Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(6)

I relaxed. “Can’t I at least sic Trouble on them? I could use the comic relief.”

“You could,” Iannis said, sounding amused, “but you would only prove their point.”

Trouble chose that moment to vanish, which was probably for the best because I was half tempted to ignore Iannis. The parrot had taken very well to the name Fenris and Rylan had given to him—too well, in fact, because every time I said the word “trouble,” he appeared.

“Where’d he go?” Lakin asked, sounding confused and a little disappointed. “I was just getting used to having him around.”

“Magorah knows.” I had no idea if Trouble disappeared into some other reality or dimension, or if he simply went flying around the city. Ether pigeons made themselves invisible while flying, and I imagined Trouble could do the same thing. He could still be hovering about the ballroom for all I knew. I wondered how long he would stick around before the spell wore off, or if he was a permanent addition to my life. If so, I was either going to have to stop using the word ‘trouble,’ or figure out how to train him better.

Iannis and Lakin resumed their conversation about magical defense, and I did my best to contribute. It was an important topic, after all. But the words of those mages stung more than I wanted to admit, and I kept coming back to their disdainful attitude about my progress. I was doing very well considering I was only a few months into my apprenticeship and I didn’t have the privilege of being raised by a mage family, but I still had at least ten years to go. Ten years of being looked down upon as a lesser being, ten years of mages whispering behind their hands that I wasn’t truly Iannis’s equal, and ten years of them placing bets as to how long he would hold out before choosing a mistress.

The very idea of people placing bets on our relationship filled me with fury, yet I couldn’t help but wonder if they were right. I didn’t think Iannis would ever cheat on me, but would the disparity in our power eventually take a toll on our relationship? He was one of the strongest mages in the Federation, and I wasn’t just an apprentice, but a hybrid to boot.

Somehow, someway, I was going to need to speed up this apprenticeship. But damned if I could figure out how.





2





By the time the banquet was over, I was thoroughly exhausted. Leaving the Palace staff to handle the aftermath, Iannis, Director Chen, and I retired to Iannis’s sitting room for a nightcap. Since I was unlikely to encounter any danger in Iannis’s quarters, I allowed Rylan to sneak off with Nelia, my social secretary. She had a huge crush on him—I wasn’t entirely happy about Rylan indulging it, but he promised not to take things too far. My shifter senses detected no lie, so I took him at his word, though I wasn’t convinced I wouldn’t regret it. Just because Rylan promised to toe the line didn’t mean he wouldn’t slip up.

Fenris, who had elected not to attend the banquet, was already sitting on a leather armchair by the hearth, swirling a glass of brandy in his hand as he stared into the roaring fire. Fall had settled in, and though the castle did have a magically powered heating system, the fires were still a welcome addition.

“Ah, you’ve returned.” Fenris set his brandy down on a marble side table, then stood to greet us. I noticed his glass was half empty, wondering if brandy had been a favorite in his days as Polar ar’Tollis, Chief Mage of Nebara. Like me, he couldn’t get drunk off alcohol—shifter metabolisms were simply too fast. “How was the banquet?”

“You wouldn’t have enjoyed such a large crowd,” Iannis assured him as we settled into the chairs and couches around the fire. Iannis used his magic to open the liquor cabinet across the room, and then floated a bottle of port toward us. Chen politely declined his offer of a drink, but I took one—I liked the sweet, fruity notes, and the way port heated me up from the inside, however briefly. “Everything went off without a hitch, thanks to Sunaya’s excellent planning and management.” He smiled, lifting his glass to me.

I chuckled a little. “Thanks, but Nelia and the servants deserve more credit than I do.” I took a sip of my drink. “I wouldn’t say that things went completely smoothly, though. There was a lot of tension in the room tonight.”

“That is to be expected, with all three races mingling,” Director Chen pointed out as she leaned back on her end of the couch. She was still dressed in her gorgeous green silk robe, but she’d pulled the pins from her long, dark hair so that it hung straight down her back. “Despite all that alcohol, no fights broke out, so I would consider it a success. Aside from keeping an eye on the acting captain to assess his performance, I see no reason for concern.”

“That’s true,” I acknowledged, deciding not to tell them about my encounter with Wex or Captain Galling. That was something I could take up privately with Iannis later. “Were you terribly bored while we were gone, Fenris?” I asked, changing the subject.

He shook his head. “I have my books, as always.”

It was strange to think of this rugged yellow-eyed shifter as a magical scholar, but even though Fenris was no longer a mage, he still had the soul of one. Besides, he did still have some magical talent left to him and could wield all but the most difficult spells, so he had reason to continue to expand his knowledge.

“How was your consultation with Lord Faring?” Fenris asked, turning his gaze to Iannis. “I know that the two of you meant to meet this morning.”