Chapter 10
Ishot out of the Palace grounds on my steambike, Garrett clinging to my waist. I’d left Rylan at the Palace, much to his disappointment, because there wasn’t really any need to bring him with Garrett accompanying me.
Besides, if the three of us went, we’d have to take a steamcar, which I wasn’t keen on.
It was a lot faster to get around Solantha’s narrow, winding streets by bike.
To my surprise and annoyance, Garrett adapted to the steambike far better than Fenris had when I’d first ridden with him.
After learning that Fenris had spent the bulk of his life as a mage, I’d assumed all mages would be uncomfortable riding this way.
But though Garrett pressed his body closer against mine than I would have liked, he seemed otherwise completely at ease astride my shiny, steam-belching beast. In fact, I strongly suspected he was enjoying the ride.
“You were correct,” Garrett said, pulling off his helmet once we’d come to a complete stop.
“Your steambike is a most efficient means of transportation.” He eyed the bike with no small amount of admiration gleaming in his eyes.
“If it were suitable for an official of my status, I would be tempted to get one for myself.”
I bristled at that. “Always so tactful,” I said, turning my attention toward Thorgana’s mansion and changing the subject before he could respond. “Looks like the new owners have wasted no time starting construction.”
“I can’t blame them,” Garrett said as we watched huge, steam-powered machines with broad shovels dig dirt out of the ground.
The large, elegant mansion where I’d stumbled into a trap and nearly died only a few months earlier was completely demolished, the manicured gardens buried beneath piles of dirt as the land was dug up.
“This is prime real estate, what with that nice ocean view.”
A quick chat with the foreman told us that the new owners were building a luxury-apartment complex.
I took down the name of the company, but didn’t think I’d be digging much further—Thorgana was obviously not hiding out back here.
With this possibility crossed off our list, we got back on the bike and headed to the Enforcers Guild.
“There is a new captain in charge, correct?” Garrett said as we prepared to go inside.
He craned his neck a bit, studying the dingy grey facade, and I wasn’t surprised that he looked thoroughly unimpressed.
The building was well past its glory days, and it should have been renovated a few decades ago.
Recalling it had been on Kardanor’s list, I frowned.
I’d have to make sure it got bumped up on the priority list—schools and hospitals were important, but the Guild needed to continue to function no matter what, or there would be no one around to help maintain order during a calamity.
“Yes, the former captain has just retired.” I lowered my voice as we walked in through the entrance. “This one is the acting captain, technically speaking, but unless he seriously screws up, I’m sure his position will become permanent soon enough.”
I walked up to the sergeant’s desk and asked one of the trainees manning it to inform Acting Captain Skonel that we were here to see him.
The trainee, a stocky male human who looked like he’d just turned twenty, took in Garrett’s seal of office, worn on the front of his burgundy robes, then snatched up the phone and made the call.
My sharp ears picked up Skonel’s voice easily, as well as the annoyance in it, but despite his clear reluctance to interrupt whatever he’d been doing, he told the trainee to send us up.
We rode the elevator to the fourth floor in silence, and while Garrett seemed at ease, my stomach tightened with nerves.
Captain Galling could be stubborn and unreasonable at times, but my years of experience with him had taught me which buttons to push.
I had no such knowledge when it came to Wellmore Skonel.
He had a good reputation as a solid enforcer who respected and upheld the law, but I knew better than most that reputations didn’t always reflect a person’s true character.
“Captain Skonel will be with you in a moment,” the receptionist said when we stepped into the modest waiting area. She gestured to the beat-up leather waiting chairs. “Please make yourself comfortable. Would you like anything to drink?”
I was going to decline, but Garrett asked for a cup of black tea with cream, so I got one for myself too.
It was a good thing, because Captain Skonel kept us waiting far longer than necessary.
My nose and ears didn’t pick out another person behind his office door, so either he was truly buried in paperwork, or he was deliberately letting us stew.
Finally, after a good ten minutes, the door opened. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Skonel said briskly as he strode out to greet us. “I was on an important call.”
