Chapter 3
Irode my new steambike down to Witches End, enjoying the freedom of having steampower beneath my legs once more.
No, it wasn’t the steambike I’d lost in Turain, the one I’d scraped and saved to own, but it was an engagement gift from Iannis, and it was pretty fucking cool.
The machine belched a hell of a lot less smog, making the ride cooler and more pleasant, the seat was made of smooth, custom calf leather, and there were strong protection spells laid into it that would activate if someone tried to attack me.
I’d tested the spell myself by lobbing a fireball at the bike to see what would happen.
It had deflected the threat easily, and nearly singed my eyebrows off in the process.
I wondered if there was a way to make the bike absorb attacks rather than deflect them, so innocent bystanders weren’t harmed.
Perhaps I would ask Iannis during my lesson this afternoon.
It hadn’t been long since the Resistance had been beaten back from Solantha, and their attempt to take over the city was still apparent in the damaged buildings and sidewalks I passed.
However, there were plenty of humans and shifters out and about as I drove through Rowanville, and more than a few construction crews repairing the damage.
The sight of the city recovering so quickly brought a smile to my lips—Iannis had heeded my advice about putting the citizens to work repairing the town, using gold from the Mages Guild’s coffers.
At this rate, Solantha would be back to normal within the next couple of months, and the Resistance attack would be reduced to a faint memory.
Pretty soon, the houses and storefronts of Rowanville receded, and the Port came into view—a series of piers that lined Solantha’s eastern shore.
It was one of the largest shipping ports in the Federation, with ships from all over Recca constantly coming and going, loading and unloading goods and passengers.
As a result, quite a few shops were set up in the area, and it was a popular tourist spot.
I rode my bike all the way down Witches End, then parked it outside Over the Hedge, Comenius’s shop.
The front door was locked, the ‘Open’ sign flipped toward closed, but it was a simple matter to unlock it with an open-door spell I had recently mastered.
“Com?” I called as I entered the shop, the bell on the door tinkling to announce my entrance.
At this time of day, Comenius was probably having lunch, or working in the back room where he prepared and stored extra merchandise. I could definitely smell him nearby—his woodsy scent lingered beneath the scents of herbs and sea salt that permeated the store.
“Naya?” Comenius called, his crisp, throaty accent muffled by the curtain behind the counter.
A moment later, the curtain parted to reveal a tall, lean man with ash-blond hair, cornflower blue eyes, and angular features.
He was dressed in a dark green tunic, most of his upper body obscured by a large box he was carrying in both arms.
“Need a hand?” I asked, coming up to the counter as he set the box down.
“No, this is just some inventory I need to put out on the shelves.” He patted the box, then came around the counter and gestured to the sitting area—a group of wicker chairs and couches located in a cozy nook where customers could sit as they waited for Comenius to mix up an order for them.
“Why don’t you come over here and sit with me? Elania was just about to—”
The doorbell tinkled again, announcing the arrival of Elania Tarrignal, Comenius’s girlfriend and the owner of The Black Curtain, a witch shop that was quietly known for its under-the-table hexes.
She was a tall, voluptuous woman, her face always perfectly made up, her mass of black hair piled atop her head in an elaborate do.
As usual, she wore one of her curve-hugging black dresses that made me secretly envious of her figure.
“Why hello, Sunaya!” she exclaimed in her exotic, slightly musical accent as she caught sight of me. A covered basket dangled from one arm as she used the other to shut the door behind her. “I believe this is the first time I’ve seen you in weeks.”
“I believe you’re right.” Smiling, I closed the distance between us, then took the basket with one hand as I gave her a friendly hug. “You’ve been taking care of Comenius for me?”
“As much as I am able to.” She sighed a little, her dark eyes instantly going to Comenius as we broke apart. “He is worried about Noria, and wonders constantly if he could have done anything more to stop her from joining the Resistance.”
“I’m worried too,” I admitted, bringing the basket over to the small coffee table in the sitting area.
I sat back so Elania could set out the food and plates she’d brought, and tried to ignore the scent of seasoned pork, cabbage rolls, and cheese.
“In fact, I came here hoping you’d received news from Annia and Elnos.
Surely by now, they must have caught up with Noria. ”
“I’m afraid I haven’t heard anything,” Comenius said, worry tightening his voice.
“I’m not certain if that’s cause for alarm—if they managed to find their way to Noria within the ranks of the Resistance, it’s quite possible they simply haven’t had the opportunity to send me a message safely.
New recruits will be carefully watched, after all. Even so…”
“You’re worried they may have been compromised,” I finished for him.
