Betrayed by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #5)(24)

“Healing is one of my stronger talents,” Iannis said drily. “It was not easy, even for me, especially as we caught it so late.”

“Just so. After lengthy questioning, the staff member, who worked in the Capitol kitchens as an assistant cook, confessed that the substance she put in my milk came from a Doctor Elan Mitas. He’s a physician with a successful practice right here in Dara.” The Minister’s lips twisted into a grim smile. “For some reason, the idiot human had chosen not to flee, so it was easy enough to apprehend him.”

“That is excellent news!” Iannis leaned forward a little, like a bloodhound that had suddenly latched onto a promising scent. “What have you learned from him?”

“Not nearly enough.” The Minister frowned, looking quite irritated now. “He has a remarkably strong mind and is resistant to truth spells, which is likely why the Benefactor recruited him in the first place. But we had his house and practice searched, and postal receipts in his house lead us to suspect that the substance might have been forwarded from somewhere in the Northwest. We did find one smallish parcel dispatched from Wacoma. However, there is no proof, and it might have contained something else entirely. Dr. Mitas refuses to say.”

Iannis looked grave. “That is not much to go on, but better than nothing. You want us to follow up on the origins of this deadly substance?”

“Of course.” The Minister’s face tightened. “We must assume that this substance was not produced for single use only. Thorgana and her henchmen may be manufacturing more of these lethal diseases to target specific people or races. Perhaps even on a large scale. I would not have thought mere humans capable of such feats, without magic and with those short lives of theirs, but clearly we have been underestimating their cunning.”

By Magorah. Icy horror spread through my chest. Those must be the secret weapons the humans had been whispering about. Some powder or liquid dropped in a jug of milk, or perhaps mixed into a city’s water supply by the human maintenance crew, could not easily be defended against. I already knew the humans pulling the strings behind the Resistance were planning to kill off entire populations, but I thought that was just talk. Would they actually succeed?

“I need you to locate this manufacturing lab or plant and destroy it before the Resistance can deploy their newfangled weapons,” the Minister commanded. “It would be a disaster, should they actually use them to massacre unsuspecting citizens. Not to mention embarrassing, since we’ve assured the country they are safe, now that we’ve caught the mastermind of this evil plot.”

“Agreed,” Iannis said, his eyes narrowed. “It is a pity Thorgana is not here yet, as I imagine she would know the exact location.”

“That’s true, but we can still question the doctor, right?” I asked. The men turned to look at me, the Minister blinking, as though surprised to hear me speak up. “Shifters are very good at telling truth from lies, and as an enforcer, I’m an experienced interrogator. You should let me question the doctor.”

“That was my plan, actually,” the Minister said wryly. “But thank you for volunteering.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, my cheeks heating in embarrassment. So, apparently, the Minister considered me a useful tool, and not just a liability. At least that was something.

“Is there anyone else we can interrogate?” I asked. “What about Lord Cedris, or his Legal Secretary, Coman ar’Daghir?”

“They have already been questioned thoroughly. It was found they had no direct knowledge of Thorgana or their operations,” the Minister said firmly. “Both have been released, upon condition that Cedris resign from public office, which he has done. He is spending more time with his family these days, and I hear he’s thinking of writing a memoir.”

“I see,” I murmured, burying my disgust and incredulity. I would have thought the Minister would punish Cedris harshly for his not inconsiderable role in the plot to kill him and take his position. Why was he being so lenient? Did Cedris have some sort of hold over him, just as Thorgana had been blackmailing Cedris and a number of other mages in order to control them?

Fucking politics, I thought. I hated all the layers involved, and wished I didn’t have to have anything to do with it. But that was impossible if I was going to be married to Iannis, and if I wanted to effect change within our unfair system.

“Well, I see no need to waste time.” The Minister clapped his hands together, then rose from his seat. “Mr. ar’Mengis will take you to the doctor now, and Miss Baine can prove her worth by getting some answers out of him.”

Great. No pressure.





11





The Minister’s taciturn aide escorted us to the prison via carriage. Even though it was well after midnight, I wasn’t at all tired—I was eager to get on with the job and find out everything we could. It took about half an hour before we drew up in front of Dara’s main prison facility, a large, ugly building that rested right at the fork of the Motoac River. The reinforced windows and the runes set into the walls and gates suggested that it was secure, protected both magically and physically. It must be incredibly difficult to escape from there, a thought that comforted me since I knew Thorgana would be kept in this very facility once she arrived in the capital.

The aide didn’t actually go with us to the prisoners’ cells, but was very helpful to get us through several levels of guards without hassle. The Minister’s office had clearly phoned ahead, asking for every assistance to be rendered. We were led to a soundproofed chamber the prison officials called a ‘special interview room’. Iannis and I made ourselves as comfortable as we could in the cold, dimly lit stone chamber, sitting at a bare metal table on bolted-down metal chairs as we waited for Doctor Mitas to be brought in.