Chapter 17
It was after nine o’clock by the time I finally made it out of the Palace, too late for me to be driving up to Turain now, so I reluctantly decided to postpone my trip until tomorrow.
A little lost, I toyed with the idea of seeking out Comenius or Noria, but at this hour of the night I figured they’d be with their lovers, so I went on home instead.
After trying out the spell I’d seen Iannis use on my own doorknob – yes, it did work! – I traded in my leather pants and jacket for a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top, then climbed into bed with the Residah, hoping the thick leather tome would lull me to sleep.
As I propped the book up on my thighs, it seemed to open of its own accord, the pages flipping until they finally settled on a chapter regarding self-control.
My eyebrow arched, and I wondered if whichever god was watching from above was trying to send me a message.
In any case, I figured it was as good a place as any to start, so I began reading.
Self-control is possibly the most important quality a mage must cultivate.
In order to safely practice magic, a mage must have achieved mastery over every aspect of their existence – mind, body and soul.
Magic is controlled by thought and intention, thus it is necessary to have a firm grip one one’s emotions before casting even the most minor spell.
To do otherwise could have catastrophic results.
I pursed my lips as I thought about that.
I’d always made fun of mages for being so stoic, but if they were taught from an early age that controlling their emotions was necessary to mastering magic, I supposed it only made sense that they were raised that way.
And though I’d seen Iannis use his magic while angry a time or two, he’d never done so while performing any kind of major spell, and even when he’d been angry he’d somehow seemed in control.
I knew that if I had the kind of power he did and I lashed out with the full force of my anger, I would cause all kinds of damage.
Maybe he was right to place limits on my magic until I was ready to handle more.
I was about to dive back into the book when a loud knock at the door startled me. Jerking my head up, I strained my ears for any sign that there might be trouble – visitors were a rarity.
“I don’t think she’s home.” I blinked at the sound of Comenius’s voice.
“Of course she is home.” A woman’s richly accented voice floated through the crack beneath the doorway as I quickly shrugged on a robe and hurried into the living room. “You said the steambike parked at the curb belonged to her, did you not? And the lights are on. She must be here.”
“Well yes, but that doesn’t mean she’s –”
“Hey!” I threw open the door, a smile tugging at my lips at the thought of seeing a friendly face. Sure enough, Comenius was standing in the hall, dressed in one of his dark green tunics, and on his arm was his new girlfriend, Elania. “Wasn’t expecting any visitors.”
“I can see that,” Elania said, her throaty accent tinged with amusement.
Her dark gaze swept over me, and as I took in her flawless pale skin, her perfectly curled, inky black hair, and the deep red velvet dress that hugged her curves, a wave of self-consciousness swept through me.
But if she was unimpressed with my outfit, or lack thereof, she didn’t show it outwardly, so I tried to push the feeling aside and smiled at her.
“Sorry, Naya.” Comenius scratched the back of his head, looking vaguely embarrassed. “I can see that you were in bed, and we didn’t mean to disturb you –”
“Yes we did,” Elania said firmly, but kindly, squeezing Comenius’s arm.
“My iubito has been fretting about you for the past few days, ever since he heard about your involvement with the terrorist attack on the bridge, to the point that it’s been affecting our time together.
So I brought him over here to see you, so he can assure himself you are alive and well. ”
“Oh.” Guilt and shame burned at my cheeks – I should have considered the possibility that like Annia, Comenius would have found out about my involvement with the bridge, and that he would have worried about me.
“I’m sorry, Com. I’ve just been so distracted these last couple of days.
I should have thought to drop by. Please, come in. ”
I stepped back to let them in, and Elania’s bourbon-vanilla scent drifted past me, making my nose twitch.
I’d seen her around once or twice at Witches End; she was a witch who specialized in potions, as in rather than making you a good luck charm, she’d whip up a lucky elixir for you instead.
From what I heard she also did the occasional hex under the table, but since those were illegal I’m sure she’d deny it if someone like me came around her shop asking for one.
“I will make tea,” Elania announced as I shut the door. “You do have tea, correct?”
“Umm, yeah. I think I’ve got some chai in one of the cupboards, and there’s milk in the fridge.” I hurried over to the kitchen to grab the ingredients.
“Chai will do,” Elania decided, pulling out a small teapot from one of my cupboards and filling it with water.
“No time to go food shopping?” Comenius asked casually as he caught a glimpse of the inside of my empty fridge.
I sighed, setting the milk on the counter. “You could say that. Between working at the Mages Guild and helping Lakin with this case, I barely have time to breathe.”
“Are you talking about those disappearances we were looking into the last time you came to visit?” Comenius asked, joining me in the living room. I settled myself onto my recliner, tucking my legs beneath me, while he took the couch.
“Yeah. It turns out that all of them are being forced into indentured servitude in order to pay off debts.” I gave him a brief overview of the Shifter Royale and all that we’d discovered, and also told him that my cousin’s daughter, Mika, had been taken because I’d refused to let go of the investigation.
“Oh, Naya.” Comenius’s voice was full of sympathy. “I’m so sorry to hear about Mika. I know you’re not close with your family, but I’m sure it’s not been easy.”
“I try not to think about it too much.” I let out a gusty sigh. “Mainly I’ve just been focusing on how to catch the bastard responsible. I’m going to find out when the next Shifter Royale is, and then Annia and I are going to take a task force in there and bust open the whole operation.”
