Bound by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #2)(17)

“Who is that?” I asked, pointing up at the woman.

The Chief Mage gently laid his palm over my outstretched hand and pushed it down. “It’s rude to point,” he said quietly, and I stared -- he was looking up at the statue with a reverent expression I’d never seen before.

“This is Resinah,” he said, still looking up at the statue. “She was the first mage brought into existence by the Creator, and was endowed with the power to transform humans, animals and matter. She chose twelve disciples to share her power with, and it is from Resinah and her disciples that our lineage as mages springs.”

“The Creator?” I echoed, staring up at the statue again. “You mean Magorah?”

A frown briefly touched the Chief Mage’s face. “You may call him by a different name, just as humans believe in the Ur-God, but I believe we all worship the same deity. It’s just a matter of which interpretation is the correct one,” he allowed. “I am not here to invalidate your faith, Miss Baine, but Resinah is a very important part of our heritage, and all mages learn her teachings very early on.”

“How come Resinah and her disciples are never mentioned in any of the public school text books?” I demanded. I wasn’t devout, not by any means, but I’d always grown up with the idea of Magorah in my head and heart, and in His place of worship it was taught that mages were simply the instruments He used to create shifters, and that we were His favorite children.

“We are very… private, about our religious beliefs. The teachings of Resinah are not intended for outsiders, and are of little use to non-mages in any case. Additionally, it was decided long ago that rather than try to indoctrinate other races into our teachings, that we would allow you to keep your own religions. Not all mages agreed with this decision, but so far we have all abided by it,” he added dryly.

“Okay.” I glanced up at the statue again, wondering if Resinah had really looked like that. She had a stern but classically beautiful face, and the book in one hand and the flame in the other seemed to emphasize knowledge and power equally. I found it interesting that she was a woman; in our faith the first shifter had been a female as well – Taili the Wolf. Females were the ones primarily responsible for procreation, so I supposed it made sense that Magorah would choose females through which to do His work. Much as I wanted to deny it, a holy presence permeated the air of this temple. It was like the presence I’d felt in Magorah’s temple in Shiftertown, except that here the air was also heavily laced with magic. Maybe Magorah and Iannis’s Creator really were one and the same, as he’d said.

“Do you come here often?” I wondered aloud. “Do mages have a worship schedule or something, or do you just come and go as you please?”

“There are certain times of the year that we gather, but mostly we come and go of our own accord, generally when we are seeking guidance.”

“Does she talk to you then?” The idea was half-absurd, half-intriguing – I’d felt Magorah’s presence at times and thought I’d heard His voice once or twice in moments of need, but I’d never out-and-out had a conversation with him.

“She’s not a conversationalist, but she will provide guidance in moments of true need.” Iannis stared up at the statue, some undefinable emotion glimmering in his violet eyes. “Not very long ago I came to Resinah seeking advice on how to deal with a rather terrible dilemma. Her wisdom encouraged me to show mercy in a situation where the law would suggest otherwise.”

“Huh.” I stared at the Chief Mage, wondering just what kind of situation had been so untenable that he’d sought out advice from his deity rather than enforce the laws he governed so strictly with. But I could tell from the look in his eye that he wasn’t going to say any more about it, so I didn’t press.

“So did you bring me here just to show me the temple?” I asked, wanting to change the subject. “Or is there more?”

“There is more.” The Chief Mage sighed a little as I turned to face him again. “I don’t condone your behavior in my office today, nor your absence from the Mages Guild this morning… but I do acknowledge that your education has been lackluster so far. I realized that you have not been given any of the education most mages already receive from their families by the time they begin an apprenticeship, and that because of your unusual power level I may have been harder on you than I should.” He reached into his sleeve, and pulled out a heavy, leather-bound tome. “This is a copy of the Residah, the book of scripture that holds Resinah’s teachings. Every mage reads this book early on, and it’s time you did so as well.”

“You really need to teach me that trick sometime.” I took the tome from him gingerly, running my hand across the runes carved in relief across the teal-colored leather. “Being able to pull objects out of thin air would be a useful talent for someone like me, you know.” I’d decided that Iannis’s sleeve itself wasn’t enchanted, otherwise he’d have to move all the stuff he stored in there to a different robe each time he changed. Maybe he had some kind of mystical air pocket that hovered near his forearm.

“I can imagine.” Iannis’s lips twitched into a rare smile, softening his stern features and drawing my attention to how handsome he was. “When you finish reading this, I will teach you the spell.”

“Now that’s motivation.” I glanced down at the heavy book in my hand, not so much because I wanted to look at it again but because warmth was spreading through my cheeks, and I didn’t want Iannis to pick up on it. I’d thought that between moving out of the Palace and seeing him so infrequently, his effect on me would lessen, but the butterflies in my stomach were just as active as they always were when I caught brief flashes of humor, compassion or heat from him. The fact that we were alone here didn’t help matters.