Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(26)

10





I shot out of the Palace grounds on my steambike, Garrett clinging to my waist. I’d left Rylan at the Palace, much to his disappointment, because there wasn’t really any need to bring him with Garrett accompanying me. Besides, if the three of us went, we’d have to take a steamcar, which I wasn’t keen on. It was a lot faster to get around Solantha’s narrow, winding streets by bike.

To my surprise and annoyance, Garrett adapted to the steambike far better than Fenris had when I’d first ridden with him. After learning that Fenris had spent the bulk of his life as a mage, I’d assumed all mages would be uncomfortable riding this way. But though Garrett pressed his body closer against mine than I would have liked, he seemed otherwise completely at ease astride my shiny, steam-belching beast. In fact, I strongly suspected he was enjoying the ride.

“You were correct,” Garrett said, pulling off his helmet once we’d come to a complete stop. “Your steambike is a most efficient means of transportation.” He eyed the bike with no small amount of admiration gleaming in his eyes. “If it were suitable for an official of my status, I would be tempted to get one for myself.”

I bristled at that. “Always so tactful,” I said, turning my attention toward Thorgana’s mansion and changing the subject before he could respond. “Looks like the new owners have wasted no time starting construction.”

“I can’t blame them,” Garrett said as we watched huge, steam-powered machines with broad shovels dig dirt out of the ground. The large, elegant mansion where I’d stumbled into a trap and nearly died only a few months earlier was completely demolished, the manicured gardens buried beneath piles of dirt as the land was dug up. “This is prime real estate, what with that nice ocean view.”

A quick chat with the foreman told us that the new owners were building a luxury-apartment complex. I took down the name of the company, but didn’t think I’d be digging much further—Thorgana was obviously not hiding out back here. With this possibility crossed off our list, we got back on the bike and headed to the Enforcers Guild.

“There is a new captain in charge, correct?” Garrett said as we prepared to go inside. He craned his neck a bit, studying the dingy grey facade, and I wasn’t surprised that he looked thoroughly unimpressed. The building was well past its glory days, and it should have been renovated a few decades ago. Recalling it had been on Kardanor’s list, I frowned. I’d have to make sure it got bumped up on the priority list—schools and hospitals were important, but the Guild needed to continue to function no matter what, or there would be no one around to help maintain order during a calamity.

“Yes, the former captain has just retired.” I lowered my voice as we walked in through the entrance. “This one is the acting captain, technically speaking, but unless he seriously screws up, I’m sure his position will become permanent soon enough.”

I walked up to the sergeant’s desk and asked one of the trainees manning it to inform Acting Captain Skonel that we were here to see him. The trainee, a stocky male human who looked like he’d just turned twenty, took in Garrett’s seal of office, worn on the front of his burgundy robes, then snatched up the phone and made the call. My sharp ears picked up Skonel’s voice easily, as well as the annoyance in it, but despite his clear reluctance to interrupt whatever he’d been doing, he told the trainee to send us up.

We rode the elevator to the fourth floor in silence, and while Garrett seemed at ease, my stomach tightened with nerves. Captain Galling could be stubborn and unreasonable at times, but my years of experience with him had taught me which buttons to push. I had no such knowledge when it came to Wellmore Skonel. He had a good reputation as a solid enforcer who respected and upheld the law, but I knew better than most that reputations didn’t always reflect a person’s true character.

“Captain Skonel will be with you in a moment,” the receptionist said when we stepped into the modest waiting area. She gestured to the beat-up leather waiting chairs. “Please make yourself comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?”

I was going to decline, but Garrett asked for a cup of black tea with cream, so I got one for myself too. It was a good thing, because Captain Skonel kept us waiting far longer than necessary. My nose and ears didn’t pick out another person behind his office door, so either he was truly buried in paperwork, or he was deliberately letting us stew.

Finally, after a good ten minutes, the door opened. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Skonel said briskly as he strode out to greet us. “I was on an important call.”

I narrowed my eyes at the lie. Once upon a time, I would have called him on it, but we needed Skonel to talk to us, and catching him out would only put him on the defensive. I caught Garrett’s hazel eyes, and could see he didn’t buy the excuse either, but he shook the captain’s hand anyway.

“You’ve come a long way, Director Toring,” Captain Skonel said once we’d settled into the office. I immediately noticed that Captain Galling’s photographs were gone, and that the shelves had been militantly organized. The cot in the corner was also gone, replaced by a comfortable-looking chaise. “What brings you out to our fair city?”

“My office has received intelligence that Thorgana Mills, the Benefactor, may be lying low in Solantha,” Garrett said.