Marked by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #4)(27)

12





I wasn’t sure how long I was unconscious, but it wasn’t long enough. I came awake with a splitting headache and a throbbing pain in my shoulder, then immediately rolled over and hurled mystery meat over the side of the cot I was lying on.

“I’m glad I thought to put a bucket there,” Captain Galling said dryly. My eyes watered as I heaved out my guts, so I couldn’t see him, but I had the impression he was sitting behind his desk, watching me humiliate myself in front of him. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t be feeling so good.”

“Gee, thanks,” I choked out, right before my stomach heaved again. The stench was absolutely awful, especially to my shifter nose, but I had no choice but to let this take its course. I clutched the edge of the cot as I dry-heaved for a few moments more, then collapsed back down and wiped my mouth with the back of my shaking hand.

Footsteps sounded, and a shadow passed over me, blocking out the glaring light from the fixture set into the ceiling as Captain Galling bent over me. He had a glass bottle filled with water in his hand, which he held out to me.

“Drink.”

I struggled up into a sitting position, then took the bottle from him. My fingers were so shaky that I nearly dropped it, but my body was so desperate for water that I managed to get it to my lips after a few seconds.

“Easy now,” Captain Galling said in a gruff voice as I guzzled. “You’ll make yourself sick again if you drink too fast.”

I glared at him over the bottle, but slowed down, knowing he was right. When I had my fill, I set the bottle down on the floor, next to the reeking bucket, which I glared at.

Captain Galling sighed, then rose and stuck his head out the door of his office. A moment later, an enforcer came in to take the bucket away. The look on his face told me exactly how the man felt at being delegated to perform such a menial task, but he didn’t say anything, just took the offending bucket by the handle and left the room.

“Anything else you need?” Captain Galling asked, pulling up one of his visitor’s chairs and sitting down so that he was next to my cot. “Should I bring you some smelling salts?”

“It would be great if you could revive the civilian lying dead on the street behind the building,” I sniped. “Once you do that, I think we’ll be peachy.”

Captain Galling scrubbed a hand over his square face. “I regret that,” he said. “But you have to understand the enforcers were just doing their jobs.”

“Yeah, they earned five stars for their performance today,” I sneered. “Surely they could have brought me inside before asking me to show myself, couldn’t they? Those f*ckers knew I was disguised. In fact, I’m pretty damn sure at least one of them was hoping I’d be attacked.” And now he’s dead, too.

“Again, I apologize for that,” Captain Galling said, his voice harder now. “And I also apologize for what happened to you in the hall earlier today, but as much as I’d like to claim otherwise, I can’t control the way my men feel. If you want their respect, you’re going to have to earn it. Sneaking around in disguise, wearing the face of a more popular enforcer, is hardly going to help with that. And they’ll hold the death of the guard who was shot against you too.”

“At this very moment, I don’t give a shit about their respect,” I snarled, digging my fingers into the lumpy cot. “I just want them to back the f*ck off.”

“Noted.”

“How’s your wife?” I asked casually, leaning back in my cot as I changed the subject. “Has she been cured yet?”

“Yes, she has –” Captain Galling paused, the smile freezing on his face. “How do you know about that?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m the Chief Mage’s apprentice, remember? I know a thing or two about what goes on in the Palace. And I know you agreed to haul the Guild back into line in exchange for your wife’s health.”

“Fine.” Captain Galling growled. A vein pulsed at his temple, and his hands clenched into fists on his lap. “I’ll make sure the enforcers know to give you a wide berth, and that they’re not to block you in any way when you come to the Guild. But you at least have to present your enforcer bracelet. We have to maintain some level of security here.”

“Thank you.” I inclined my throbbing head. That was the best I could hope for, really.

“I’ll make sure that the bounties for the thugs you brought in are credited to you as soon as possible,” Captain Galling added. “The enforcers on guard duty were planning to take the reward for themselves. Which, of course, is the reason they tried to shut you out. I’ll be docking their next bounties as punishment.”

I wanted to be angry about that piece of information, but I was just too damned tired and heartsick at Gorden’s death, so I let it go. “Is there any way you can get a few more enforcers into Maintown? I promised…” A lump swelled in my throat, and I forced back tears. “I promised that I would see about sending some guys out there to police the thugs.”

Captain Galling’s dark blue eyes softened briefly. “I’ll see what I can do, but we’re stretched pretty thin now that Privacy Guard is refusing to work with us.”

His remark reminded me of the strange lack of guards outside the Palace, and I frowned. I had thought perhaps Iannis had decided to get rid of them for some reason, but I hadn’t realized they were no longer working with the Enforcers Guild either.