Hunted by Magic (17 page)

As Fenris went to gather a pair of the magic-suppressing cuffs lying on the ground, I noticed Chartis make a furtive move out of the corner of my eye. Turning, I saw that he was clutching a star-shaped charm, and though his lips were pressed together in agony, his eyes gleamed with a kind of triumph.

“No!” I shouted, jumping forward, but I was too late. Chartis spoke a Word, and the charm exploded with light, knocking us all back. I squeezed my eyelids shut against the blinding glare, bracing myself against the wall for whatever was to come. Power sizzled in the air as a tremor shook the ground, and rubble rained down onto my head.

“This is not the last you’ve seen of me!” Chartis’s voice echoed through the tunnel as the light faded. When I opened my eyes, he was gone, the severed leg lying in a pool of bright red blood the only proof that he’d ever been here.

I
turned
to ask Iannis what the hell just happened, but before I could speak a portion of the ceiling at the back of the tunnel caved in. Clouds of dust and debris filled the air, making my eyes water and the flames in the torches sputter, and the ground beneath my feet began to tilt. Fuck. The whole damn tunnel was about to collapse on top of us!

“Come on!” I shouted, grabbing the sleeve of the nearest delegate and dragging him forward. He stumbled over the body of a fallen Resistance soldier, but I continued pulling him along. “We’ve got to get out of here!”

The delegates were too weak to levitate themselves out of the shaft, so Fenris and I ushered them into the elevator cage, choking on clouds of dust and rubble as we went. Fenris got into the cage with them, then shouted several Words. The elevator began to glow, then slowly rose up the shaft with a loud screech, taking the delegates to safety.

The next thing I knew, Iannis’s arms were around me, and I bit back a scream of my own as he jumped out of the collapsing tunnel and straight into the abyss below. We fell for ten very long, very terrifying seconds, and then the levitation spell finally activated, dragging us to a halt. I sighed in relief as we began to float upward, leaning my head back against Iannis’s chest.

“By Magorah,” I said, then took in a deep breath to ease the tremors in my body. “You scared the living hell out of me.”

Warmth swept through me as his arms tightened a little more snugly around me and he rested his triangular chin on the top of my head. “Are you alright, Sunaya?”

“Aside from my hand, I think I’m okay.” There was also the fact that my stomach was doing somersaults right now, but there was no need to bring that up.

Iannis swore, and he gently grasped my hand and lifted it to the light filtering in from above. It was already starting to heal, but the slices were very deep, and now that adrenaline was wearing off the wound hurt like hell.

“I’ll deal with this when we get topside,” he promised.

“Thanks.” I sighed, relieved that I wouldn’t have to suffer with the pain for several hours.

“No, thank
you
.” There was a hint of admiration in Iannis’s tone. “If you hadn’t severed Argon’s leg just then, I’m not sure what would have happened.”

“I’m sure you would have figured something out.” But pride swelled my chest, and I grinned for a moment until I remembered that Argon had escaped. “How the hell did we lose him, though? I don’t understand.”

“He had a
gulaya
.” Iannis’s voice tightened. “It’s an old-fashioned type of charm, very powerful and rare, that anchors the wearer to a particular place. It requires a lot of power to create, not to mention illegal ingredients, but if the charm is made properly the wearer can use it to teleport back to that single location at any time.”

“Well fuck.” I wanted to say more, but we floated out of the shaft, and I had to shield my gaze as my eyes worked to adjust to the morning sunlight spilling over the horizon. Iannis set me down, then gently encircled my wrist with his hand and spoke a few Words. A blue glow enveloped my hand, and I squeezed my eyes shut against the searing pain that ripped through my fingers as the magic knitted my flesh and bone back together.

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain faded. I opened my eyes to see that my hand was healed, and let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

“There you are.” Iannis let my hand fall to my side, and as I looked up at him, I was surprised to see his face was paler than usual. Maybe healing exhausted him more than I thought. “Are you alright now? I need to go speak to the other delegates.”

“I’m fine,” I said, biting back the questions that sprang to my lips. I stood to the side as Iannis went to talk to Fenris and the delegates, feeling a little bereft but knowing I couldn’t monopolize his company. The way the delegates blinked in the light as they spoke to Iannis, a combination of awe and gratitude on their faces, was a little bemusing since I was used to seeing little to no emotion on their faces. But I guess being rescued from impending execution after several days of forced drug injections and incarceration would bring out emotion in anyone.

