Chapter 27
The rest of the day, and the evening, were so completely jammed with meetings and paperwork that I was totally exhausted when my head finally hit the pillow.
I woke up in the morning with a tension headache, and decided then and there that I needed a break from all this crap.
I needed to just be Sunaya Baine for a moment, and I also needed to see my friends.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Iannis asked as the wheels of the carriage rumbled beneath us.
He sat across from me, dressed in a pair of dark red robes today, his hair pulled back from his face and tied at the nape of his neck.
Part of me wanted to run my fingers through it until it was wild and free again, but I knew that we couldn’t go walking around looking like we’d just had sex all the time.
Though carriage sex wasn’t a bad idea.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I asked. “We’re engaged now, and my friends need to get used to the idea. Not to mention, you need to get used to being around them, because once we’re married, they’ll be coming around the Palace. A lot.”
“Naturally,” Iannis muttered, but he smiled. “I am glad that you want to include me in other areas of your life.”
The carriage rolled to a stop outside Witches End, and Iannis helped me out of the carriage.
To my relief, the two burly shopkeepers were gone, and the barrier had been removed from the pier entrance.
As we walked up the pier, I saw that all the rubble had been cleared away, and the stores were open for business again.
It seemed like it was just yesterday that all the windows were boarded up, but then again, I had been gone for over a week.
A bell tinkled as I pushed open the door to Comenius’s shop, and I was pleased to see there were several customers perusing his wares. It was a little sad to see him ringing up the sales behind the counter without Noria’s assistance, but at least he was safe.
“Sunaya!” he greeted me, and then his eyes widened at the sight of Iannis standing behind me.
“My Lord,” he said, dropping the small bag in his hand and bowing.
The rest of the people in the shop instantly did the same, and I fought against the urge to squirm uncomfortably.
How the hell did Iannis deal with all this genuflecting?
“Thank you,” he said, waving a hand graciously. “Please, don’t pause on my account. Sunaya and I are happy to wait until you are free.” He moved toward the small sitting area on the other side of the room.
“Are you sure I can’t get you anything? Tea, or –”
“Com.” I turned back to him, a little exasperated now. “It’s me, Sunaya. It’s okay.”
Comenius seemed to relax a little then, and he turned back to the customers.
It didn’t take him long to help everyone – the customers seemed anxious to get out of the shop, uncomfortable with being around Iannis.
I slipped my hand into his and squeezed it as we sat next to each other on the wicker couch, actually feeling a little sorry for him.
By education and nature, he wasn’t very approachable, and his position required that he maintain his stern persona.
He needed to remain formidable, even if he did have feelings and desires just like the rest of us.
As soon as the shop was empty, Comenius flipped the sign closed, then came to join us in the sitting area. I stood up before he could bow again and wrapped my arms around him in a brief, but fierce hug.
“Congratulations on your engagement,” Comenius said, eyes twinkling as he stepped back to regard Iannis and me together.
My eyebrows went up. “Word travels fast around here, doesn’t it?”
“It’s been the talk of the town,” Comenius agreed as we took our seats. “It’s a historic moment, the prospect of a legally binding union between shifter and mage. I imagine your match will spark debate across the country.”
“No doubt.” Not wanting to think about that, I turned toward Iannis. “I’m sure you already know, Iannis, but this is my friend, Comenius Genhard. He’s a hedge-witch.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Iannis leaned forward, holding out a hand, and Comenius shook it after a moment’s hesitation. “Hedge-witches are very well respected in my home country, Manuc, particularly for their formidable herb lore.”
Comenius beamed at that. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m more than happy to provide the Palace with any assistance in that area, although I’m sure you are more experienced than I am.”
“Nonsense,” Iannis said mildly. “I hardly know everything, and I’ve recently discovered a variation on a magical recipe that I could use some help with, as it requires herbs.”
They immediately launched into a technical discussion about the new gulaya recharging spell Iannis had discovered in Messindor’s diary, and I let them go at it for a little bit. It was nice to see the two of them getting along so well, especially since Comenius and I used to be lovers.
“I’m assuming that one of the reasons you came here was to find out if I’ve received any ether pigeons from Elnos,” Comenius said once he and Iannis had exhausted that topic of conversation.
“Well, yeah.” I leaned forward a little. “It’s been almost two weeks since they left, Com. Shouldn’t we have heard something by now?”
“As a matter of fact, I received a message yesterday.” Troubled lines settled into Comenius’s face.
“It turns out that Noria was slated to be sent out of state to an area to assist another group with technical work, and they don’t know when or if she’ll be coming back.
Annia and Elnos have not been discovered so far, but they are still trying to wangle their way into following Noria without compromising themselves.
They say even before she left, Noria was always sequestered away with the other technological specialists. ”
“Shit,” I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair.
Noria was a genius inventor, and in the hands of the Resistance, she could do some serious damage.
The idea that they had so many specialists working for them also sounded ominous – just what the hell were they planning? “We have to get her back.”
“First, we must find out exactly where she is, Sunaya,” Iannis reminded me.
“I can contact the Chief Mage of that area, once we do. The entire Federation is on the alert for any activity by the Resistance – any of my colleagues will be more than happy to mobilize forces and shut down this operation.”
“No,” I snapped. “I’m not going to throw Noria to the wolves like that.
I need to get her out of there before we call in the authorities, or she’ll end up getting killed.
Not to mention Annia and Elnos, who are there undercover.
Elnos is smart, but he’s young, and I don’t know if he’ll be able to defend himself and Annia well enough if he gets caught in the crossfire. ”
Iannis sighed. “I’m guessing this means you want to take a hand in the rescue yourself, if it becomes necessary?”
“Yes.” I paused. “I was hoping you’d come with me.”
“I can come too,” Comenius offered. “You might have need of me.”
Iannis was silent for a moment. “There is much still left to do here in Solantha, and I’ve promised the Minister to hold myself in readiness for that task force I’m supposed to lead,” he finally said.
“But you cannot leave your friends in danger, nor can we ignore a potential threat from the Resistance. I will think on this and see what I can come up with.”
We said our goodbyes to Comenius, then got back into the carriage and headed to the Palace. Anxiety crawled up my spine, tightening my neck muscles as I wondered just what the hell Noria had gotten herself into.
“It’ll be all right.” Iannis took my hand into his bigger one and squeezed it reassuringly. “We’ll figure out how to take care of everything. Together, we can solve just about any problem, Sunaya.”
“Okay.” I squeezed his hand back. As I stared out the window, watching the city pass by, I determined that I would make it all right. With Iannis firmly on my side now, I had access to all kinds of resources even if he ended up too busy to stand by my side.
And now that I had full access to my magic and control over my shifter instincts, nothing was going to stand in my way.
To be continued…