Chapter 10
The next two days passed far too quickly.
Before I knew it, I was staring out a carriage window at the setting sun, the evening before our trip.
Everything was packed and ready to go, and the only thing left to do was one last inspection of the flying machine Toring had provided, which we would be using to fly from the capital to Leniang Port.
As the carriage rolled over a pothole, my knees jostled against Toring’s.
He sat across from Iannis and me, squeezed next to Director Chen and Henning Mogg, the pilot.
Our eyes met, hazel against green, and I held that speculative gaze with defiance.
Was he going to make this journey difficult for me?
I wasn’t about to forget that he hadn’t wanted me to come along.
I wondered if it was because he was prejudiced against me—or maybe shifters in general—or because he didn’t think it was wise for Iannis to bring a lover on a dangerous mission, as he’d stated so rudely.
“Are you looking forward to the trip, Miss Baine?” he asked pleasantly, as if there were no tension between us.
“I am,” I said, giving him a faint smile. “I’ve never been to Garai, and I’m very much looking forward to the experience, even if we are embarking on a dangerous mission.”
“I have only been once myself, and that was a good hundred years ago,” Toring admitted, breaking his gaze so he could look out the window.
We were approaching the docks now, and I easily picked out the red, white, and blue Northia Federation flag flying from the mast of the Voyager, the massive steamship we would be traveling on to Garai. “So I’m sure much will have changed.”
“Actually, it hasn’t,” Director Chen said in that voice of hers that was like the smooth, polished surface of a lake.
“Garai is much the same today as it was even three hundred years ago, when the late Mage-Emperor ascended his throne. Steeped in tradition and unwelcoming to outsiders unless invited. We should be very careful to mind our manners during this visit.” Her dark eyes slid to mine, and I knew that statement was directed more at me than Toring.
“Diplomatic immunity will only get you so far.”
“I know,” I said, trying not to sound annoyed.
I couldn’t really blame her for being concerned about me—though I’d studied up as best I could about Garaian customs over the past few days, I doubted it was enough for a diplomatic mission, or that I would remember everything.
I would have to rely on Director Chen, and Iannis, to guide me as far as what was or was not appropriate.
Much as I hated the thought, the best course of action was probably for me to keep my mouth shut, and do a lot of smiling and nodding.
The carriage brought us to the docks, and we headed up the gangway and onto the main deck. The guards on board had already unpacked the flying machine and brought it up to the deck. My eyes widened as I got a good look at it.
“It’s so small,” I exclaimed as we approached the apparatus.
It stood barely a foot taller than Iannis, and looked a lot like an overgrown metal beetle, with a stocky, round body, and short wings that looked like they could be folded down and tucked away.
“I don’t think this can fit more than four people. ”
“That is supposed to be the maximum passenger load, but since there is no copilot, we can squeeze in a fifth,” Toring said confidently as the pilot slid the door open so that we could look inside the cabin.
The Director stroked a hand down the shiny green metal paneling covering the machine’s side, a look of pride on his face.
“We just won’t be able to take very many supplies, to compensate for the extra weight. ”
“Is that accounting for my long legs?” Iannis asked dubiously as he peered inside. “I imagine this will be a very cramped flight.”
“Comfort must be sacrificed for economy sometimes,” Toring said coolly, with just a hint of annoyance in his voice.
“Of course,” Iannis said, and something about the way he said it made me wonder if he was just yanking Toring’s chain. I suppressed a smirk at the thought.
“How exactly does this thing work?” I asked, giving the aircraft a critical eye. “It doesn’t seem like it’s steam-powered, judging by the lack of vents or furnace.”
“It is powered by a special magitech battery that cost a small fortune,” Toring explained.
“The battery powers the wings, which rotate very fast and are almost silent. Human ears would not be able to detect us once we are at full altitude, though perhaps a shifter might if they were paying close attention.”
“We’ve field-tested this aircraft three times now,” the pilot said, patting its shiny nose.
“And she’s performed very well. I’ve studied and memorized the map of Garai, and, based on my calculations, I believe I can get you from Bilai to Leniang Port in three days, even if we can only fly by the cover of darkness.
Since our craft is so small and faster than the average airship, it might even be feasible to use it during the day.
” He tipped his hat toward me, then added in a more subdued voice, “Those were my colleagues who disappeared out there, and I want to find out what happened to them, more than anyone else. I’m just as invested in the safety of this craft as you are. ”
“Of course,” I said, hiding my surprise as I remembered that he was a mage.
I had forgotten, as his demeanor was so different from the other mages, and he was dressed in a white shirt, suspenders, corduroy pants, and boots—quite unlike what a typical mage would wear.
Guess he took this whole ‘secret agent’ thing seriously.
Even so, Iannis and Director Chen insisted that they imbue the craft with their strongest protection spells before embarking on it.
Toring seemed slightly insulted, but he agreed—after all, it would be silly to refuse.
He needed us to come along, and that meant putting us at ease about flying in a strange country in what amounted to a glorified beetle.
Did life really always have to be so exciting?
As soon as we returned to the Palace, I made a quick stop at my room, then hurried down to the library to see Janta. I’d yet to return the gulaya I had borrowed from her weeks ago, and I wanted to do so now since I wasn’t going to see her again for another three months.
