Marked by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #4)(52)

“Everyone knows them, or knows of them,” Janta said. “Mrs. Mills is in the social news all the time. But I confess, I am surprised. Are you sure it is not just a coincidence? Ownership is not proof of wrongdoing, in itself.”

“No, it’s definitely not a coincidence.” The more I considered the matter, the more certain I felt that we were on the right track. “Thorgana inherited Mills Media and Entertainment, which the Herald is a subsidiary of. The very same Herald we just had to shut down, and where that serial killer Yantz was the chief editor.”

Energy thrummed through my veins as the pieces began to fall in place in front of my eyes, and I drummed my fingers on the desk as I thought aloud. “Her husband is one of those wealthy, but otherwise unremarkable, businessmen who you tend to overlook. The perfect disguise for a criminal. I could absolutely see him pulling the strings behind the Resistance without drawing attention to himself. Since Thorgana doesn’t give a shit about Mills Media, she wouldn’t care if her husband occasionally decided to dip his toes into it.”

“She does seem to be rather enamored with her parties and fashion clubs,” Janta said, the slightest hint of censure in her tone. “I would not be surprised at all to find out that she has her husband talk to her managers in her stead. Undoubtedly, that’s one of the reasons he married her. Who wouldn’t want access to a powerful media empire?”

“Damn. Damn!” I paced back and forth in front of Janta’s desk, agitated now that I realized the truth had been right under our noses. “I’ve been to Thorgana’s mansion here several times! I took on extra work as a bodyguard in the beginning of my enforcer career, standing by to make sure no jealous socialites tried to mess up her hair during those soirees she used to host. I never really liked her, but I never once saw anything to suggest they were supporters of the Resistance.”

“Well, I doubt they would advertise the fact,” Janta pointed out. “Besides, isn’t the mansion they own here a mere vacation home? As far as I understand, their main residence is in Dara, where the Bellington Trust is incorporated.”

“Of course,” I muttered. “The perfect location for spinning a web. Still, if I’m right, there’s a good chance we’ll find something incriminating in their house. I mean, it’s clear the Benefactor has chosen Solantha as the center stage to launch the rebellion from. I should head over there right now, see if I can search the place.”

“By yourself?” Janta asked, sounding concerned. “I’m not certain that’s wise, Miss Baine.”

I opened my mouth to argue, then sighed, remembering previous occasions when I’d gone off half-cocked and lived to regret it. “No, no, you’re right.” I forced myself to stop pacing, taking some deep breaths to push my heart rate down to a manageable level. I was getting all ramped up now, out for blood, but with a price on my head, the worst thing I could possibly do was start up a manhunt against the leader of the Resistance on my own. I needed to bring reinforcements, and most of all, I needed to talk to Iannis.

“Thanks for the information, Janta,” I told her. “I owe you big time.”

Janta shook her head. “I’m simply doing my duty to Canalo, and research is my passion,” she said firmly. “If there is any other information you need that would be helpful in thwarting the Resistance, don’t hesitate to ask. You can even come to my house if you want and wake me up in the middle of the night. Solantha is my home, and I don’t want to see it overthrown by these violent rebels. We all must do what we can to defend it.”

I thanked her again, then headed back to Iannis’s office as I’d originally planned. My blood was still buzzing when I shut the door behind me, but one look at the comfy couch in front of the fire was all it took to bring the exhaustion back. After kicking my boots off, I stretched out on the thick cushions, fully prepared to make up for the horrendous night of sleep in that beer cellar. I’d better get some rest while I could – I had a feeling that once Iannis heard my news and we decided on a plan of action, it would be a long while before I found the time to sleep again.





21





“Are you absolutely certain of this?” Iannis demanded, his fingers clutched around the note I’d scribbled almost three hours ago. He and Fenris had returned from a skirmish to find me sleeping on the couch. When Iannis had insisted on a report detailing my whereabouts and actions for the last fourteen hours, I’d simply lifted a finger and pointed to the envelope I’d left on his desk.

“Is there a reason I’d be lying about it?” I asked, leaning back in the visitor’s chair. He frowned as the two front legs came off the ground, clearly not happy with my abuse of his furniture, but loath to sidetrack the conversation.

“I’m not doubting the truthfulness of your words, Sunaya,” he said, using my name since only Fenris was around to witness it. “But this…the very idea that the humans would even dare to think they could get away with such horrific treachery…” He seemed to be struggling to find words, a truly rare moment for him. “Let us simply say that if anyone else had come to me with this information, I would have laughed them out the door. It’s utter insanity.”

“And just what do you think the Resistance represents, if not just that?” I pointed out. “They’ve already gotten it into their inflated heads that they can overthrow the mage regime with nothing but guns and brawn. Why not get rid of shifters too?”