Marked by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #4)(64)

“That may or may not be true,” I argued, “but you mages govern without giving the shifters or humans any opportunity to voice their opinions or concerns. Why are there no human or shifter representatives on the Council, for instance?” Iannis’s brows rose, and I took his lack of immediate response as encouragement. “Having them there would help prevent such barbaric customs as the magic-wipe law, for example. That practice needs to stop, and the Mages Guild needs to set up some sort of training facilities for those who are manifesting mage powers.”

“The constitution of Canalo does not allow the inclusion of non-mages in the Council,” Iannis pointed out. “The current Councilors are already troublesome enough, and the weekly council meetings a great waste of time I can ill afford. If there were humans and shifters on it too – it does not bear contemplating.”

“And why should humans and shifters heed that constitution, or the Council, if they had no say when it was established?” I demanded. “The public won’t be content to be kept in ignorance forever.”

“What you suggest is not something that can happen overnight,” Iannis warned. “I have already suspended the magical testing in the public schools until a better solution can be reached, but keep in mind that many human families may still want the option for their children to remain human. Training them as mages means taking them from their families, a thing that very few parents desire. Shifter families might be even less happy at sending their offspring to the mages for training. Of course, mages are hardly ever born into the clans – you are an exception only because your father was a mage.”

“Right.” I bit my bottom lip as I considered that. It was true that many families might prefer their children never inherit magic powers, but… “Don’t you think the child should also have a say? It’s their powers, after all, and their life that is being forever altered when those powers are taken away. If you’re going to keep the testing, it should be done at the latest possible age, so that the child can be consulted.”

“Twelve years old is still very young for such a momentous decision,” Iannis mused, gazing thoughtfully out the window. “Most children are likely to embrace their magic, once that option exists. But perhaps further testing and questioning could be done to determine whether each individual child is best suited for life as a mage, or if the child would be better off raised with their human family, as a human.”

I pressed two fingers to the side of my forehead – I was starting to get a headache just thinking about the ramifications of all this. “Obviously, this needs way more thought and discussion,” I said. “But back to my original question…what did you mean when you said that mages used to know the shifter and human populations better?”

“It used to be common practice for us to mingle with the other races in disguise, much as you do now,” Iannis explained. “Doing so allowed us to understand their needs and concerns better, and also to predict and head off any societal disruptions or catastrophes. But around one hundred years ago, the Federation mages decided to eliminate that part of apprentice training. The Chief Mages considered it a waste of time. Besides, sending mages into the population in disguise led to undesirable entanglements and friendships.”

“You mean like my mother and father?”

“You could say that,” Iannis said carefully. “Certainly, there were more shifter-mage hybrids born back then, and the Mages Guild didn’t know what to do with them. Many had their powers suppressed, as you did, and ended up outcasts who lived and died miserably, their lives often ending well before their time. Others were sent out of the country by their parents, either to live in hiding or to settle in other countries that were friendlier to their kind.”

I let out a breath. “I guess I was lucky Roanas decided to take me in.” He’d caught me stealing food at a market stall, and instead of a thief, he’d seen a grubby, starving kid with nowhere to go. As the Shiftertown Inspector, he could have prosecuted me, but instead, he’d taken me into his home and raised me as his own.

What would my life have become, if not for that fateful day? Would anyone have helped me? Or would I have grown up on the streets, perhaps killed before ever reaching adulthood?

“You were very lucky,” Iannis murmured, his eyes on me again. “I wish I could have spared you the pain of your childhood, but your unique background is the reason why you are so good at what you do. I would have probably uncovered the Benefactor and her plan on my own at some point, but by then, it would likely have been too late to squash the rebellion without resorting to genocidal methods.”

I shuddered. “Well, I guess you could call that a silver lining.”

“Indeed.” Iannis’s eyes twinkled. “In the meantime, though, you have demonstrated to me that withdrawing from the population was a mistake, and one that will be rectified immediately.”

I didn’t know how I felt about the idea of mages walking among the shifter and human populations in disguise, keeping tabs on us. There had to be a better way of ensuring the safety of Canalo’s citizens, without resorting to espionage.

You’ve done it yourself, you know, a voice in my head reminded me. Don’t act so hypocritical.

“You’re thinking too much,” Iannis said, and the next thing I knew, he’d yanked me into his lap. “Let’s postpone the rest of this discussion, as my mind is far more occupied with what lies beneath this dress.” He slid a hand up my bare thigh.