Hunted by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #3)(46)

“Don’t worry.” Fenris shook himself, then stretched and yawned, revealing his sharp, white fangs. It was still hard to believe that he’d once been a full-blooded mage, even with all the little clues I’d noticed before. “I can be stealthy.”

Annia and I climbed up a tree and watched as Fenris quietly approached the camp. At first we thought things were going to be fine – nearly all of the Coazi were happily gathered near the fire, including the children, who were playing with the dogs.

The dogs.

“Oh f*ck!” I cursed, suddenly realizing how stupid we were. “Fenris, get out of there! The dogs—”

But it was too late. One of the dogs had suddenly stopped playing, ears perked and nose in the air as he sniffed. Fenris, who was outside Iannis’s tent, froze and the dog bayed as he caught the intruder’s scent. The two huge beasts sprang forward, and Fenris made a run for it, but several Coazi rushed out of their tents, blocking his path as the slavering dogs closed in. My breath caught in my throat as I watched Iannis rush out of his tent, then stand by and do nothing as the two animals fell upon Fenris. There was no recognition in Iannis’s eyes, only a bemused frown as he watched the three beasts roll around in the dirt, jaws snapping and snarling as they fought for the upper hand. The Coazi were closing in, already making a tight circle around the animals, so there was no way Fenris was escaping – the only way he was getting out of this was if he changed back into a human, and if he did that our cover would be blown.

Just as I was getting ready to jump out of the tree and charge into the camp, the shamaness stepped forward, her shawl fluttering around her slender arms as she made a cutting motion with her arm and shouted something. The dogs backed off instantly, returning to her side, and Fenris lay there panting for a moment, clearly weakened by the attack. Before he could get up, the shamaness reached into a pouch hanging from her belt and tossed some sort of powder at Fenris, then shouted something I could not understand. A purple glow enveloped Fenris, and my heart froze as he stopped moving.

“Fenris!” I cried out. “What did she do to you? Are you hurt?”

“Not hurt…but extremely lethargic,” Fenris answered as the Coazi tossed him into a wooden cage and tied it shut with leather ropes. “You need to get to Iannis and break the spell on him – I could see the aura of a strong enchantment around him, and cannot not reach him with mindspeak even here. I have a feeling the shamaness has plans for me that I’m not going to enjoy, so please hurry.” Beneath the urgency of his tone I could sense Fenris’s disappointment, and I felt bad for him. Even though he knew Iannis had been under a spell, it must have cut Fenris deeply that his best friend had not recognized and aided him.

“No kidding,” I said as I watched the Coazi carry Fenris’s cage into one of the huts that was near the fire. It was smaller than the others, and had some kind of ceremonial beading dripping from the entrance in lieu of a door, so I had a feeling the hut was used for rituals or important meetings. “Are you sure we shouldn’t just storm the camp and rescue you first? I really don’t want them to sacrifice you to whatever gods or spirits they worship.”

“An attack now would be too dangerous, since Iannis is under the shamaness’s control and will likely defend the tribe along with her. You need to get him alone and break through the spell clouding his mind. It’s the only way.”

“And just how am I supposed to do that?” I demanded, digging my claws into the pine bark as panic rose in my chest. “He didn’t recognize you at all, Fenris, and the two of you have known each other for years. What makes you think he’s going to recognize me?”

“He probably won’t,” Fenris admitted heavily. “But if you can get the serapha charm back around his neck, that might help you break the spell.”

“Umm, so what’s the plan, exactly?” Annia asked, sounding more than a little worried. “I’m going to assume you’ve been chatting with Fenris instead of staring dumbly off into space, and it would be nice to know what we’re doing next.”

“Fenris says I should try putting the serapha charm around Iannis’s neck and see if that breaks the spell.” I tugged the chain from beneath my shirt and stared down at the charm. “I guess if I do that, it’ll remind him of our connection and hopefully get through to him. I just hope he doesn’t see me as a threat and try to kill me.”

“Just because the Chief Mage is dressing like a Coazi and under a spell doesn’t mean he isn’t the same person,” Annia pointed out. “From what you’ve told me, the Chief Mage isn’t a shoot first, ask questions later kind of guy. If you can get him alone for long enough, you might just be able to reason with him.”

“I sure hope so, because it looks like I’m about to get my shot,” I said as Iannis walked out of a hut with a small bundle beneath his arm. I watched as he headed in the direction of the woods he’d come from earlier, and my heart rate shot up as anticipation raced through me.

“I’ll stay up here and make sure Fenris doesn’t become dinner,” Annia told me. “You go get the Chief Mage, and don’t forget to take a piece out of that ass of his for putting you through the wringer.”

“Damn right.” I cracked a smile, then grew serious again. “If you see an opportunity to get Fenris out of there, jump on it.”