Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(49)

“I see you’ve been shopping,” I said, my eyes dropping to her collarbone. A gorgeous, antique-looking torque of solid gold lay against her tanned skin, with a fiery gemstone in the center. It smelled strongly of magic, and I frowned. “What is that?”

Annia sighed, looking decidedly unhappy for someone who loved clothes and jewelry as much as she did. “It’s a long story,” she said, settling back into her chair.

I pursed my lips, remembering the woman from my dream, and how she and Annia had both touched my forehead. “Did you do something to heal me?” I asked, lowering my voice a little so the others wouldn’t hear. “A strange woman appeared in my dream, and she gave me something that restored my magic.”

Annia shrugged. “You might have gotten a little boost, yeah.”

I stared down at the torque, then back up at Annia again. That ancient presence that lingered in her eyes…was that Annia, or the woman I’d seen in my dreams? Now that I was paying attention, there was a subtle aura of power around Annia, similar to what I’d sensed from the spirit. And it was emanating from that torque.

“Who was the woman in my dream?” I asked slowly, sinking back against the pillows again. What kind of adventures had Annia gotten herself into, to come back with a goddess, or at the very least a powerful spirit, attached to her?

“Her name is Garalina, and she’s a friend, of sorts.” Annia smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Like I said, it’s a long story, and one I’d rather tell in private.”

“Of course,” I said, understanding. We were sitting in Solantha Palace, the seat of the Mages Guild, and Annia might very well be in possession of illegal magic.

Certainly, whatever spirit resided in that torque was incredibly powerful. I had no idea how the mages would react if they learned that Annia, a human enforcer, was walking around with the equivalent of a mage hanging around her. I’d have to discuss it with Iannis, once I learned more about what happened to my friend. And I’d extract a promise from him that, no matter what, he wouldn’t interfere with Annia.

“I hadn’t planned to come back for another few weeks,” Annia said. “I wanted a little more time to deal with my new…condition. But Garalina said I was needed at home, so I hopped on a boat a few days ago. I can see that she was right,” she added, her eyes somber now. “Did the quake take you guys completely by surprise?”

“Not completely, but almost. We’ve been preparing over the past week, but we didn’t have nearly enough time to protect the citizens and buildings.” I briefly explained to her about our meeting with Kardanor, the truth about Mendle and Gorax’s practices, and what limited preparations we had been able to make.

“I can’t believe those bastards were able to get away with this for so long,” Annia seethed, her dark eyes glittering with restrained fury. “My mother lives just a block away from where the worst of the fires and collapses are. Our house was built by a reputable company, and my father made double-damn sure it was quake-resistant, so she’s fine. I checked on her before I came to find you, and I’ll go spend the night with her after I volunteer for a few hours. They need all the help they can get out there.”

“I should go back out, too,” I said, sitting up again. I didn’t want to sit here, alone with my thoughts, while my friends were out there working their asses off. I needed to keep busy, or I’d break down in tears again.

“Oh no, you don’t.” The doctor chose that moment to bustle into the room, much to my consternation. He was a tall, lean mage with silver-streaked chestnut hair and wire spectacles, dressed in blue-and-white robes. “You just suffered a massive magical burnout, and you nearly died. I cannot allow you to go back out there.”

“Burnout?” I echoed as the doctor fussed about me, checking my heartbeat, peering into my eyes, and feeling my forehead.

“Yes, you silly girl.” The doctor clucked his tongue, then pressed his thumbs against my forehead and spoke a Word. A jolt of magic went through me, and I jumped back with a yell.

“What the fuck was that?” I demanded, wrapping my arms around myself.

“I was testing to see how much magic you still had left.” His eyes narrowed. “Come closer. I need to test you again.”

“You’re not doing that to me again,” I snarled. “My magic is fine.”

“It certainly seems to be,” the doctor said, looking both amazed and irritated. “Which doesn’t make any sense at all. You suffered a level-two burnout, which means you exhausted your magic so completely you almost snuffed it out. Lord Iannis healed you as best as he could before he had to leave, but still, you should have been unconscious for days.”

Annia and I exchanged a look. “Maybe my shifter healing allows me to recover faster,” I said, shrugging.

“Hmm. Whatever the reason, you are very lucky indeed,” the doctor said, not entirely convinced. “Most of the mages in here are suffering from similar levels of burnout, and it will take them several days to recover. There are even a few who have lost their magic completely.”

My eyes widened. “Does that happen very often, in situations like this?”

“No,” the doctor said, his mouth tightening. “It is very rare, actually, because mages will usually faint in time to prevent such a calamity. I’ve never seen this many cases of total burnout.”