Burned by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #1)(33)

“Don’t be in such a rush, Naya,” Comenius said hastily. He rose to his feet as well, squaring his shoulders as if prepared to restrain me. “We haven’t conclusively determined whether or not there actually is silver in the cerebust. Noria has an alchemist friend who is going to run some tests –”

“He’s a chemistry student,” Noria corrected, shooting him a testy glare. “Alchemy is magic.”

Comenius snorted. “Well excuse me.”

I couldn’t help it – I laughed. “My incarceration seems to have had a positive influence on you,” I told him. “I’ve never seen you so sassy before.”

He sobered a little. “You haven’t been incarcerated yet, Naya. And if I have my way, you won’t be.”

Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes, and I swallowed against the lump in my throat. “Thanks,” I whispered. “You guys are the best friends I could have.” I threw my arms around Comenius, then reached out and snagged Noria as well for a group hug.

“We know,” Noria said, the grin clear in her voice. “And that’s why I sent a message to Rylan asking him to break you out.”

“Noria!” Scandalized, I broke free of the hug, my eyes darting around wildly. I expected the guards to come rushing in any minute, to cart her away so that she could be questioned about the Resistance’s whereabouts. “You can’t say that shit in here, not when we’re being monitored!”

“Don’t worry,” Noria said, pulling something from her pocket. “As far as they’re concerned, we haven’t been saying anything at all for the last ten minutes of our conversation.”

She tossed the object in her palm to me, and I caught it, then held it up to the light. It was a small, handheld electronic device with a glowing blue light, and it smelled of magic. “What the hell is this thing?”

“It’s a jammer,” Noria said proudly, folding her arms across her chest. “Interferes with magical wavelengths when it’s activated, which I did before we started talking about the murders. Anyone listening to us via a magical spell wouldn’t have been able to hear a damned thing. I’ve already tested it out a few times, so I know it works.”

I gaped at the tiny gadget, amazed. “How the hell did you manage to come up with something like this?”

Comenius scowled at Noria. “She’s been experimenting with combinations of magic and technology with a college friend of hers who happens to be a mage,” he said. But though the disapproval in his voice was clear, I detected a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. “It’s going to get her killed one day, if the Mage’s Guild finds out.”

I arched a brow, impressed. “You actually found a mage who was willing to collaborate with you?”

Noria shrugged. “He’s in my college, so he’s pretty progressive.”

“I’ll say.” Though the Academy was technically open to anyone, it was mostly a human-centric institution, with a few shifters attending as well. Mage students were practically unheard of, as most of them simply moved on from their apprenticeships to positions in the Guild, or as freelancers. Very few cared about taking courses or learning skills outside of magic. “What’s your mage friend taking?”

Noria’s expression turned guilty. “Chemistry.”

“Noria!” Comenius’s head looked like it was going to explode. “You can’t be serious. You’re taking the cerebust to a mage?”

Noria glared at him defensively. “He’s not like the others,” she told him. “He actually believes in equality among the races, which is why he’s willing to work with me. He believes magic should be accessible to everyone.”

“You know that if it’s found out that he’s helping you he could be punished, right?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Noria, I can’t believe you would put someone in danger like that, just to experiment with a few gadgets!”

Noria’s face crumpled under the weight of my disapproval. “I thought you of all people would understand, Naya. We need change, and it’s never going to happen if we don’t pursue things like this. Isn’t that what we’re all after?”

Guilt clawed at me as I took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. I was being the biggest hypocrite in the world, and I knew it. “Of course it is, but I can’t stand the idea of you getting hurt. Your sister would murder me.”

Noria frowned. “Why would she do that? This has nothing to do with you – I’m doing this of my own volition.” She shrugged my hands off her shoulders as anger sparked in her dark eyes. “What, you get to take credit for my rebellions now? I have my own thoughts and ideas, Naya, and no one else is responsible for them. You’re not the only one willing to fight, you know.”

“She doesn’t mean it that way, Noria.” Comenius gently placed his hands on the girl’s shoulders, trying to calm her. “She’s just worried about you.”

“Yeah, well she shouldn’t be.” Noria tossed her hair and gave me an imperious look. “I can take care of myself. And for once, I’m going to take care of you, too. It shouldn’t take Rylan long to get my message, and when he breaks you out of here, remember that I’m the one who saved the day.”