Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(51)

“Yes.” Garrett frowned, taking a seat along with the others. “But what does that have to do with the Magic Eraser? They were humans.”

“Father Calmias said that the team developing the Magic Killer all died from some mysterious illness,” I reminded him. “What if the Magic Eraser isn’t just harmful to mages? What if it emits something deadly that gradually kills humans? Thorgana might have brought it into the Mendle household unaware of its effect, and ended up slowly poisoning them with it.”

“That would be quite ironic,” Director Chen said, “as terrible as that sounds.”

“And quite problematic, too,” Iannis said. “If neither humans, shifters, or mages can get near it, how are we to safely dispose of it?”

“I think humans can get near it,” Annia said, drawing all eyes to her. “They can probably risk small amounts of exposure without being affected too badly. I ran across a primitive tribe in Southia with a similar object,” she explained when Garrett looked like he was about to argue. “The tribe kept it in a sacred cave far away from the village, and the men they set to guard it watched it from a distance. They would bring it out only if they were attacked by another shaman, which was very infrequent as they’d developed quite a reputation. I managed to get into the cave and have a look at the object—it was about the size of a melon, and metallic looking. Absolutely nothing grew in or around that cave. Nothing,” she repeated gravely.

We all fell silent for a moment. I wondered if it had been Garalina, rather than Annia, who’d had this experience. Did that mean her kind of magic was safe from the stone’s effects, or just that she had not lingered long enough? How long ago had that been, and could it be the very same stone?

“And you experienced no adverse effects?” Iannis asked.

Annia shook her head. “No, but the object did give me a very bad feeling. I don’t think anyone should remain around the Magic Eraser for long, but a team of humans should be able to go in and get it out. I volunteer to lead it.”

“Very well,” Garrett said. “But since this concerns the Benefactor, I shall supervise.”

Iannis’s eyes flickered with annoyance, but he didn’t object—this was Garrett’s mission. He turned to Director Chen. “Can you find out if any of the Mendles survived, or if a woman matching Thorgana’s description has been seen in any of the shelter or hospital tents?”

“Yes.” Director Chen rose from her seat. “I will get on that immediately.”

“Good,” Iannis said. “Miss Melcott, go and pick a crew of five able-bodied humans you trust. They shall be well compensated. Director Toring and I will accompany you to the site, but keep at a respectable distance, to make sure that everything goes smoothly.”

“I’m coming, too,” I said, rising from my seat, but Iannis pressed a hand against my thigh, pushing me back down with annoying ease.

“You will do no such thing,” he said sternly. “You’re still too weak from your latest near-death experience, and I don’t want you going anywhere near an object that could potentially destroy your magic, or your ability to shift.”

“I love you too much to let you put yourself in harm’s way so soon after losing Fenris,” he said to me in mindspeak, his mental voice raw. “Please, Sunaya. Do me this favor and stay home. I need you well rested for what’s ahead.”

I sighed, letting out the anger that had instantly bubbled up inside me. “Fine. But you all had better come back safe and sound. I can’t afford to lose you either,” I told him. “If you weren’t the Chief Mage, I’d tie you to the bed and never let you leave.”

“Under normal circumstances, I would be very excited about that prospect.” Iannis pulled me against him for a brief kiss. “Send word if you need anything or have any other ground-breaking epiphanies.”

“I will,” I said, leaning back against the couch. Annia and Garrett made their goodbyes, then left along with Iannis. I closed my eyes, hoping to calm the anxiety bouncing around my nerves. As soon as I did, exhaustion hit me. Guess I was more tired than I thought. Mercifully, I slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep. I had good friends I could trust, and for just this once, I would leave the rescuing to them.





19





A few hours later, I was woken by a phone call from Dira. She informed me that Mr. Mendle had been found, and Iannis wanted to know if I felt well enough to sit in on the interrogation. I was still a little tired, but the food and sleep had helped a lot, so I washed up and changed out of my hospital gown, then went down to the Mages Guild.

“They’re in the conference room, Miss Baine,” Dira said when I walked in.

“Thanks.” I headed down the hall, then knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Iannis called. I opened the door to see Mr. Mendle, a rotund, middle-aged man, sitting in cuffs on one side of the table. His fine clothes were torn and soot-stained, and I noticed that beneath the dirt, he was sporting a sallow complexion and thinning hair much like his butler had been. Iannis sat on the other side, dressed in fresh clothing, and Garrett stood in the corner. His face was ashen, and such potent fury blazed in his eyes as he glared at Mendle that I had no doubt he was the reason the man was sweating bullets in his chair.