“Well I hope you’ll keep me updated on this, and let me know if I can be of any help.”
Elania glided over with the tea pot and three empty mugs, all of which she balanced on a metal baking sheet that she’d repurposed as a tea tray.
She didn’t seem at all bothered by my lack of a traditional tea service, but I suddenly was, though I’d never really thought about it before.
All of my cutlery and dishes were mismatched; I’d never seen the point in getting a set as I didn’t entertain guests.
But my circle of friends and acquaintances was expanding, and I had a feeling I would need to adjust accordingly.
“Thank you,” I told her, leaning forward to take a cup of steaming chai. As I did so, the chain around my neck swung forward, revealing the white stone dangling from the end.
Elania’s eyes gleamed as she caught sight of the jewel. “That’s a very pretty necklace,” she commented, settling onto the couch next to Comenius with her own cup of tea in hand. “It has power of some kind, does it not?”
“Yes.” I touched the tanzarite pendant, feeling a little self-conscious about it. I had a feeling it wasn’t something I was supposed to be wearing openly, but I didn’t think to keep it hidden once I’d tucked myself into bed. “It’s called a serapha charm.”
“A serapha charm!” Comenius exclaimed, his tea sloshing around in his cup as he sat up straight. “Who in the world did you exchange serapha charms with?”
“Umm, the Chief Mage.” An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach at the alarm in Comenius’s eyes. “I was pretty pissed when I found out that he’d put a tracking spell on me, so he offered this as a compromise. That way we can both find each other if there’s any other trouble.”
“I see.” Comenius and Elania exchanged a look.
“What?” I demanded, not at all liking the feeling that I was being left out of the loop. “Why are you guys acting so weird? Did I do something wrong?” And how did they know I’d exchanged charms with someone, rather than simply been given one?
“No,” Comenius said, turning back to me again. “It’s just that serapha charms are usually exchanged between two mages who are getting married.”
“To each other,” Elania added helpfully, as if that wasn’t clear.
I stared at them both, open-mouthed. “You…what…this is supposed to be a wedding gift?”
“Generally speaking,” Comenius said. “I’ve heard of family members exchanging them before, usually siblings who need to be able to keep track of the other for whatever reason. But generally it’s two lovers who are married or are to be married.”
“Well the Chief Mage and I are master and apprentice,” I declared, setting my teacup down. “That’s a pretty close bond, almost like family, wouldn’t you say?”
“I suppose,” Elania said, though there was doubt in her voice. “It is generally frowned upon for a master and apprentice to have carnal relations.”
“Exactly.” I tried to ignore the way my heart sank at Elania’s reminder. “This might be a little unconventional, but it’s one of the only ways the Chief Mage can keep tabs on me if something happens, and with the way my life’s going right now I can’t say his concerns are unfounded.”
“Well, that I agree with.” Comenius frowned. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like me to come with you to Turain tomorrow, Naya? I don’t know that it’s safe for you to go.”
I waved a hand. “No, you’ve got a shop to run. Besides, I’ve already been up there twice and nothing happened. You know I can take care of myself. I haven’t seen anything there yet that I can’t handle with either my magic or my weapons.”
“Alright,” Comenius relented. “Just, be careful, won’t you? It’s only been two months since your last brush with death.”
I smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
The next day, I stopped at a deli to grab a sandwich, then took off for the gambling den.
As I rode my bike up the long, hilly road, I thought about simply investigating on my own to find out where the missing shifters were being held.
If I could find Mika and the others before the next Royale was scheduled, maybe I could find a way to smuggle the captives out.
After all, I was resourceful, and I had a decent amount of magic at my disposal, not to mention my weapons. Surely it was worth a shot?
The hot summer sun beat down from above as I rode into Turain, bathing my skin in a light sweat beneath my leather jacket.
I parked my bike around the block from the Dirty Habit in an alley behind a row of shops, then reached for my magic so I could put on my illusion.
I’d have to pick something different than the blonde bimbo, since she wouldn’t show up here without Annia.
If I thought I could fake Annia’s confidence with gambling, I’d even pretend to be her.
But just as I was taking off my helmet, I heard a tiny zip, the sound of something flying through the air at top speed, and then a sharp pain burst into the side of my neck.
“Oww!” I grabbed at the dart that had lodged itself into my flesh. “What the fuck?”
A human dropped down from the rooftop, dressed in black with a scarf wrapped around his face despite the warm weather. My vision started to blur as the drug in the dart began to take effect, spreading icy-hot fire through my veins, but I heard the sneer in his voice as he approached.
“Sorry Miss Enforcer, but Mr. Danrian told us to watch out in case you ever came around here. Looks like you’re not making it to your destination today.”
“Fuck you.” I grabbed one of the chakrams from my pouch and threw it at him, but my arms were growing shaky, and my throw flew wide.
My assailant laughed as the chakram embedded itself in the brick wall ten feet from him, and I cursed as I dropped to my knees, my legs too rubbery to hold me any longer.
“HELP!” I cried out mentally, hoping, praying there was a shifter nearby who might hear my call. But there was no one, and I kicked myself for my foolish decision to come here without backup. Of course Danrian would have known I was looking for him. What was I thinking?
“Sweet dreams,” my assailant said, toeing me with his booted foot, and I fell right over, through the ground and into the darkness.