Betrayed by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #5)(8)

“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.