I narrowed my eyes at the lie. Once upon a time, I would have called him on it, but we needed Skonel to talk to us, and catching him out would only put him on the defensive. I caught Garrett’s hazel eyes, and could see he didn’t buy the excuse either, but he shook the captain’s hand anyway.
“You’ve come a long way, Director Toring,” Captain Skonel said once we’d settled into the office.
I immediately noticed that Captain Galling’s photographs were gone, and that the shelves had been militantly organized.
The cot in the corner was also gone, replaced by a comfortable-looking chaise. “What brings you out to our fair city?”
“My office has received intelligence that Thorgana Mills, the Benefactor, may be lying low in Solantha,” Garrett said.
“Is that so?” Skonel sat up straighter, his brow furrowing. “Why hasn’t the Enforcer’s Guild been notified? My office has the right to know if a notorious terrorist is hiding out in our city.”
“I’m informing you right now,” Garrett said coolly, and I had to hide a grin.
For once, it was nice to see his snooty behavior directed at someone other than me.
“I didn’t want to send any information over regular channels, in case it was intercepted.
The last thing I need is for Thorgana to discover we are hunting her. ”
“Understood,” Skonel said with a stiff nod. He turned his glittering gaze on me, and it was clear he wasn’t happy I’d been genned in on this before him. “I assume you will be working with us now, to apprehend her?”
“As needed,” Garrett said, his voice still chilly. “Lord Iannis has assigned Miss Baine as my liaison, and since she is a licensed enforcer, I assume that is sufficient for now. If we need more resources, she will contact you to arrange it.”
A muscle twitched in Skonel’s jaw. “This agency is not at your beck and call—”
Garrett stood up, bracing his palms on the edge of the desk.
The air in the room was suddenly suffocating, charged with power, and Skonel leaned back, his eyes wide.
“We do not have time to sit around here having a pissing contest about jurisdiction,” Garrett hissed, his eyes blazing with cold anger.
“The Minister of the Federation personally sent me to Canalo to apprehend Thorgana Mills. He is the highest authority in this nation. Do you wish to take it up with him?”
A lesser man would have started babbling apologies, but Skonel simply held Garrett’s gaze for a long moment.
“I do not wish to supersede the Minister’s orders,” he finally said.
“I just wish to be kept informed. Thorgana Mills is a dangerous criminal who, from what we’ve seen in the past, is not afraid to maim or kill large numbers of innocent people to get what she wants.
I need to be kept abreast of her activities so I can ensure the safety of our citizens. ”
“Of course,” Garrett said smoothly. He sat back down in his chair, his expression placid once more.
“I will endeavor to keep you informed. But so far, we know very little, only that she is likely hiding out here.” He gave Skonel a quick rundown of what we did know—that she’d broken out of the prison on purpose, and that she was supposedly heading to Solantha for revenge.
Captain Skonel was stroking his jaw when Garrett finished, his strong features tight with concern.
“Revenge could mean any number of things,” he said.
“Obviously, Miss Baine and Lord Iannis will be prime targets, but so is the Enforcers Guild, as well as any of the Shiftertown inhabitants who turned on her in the end.”
“Have you heard any rumors about secret weapons or viruses?” Garrett asked.
“Presumably, Thorgana will want to make a big splash when she makes her move. We have reason to believe she may have a few tricks up her sleeve—something her tame scientists might have been working on before they were captured.”
“I’m afraid not,” Skonel said. “I’ll make sure the crew foremen keep their eyes peeled for anything like that though.”
“Make sure they report any mysterious illnesses, or strange magical phenomena,” I said. “Anything that could seem like a symptom of a virus, or a malicious spell. Thorgana is not above fighting fire with fire—she’s still allied with Argon Chartis, as far as we know.”
“An excellent point,” Garrett said, his lips thinning. “I will never understand why such a brilliant mage chose to ally himself with that deranged woman. She will try to kill him at the first opportunity.”
