Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(58)

“Thank you.” Annia stuffed the letter into the inside of her jacket pocket, briefly exposing the torque around her neck. My throat swelled again, and I swallowed back the emotion. Was I about to lose another friend? Noria had left for the mines, hating my guts after we’d made the very tough decision to prosecute her for joining the Resistance. I hated the idea of that bright spirit going to her grave with that same hatred in her heart.

“Please,” I said, throwing my arms around Annia in a hug. “Tell Noria I love her and I’m thinking of her. That we all are,” I said.

“I will,” Annia told me. She hugged me hard, then spun on her heel and ran out, leaving me behind with a heart so heavy I couldn’t do anything more than stare after her and wonder if she would return.





21





One week later



“No,” I said from my seat on the couch, making a slicing motion with my hand. “Mrs. Gorax should definitely not be on the list. Strike the name off. I know the company helped with the repairs, but they’re responsible for much of the damage in the first place, and Mr. Gorax is in prison. They don’t deserve to be honored.”

“Very well.” Nelia made a scratching motion with her pen, then pursed her lips. “What about the Tomlinsons? They donated over five hundred loaves of bread from their bakery.”

Holding in a sigh, I continued going through the guest list Nelia had drawn up for the reception we were planning. Everyone had been working around the clock to repair the damage from the quake, and Iannis had decided a morale booster was needed. But I was having trouble looking forward to the party, what with Annia gone again and the loss of Fenris still so recent and raw. I was still waiting to hear if Noria had survived the cave-ins.

To keep my mind off Fenris’s death, and Noria’s fate, I’d thrown myself into the various recovery projects, organizing volunteers to help with the food deliveries to the tent city set up on Solantha’s outskirts. Shiftertown was almost completely cleared, having been the area least affected by the quake. Most of the displaced shifters had already moved back into the city and started work on repairing their streets and what damaged buildings they did have. Maintown was another story entirely—only a third of the buildings were currently inhabitable, and most of the survivors were still living in tents.

Bodies were still being dug out of the ruins, though we hadn’t found Fenris’s yet. There were mass graves dug and filled daily, since the few cemeteries were insufficient for this sudden influx. Once we’d finished clearing out the city and tallying up the dead, we would hold a memorial for all the quake victims. I didn’t know how I would be able to face it, but I knew I had to. I was a public figure now—I couldn’t just hide in my room and cry.

One body that had been recovered from the rubble was Thorgana’s, as well as the rest of the Mendle family. I’d gone to inspect her crushed remains myself, to make sure it wasn’t a fake, and I’d been relieved to confirm that it was indeed her.

Iannis had recruited Noria’s former boyfriend, Elnos, to help figure out how to dispose of the Magic Eraser, since he was a mage with a background in science. He was still chewing on the problem, but in the meantime, he’d ordered the deadly object to be enclosed in a thick lead casket and kept in a location far away from the city. The lead seemed to lessen the harmful effects of the object, though it was still inadvisable for mages to get within five feet of it. Garrett had stayed for a couple of days, wanting to see if the scientists would make a breakthrough, but once it was clear they needed more time, he and Harron packed up. They’d left by dirigible this morning, to both Iannis’ and my great relief.

A knock on the door interrupted my discussion with Nelia, and I caught Kardanor’s scent. “Come in,” I called before Nelia could answer, much to her annoyance. I gave her an apologetic smile at the interruption, but I wasn’t about to turn Kardanor away.

“Good morning, Miss Baine,” Kardanor said with a smile as he let himself in. He looked as dashing as always, though there were a few patches in his red coat and the pants beneath looked like they’d seen better days. “I hope I’m not interrupting?”

“No, no, we’re about done.” I sat up, then gestured for Nelia to put her things away. “Why don’t you go take an early lunch, Nelia? We’ll pick this up later.”

“Yes, Miss Baine.” Nelia gathered her things up, looking somewhat disappointed, though she tried to hide it. Her entire face had lit up when Kardanor walked in, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her fickle affections. I was tempted to tell her not to bother, since Kardanor had his sights set on a certain female mage, but I decided not to break the bad news just yet. At some point, she’d have to learn to guard her heart better.

“What can I do for you?” I asked him once Nelia had gone and he’d settled himself in one of my chairs.

“I hate to ask you this at all,” Kardanor said, scratching the back of his head. The tips of his ears reddened, and I was startled to see embarrassment in his dark blue eyes. “But I was wondering if you might be able to use your magic to make me look a little more…respectable, for Thursday night’s reception.”

I frowned. “What’s wrong with the way you look now?” I gestured to his face. “Have you not noticed the way women look at you every time you walk by?”