Marked by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #4)(68)

“And yet,” I said, glancing down at the runed manacles on her wrists, “you’re a half-shifter yourself, aren’t you? That’s why you’re so strong, and why you look younger than your age. And I bet it’s also helped you gather information at your little parties. You’ve got shifter senses.”

“An unfortunate curse,” Thorgana agreed, her mouth twisting into a sneer. “But I learned early in life that if I wanted to succeed, I had to use every advantage I could.”

I shook my head. “How can you say that? You were raised in a wealthy family, had every human advantage there is, and you have some useful shifter abilities.” I eyed her again. “I’m assuming you can’t actually shift, though?”

“Even if I could, I would hardly care to turn into a filthy animal,” Thorgana said coldly. “My late father was less fastidious – he had a dalliance with a wolf-shifter servant girl that resulted in my birth. Because his own wife was barren, he kept me as his child and got rid of the servant. That part of my heritage was never alluded to in the family, and I was glad enough not to be reminded.”

“So you are his heir then, and not just an empty-headed fool,” I murmured. No wonder she hated that part of herself, if she had been brought up to hate and despise her shifter heritage all her life. “As his only child, he would have taught you the family business.”

Thorgana didn’t confirm that – she simply turned her gaze away and began examining her nails. “Did you come here to waste my time and yours with nonsense and pointless questions, Miss Baine?”

“No,” I said evenly. “I came here to look you in the eye and tell you that I know what you are, and that you may as well give up whatever details you’re still hiding before they’re uncovered. The Finance Secretary has already impounded all your businesses in Canalo and alerted the rest of the Federation to do the same, and the Minister is demanding your extradition. Don’t you think you’d be better off here, than at the capital?”

Thorgana laughed. “What difference does it make, when I’m slated for execution either way?”

She had a point, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. “The Chief Mage of Canalo is a reasonable man. He may be willing to cut you a deal, such as seeing that your husband is spared, if you cooperate.”

“What a generous offer.” Thorgana smiled coyly, looking back up at me again. “I think I’ll take my chances in Dara just the same, but I appreciate you coming here to negotiate on the Chief Mage’s behalf. Congratulations on your engagement, by the way. It is not likely to last very long, so you’d better enjoy it while you can.”

Frustration bubbled in my chest at the blasé attitude she seemed to hold toward her execution – it was almost as if she wasn’t worried. As if she had a plan. And by the way her eyes gleamed in satisfaction, I could tell she knew I was frustrated. After all, her shifter senses would be able to tell her, just as surely as I was able to read her emotions.

“I’ll be sure to pass on your felicitations,” I told her, standing. “And of your preference for returning to Dara.” Her eyes narrowed at that. “By the way, what was that glass thing you threw at us in your mansion, when you were arrested?”

“Glass thing?” She pressed the tips of her fingers against her mouth as she tittered. “Oh, you mean the pendant from my necklace. What of it?”

“That wasn’t just a damned pendant,” I growled, bracing my hands against the table and leaning into her space. “You were trying to kill us somehow. What the hell was that red, smoky stuff?”

“I’m afraid I can’t provide you with any information on that,” she said sweetly. “But it certainly seemed quite alarming, didn’t it? If I were you, I would watch my back, Miss Baine. With the amount of attention you’ve drawn from the Resistance, you’re a dead woman walking.” Her smile turned fierce.

Nervous energy rippled down my spine at the conviction in her voice. Of course it would be foolish to assume that all the secret supporters of the Resistance who were in Solantha had been identified. My stomach sank a little as I remembered the talk of ‘secret weapons’ I had overheard in the Maintown Ur-God temple. What if they were talking about more than just guns?

“I’m not done with you, Thorgana Mills,” I said, straightening again. After all the dangers I’d survived, I was not about to let this bitch of a half-human rattle me. “You might be leaving here soon, but you’ll never get far enough away that I won’t be able to find you.”

She only smiled.

With nothing left to say, I called for the guards to remove Thorgana, then headed back to the ferry. I sincerely hoped I never had to deal with that horrible woman again, but somehow, I doubted this would be the last time I saw her.





27





The rest of the day, and the evening, were so completely jammed with meetings and paperwork that I was totally exhausted when my head finally hit the pillow. I woke up in the morning with a tension headache, and decided then and there that I needed a break from all this crap. I needed to just be Sunaya Baine for a moment, and I also needed to see my friends.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Iannis asked as the wheels of the carriage rumbled beneath us. He sat across from me, dressed in a pair of dark red robes today, his hair pulled back from his face and tied at the nape of his neck. Part of me wanted to run my fingers through it until it was wild and free again, but I knew that we couldn’t go walking around looking like we’d just had sex all the time.