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

Iannis nodded. “We did. After studying scientific calculations and measurements that he expounded at great length, Lord Faring is convinced that a severe quake is imminent, perhaps even bigger than the previous one.”

Director Chen blanched. “I looked into historical accounts of that quake. The records show that nearly half the city needed to be rebuilt. How is he so certain?”

“Natural disasters have become somewhat of an obsession for him since that quake,” Iannis said. “He barely survived it, after being caught off guard by a landslide when he thought the worst was over. He has traveled extensively to study quakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and other such phenomena over the last two centuries, and invented various magi-tech instruments to measure their depth, strength, and frequency. I trust his judgment on the matter.” He pressed his lips together. “Lord Faring informed me that after the last big quake, an official had been appointed to oversee the safety and solidity of all new structures. However, the office was disbanded over a century ago, shortly after my predecessor came into office. Faring protested at the time, but he was ignored.”

“Most buildings in Maintown are a lot younger than that,” I said, unable to keep the worry out of my voice. “We’re going to have to inspect them and make sure they’re quake-resistant.”

“Yes,” Iannis agreed. “However, that is not a simple task. The city is significantly larger than it was two hundred and fifty years ago, and it is no longer feasible to protect every building with magic. Even if we had hundreds of mages trained and ready for the task, it would take us months to implement the necessary protection spells. The way Lord Faring is talking, we may have weeks at best—in fact, the large quake he predicts could happen at any moment.”

“Thankfully, the Mages Quarter is properly protected,” Chen added with a self-assured tone that made me grind my teeth. “But of course, we need to assure the rest of the city is safe as well. It would be a shame for Shiftertown and Maintown to be destroyed while we are still in the middle of rebuilding.”

“No kidding.” I decided not to mention that this was another example of class disparity—we all recognized that the problem needed to be dealt with. The Mages Quarter had barely been affected by the Uprising—if we were hit by a quake and the rest of the city was left defenseless while the mages were safe, it would just reinforce the idea that the mages only cared about themselves.

“It is growing late,” Iannis said, glancing to the grandfather clock in the corner, which pointed to a quarter past three. “We should adjourn for tonight. Let’s have a working dinner in the Winter Garden room tomorrow night to discuss this further. We need to come up with a solid plan quickly, if we truly do only have days or weeks.”

We agreed to meet tomorrow evening, and Fenris and Director Chen left, Fenris for his own room, and Director Chen for her townhouse in the heart of the Mages Quarter. I didn’t bother with the pretense of going back to my own quarters—Chen and Fenris knew I slept here with Iannis every night.

“All right,” Iannis said once we were alone. He pulled me tight against his body and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Tell me what’s been bothering you.”

I sighed, leaning my cheek against his strong chest, and told him about the mage bounties and the unfair distribution of bonuses at the end of the year. “This isn’t about me,” I said once I’d finished. “I really don’t care about the money, not anymore. But we can’t allow this kind of blatant favoritism to continue, not if we want to repair the relationships between our communities.”

“Agreed.” Iannis stroked my hair as he gazed into the fire, a contemplative expression on his face. “To be fair, I can see both sides of the argument, but as you said, if mages are being paid more for their abilities, then so should the shifters. I will speak to the acting captain about re-negotiating the bonus system. It should be according to individual merit, not race.”

“Thank you.” A weight slid off my shoulders, and I relaxed more fully. The last thing we needed was for the Enforcers Guild to fall apart over something as stupid as money. With the threat of a big quake looming, we needed as many hands on deck as possible.

“Now, why don’t you tell me about the other thing that’s bothering you?”

“Eh?” I lifted my head, meeting his iridescent eyes. Those shimmering violet depths were so easy to fall into, but I did my best to focus. “What do you mean?”

Iannis’s lips curved as he lightly gripped my chin. “I sometimes think I know you better than yourself, a ghra,” he murmured, brushing his thumb against my lower lip. His eyes darkened with desire, and need blossomed hot and fierce in my core as it always did when he touched me like this. “You are still not quite…settled.”

“Yeah, well, that look in your eyes isn’t helping things,” I teased, swatting his hand away. Biting my lower lip, I turned my attention inward and realized he was right. There was something still bothering me.

“There it is,” Iannis said as I sighed.

“It’s just…” I felt silly saying it out loud, but I knew Iannis wouldn’t give up until I did. “I’m changing.”

“We all do. Adaptability is a key component to survival. Those who do not change do not grow.”

My lips quirked. “I didn’t realize I was about to get a lesson in philosophy.” But the smile quickly faded. “I know that change is inevitable, but I just feel like it’s happening so fast. I made a promise to myself that I wasn’t going to lose touch with my roots, and yet I feel like that’s exactly what I’m doing. I still wear this enforcer bracelet—” I brushed my thumb over the charm as I spoke “—but I haven’t been to the Guild or taken on a bounty in months. I still think of myself as a shifter, but I spend more time in human form than I used to, and I certainly don’t interact with the shifter community as much as I have in the past.”