Chapter 24
Iexpected Rylan to take me to the large dining hall where all Mage Guild employees gathered to eat.
But, instead, he led me past it and into the smaller, private dining room that was used to entertain guests, as confidently as though he were thoroughly familiar with the warren of a palace.
I wasn’t really surprised, though—Rylan had always had a good sense of direction.
Iannis and Director Chen were already seated at the glossy, oval-shaped wooden table, enjoying wine and bread as they waited for the first course to arrive. Fenris was there too, as well as Cirin Garidano, the Finance Secretary.
“Good evening, Miss Baine,” Director Chen greeted me with a smile. “I am pleased to see you looking well.”
“Thank you.” I gave her a small smile in return as I seated myself in the empty chair to Iannis’s right.
My stomach growled as I caught sight of the bread basket, and I took a roll for myself as Rylan left the room at a gesture from Iannis.
I figured it would be weird to have him hover over us and listen to us talk about sensitive information.
Maybe he’d head down to the kitchens and get himself some food in the meantime.
“I hope I didn’t miss anything important while you were waiting for me,” I said to Iannis. It was the closest I would give to an apology—after all, I hadn’t been told we were having a dinner meeting, though I supposed it wasn’t surprising.
“We were just discussing the interrogation of the Palace staff,” Iannis told me. “Fenris was running it before he joined us in Osero.”
“Oh, right.” The bomb attack had almost slipped my mind in the last few days. I turned to Fenris. “So did you find anything before you left?”
“Three humans fled the Palace after I announced we would be subjecting the staff to a truth spell,” Fenris said.
There was no hint of the tension he’d radiated earlier, but then again, he was talking to me rather than Iannis.
“I was in the middle of tracking them down, with the help of the Enforcer’s Guild, when I was called away. ”
“One of them was Darca, one of my better accountants,” Cirin said irritably, his dark blue eyes narrowed. “As you can imagine, finding out that I may have been employing a traitor has not improved my staff’s morale.”
“I imagine not,” I said, sympathizing with him a little.
It was probably a fucking nightmare, knowing that a Resistance spy had access to the Palace’s financial documents.
If Darca was in fact a spy, she could have passed all sorts of confidential information about the state’s finances to the Resistance, information the Benefactor could have used against us. “Who were the other two suspects?”
“A groom from the stables named Tadir, and a maid called Cralia.”
I frowned. “Those are all very different positions. Do you think all three of them could be spies?”
“I don’t see why not,” Director Chen said. “If I were organizing the Resistance, I would want my spies to be set up in different areas of the Palace, in order to get as much intel as possible.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” It bothered me that there could be so many enemies hidden amongst us, inside the very walls I’d trusted to keep me safe.
“Still, I wonder if they were all in on the assassination attempt, or if it was just one of them. And if we catch the wrong one, will they still lead us to the other?”
“All excellent questions,” Iannis said as dinner arrived. “But I suppose only time will give us the answer.”
The servants set out racks of lamb, and large bowls filled with salad, grilled asparagus, and new potatoes.
Hunger took over, and I put my worries aside as we dug into the meal.
Dinner was a surprisingly comfortable affair, despite the tension between Fenris and Iannis, and the fact that Chen was here.
We all managed to be civil, and even had some pleasant conversation.
“Well, I must be going,” Director Chen said when our plates were cleared. She rose from the table and bowed, her eyes meeting mine as she straightened. “I trust you have found your social secretary to be satisfactory?”
“Yes, so far.” I gave her a real smile. “Thank you for finding her for me.”
“You’re welcome.” Director Chen’s stern expression softened into a smile.
“If I didn’t know better, I would say that you and Director Chen are finally beginning to get along,” Iannis said as we walked back to our rooms. Rylan trailed behind us at a respectful distance—he’d been waiting for me outside the banquet room.
“It might be a little early for you to jump to that conclusion,” I said, twining my fingers with his. “But I’m willing to give credit where credit is due, and Nelia seems competent.”
“I am happy to hear that.” Iannis squeezed my hand. “You two may have gotten off to a rocky start, but Director Chen has an excellent track record. I would not have chosen her for her position if I did not feel she could be trusted.”
“Sure.” A thought entered my head, and I checked that no one was within hearing distance before turning my head to look at Rylan. “Hey,” I called.
Rylan lengthened his stride to catch up with us. “Yes?”
“Any chance you were provided with a list of the spies who were planted here, or in any other areas of the Federation?”
“No. That information was need to know, and I, sadly, did not need to know. I know for sure that at least one spy was planted here in the Palace, but for security reasons, their identities were closely guarded.”
“Of course,” I muttered under my breath. That would have been far too easy.
“However, just because those three have fled the Palace, doesn’t mean you’re out of danger, Sunaya,” Rylan continued, his eyes sharp.
“In my experience, deep-cover operatives are not so easy to spook. The three staff who ran off might have something else to hide that has nothing to do with the Resistance, while the real spy still lurks among us, waiting for another opportunity to strike.”
“Indeed,” Iannis said, his voice hard. “That is why you must not allow Sunaya to leave your sight, unless she is either with me, or Fenris.”
“Yes, sir,” Rylan said, saluting, and I forced myself not to grit my teeth. Bitching about this wasn’t going to handle the situation—finding the traitor was.
“So what can we do to smoke this bastard out?” I asked as we stopped in front of my bedroom door. Rylan’s room was right across the hall—as my bodyguard, he would remain close at all times. Luckily, my room was warded, so it wasn’t necessary that he sleep inside.
“I suggest you assist Fenris with questioning the list of suspects he’s gathered,” Iannis said.
“You mean the people who went missing?” I asked, frowning.
“No,” Iannis said dryly. “He made a list of all the Palace staff who were not on duty the night you were attacked, but who were on duty the day before. Most likely, the attacker simply stayed behind after the end of his shift.”
“Gotcha.” That was smart. Somewhere in there, we might find a connection to the spy, or even the real spy himself. “What do you think?” I asked, turning to my cousin with a grin. “You up for a little sleuthing tomorrow?”
“I’ll do anything to avoid having to put myself between your body and another incendiary device,” Rylan said.
He gave me a quick, firm hug, and I smiled, happy we’d moved past our differences.
“If I get up tomorrow morning and find out that you’re dead, I’ll bring you back to life, just so I can kill you myself. ”
“Love you too,” I said with a laugh as I disentangled myself from his arms. And with no one else around to see us, I took Iannis’s hand and allowed him to lead me into the safety of his bedroom, and ultimately, his arms.