Chapter 6
After our ‘lesson’ was done, Iannis and I adjourned to his suite, where we had an early dinner with Fenris. Iannis was going to be busy all evening, but he wanted to update us about what was going on in the Mages Guild, and I was more than amenable to that.
“I’ve had dinner in Iannis’s rooms more times than I can count, but never with another person,” Fenris remarked as he cut up the seasoned chicken breast on his plate. “It’s a pleasant change of pace.”
I grinned a little. “I have a feeling this isn’t going to be the only thing that changes around here, now that we’re engaged.
” I squeezed Iannis’s leg from underneath the table, away from Fenris’s watchful gaze.
He didn’t react outwardly, but his leg tensed ever so slightly beneath my hand, indicating his surprise.
Obviously, he wasn’t at all used to being groped around other people.
Fenris chuckled. “Are you kidding? Things have already changed drastically. Or haven’t you noticed the bounce in Iannis’s step as he walks the halls these days?”
“There is no ‘bounce’ in my step, Fenris,” Iannis said mildly as he forked up some green beans.
But his eyes flashed in annoyance, and Fenris and I snickered.
“Now, if you wouldn’t mind, let’s get on to business.
You may have noticed, Sunaya, that I’ve been getting a lot of calls from the Minister lately. ”
“I certainly have.” I’d been wondering about it, too, but had held my tongue, figuring Iannis would tell me about it sooner or later.
“Well—and this is not to blame you, Sunaya—but when I left to retrieve you from that remote little island, I had to cancel my participation in an important mission for the task force the Minister formed after we’d rescued him.”
“You mean the one that is supposed to shut down any ongoing operations of the Resistance?” I sat up straighter. “What mission did you miss?”
Iannis waved the question away. “It no longer matters. But now the Minister has another mission for me, and I cannot refuse again. He wants me to personally smoke out some secret Resistance stronghold.”
“Where is it?” Fenris wanted to know.
“The Minister refused to divulge that information over the phone. He wants to brief me in person, and he is expecting me tomorrow night.” Iannis turned his gaze toward me. “You will be coming along.”
I frowned. “For the meeting?”
“Not just the meeting, but the mission itself. We will be leaving for the stronghold as soon as we are briefed. The minister expects me to personally lead an assault on the remaining Resistance forces in the area. Your shifter and enforcer experience will come in handy, and it will be educational for you, especially if you plan to specialize in combat magic. Consider it part of your practical training.”
“But I can’t go.”
Iannis’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“I can’t go,” I repeated, feeling both angry and horrible at once for saying it. I wanted to go on this mission, of course—it was an honor to be included, and, besides, I wanted to take down the Resistance. “I’ve got to go after Annia and Elnos.”
“You think they’re in trouble?” Fenris asked, sounding concerned.
I sighed. “There’s no way of knowing, since it’s so hard to communicate with them. But I have a bad feeling about this, and I think they’re going to need me soon. I’ve got to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”
“Sunaya, I understand your concern, and your desire to help your friends, but going off alone on a rescue mission is absolutely out of the question,” Iannis said sternly. “You’re my apprentice, and now my fiancée as well—you can’t simply go gallivanting off as you please.”
“Gallivanting!” I slapped my hand on the table, and the silverware jumped. “You call going after my friends whose lives are in danger ‘gallivanting’? Is that what I did when I took Fenris and Annia to rescue you?”
“No,” Iannis said, completely unperturbed about my outburst. “Perhaps I chose my words poorly. But I am still your master, and I can’t allow you to go off by yourself.
The Resistance isn’t the only danger, you know—there are others who would sooner see you dead rather than wedded to me, or would be happy to capture you and use you for political leverage. ”
A shiver crawled down my spine at that. “Like who?”
“Rival mages who covet my position. Or citizens who disapprove of giving shifters more status and power.” Iannis shrugged. “In any case, I am not prepared to risk your life in such a foolhardy manner.”
I gritted my teeth. “Then come with me. That way I won’t be alone, and I can still rescue my friends.”
“I cannot.” A hint of anger entered Iannis’s tone now.
“As I just explained, I must attend to this mission. If I keep refusing missions from the Minister, he will begin to doubt my commitment. He could even try to relieve me of my position if I anger him enough, and with all the chaos the Resistance has caused, he is on edge.”
“Hang on.” Fenris held up a hand before I could spit back an angry retort.
“There has to be a way we can come to some sort of an agreement on this. After all, Annia, Noria, and Elnos are amongst the Resistance right now. Surely, whatever camp they have infiltrated is also a worthy target. The Minister should be happy to see it shut down as well.”
“I can mention it, but I doubt he would consider that a higher priority than the mission he’s currently assigned me,” Iannis said dryly, “especially since we have no idea which camp they are in, or what sort of operation is being run there.”
“It could be a higher priority,” I argued. “When Elnos sends his next ether pigeon, I may have more details regarding their whereabouts.”
“Perhaps, but we cannot count on that. And we have no idea when to expect his next message.”
“How about this, then?” Fenris said, turning to me.
“Why don’t you go with Iannis to Dara, for starters, and find out more about his mission.
In the meantime, I will call Comenius daily for news from Elnos, and relay it instantly once it is received.
I will also keep an eye on Director Chen and the Council to see if they learn anything, since the camp Annia and Elnos went to is within Canalo’s borders.
It is entirely possible that you may be finished with the Minister’s mission by the time we receive Elnos’s next message, and you and Iannis can go find them right away.
But if not, you can make a judgment call then as to whether or not to finish the mission with Iannis, or leave and go after your friends. ”
“I will not allow her to go off by herself—”
“I will meet her there,” Fenris said calmly, cutting him off. “I may not have your power, Iannis, but I am more than capable of watching over and assisting Sunaya until you arrive.”
“Of course,” Iannis said, sounding calmer now. “I did not mean to imply anything to the contrary. It’s just that…” He glanced sideways at me, and I softened a little at the conflicted look in his violet eyes.
“You’re protective of Sunaya,” Fenris said, smiling. “I would be very worried if you were not beating on your chest like an enraged gorilla at the thought of her being separated from you again.”
“I resent that comparison,” Iannis said as I snickered, though he didn’t sound too mad about it.
“All right. Well, I can agree to those terms,” I said, the anger in my chest falling away. I couldn’t bring myself to be mad at Iannis for caring about me, even if his possessiveness was becoming a bit of a nuisance. “What about you?”
Iannis found my hand under the table, gave it a light squeeze. “Very well,” he said, his eyes softening for just a moment before he turned back to Fenris. “You promise that you’ll send me daily reports if you and Sunaya do end up going off without me?”
“Of course.” Fenris picked up his fork, then stabbed at a piece of steak. “Now let’s enjoy our meal, shall we? I have a feeling this may be one of the last we’ll share together for a while.”
No kidding, I thought as we dug into our food. I only hoped that when all of this was said and done, things would return to normal. Or whatever ‘normal’ would be, in the aftermath of this disaster.