Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(37)

14





Garrett and I had planned to spend the rest of the day going down the long list of Thorgana’s associates, but it turned out he had an urgent transmission from Dara to deal with, giving me an unexpected reprieve. I spent an hour on my Loranian lessons with Fenris, then headed down to Shiftertown with Rylan to volunteer, as I’d promised I would.

Lakin was more than happy to see me, and I spent the rest of the afternoon helping him deal with small-claims cases. It was frustrating work, but I was surprised and pleased to see that most of the shifters I dealt with no longer viewed me with resentment. In fact, they treated me with respect, and even a certain amount of admiration in some cases.

More proof that my role in society is changing, I thought as I rode home. And wasn’t that the kicker, that I considered the Palace my home? Once, it had been a prison, and I’d been a bottom-rung enforcer, shunned by society. Now I was being viewed as a role model. The weight of that responsibility sat heavily on my shoulders, and I realized I was going to have to be more careful about my reputation than ever. I was, in many ways, the bridge that supported the tenuous peace between shifters and mages right now. If I fell, many others would be affected.

I parked my bike in the garage, then headed up the stairs to my room in the west wing while Rylan went to grab snacks for us from the kitchens. But before I could get far, Garrett called my name, and I turned to see him striding up the hall after me.

“What is it?” I asked, unable to keep the annoyance from my voice. Couldn’t he get through a single day without me? I planted my hands on my hips as he came to a stop in front of me, and frowned as I got a good look at him. His eyes were bright, and there was no mistaking the air of buoyancy around him despite the mask of calm he wore. “Did you make some kind of breakthrough?”

“Yes.” His hazel eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice. “Is there somewhere we might speak privately?”

Holding back a sigh, I steered him to the sitting room in the east wing, where guests could sit and talk outside of their own quarters. It was a spacious common room of sorts, decorated in pale pink and gold, with small, ornate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and thick rugs. There were two groupings of pink-and-gold-striped furniture on opposite sides of the space, each with their own fireplace, and wing-backed chairs with small tables in the center of the room. I elected to sit in one of the chairs, so there was no chance of Garrett sitting next to me, and he followed suit.

“All right,” I said, crossing my right ankle over my left knee as I leaned back. “Tell me what you’ve found.”

“Unfortunately, this is not about Thorgana, but Lord Iannis.”

Icy fear shot straight down my spine, but I forced my body to remain relaxed. I would not let my emotions betray me, or my friends.

“I strongly suspect there is a dark secret between the Chief Mage and your mutual friend, Fenris, that could have grave consequences for them both,” Garrett continued. “And as the Director of Federal Security, I cannot turn a blind eye.” He let out a regretful sigh that would have been very convincing if not for my shifter senses, and I had to make a concerted effort not to curl my hands into fists. The smarmy bastard’s enjoying this.

“Despite my initial misgivings about you, Sunaya,” Garrett continued, “I have grown fond of you, and I do not want to see you caught up in ancient affairs that are beyond your control. I promise I will warn you before I act, so that you may make yourself scarce, if you will confirm my suspicions.”

“That would be hard to do, considering I have absolutely no idea what you suspect,” I said, confusion in my voice. “Honestly, I don’t know what you’re going on about, Garrett. And whatever it might be, I’m not going to believe it. Iannis and Fenris are honest and decent men, and have proven their firm commitment against the Resistance on more than one occasion.”

“Oh, I don’t suspect them of that kind of treason,” Garrett said with an unconcerned wave. “Lord Iannis is a loyal member of the Federation and despises the Resistance scum, no doubt about that. But like other powerful men, he is not averse to bending the laws when it suits his purposes, and I believe he and Fenris have done so in a manner that cannot be allowed to go unpunished.”

“If they have, then I know nothing about it,” I said firmly.

“It does you no favors to lie to me, Sunaya,” Garrett said, his face hardening. “Surely you have noticed that Fenris is a very unusual shifter. My assistant has drawn up a list of the books he has requested over the three years of his sojourn in Solantha, and a most suggestive pattern emerged. His scholarly interests coincide closely with that of a particular fugitive who once escaped me, who was also a noted scholar of magical history. That cannot be coincidence. If there is any chance the two are connected, it is my duty to investigate.” He leaned forward a little, his gaze intent. “For your own sake, Sunaya, you must help me uncover the truth.”

I laughed in his face, which was better than what I really wanted to do to him. Really, the nerve! This bastard had known me for all of a few months, and he thought I would turn my back on my friends just because I’d once saved his life?

“Garrett,” I finally said, adopting a soothing tone—he looked pissed now. “I know that you’re stressed, what with the constant setbacks in our hunt for Thorgana, and I can completely understand your need to make some kind of capture or arrest. But Fenris has an annoyingly high respect for law and order—he would never do anything illegal. I think you’re letting your suspicious nature carry you away, or maybe you’re just grasping at straws for some way to eliminate Iannis as a rival.” I allowed my own expression to harden. “I was there when the Minister pitted the two of you against each other, and I saw how much the idea of nabbing the highest office in the land meant to you. If that’s your motive for this crazy line of reasoning, that is absolutely despicable on your part, Garrett. I expected better of you.”