I wondered if Chartis would survive the blood loss, gulaya or not. The detached part of his leg lay buried under the rubble by now. But then, he was a powerful mage in his own right, and I imagined he’d be nearly as hard to kill as Iannis.

Bosal ar’Nuris, the Education Secretary, spotted me standing by the mineshaft entrance and struggled to his feet. Fenris caught him by the elbow and helped him the rest of the way, and when I realized he was making his way toward me I closed the distance so he wouldn’t have to walk so far.

“Thank you for coming back for us,” Bosal said, his voice steady despite the rings of exhaustion around his eyes. His long, pale hair was scraggly, his robes stained with dirt and who knew what else, but despite his ordeal he held himself with the dignity I’d come to expect of mages. “I am ashamed to say that I worried you might not, but glad that I misjudged you.”

“You’re welcome.” I smiled and extended my hand. “I guess us shifters aren’t so bad after all?”

“I don’t know about all of them, but you and Fenris here are all right. I will try to keep an open mind about your species.” He patted Fenris’s hand, which was still firmly wrapped around his arm, then shook my offered hand. “If I can ever be of service to you, don’t hesitate to ask.”

The next couple of hours were spent rounding up the soldiers and securing the camp. With Chartis gone, it was easy enough for Iannis and the delegates to tamper with the wards, making it so that only mages could pass through the perimeter of the camp and effectively trapping the soldiers inside. The soldiers tried to stop us when they saw what we were doing, but between Annia, Fenris, and I, we managed to hold them off until the mages could finish their work. Once the soldiers were secured, we set up camp near the airship so that we could rest for a while and Iannis and Fenris could heal the delegates.

“By Magorah,” I groaned to Annia, collapsing onto my bedroll, which I’d laid out in the middle of the grass. “I’m exhausted. How the hell does he do it?” I turned to look at Iannis, who was kneeling on the ground next to the ancient Legal Secretary. His hand was pressed against the other mage’s forehead as he performed a healing spell. He’d been working on that particular delegate for at least twenty minutes, his eyes closed in concentration and his hands glowing with magic.

“I’ve heard that a mage’s power grows along with their lifespan,” Annia, who was stretched out next to me, commented. “Maybe Iannis is really old. Have you never asked his age? Fenris might know. They age so slowly and use magic to make themselves look pretty, so I guess anything’s possible.”

“True.” I bit my lip as I studied Iannis’s smooth, unlined face and handsome features. It would be a shame if it turned out he was actually a wizened old man using magic to hide his features. But that seemed unlikely, considering how fit he was. An old mage might be able to hide his wrinkles, but that didn’t mean he could make his body run like a young man’s.

Once Iannis was done healing the others, he gathered us around for a meeting. “We need to take off for Dara immediately,” he said. “As much as I’d like to stay and interrogate the soldiers here, the Convention is paramount, and we’ve already lost too much time.”

“I agree, but the situation in Solantha also requires urgent intervention,” Fenris said. “The Council did not take your disappearance well. All hell had broken loose by the time we left, only two days after your disappearance.”

“We can’t leave these Resistance members out here by themselves,” one of the delegates’ assistants protested. “If they have another mage in their employ, they could easily be freed. They must be taken back to Solantha and brought to justice.” From the coldness in his voice, it was clear what kind of justice he had in mind.

“We are not going to leave them here by themselves,” Iannis said. “I agree that it would be unwise to do so, and we cannot all fit on that small, rickety airship. Miss Melcott here is the only one who can pilot it, so she will be coming along, as well as Miss Baine. That means I can only take two more along.”

“I’ll be staying here,” Fenris said. “I’m happy to work with whoever you choose to stay behind, interrogating the prisoners and keeping the camp secure until reinforcements arrive.” It didn’t surprise me that he was volunteering to stay behind – given his history, I figured he’d want to stay well away from the Convention. “We might also try to signal to Director Chen’s airship for transport back home.”

“Very well. I will take you, Bosal, and Asward as well.” Iannis nodded to a dark-haired mage with olive skin, who bowed. “The others are too exhausted to travel yet, and the Convention is nearly over in any case.”

“Just so you know, I can’t actually fly the ship by myself,” Annia spoke up. “Whoever comes along is going to have to be willing to take orders from me and help out. Even a small airship requires a crew.”