“Yes.”
“Here.” Elania handed me a paper plate with a cabbage roll, a wedge of cheese, and the diced, seasoned pork. “You should eat.”
“Oh, I couldn’t.” I tried to hand the plate back. “I had breakfast not too long ago, and I didn’t mean to come here and eat your food. I know you didn’t make enough for me.”
“Well, I would have if I’d known you were visiting, but never mind that.” Elania sat with her own plate, refusing to take mine. “It would be rude of me not to offer you some food, especially since I can hear your stomach growling from here.” She winked at me.
My cheeks heated, and Comenius grinned a little despite the heavy atmosphere. “She’s right, Naya. We know you’re always hungry. Eat something.”
“Fine, fine.” I popped a piece of pork in my mouth, then paused to savor it—it was damn good. “Any ideas on what we should do?”
Comenius shook his head as he poked at his cabbage roll with a fork.
“Without knowing which state Noria was sent to, it’s impossible to determine where Annia and Elnos are headed.
I suppose we can track them to the Resistance camp they initially went to, but there is always the risk of unnecessarily blowing their cover. ”
I sighed heavily. “It’s a tough call,” I admitted. “Annia would never forgive me if I blew her chances of rescuing her sister… but I would never forgive myself if she died because I sat back and did nothing.”
“You may need to risk her wrath if you do not hear from them soon,” Elania said. Sadness sat heavy in her dark eyes as she regarded me. “I know Noria is important to you both, but you must not forget she did make this choice of her own free will.”
I clenched my teeth against the angry retort that sprang to my lips.
I wanted to shout at Elania, to tell her Noria was simply misguided, that she was too young to know better…
but was she, really? She was a technological genius, far more intelligent than the average seventeen-year-old.
I couldn’t pretend she was simply an impressionable child, devoid of responsibility for the decisions she’d made.
Especially since she was about to turn eighteen.
Maybe she was misguided, but Annia and I had done our best to dissuade Noria from her path.
The fact that she’d chosen not to listen was on her, not on us.
Not that Annia would see it that way, of course. But as fond as I was of Noria, she wasn’t my kin. Objectively speaking, of the two sisters, Annia deserved to be saved more than Noria did. Not to mention poor Elnos. They didn’t deserve to die for trying to rescue Noria.
“I suppose the only thing to do is keep an ear out for any news, and hope we’ll get a chance to rescue Annia and Elnos, if they get themselves in trouble,” Comenius said.
“You’re right.” Unzipping my jacket, I flipped open one of the pouches at my belt and withdrew an emerald and two rubies, all three roughly half the size of my thumb. “Here, take these.”
Comenius’s eyes widened as I dropped the gemstones into his hands. “Alter Schwede, Naya! What is this for?”
“I want you to help me buy an airship,” I told him. “I absolutely refuse to go on another rescue mission in a hot air balloon, or scramble around for transport when I have money now.”
“You certainly do,” Comenius said, sounding more than a little bemused. He examined the gems for a moment, then tucked them into his pocket. “I know a reputable jeweler who will give a fair price for these. I’ll call him today to set up an appointment.”
We finished lunch, and I bid them both goodbye.
I tapped my enforcer bracelet twice to activate it, so that I would receive any emergency broadcasts, and took a ride around Solantha on my steambike.
I had time to kill before my lesson with Iannis, and I figured I might be able to catch a bounty while I took a look around the city to see if the other neighborhoods were improving.
Not that I needed the money, I reflected as I rode down one of the very steep hills on the main drag of Rowanville.
As I’d just demonstrated to Comenius, I had plenty of it now.
Even if I did somehow find a way to blow all the gold and gems I’d acquired, Iannis or the Mages Guild would likely find me some way to earn more, now that I was the Chief Mage’s bride to be.
Besides, all mages, even lowly apprentices like me, received a stipend in gold once a year.
I was determined to make my windfall last as long as possible, though, as I really didn’t want to rely on charity from Iannis.
It would be one thing if we were actually married, but until that day came, I was still a single woman.
And seeing as how a year was a long way off, I might as well put away some extra money to hold me over until then.
Besides, the future might look bright now, but the turmoil I’d experienced over the past few months was proof that life was forever uncertain. My newfound wealth might come handy in an emergency. If anything happened to Iannis, or if we ended up breaking off our engagement…
No. I resolutely shoved those gloomy thoughts away. I wasn’t going to let anyone, or anything, take my hard-won happiness from me. Iannis was mine, and if anyone thought they could change that, they’d be singing a different tune once I got my hands on them.