Chapter 22 #2
Iannis shrugged. “Time moves differently in the Tua realm. In any case, my grandfather’s wife was gracious enough to take my mother in as her own, and they raised her as best they could, considering she had powers they didn’t know what to do with.
Eventually she became too much for them to control, and they handed her over to the Dromach, a sect of mages in Manuc who are specially trained to deal with the Tua and charged with maintaining the walls that separate Recca from their realm.
It was amongst them that she met and married my father, nearly a thousand years ago. ”
“A thousand?” I echoed faintly. “Just how old does that make you?”
Iannis smiled slightly. “I believe it’s not polite to ask one’s age.”
I snorted. “That only applies to women, and you know it.” My eyes narrowed as I considered him. “So what exactly did you inherit from your half-Tua mother, then?”
“For one, a longer lifespan than the average mage,” Iannis admitted.
“Barring accidents such as tumbling from an airship, I might live to three thousand years of age, if not longer. My lifespan is one of the reasons why my heritage is little known – most mages of my age are nearing the end of their life and show signs of it, when they aren’t using illusion to disguise their wrinkles.
It is easy enough to fabricate a history for myself. ”
“By Magorah.” I shook my head. “So when I’m old and grey and lying on my deathbed, you’ll still be baby-faced?”
“I don’t know that baby-faced is the right term, but yes.” A troubled expression briefly crossed Iannis’s face. “But as a half-mage, your lifespan should be longer than the average shifter’s.”
“Well that’s good to know,” I said lightly even as my heart sank.
For some reason, even though it didn’t matter, I didn’t like the idea that Iannis would look exactly the same as he did now when I was old and grey.
I wondered if he would become more aloof with age, or if he would soften up and show more emotion as the years went by.
And what about me? Would I become more stern and emotionless like the mages, the more I spent time among them?
Or would I retain the wildness of my shifter heritage?
“Okay, so being a quarter Tua means you live super long and you get to run fast, amongst other things?”
“I have a few other tricks up my sleeve, like my healing talent, but yes.” Iannis inclined his head, his lips curling up at the corners.
“I can actually run much faster than what you’ve seen, but there was little point in leaving you and Fenris in the dust. Besides, I’m accustomed to hiding my speed, since if my peers noticed they could easily deduce that I’m not a full-mage. ”
“Lord Iannis, are you in there?” the Finance Secretary called, interrupting our conversation as he rapped on the door. “I have urgent news.”
Iannis was instantly behind my shoulder as I undid the locks and opened the door.
The Finance Secretary was dressed in blue-black robes, the Canalo Mages Guild emblem sewn onto his breast. There was a tightness around his eyes as he inclined his head briefly at me, then swept into the room with a large leather notebook tucked underneath his arm.
“You look agitated, Cirin,” Iannis remarked as I shut the door behind him. “What is this urgent news?”
“I just got word that Zavian Graning is resigning his post as Federation Minister. We’re expected to cast votes for his successor on the last day of the Convention, so I suggest you start thinking about your choice now.”
“Resigning?” Iannis asked, sounding highly alarmed. “Why?”
“For health reasons, apparently.” Cirin perched on the edge of one of the white sofas, his dark eyebrows drawn together in a frown.
“I’ve no idea as to the nature of his malady, but it must be very serious to prompt such a sudden resignation.
When I arrived at the Convention the Minister did seem a little lackluster, but I didn’t think he was that ill. ”
“This doesn’t make any sense,” Iannis argued. “The Minister is a mere four-hundred years old – he should still be in excellent health.”
“Umm, I hate to interrupt,” I said, “but are we talking about the same Minister who’s presiding the Convention?”
“Yes,” Iannis said tightly. “Along with his staff, he organizes the Convention every two years. When it is not in session he ensures Federation law is executed in the various states, and maintains the Federation’s foreign relations.”
“His office is also tasked with bringing any Chief Mage or other high-ranking official who violates the Great Accord in any way to justice,” Cirin added.
Such as Fenris, I wanted to say, but I kept that bit to myself – I doubted the Finance Secretary was privy to Fenris’s true identity.
Part of me wanted to say that the Minister could fuck off, but the more rational part of me recognized that if Iannis thought his sudden deterioration was suspicious, there was likely a larger game afoot.
It sounded like this Minister was even more important than Iannis.
“Do you think the Resistance is involved with this in some way?”
The Finance Secretary’s black brows rose. “How so?”
“Well I mean, they were responsible for the attack on Iannis’s ship,” I pointed out.
“They didn’t want him to arrive at the Convention, and I’m wondering if this is why.
Maybe they planned to get rid of the Minister for some reason, and took you out because they feared you might be voted in to take his place? ”
“Me?” Iannis scoffed. “I doubt that would happen. I’ve not been a Chief Mage long enough. Traditionally, such votes are a mere formality, as the retiring Minister has always suggested his successor. If Graning has not nominated anyone, that would indeed be unusual.”
“I’m not so sure you aren’t a contender,” the Finance Secretary said, tapping his square chin thoughtfully.
“From what I’ve been hearing, the Minister’s Office has been very impressed with the way you’ve been cleaning up the Mages Guild and ferreting out key players of the Resistance in Canalo.
Add to that the fact that you’ve just come back from the dead, and you may be more popular than you realize. ”
“Hmph.” Iannis folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve no plans to become the next Minister, and I would like to know what exactly this malady is that’s befallen our current one. The logical step is to make an appointment to see him.”
The Finance Secretary shook his head. “As far as I understand it, no one knows where he’s being kept.”
“Now that is suspicious,” I said just as the grandfather clock in the living room let out a low gong. We all looked up to see that it was eight o’clock now – where had the time gone?
“We’d better get going,” the Finance Secretary said as he briskly got to his feet. “The session starts in less than half an hour.”
“Very well.” Iannis set down his coffee cup.
“After you finish your shopping, head back to the Capitol Building, Miss Baine. You may not be able to attend the Convention itself, but you can still hang about and make good use of your hearing. See if you can find out anything about the Minister’s illness or location, the Resistance, or anything else that might be of use. ”
“Does that mean you’re giving me permission to wander around the Capitol Building?” I asked hopefully. The building was three stories, after all, and I was sure there were all kinds of secrets I could ferret out.
“If it gets us the information we need, I don’t care what you do,” Iannis said. “If we don’t find out what is going on with the Minister, especially now that the Resistance is becoming so bold, the Northia Federation may soon turn down a path of destruction the likes of which it has never seen.”
And with those ominous words, he swept out the door.