Marked by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #4)(5)

“Coffee,” he gasped. “I need coffee. Please, Mrs. Tandry,” he begged.

“Coming right up,” the head chef said, not even bothering to turn around. “Go ahead and have a seat.”

I canted my head. I was never down here at the same time as any of the mages, so I’d never seen the head chef interact with them. It was interesting that the head chef treated him as if he were one of the Palace staff, instead of a mage. Yes, he was an apprentice, but he was still a mage, and she was a human.

Then again, she did control the food around here. So maybe that afforded her more status.

The apprentice staggered into the chair opposite me, and I wrinkled my nose as I caught a whiff of singed hair. “You catch fire or something?” I asked.

“Something,” he agreed, dragging a hand through his hair. If he was trying to fix it, he failed – the action only caused it to stick out in all directions. “A group of Resistance members attempted to steal several ships from the harbor tonight, and the fight got pretty ugly. When they realized they weren’t going to be able to get away with it, they set fire to them instead.”

“What kind of ships?” I asked curiously. “Passenger ships?”

“No, cargo. They were mostly loaded up, set to leave tomorrow morning for Garai.”

“Huh.” I pursed my lips as I thought about that. If the Resistance was stealing cargo ships, it was likely one of the ways they were getting their supplies. Maybe they weren’t as well funded as I’d thought. “It sounds like the battle going on in Shiftertown might be a diversion.”

“No, it was the Mages Guild’s idea to attack there, to try to hit the Resistance during the evening when the humans among them are more vulnerable. The Resistance might have decided to time the theft to divide our forces, though. They were prepared for our attack, which likely means they still have spies in the Palace.”

“I see.” I didn’t like the idea of the Mages Guild mounting an attack against Shiftertown, where I’d grown up, but since the Resistance had taken root there, it wasn’t as if they had a choice. “I’m guessing our new ‘special assignments’ have to do with defending the city and attacking the Resistance?”

The apprentice nodded. “Lord Iannis himself is organizing the defense. He was out there with us tonight, along with that savage wolf of his, and a group of other mages too.” A frown creased his brow. “We should have taken them easily tonight, but the blasted humans have managed to get their hands on real firepower.”

“Guns?” My eyes widened at that. Guns were banned in the Northia Federation, and the penalty for possessing firearms of any kind was death. The Federation had a department specifically dedicated to the prevention of illegal firearms smuggling, as did the local Mages Guilds. Not even the enforcers, or any of the privately owned security companies such as Privacy Guard, were allowed to own guns. And there had been none at the Resistance Camp we’d infiltrated, at least that I’d seen.

“This is very bad news,” I murmured, dragging a hand through my hair. “If the Resistance has guns now, they’ve got a foreign contact somewhere that’s helping them.” Foreign affairs weren’t really my thing, but even I knew there were a few countries in the Far East where you could get anything for the right price, no matter how illegal, while their authorities looked the other way. The firearms were likely coming in by way of the docks, which would explain why the camp I’d run across didn’t have any yet; they were in a landlocked state. “You guys need to start monitoring the docks more closely.”

The apprentice glared at me. “This is the first time we’ve seen guns of any kind being used in an attack by the Resistance. I’m sure Lord Iannis will be urging the Department of Firearms Control to get to the bottom of this.”

He better be doing more than urging, I thought, but I kept that to myself.

Closing my eyes, I focused in on the serapha charm that rested against my chest, carefully tucked away beneath my clothing. The tiny stone grew warm as I activated its magic, and a tug on my chest confirmed the apprentice’s story. It was pulling me in the general direction of Shiftertown, which meant Iannis was there right now. Part of me was annoyed he’d gone without me, but I understood that Iannis wouldn’t want to put me in a position where I might have to fight my friends and relatives.

Finished in the kitchen, I headed down to the East Wing to grab a shower, and then a change of clothes from my old bedroom. The huge corner room still looked exactly the way it had when I’d left it – decorated in pale greens and earthy browns, a huge four-poster bed draped in green silk dominating the far side and a sitting area with a fireplace directly in front of me. Three rectangular windows framed with gossamer curtains provided a gorgeous view of Solantha Bay, and through them, I could see just a hint of dawn beginning to creep over the horizon.

Glossy wooden floorboards creaked beneath my weight as I crossed the room and entered the walk-in closet. It was mostly bare, since I’d cleared this place out after I’d gotten my own place, but, luckily, I’d left a few items of clothing here in case I needed to change after my magic lessons – a deep red button-up shirt, black leather pants, underwear, and a pair of sturdy boots. Sighing, I dropped my towel and changed into the clothes. My mood sank as I realized that aside from the dirty clothing I’d stripped off, my weapons, and my harness with its many pouches, these were the last items I owned. Everything else would have been destroyed in the fire by now.