Besides, I’d grown fond of the very helpful librarian mage, and she deserved a proper goodbye since I was heading off into danger again. There was always a chance that I wouldn’t come back, though I didn’t like to dwell on that sort of thing.
The door to the library was locked, but not warded, so I assumed the staff was in there doing after-hours work before they went home.
I muttered the Words of an unlocking spell, and after the resulting click, turned the ornate brass handle and entered the room.
Two servants were dusting the tables and shelves, and they started as the door swung open.
“Miss Baine!” the one nearest to me, a woman, exclaimed. She dipped into a curtsy, her duster still dangling from her fingertips. “How can I help you?”
I asked her if Janta was here, and after confirming that she was, picked my way through the shelves toward her office at the back of the library.
It was a stylish but comfortable space, with birch-wood furniture and paintings of cityscapes, the visitors’ chairs fitted with powder-blue cushions that invited the visitor to sit and have a conversation, unlike a certain woman I knew with uncomfortable dragon carvings in her furniture that liked to gouge into one’s back.
“I came to return this,” I said once we’d exchanged greetings, removing the gulaya from one of the pouches on my belt.
I felt a twinge of nostalgia as I offered the small, star-shaped object to her.
It had saved my life, whisking me to a deserted island an instant before Petros Yantz almost sliced into me with a silver knife.
It was on that island I’d made love to Iannis for the first time.
Heat flooded my body as the hot, sultry images of that night flitted through my mind, and I cleared my throat, pushing them away.
Now was not the time to get hot and bothered.
“Oh, thank you,” Janta said, surprised and pleased. “I suppose you’ve no use for this now, since you’ve used up the charge?” Her eyes twinkled knowingly.
“Umm, yeah.” I smiled sheepishly at her. “It came in handy, but I’m not going to be needing it again.”
“It’s a pity we don’t have one that could bring you straight back here, should you run into trouble in Garai,” Janta said with a little sigh.
“Maybe we will someday,” I said, smiling. “The Chief Mage is looking for an enterprising mage who would be interested in producing and recharging gulayas, now that we have discovered a legal method to do it. Hopefully these old ones will become useful once more, and we can have new ones made.”
“How interesting! But I don’t think we should restrict knowledge of this new method to Canalo. It should be published across the whole Federation.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. I had a feeling Iannis had his reasons for not wanting to do so, at least not right away. At another time I would have thought to ask him about it, but there were more important things to think about right now.
“Anyway, I worry about you going on such a long trip, Sunaya,” Janta admitted. “I hope that things go smoothly for you.”
“I’ll be with Lord Iannis and several other highly trained mages,” I reassured her, surprised at her concern.
“Besides, it’s just a funeral. I don’t think we’re going to run into that much trouble.
” I felt only a slight twinge of guilt at omitting the rest of our plan—after all, a secret was a secret.
Janta’s lips curved into a wry smile. “I may spend my time poring over old manuscripts, but I was not born yesterday, Sunaya,” she said, sounding amused.
“I doubt the Minister is inviting you and Lord Iannis along just for the pleasure of your company. But in any case, it is not the funeral itself, nor whatever other festivities, that I am concerned about. I am worried because there will be Heads of State from many other countries attending, including, very likely, your father.”
Cold shock hit me, like a bucket of ice water dumped on my head. I gripped the arms of my chair as my spine went ramrod straight. “Are you serious?”
“I would be more surprised if he were not present, considering that invitations will have been sent out to heads of state across Recca,” Janta said.
“Such gatherings are considered a good opportunity for rulers to negotiate tricky deals or initiate favorable matches for their offspring and successors, so he might well bring his older children along too.”
“By Magorah,” I muttered, shaking my head.
“Do you think Lord Iannis would know if my father was attending?” I wasn’t sure what to do if it turned out he was there.
Should I attempt to avoid him? Should I pretend that we were strangers?
Or should I confront the elephant in the room head-on, and hope I didn’t get impaled on one of its tusks?
“I doubt anyone knows the guest list for certain, not this soon. But I suggest you get hold of it the moment you arrive there,” Janta warned.
“The better prepared you are, the better armed you will be. Do be careful, and remember what I told you about Castalians and shifters.” She cleared her throat.
“Don’t expect miracles, Sunaya. It might be wisest to simply keep your distance. ”
I thanked Janta for her advice, then surprised her with a goodbye hug before taking my leave.
On a whim, I told her about the talented children, and asked her to check on them now and then in my absence.
Yes, Fenris and Rylan were already on that, but as far as I was concerned, I couldn’t have too many people looking after the children.
Anxious thoughts about a possible meeting with my unknown father swirled in my head as I walked down the hall.
But the anxiety was tempered by an almost overwhelming curiosity about what the future would hold.
Was there any connection between Resinah’s cryptic warning and the prospect of meeting my unknown father?
Was she telling me that I might end up fighting him, and, if so, to hold back from the killing blow?
I really hoped not—the last thing I wanted was to end up in a death match with the man who’d unwittingly given me life.
Besides, I told myself, even if you did end up in a duel, there’s no way you’d win against a man as powerful and experienced as the High Mage of Castalis. No, that couldn’t be it. Resinah must have meant something else. I just hoped it wasn’t even worse than what my imagination had conjured up.