“I agree,” I said. Thorgana’s hatred of mages was all-inclusive—there was no way she would be content to share power with Chartis. She probably already had a plan in place for how to get rid of him once she didn’t need him anymore.
“There was one strange phenomenon recently,” Skonel said thoughtfully, drawing our attention back to him. “There have been several reports of fires started here and there, mostly in the Rowanville and Port areas. Nothing serious, and all small, isolated incidents.”
“Interesting. A street vendor came up to me the other day and told me someone had set his cart on fire.” I briefly recounted the story to them. “Could there be an arsonist on the loose?”
“If there is,” Garrett said, “that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re using magic. And I doubt Thorgana would bother herself with such petty mischief. Setting small fires is too low key for her.”
“That doesn’t sound like Thorgana,” I agreed, “but if someone is going around setting fires, it should be looked into immediately. The last thing we need is an arsonist wreaking havoc while we’re preparing for an earthquake.”
“Of course. I already have a crew on it,” Skonel said tersely, and it occurred to me that he probably thought I was stepping on his toes.
Who was I, a low-ranking enforcer, to give him orders?
“You should pass the details from the market vendor to them, so they can investigate it with all the rest.”
“Yes, Captain,” I said, and he looked slightly mollified by my response. “By the way, I heard an interesting rumor at Captain Galling’s farewell reception that I’ve been meaning to take up with you.”
“I don’t have time to discuss rumors, Enforcer Baine,” Skonel said irritably, his back up once more.
“You’ll discuss this one,” I said firmly. “It’s been brought to my attention that the Enforcers Guild has been paying higher bounties to mages, and selectively giving out end-of-year bonuses to the foremen and their cronies. Is this all true?” I demanded.
“Well, yes,” Skonel said, sounding flustered. “The system has been in place for decades, maybe even more than a century. I’ve only held this office for a handful of days, and the bonus system is hardly top of my priority list.”
“It should be,” I said evenly, holding back the temper simmering in my chest. “It wasn’t a big deal for Captain Galling when everyone was in the dark about it, but now that word is getting out, tensions in the Guild are rising.
We need to be a unified front, Captain, and that’s not going to happen if the establishment keeps showing everyone that inequality is acceptable. ”
“If you come up with a better system, I would be happy to discuss it,” Skonel said stiffly, his cheeks coloring. “But to take the bonuses away now would lead to even more discontent and morale issues. We can’t just rip the current system out from underneath them without replacing it with another.”
“An excellent point,” Garrett said before I could argue with Skonel that it wasn’t my job to come up with another system—that was his responsibility! “We appreciate your time, Captain, but we really must be going now.” He gave me a warning look, his eyes brimming with impatience.
“Of course,” Skonel said, standing. “Let me show you out.”
“Thanks for the support,” I muttered as we got into the elevator.
“I’m sure the issue is important, Miss Baine,” Garrett said in a tone that suggested the exact opposite, “but it has nothing to do with finding Thorgana, and I didn’t come all this way to sit in his office while the two of you come up with a new bonus system. We must move on.”
“Fine.” I clenched my jaw and stared straight ahead at the elevator doors, refusing to look at him. I knew part of the reason his words rankled was because he was right, but I still didn’t like the way he’d undermined me.
On our way out, I stopped by the sergeant’s desk again. “Hey. Has Annia Melcott reported back in for duty yet?”
The trainee shook his head. “Sorry, Enforcer Baine. She’s still in Southia, as far as I know.”
“Thanks,” I said, swallowing my disappointment.
I really hoped Annia would come back soon.
I’d expected her to return at the same time I came back from Garai, but even her mother hadn’t heard from her in a few weeks.
I told the trainee to send word to me at the Palace the moment she returned, then headed out the doors after Garrett.
Hopefully, she’d be back in the next few days—she would be a real asset to the investigation.
And it would be nice to have a true friend around, instead of being forced to chauffeur a man who might very well be the death of my fiancé and one of my closest friends.