Hunted by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #3)(10)

Sleep. Resinah’s cool voice echoed in my head, banishing the vision. All is not yet lost, child. Now sleep.





4





“I don’t think you should go, Naya. At least not by yourself.”

Scowling, I slammed the thick, dusty tome that Elania had brought in this morning, and scowled up at Comenius. “I’m not abandoning Iannis just because of a couple of paragraphs in an old history text.”

“That isn’t just some dusty tome – it is part of a trusted and valuable encyclopedia,” Comenius argued, sounding highly affronted. We were sitting at his dining table along with Elania, who’d arrived with a basket of freshly made scones and cookies. The food was especially welcome after going without for nearly twenty-four hours, though it would have been nice if there had been some meat too. “According to those couple of paragraphs, as you say, the Coazi are unpredictable in their treatment of outsiders, and they are ruled by shamans, some of whom are as powerful as mages.”

I scoffed. “Give me a break. From what I understand, they’re really uncivilized. Surely they can’t be that powerful.”

“Tribal shamans are not to be underestimated,” Elania warned, setting down her teacup and regarding me with a frown. “Their magic relies heavily on nature and spirits, but it is old and powerful. If you run across a shaman who considers you an enemy, you may find yourself outmatched.”

“Well then I guess I’d better be careful, but that doesn’t mean I’m staying here.” I huffed out a breath. “If Iannis is hurt and lying around in the wilderness, the last thing I need is for these Coazi to find him before I do.”

Comenius opened his mouth, presumably to argue, then froze as the doorbell rang.

“Are we expecting someone?” I asked, my senses prickling. Because we were on the second floor, there was no way for me to scent whoever was at the door.

“I ran across Annia yesterday and asked her to bring some of your things by the apartment,” Comenius said as he cautiously rose from his chair. “Perhaps it’s her.”

“I’ll come with you –” I began as he made for the door, but Elania placed her hand on my shoulder.

“You have a bounty on your head right now, Sunaya,” she reminded me. “Let Comenius answer his own door. He can handle himself.”

“Alright.” Forcing myself to relax, I grabbed a cookie and took a bite. Elania was right – there was no reason to risk myself needlessly, and this was Comenius’s place, not mine. I didn’t really have a leg to stand on if he didn’t want me answering the door.

Faint conversation drifted to my ears, and though the front door of the shop was too far away for me to make out the words, the cadence of the visitor’s tone was familiar. It took me a second to figure out who it was.

“Fenris!” I exclaimed, and in the next second I was through the door, bounding down the stairs.

“Sunaya!” Elania called after me, but I burst into the front of the shop, eager to see my friend. I’d felt bad about leaving the Palace before meeting up with him again, especially since the Council seemed to have it in for him nearly as much as they did for me. Thankfully, he looked like he was in one piece, standing next to Comenius in the front of the shop, dressed in his customary dark tunic and leggings.

“Good morning –” Fenris began, then let out a small “oomph” as I wrapped my arms around him and crushed him tight to me.

“Good morning my ass,” I chided as I squeezed him. “We both know this is a shitty morning. But I’m glad to see you. I was worried the Council mages had gotten to you or something.”

“As was I about you.” Fenris had frozen when I hugged him, but only momentarily, and his strong arms wrapped around me as he hugged me back. “I’m relieved you made it safely out of the Palace.”

“Let’s head upstairs,” Comenius said, double-checking the lock on the front door. “We can catch up in my living room and finish breakfast.”

I checked my watch as we headed up the stairs, and frowned. “Isn’t it time for you to open the shop soon?”

“I already called my employees last night and gave them the day off,” Comenius explained. “Word of the Chief Mage’s disappearance is spreading throughout the city, and panic along with it, so I decided not to open my doors today. Elania and I have already reinforced the protection spells outside our shops, as have many of the other shop owners.”

“Fair enough,” I said as we walked back into the apartment. We rejoined Elania at the table, Fenris seating himself next to me, and though I was glad to see him safe, I was also perturbed at the prospect that unrest was spreading throughout the city while I was cooped up and powerless to do anything about it.

“Despite living in the Palace all this time, I too was slated for arrest,” Fenris said with a tinge of bitterness. He accepted the cup of tea Elania handed him and selected a cookie from the platter. “I had to slip out of the Palace in disguise. All shifters are in danger just now, as well as anyone else suspected of sympathizing with the Resistance.”

“Shifters?” I demanded, scowling. “Why shifters? Humans are just as big a part of the Resistance.”

“Yes, but the shifter population is smaller and easier to target,” Fenris pointed out. “Not to mention that there are still a number of mages who think that shifters should have remained slaves to the mages, as they were originally created to be.”