Chapter 12
After visiting the bank, which turned out to be just as fruitless as the other leads, Garrett and I returned to the Palace.
Our dinner meeting was in just a few hours, and he wanted to consult with his assistant to see if he’d found anything useful in the magazine archives.
Garrett invited me to come with him, but I begged off, claiming I had another matter that needed my attention.
In reality, I just needed a break from him.
“That good, huh?” Rylan asked as I stormed into my suite. I drew up short, surprised to see him sitting on my sofa, reading a book.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, closing the door behind me with less force than I’d intended. “I thought you’d be on guard rotation or something.”
“I was,” Rylan said, closing the book and setting it aside, “but Lord Iannis sensed you were returning, so he told me to come meet you. I figured this would be the best place to catch you.”
“Huh.” My hand drifted up to the serapha charm around my neck, and I focused on it.
Iannis was downstairs in his Guild office.
I rarely thought about the charm that bound the two of us, but I wondered now how often he used it to check on me.
He must have done so as I was traveling toward the Mages Quarter, and sensed that I was heading back here.
“Well, you can go hang out in your own room until dinner if you want.”
“Wait a minute,” Rylan said. He stood up and snagged my arm as I tried to brush past him. “What are you going to do, lie on your bed and sulk?”
“Do you have a better idea?” I snarled, twisting out of his grip.
“Yes, actually.”
His fist swung toward my face with lightning speed, and I barely managed to duck out of the way. “Slow,” he accused, sidestepping my return blow with ease.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted as he assaulted me with a barrage of blows—blows I was hard-pressed to deflect as a few landed in my midsection.
“Giving you what you really need,” Rylan said, tapping the pin on his chest. His tiger-shifter illusion dropped away, revealing his true face, and his yellow-orange jaguar eyes gleamed with challenge. “When was the last time you sparred, Naya? For shame, you’re getting soft!”
I was getting soft, I realized as Rylan forced me back across the room.
Gritting my teeth, I drove my churning thoughts out of my head, and focused my attention on beating back my pompous cousin.
As we exchanged blows, attempted leg sweeps, and went for takedowns, a kind of serenity swept over me.
I was no longer worrying about Thorgana or Garrett, trying to predict the next assassination attempt, or to steer prying eyes away from Fenris’s secret.
I was only in the moment, ducking and weaving, punching and kicking, sweat sliding down my skin as adrenaline scorched my veins.
By the time we were done sparring—one win, three losses—there were a few broken knickknacks and a hole in the wall, but overall, I felt a lot better. Panting, I sank down to the carpeted floor and leaned my sweaty head against the wall.
“Much better,” Rylan said across from me, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
“I guess I didn’t realize how much I needed that.” I rubbed my flank, which was still smarting—Rylan had gotten me good with a well-placed sidekick. “You’re right. I’m not training enough.”
Rylan shrugged. “You’ve been focusing on your magical studies, so it’s understandable.
You’ve only got so much time in the day.
I, on the other hand, spar with the other guards regularly, and during the months you were gone, I’ve been teaching Fenris.
He’s surprisingly clumsy for a shifter,” he added, making a face.
I let out a startled laugh. “For real?” I tried to picture the calm, stoic Fenris in workout gear, sparring with Rylan, and failed miserably. “I have a hard time seeing him outside the library.”
“Yeah, and that’s pretty strange for a shifter as well.
” Rylan pinned me with a frank gaze, and my insides squirmed.
“Sunaya, I know there’s something weird going on with Fenris.
Ever since that Garrett fellow showed up, his tension has gone through the roof.
I tried sparring with him today, and he was just too unfocused and angry. ”
“By Magorah,” I said, feeling absolutely terrible.
I hadn’t even given a thought to how Fenris would be coping.
Yes, he’d made the decision to leave, and he was probably busying himself with preparations for his departure.
But he had to be feeling awfully lonely, and even depressed, as he faced such an uncertain future.
I would have to go and visit him tonight, no matter what.
“Sunaya,” Rylan said gently, as tears sprang to my eyes. “What is going on?”
I blinked rapidly before the tears could slide down my cheeks.