“Very well, Captain Melcott.” Iannis inclined his head to her, and I caught the ghost of a smile on his lips. “We will defer to you on all matters concerning the airship. Perhaps you can figure out a way to hail other ships we run across, so we might convince them to stop by the camp and help round up the prisoners. I will send a ship from Dara as well.”

Iannis and Fenris went off to raid the camp’s kitchens for supplies while I worked with Annia and the delegates to get the ship ready for takeoff. We scrambled around on the main deck, securing ropes and checking valves and doing whatever else Annia shouted at us to do. Since none of us were experienced with such engines, she had to do a lot of handholding, but eventually we were ready to go.

“Hey.” I hopped over the side of the ship and landed in front of Fenris, who was talking with Iannis. “We’re ready for takeoff.”

“Very well,” Iannis said. “I’m leaving you in charge, Fenris. Is there anything else you need?”

Fenris shook his head, smiling. “We’ve got everything in hand. You get on that ship, and wipe the smiles off the faces of whoever is resting on their laurels right now. I’m sure they’ll be shocked to see you arrive not only in perfect health, but wearing aboriginal clothing.” He grinned and clapped Iannis on the shoulder.

Iannis grinned back, a rare sight that caused my stomach to flip-flop again. “Strangely, I look forward to turning the attendees on their heads with my arrival. I may even miss these clothes,” he added, running a hand down his buckskin tunic, and I snickered. I’d sort of gotten used to seeing Iannis dressed like a Coazi, but now that I thought about it, he was going to shock the shit out of the mages at the Convention, something I was really looking forward to.

“You take care, okay?” I told Fenris, wrapping my arms around him. He grunted a little as I squeezed tight, but his arms came around me and he hugged me back nonetheless. “I’m going to miss you.”

“We’ll see each other soon enough,” Fenris assured me. “In the meantime, though, it will be a nice change of pace to be in charge here instead of being ordered around. Perhaps I’ll have a little fun with Captain Milios.”

I laughed as Iannis gave Fenris a stern look. “Not too much fun, please. The last thing I need is to receive news that the soldiers have escaped, after I’ve informed the Convention that we apprehended them.”

“Don’t worry,” Fenris said dryly. “I’ll be sure not to make you look bad.”

I gave Fenris one last hug, then boarded the airship along with Iannis. A high-pitched whistle shrilled across the plains as Annia put the engine into gear, and as we lifted off, I looked toward the horizon and wondered exactly what was in store for us next.

“
S
o we’re finally here
, huh?”

“Just about,” Annia told me, drumming the fingers of her right hand against the helm. Her left hand firmly grasped one of the wooden handles jutting out from the wheel as she banked left, heading straight for the capital city. Dara glittered brightly in the reddish-gold sunset, gilding the roofs of the houses and buildings packed close together in the small coastal city. We could see the Capitol Dome from here, a great white marble dome with a golden statue of Jeremidah, one of the founding mages of the Federation, jutting out of the top. My heart began to drum a little faster – this was where the Convention was taking place. “Just need the Chief Mage to tell me where exactly to put the ship down.”

“I’m sure he’ll be up here soon,” I said, my fingers lifting briefly to touch the
serapha
charm resting against my chest. As soon as Iannis hadn’t been needed on deck anymore, he’d disappeared into the captain’s cabin for some much-needed rest. We were all exhausted, but he’d used up loads of magic during our escape, so I couldn’t blame him for wanting some shut-eye. Unlike Annia and myself, he actually had to attend the Convention and foil whatever new plot the Benefactor was hatching, so it was important that he and the other delegates were clear-headed upon arrival.

“Yeah, well you might want to tell him to rise and shine, because we’re gonna be landing soon,” Annia said. She brought her hand up to cover a yawn, then reached for her mug of coffee and took a long draught. “And he also better get me a five-star hotel, because after the day I’ve had I could sleep all week.”

“Oh I’ll make sure he does. You’ve been a lifesaver.” I patted Annia on the back, then for good measure dug my thumbs into her shoulder muscles and started rubbing in circular motions. Since Annia was the only one who could fly this thing, she’d been attached to the helm all day, pushing us through the skies at top speed to get us to Dara before the day was out. Iannis and the other mages had helped by clearing the weather and ensuring the wind blew in a favorable direction, but without Annia there was no way we would have made this thing work.

“Ohhhh yeahhhhh,” Annia groaned, arching her back as my right thumb found a knot. “You can keep that up for as long as you want.”

I grinned. “Thanks, but I think I’ll go get the Chief Mage now.”

