Chapter 23
Since the initial plan was to leave for the docks at midnight, we decided to pretend to sleep while we waited for Loku to make his move.
Garrett, Iannis, and I retired to our rooms in the guest suite after dinner and several games of Garaian chess, while Chen went to sleep closer to her sister in the family quarters.
“Do you think my father has tried to visit me while we’ve been gone?” I asked Iannis as we spooned on the bed. My head was tucked under his chin, his arm around my waist, and the heat from his body was so soothing that I had to fight sleep.
“It’s possible,” Iannis said carefully. “Did you want him to?”
I sighed. “I don’t really know.” The Minister and the rest of our delegation would have turned him away, claiming that I was too ill to see visitors.
“Part of me wishes I could just tell him and get it over with. I know he can’t publicly acknowledge me, but it would be nice if he could at least accept me privately. ”
“I understand how you feel,” Iannis replied, pressing a kiss to the top of my head, then nuzzling it.
The affectionate gesture made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and I snuggled my back a little closer against his chest. “Perhaps we will get to speak to him when we return. After all, we need to find out whether he was behind those assassins. Your keen nose will be able to discern the truth when we question him.”
“That’s true.” My heart sank at that. In all this excitement, I’d forgotten all about the assassins back at the capital.
What would I do if it turned out that my own father was behind the attempt to kill me?
He’d seemed so genuinely friendly when we’d met.
I had a hard time believing he was secretly hiding murderous intent behind those green eyes I’d inherited from him.
Would my mother have fallen for him, if he were that evil?
But then again, mages excelled at hiding their emotions when they wanted to.
My father was as easily capable of subterfuge as the next mage.
He was a politician, after all. They were good at that sort of thing.
And the mage who’d attacked me had been hiding his scent.
Why would he do that, unless he was afraid that we would cross paths later or already had done so earlier?
The sound of the hallway floorboards creaking drew my attention away from my worries. I tensed in Iannis’s arms as Loku’s footsteps, so silent that I barely heard them myself, pattered down the hall, then came to a stop outside the suite door.
“Are you ready?” Iannis asked. “You remember the words of the spell?”
“Like the back of my hand. Do you remember the confusion spell?” Chen had taught it to Iannis earlier, and I’d been impressed that he was able to learn such a complicated phrase in a foreign language as quickly as he had.
“Of course. I have memorized much harder ones before.”
We ceased our conversation, lying silent as the grave as Loku opened the door and walked into the room.
His footfalls were muffled by the carpet, and I was sure the bastard thought he was doing a great job of being stealthy.
Guess he didn’t have much experience with sneaking up on shifters. Dumbass.
Garrett was awake and ready too, or at least he’d agreed to be, in case Loku went to his room first. But as predicted, our doorknob was the one to turn.
The moment the door opened, Iannis and I sat up and shouted the Words to the very same immobilization spell Loku had tried to use against us, and that Chartis had successfully used on me in the past. Loku let out a very un-manly shriek as he ducked Iannis’s green blast, but mine hit him square in the chest before he could activate a shield, and he froze right there, his eyes bulging in fury and fear.
His mouth was twisted into a rigid snarl, his hand extended in the midst of preparing to shield and counter attack.
“We’ve got him!” I crowed as Iannis and I leapt from the bed. I grabbed Loku and hauled him out to the common room, then carelessly let him drop to the carpet. Garrett rushed out of the room as Iannis knelt down beside our treacherous host.
“Good riddance,” Garrett gloated as Iannis pressed his fingers to Loku’s temple, much like Chen had done to Narana when she’d cured her of the confusion spell.
But this time, an ugly, reddish-yellow magic began to glow at his fingertips.
An unpleasant feeling crawled down my spine as Iannis pushed the magic inside Loku’s head, and I couldn’t help but think that if he hadn’t been frozen, Loku would be thrashing about and screaming in pain.
It had to be extremely violating, to be held down while someone basically took your magic and memories from you.
Not that I was feeling sorry for Loku, mind you. The slimy bastard deserved it, and more.
More footsteps came rushing down the hall behind me, and I turned to see Chen and Asu burst through the door. “Oh good,” Chen said when she saw Loku on the ground. She clapped her hands twice, activating the magical lanterns on the walls, and I blinked hard at the sudden light. “You got him.”
“Indeed.” Iannis got to his feet and regarded Loku for a long moment, his face stony. “I think I will leave him with the immobilization spell for now, so that he does not get in the way. Unless you would rather have me undo it, Asu?” he asked Chen’s sister.
“Oh no, you may leave him there,” Asu said, a sly smile on her face. “I find that I quite like looking at him this way. I will unfreeze him when I see fit.”
“Do you plan to leave him in a confused state?” I asked, grinning at the gloating look in her eyes.
I couldn’t help but be happy for Asu—she was finally getting her revenge.
“I mean, I guess you have to let him out at some point to take care of the warehouses and stuff, but still. I’d milk this for as long as I could. ”
“I’ll leave him like this for a few days,” she said airily.
“That will give me time to get rid of the mistress he keeps in the back house and to take certain measures to ensure that he can no longer bully the girls or me.” Her expression turned hard.
“He may be my husband, but I have had enough of his antics. He is not much more powerful than I am as a mage, and I can make gold if I need. His business activities are more for flaunting his power than for any real need of money.”
“Still, the authorities will eventually come looking if Loku is missing for too long,” Chen said worriedly. “And he seems the vindictive type. I would not want you to put yourself in such a dangerous position, sister, by keeping him in this state too long.”
“That is true,” Asu said, biting her lip. “Hopefully we can come to some kind of agreement once he is back to normal.” She had no choice, after all—mages married for life, so Asu was bound to Loku until he died.
“If worst comes to worst, I will arrange asylum for you and your children in the Federation,” Chen said firmly. “You have been a great help to us, and I will not abandon you in your time of need.” She gathered Asu in a hug.
“Thank you, Lalia.” Asu hugged her back, then gently pushed her away. “Now go, and carry out your mission. You do not have all night.”