Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(4)

“Are you serious?” I gaped, trying to wrap my mind around the idea that this had been going on for my entire career without my knowledge. “All the mages are getting double bonuses? Just because they’ve got magic? By that logic, shifters should get double bonuses too for our extra abilities!”

“Right?” Wex shook his head. “I wonder if the new captain will be more open to dealing with this, or if he’ll just let the mages roll right over him. He seems to have a backbone, but I know the Guild isn’t willing to let the few mage enforcers we have go.” He pressed his lips together. “As far as I’m concerned, they can fuck off—we don’t need them that much.”

I nodded in agreement. “Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I’m going to talk to Captain Galling and see if I can find out more.”

“Good luck,” Wex said. He hesitated, then clapped me on the shoulder. “Whatever you’re doing with the Chief Mage, keep it up. It’s clearly working.”

He walked off, leaving me wondering how a compliment could leave me feeling accomplished and anxious at the same time. My reputation was outgrowing me, and if I didn’t get big enough to fill those shoes, I was going to drown in them.



Despite the problem Wex had dumped on me, his compliment boosted my mood, and I was able to approach Captain Galling calmly instead of stalking over as I’d originally intended. I found him standing off to the side with Foreman Vance, already half drunk—his eyes were too bright, his stern face flushed, and the glass of champagne in his hand was nearly empty.

“Excuse me,” I said smoothly, interrupting what looked like a jolly, spirited conversation. Foreman Vance gave me a thinly veiled look of contempt, and I ignored him completely. “I’d appreciate a word alone, Captain.”

“Of course.” The captain looked a little startled, but he recovered quickly despite his intoxication. “We’ll catch up later, Vance.”

Vance shot me one last look before disappearing into the crowd. I knew he hadn’t forgotten the way I’d humiliated him during the silver murder investigation. Knowing him, he’d probably hold that grudge to his grave. He’d been seriously taken to task after it had been discovered that Brin, Nila, and several other Main Crew members were secretly working for the Resistance, and he’d been running the Main Crew with an iron fist since. I was okay with him hating me, as long as he actually did his job.

“What can I do for you, Enforcer Baine?” Captain Galling asked, sounding a little impatient now. It was clear he didn’t appreciate being cornered at his own farewell reception, but I didn’t care. He could endure a five-minute conversation before going back to being the center of attention.

“I was just talking to Enforcer Ursini,” I said, dropping all pretense of pleasantry now that Vance was gone. “He told me it’s recently come out that you’ve been giving the Mage enforcers double bounties. Is this true?”

Captain Galling scowled. “Yes, it’s true, and it’s not likely to change anytime soon. I wish people would stop pestering me about it, especially since I’m officially retired as of today.” He gave me a pointed look, as if to say Why are we still talking about this?

But I wasn’t about to let it go. “Why are you giving the mages double bounties?” I demanded. “You’re not even a mage, Galling, so I don’t understand the favoritism.”

He sighed. “It’s been this way since before I came into office,” he admitted. “The mages struck a deal with the former captain, claiming their expertise and magical abilities warranted a higher pay rate, and since there are so few mages willing to be enforcers to begin with, I’ve honored the agreement. But it isn’t as though I haven’t tried to be fair!” he added, sounding defensive now. “The year-end bonuses are more than enough to make up for it.”

“What year-end bonuses?” I demanded, folding my arms over my chest. And more importantly, why hadn’t I ever gotten one?

Captain Galling’s gaze flickered, as if he was having a hard time not looking away. “I’ve been giving the crew foremen the budget surplus at the end of the year, having them dispense the money to their crewmen as they see fit. It’s been a perfectly workable system.”

“Uh-huh.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. So on top of the mages getting double bounties, only the foremen and their cronies were getting bonuses? That meant “lone-wolf” enforcers like Annia and me were getting shafted. How the fuck had this been going on for so long without my knowledge? Was I really that oblivious? Of course I’d noticed that some enforcers always seemed to have more cash than others, but I’d just assumed that was because they were bringing in more bounties.

“Look,” Captain Galling said, his demeanor softening a little. “I completely understand that you’re upset about not getting the double bounties yourself, but there’s nothing I can do. I’m sure if you speak to Captain Skonel, he’ll reclassify you as a mage, too.”

I stared at Captain Galling. Was that what he thought this was about? That I was upset because I hadn’t been getting the mage bounties? By Magorah, I had more money than I knew what to do with now. It wasn’t about the gold—it was about the principle. “Thanks,” I said, successfully managing to keep most of the sarcasm out of my voice. “I’ll be sure to talk to the new captain at the earliest opportunity.”