“Tease,” Annia grumbled, shooting me a dirty look over her shoulder.

Laughing, I gave her shoulders one last squeeze, then vaulted over the railing and down to the main deck. There was no one to watch as I strolled across the wooden floorboards toward the tiny captain’s cabin at the rear of the ship – the other delegates had taken refuge from the hot sun below decks. I would have to round them up soon, although maybe I’d leave that task up to Iannis. They were
his
delegates, after all.

As I lifted my knuckles to rap on the door, a ripple of nervous energy gave me pause. I stopped to examine the feeling, and realized that this would be the first time Iannis and I would have a one-on-one conversation since the little…incident back at the river. Heat rushed through me as I remembered the feeling of his hard, naked body pressed against mine. I licked my lips, convinced I could taste him on my tongue all over again.

We’d said things to each other at the river that I’m not sure would have ever slipped from our lips under other circumstances. I’d told him that I
needed
him, something I’d never told any man before, and part of me wished badly that I could take the words back. Saying them out loud had been admitting a weakness, and that was a dangerous thing to do around anyone, never mind someone as powerful as Iannis. He already held my life and fate in his hands – I didn’t need to inflate his ego any further or allow him to think I was okay with being dependent on him.

But it was too late. I couldn’t take back the words, nor could I take back the kiss we’d shared. And try as I might, I couldn’t hide from the fact that I
did
need him. If not on an emotional level, then on a practical one, because he was the only mage around who was willing and able to teach me how to master my magic and control the volatile emotions preventing me from using it safely.

“Are you going to stand out there all day, or will you come in?”

I jumped, startled at the sound of Iannis’s voice. A second later, heat flushed into my cheeks as I realized he’d known I was standing outside the door. Taking in a deep breath, I willed the blush to recede from my cheeks, then pushed the door open.

“How long did you know I was standing here?” I asked, then froze as I caught sight of Iannis standing on the other side of the bunk bed. He looked very much like his old self, dressed in a pair of blue and gold robes, his cherrywood hair tied back with a leather thong. No trace of the aboriginal remained in the lines of his face or the folds of his clothing, and his violet eyes were as cool and aloof as ever.

“Since I heard your boots stop outside my door.” A slight frown creased his brow as he studied me. “You look…disappointed. Why is that?”

I thought about brushing off the question, but opted for honesty instead and grinned. “I was kind of hoping you’d show up to the Convention in your buckskins with the feathers in your hair,” I admitted. “Where did you find those robes, anyway?” We’d found a few Resistance uniforms on the ship, but nothing resembling mage robes.

Iannis huffed. “I was joking when I said I was going to do that. After already missing half the Convention, I can’t very well show up looking like a Coazi. The robes are an illusion that I will have to maintain until I can procure proper clothing.”

“Oh really?” I arched a brow. “Does that mean you’re still wearing the buckskins underneath?”

Iannis’s lips twitched. “You seem awfully preoccupied with what I’m wearing, Sunaya,” he remarked, walking around the narrow cot toward me.

“Yeah well, last time I was face-to-face with you alone, you weren’t wearing much of anything,” I murmured as he came closer. The smell of sandalwood and musk filled my senses, and I instinctively inhaled, wanting more of it.

“Indeed,” he said softly, his eyes searching mine as he took my hand in his. “I wasn’t exactly expecting company.”

“Would you rather I had not come?” I asked nonchalantly, trying to act as though my pulse wasn’t skyrocketing in response to his touch. His long fingers wrapped around mine, thumb stroking across the back of my hand, and my heart fluttered wildly. By Magorah, what was I getting myself into?

“Of course not. You saved me, broke through Halyma’s spell and reminded me who I really am.” His grip tightened on my hand. “You mentioned at the stream that you needed me. I think I am starting to realize that I need you too.”

“Wait…what?” I gaped at him, stunned. “What could you possibly need me for, when you’ve got Fenris and the whole Mages Guild behind you?”

“Fenris is invaluable of course, and the Mages Guild has its role, but whenever there is trouble in my city, you always seem to find your way directly to the heart of it.” Iannis smiled a little. “Those escapades of yours helped expose layers of corruption and decadence that I might not have otherwise noticed. Perhaps we should consider working together, instead of working around each other as we have been.”

“Wait a minute.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Are you suggesting that we become partners?”