“Fenris’s story isn’t mine to tell,” I said, swallowing against the lump in my throat.
I wanted to confide in Rylan, but Fenris was a private person, and damn if I was going to betray his trust. If he didn’t feel safe in confiding in Rylan, he had his reasons.
“All I can tell you is that Director Toring is a threat to him, and Fenris plans to leave Solantha as soon as Garrett wraps up this investigation into Thorgana.”
“Well, shit.” Rylan looked saddened by the news. “We’ve only just become friends, and he’s the only other shifter besides you who knows the truth about me. I’ll miss having him around.”
“Me too.” I cleared my throat. “In the meantime, I need to keep Garrett busy and away from Fenris, which is pretty fucking stressful because Garrett is like a dog with a really juicy bone.”
Rylan frowned. “So Fenris is in trouble with the law, but Director Toring doesn’t have enough on him to do anything about it?
And you’re hoping to keep it that way?” When I nodded, he tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“I imagine that wherever he goes, he’ll want to lie low, off the government’s radar.
I might have a few contacts who can help. ”
“I don’t want you compromising your identity,” I said sharply, sitting up straight. “I’m already losing Fenris—there’s no way I’m losing you too.”
“I won’t,” Rylan promised, giving me a reassuring smile. Scooting over, he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and drew me against him. “I know how to be discreet, cousin. How do you think I’ve managed to sneak out of so many boudoirs unscathed?”
I snorted at that. “Because you’re a shifter and you have super healing abilities?”
“Spoilsport.”
We burst out laughing, and I had to admit it felt really good.
Spending time with my cousin had been just the tonic I needed to wash the sour taste of Garrett’s suspicion from my soul.
Feeling refreshed, we parted ways to clean up for dinner.
My heart was lighter now, and I’d be able to approach this meeting with a clear head.
Dinner was in the Winter Garden room again, with Iannis, Director Chen, Cirin, Garrett, Pillick, and Kardanor.
Over pasta, meatballs, and minestrone soup, Garrett and I briefed the others on our progress—or lack thereof—on the Thorgana case.
We discussed our plans for tomorrow, which mainly included tracking down her known associates and questioning them.
If we didn’t find a lead soon, Iannis declared, then perhaps Thorgana was not in Solantha after all.
Perhaps a new trace would turn up in some other location, prompting Director Toring to move on with his search while the rest of us focused our attention on earthquake preparations.
Garrett did not look happy about Iannis’s suggestion, and I wondered if he’d dig up some additional pretext to stay on, if push came to shove. But he wasn’t prepared to argue about it now, so he only nodded his agreement.
The conversation quickly moved to earthquake prep, and Chen and Kardanor briefed us on the project they’d drawn up throughout the day, and the results of the spot inspections done by several mixed teams of mages and engineers.
“There are four newish schools and a large hospital in Maintown that are in such bad state that we are ordering them to be shut down right away,” Kardanor was saying.
“Pending structural repairs, of course.”
My eyes widened at the thought of all those children and teachers, suddenly displaced. “What’s going to happen in the meantime?” I asked. “Those kids can’t be pulled out of school for months. Most of them will have working parents. And the hospital patients need to continue receiving care.”
“We know that,” Chen said patiently. “We have arranged with the Maintown Council to set up temporary facilities in some large cruise ships in the harbor that we have leased for the next six months. It is quite an undertaking, making these vessels suitable as classrooms and hospital facilities, but we are working as quickly as we can.”
“Good,” Iannis said with a satisfied nod. “I have no doubt you will take care of it, Director Chen.” His violet eyes darkened. “I would like to know what is being done about these neglectful construction companies. Have either of you met with them yet?”
Director Chen nodded. “I called the CEOs of Mendle and Gorax to my office, giving them no time to meet with each other beforehand. Mr. Makis and I interviewed them together, and they have been informed that their entire personal fortunes and lives are forfeit if anyone comes to harm as a result of their shoddy and deceitful practices. In the meantime, large fines have been assessed against them—the gold will come in handy for the cost of leasing the cruise ships.” Her expression was stony.
“I do not think they will presume to get away with such malpractice again.”