, worshipped by all three races under different names.
Croialis: a poison made from the seed of a tropical plant, popular for assassinations as it is not susceptible to magical healing.
Dara: capital of the Northia Federation, located on the east coast of the Northia Continent.
Darina: a young mage Mina meets at a party in Haralis.
Dira: Lord Iannis’s principal secretary in the Mages Guild offices in Solantha.
Dolan, Marris: a young Abbsville farmer who has spent some time fighting for the Resistance.
Dolan, Dana, Roglar, and Decrin: the younger siblings of Marris Dolan, living with their widowed mother at the Dolan Farm.
Dorax, Gelisia: an ambitious mage official, formerly Finance Secretary in Nebara, and later in Innarta.
Faricia: a large continent that straddles the North and South hemispheres, located south of the Central Continent’s western region. Inhabited by many different nations and tribes; partly inaccessible to foreign travelers.
Fenris aka “Jalen Fenris Shelton”: a clanless wolf shifter of unusual antecedents, close friend and confidant of Chief Mage Iannis ar’Sannin and Sunaya Baine, but currently striking out on his own.
Finance Secretary: in each state, the Chief Mages are assisted by Secretaries (Finance, Legal, Agriculture, etc.) some of whom may eventually achieve the rank of Chief Mage themselves.
Foggart, Davin: Constable in Abbsville, the only local law enforcement officer.