Iannis frowned. “‘Partners’ might be the wrong word, considering that we are master and apprentice. You would still be subject to my authority, and under my protection. But should you come across a case that has far-reaching ramifications, you may come to me and request my assistance at any time.”

“Oh gee, thanks.” I rolled my eyes as I sketched a mocking bow. “Your generosity abounds.”

Iannis arched an eyebrow. “Did I say something to offend you?” He sounded genuinely curious, and if I bought into the brief flash of emotion I saw in his eyes, maybe a little hurt.

“No.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “No, you said exactly what you’re supposed to say.”
Get real
, I told myself as I fought the sinking disappointment in my chest. The idea that Iannis would treat me as an equal, that he would profess to need me for emotional rather than practical reasons, was absurd. He was a mage, the Chief Mage, first and foremost, and mages and shifters just didn’t mix.

But as Iannis studied my face for a long moment, something like regret flickered across his features, and I wondered if, like me, he really did want something more like a partnership. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.

“What?” I snapped, annoyed that I was hanging on tenterhooks waiting for the words to spill out of his mouth.

He shook his head, then held out his hand. “Come here,” he said. “I need to put an illusion on you.”

“What for?” I asked as I approached cautiously.

Iannis took my hands again, and that familiar thrum of electricity started up in my nerves again, traveling up my arms and vibrating through my whole body.

“Dara is a very mage-centric city,” he explained as magic began washing over my body. Sparks skipped up my arms and across my chest before sinking into my skin and filling me with more of that strange humming. “There are humans and a few shifters who live there, of course, but they are not allowed at the Convention. It would call too much attention to us if I brought a shifter with me, and you’ll blend in far better as a mage.”

The magic faded from around my body, and I looked down to see that I was dressed in a set of emerald green robes embroidered with delicate gold vines. A matching gold and green sash was tied around my waist, and the toes of soft gold slippers peeked out from the hem of my robe.

“There.” Iannis took me by the shoulders and pulled me around to look into the small mirror hanging from the wall. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

I stared at my reflection in shock. My shifter eyes were gone, replaced by round human irises that allowed the whites of my eyes to shine through. They were still the same color, but it was a jarring contrast to what I was used to. My black hair was free of its tie now, cascading down my shoulders in glossy ringlets, and I wondered if that was illusion too or if Iannis had actually pulled the tie from my hair when I wasn’t paying attention. The collar of the robe nearly grazed my chin, but from what I could see in the mirror the garment flattered my figure and was almost sexy despite the fact that it didn’t show any skin.

Not that I wanted to show skin.

“So you think you’ve won by finally getting me into a robe, have you?” I asked Iannis as I turned to face him.

Iannis chuckled a little, shaking his head. “I wasn’t aware this was a competition. But looking at you does make a man feel as though he’s won something.” His eyes roamed over me appreciatively. “You should wear these in real life. I’ll buy some for you.”

“Not a chance.” But my chest swelled with pride at the compliment, and it was almost enough to make me consider wearing the robes again.

Almost.

“As soon as we reach our hotel room, you’re getting these things off of me.”

“Am I?” Iannis asked softly, interest flaring in his eyes. A blush heated my cheeks as I realized what I’d just said, and I cleared my throat.

“I didn’t mean –”

“It would be impractical to rely on illusionary attire during the entire Convention,” Iannis said. “As soon as we get settled, we must procure proper robes for all of us. That will make it easier to work together.”

“Work together?” I pushed past the fog of lust clouding my brain to try and follow Iannis’s logic. “You mean on finding out what the Resistance has planned here in Dara?”

“Exactly.” Iannis nodded, his expression stony once more. “They did not want me to make it to the Convention for a reason. I fully intend on finding out why, and thwarting their plans. However, I must attend to delegate business and will be too busy to question whomever I like or snoop around. You, on the other hand, are free of official obligations, and your heightened senses may pick up on clues that I would otherwise miss.”

“So you’re saying you want me to be a spy?” A grin began to spread across my face.

“I suppose you could put it that way.” Iannis arched a brow at my widening grin. “Unless of course you’re not able to take the job seriously.”

“Hell yeah I can take it seriously.” I pumped my fist in the air at the idea that I was finally getting back to doing Enforcer work again. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t get excited about it.”

“Oi!” Annia’s strident voice blared from the loudspeaker “Are you two lovebirds ever going to come out of there? This ship isn’t going to land itself, you know!”

“Oops,” I said, grinning up at an annoyed-looking Iannis. “I forgot to mention – the captain wants a word with you.”