Hunted by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #3)(66)

“Why so serious?” Annia asked twenty minutes later as we walked out of the tailor’s shop. Aside from the new red and silver robes I was wearing, I left empty-handed – the tailor promised to have the robes and my new ball gown delivered to the hotel room by mid-afternoon. “You looked pretty sour-faced when I met up with you at the café this morning, too.”

“It’s just that there’s a lot going on.” We stopped at the curb so we could hail a cab. I lowered my voice so that passersby wouldn’t hear, and explained to Annia about the bad news the Finance Secretary had delivered this morning.

“Well shit,” Annia said as a hansom cab pulled up. The driver, who sat behind the cab rather than in front of it, waved us forward, and we climbed into the cab and settled in for the ride. “Do you think the Resistance has actually managed to brainwash one or more of the delegates onto their side?”

“The Federation Capitol Building,” I called to the driver, then turned my attention back to Annia as he cracked his whip, urging the horses forward. “They converted Argon Chartis, didn’t they?”

“Well, yeah, but he’d already fallen from grace, so to speak, and was hungry for revenge. These guys are all either Chief Mages or have powerful positions in the Mages Guild. What could the Resistance offer them that they’d be willing to trade their cushy positions for?”

“More power?” I shrugged. “Perhaps they’ve managed to convince some disgruntled mage that the Resistance has the upper hand and is going to win. Otherwise, I don’t see why any mage would throw in their lot with them.”

“Yeah, well with the way things have been going lately, that might not be far off from the truth,” Annia said darkly as we rolled up the hill toward the Capitol Building. “I mean, you’ve already uncovered two separate conspiracies, Naya, and that’s in Canalo alone. How many other dangerous pots are the Resistance stirring across the rest of the Federation?”

“It all seems to come back to the Benefactor,” I mused, drumming my fingers against my thigh. “He’s the one stirring all these pots, and if we can catch him and take his spoons away, we might be able to stop this.”

“Yeah, well good luck with that,” Annia said as the cab rolled to a stop in front of the Capitol Building. “I have a feeling that with this bunch, finding the Benefactor is going to be like digging for a piece of dirt in a mound of soil.”

“You’re probably right.” I shook my head, then leaned in and hugged her. “Say hi to Fenris for me, will you?”

“Will do. Try to make it back home in one piece.” Annia winked at me, and I winked back before I turned around and let the driver hand me down from the cab.

I trotted up the steps of the Capitol Building in my new robes, and though the guards studied me with a critical eye as I passed, they made no move to stop me from entering. Unlike yesterday evening, the entrance hall was swarming with activity, both humans and mages alike bustling to and from the building and looking very official. In the center of the entrance hall was a large, mounted map of the building, and I stopped to study it, trying to figure out where I wanted to go. It looked like the main assembly room was located in the Great Rotunda on the first floor, surrounded by smaller meeting rooms. There were a few clerical offices down here, but most of the offices were on the upper floor, on the opposite side of the building from the banquet hall. I wondered if there was anyone up there right now worth eavesdropping on, or if everyone of importance was in the Convention.

Knowing the only way to find out was to go up there, I walked through the entrance hall. I passed a coffee shop on the corner as I turned right, heading for the stairs at the other end of a secondary hall that would take me to the stairs. Unfortunately, there were two guards guarding the steps, and as soon as they saw me they both stepped in front of the staircase, blocking my path.

“I’m sorry, miss, but these stairs are for authorized personnel only,” the guard to my right said. There was a hint of apology in his tone, but he spoke firmly. “Is there someone in particular you’re looking for?”

“No,” I admitted, giving the guards a sheepish smile. I really wanted to vault over their heads and dash up the stairs, but the female mage I was pretending to be wouldn’t be able to do that, so I had to behave. “It’s just that I’m not allowed into the Convention, so I was hoping to find a place to sit and work.” I lifted the leather portfolio that I carried in one hand, which had papers and a notepad in it so I could pretend to be doing something useful if need be.

“If you need a place to wait, I’d suggest the coffee shop.” The second guard pointed back down the hallway. “There is lots of comfortable seating, and the beverages are very good. But you can’t go up these stairs.”

“Thank you.” I briefly inclined my head to the guards, then turned around and walked back to the coffee shop I’d passed earlier. My stomach growled at the scent of fresh pastries, and though I was disappointed at this setback, there were actually quite a few mages sitting at the glossy wooden tables and chairs that I could listen in on. Approaching the dark granite countertop and the glass case of pastries next to it, I ordered a plate of muffins and a large cup of coffee, then brought my fare to the rear of the store, where the walls were lined with cushioned booth backings. I rested my back against the dark green velvet as I settled in at one of the little tables and prepared for a long afternoon.