Home > Bound by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #2)(12)

Bound by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #2)(12)
Author: Jasmine Walt

“Ugh.” I tossed the last paper down onto the table in disgust. “I don’t get it. There were at least twenty names on Sillara’s list. There should be more than just three articles here!”

“Well, you did say most of them were clanless shifters,” Noria pointed out. “The Shifter Courier mostly focuses on Shiftertown happenings, so maybe they just didn’t feel like covering those other stories.”

“Normally I would agree with you,” Comenius said slowly, setting down his own paper, “except that the Shifter Courier has been struggling for a while now, and they need good content. Even though the majority of these victims weren’t Shiftertown residents, their disappearances would still have been of interest to the Shifter Courier’s readership. I have to agree with Naya – it is quite suspicious that there has been so little coverage.”

“Just like the silver poisonings,” I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest. “Say what you want, Noria, but this whole thing stinks of a cover up. I want to go and investigate the Courier and find out what’s going on over there. Yantz was the one pulling the strings over at the Herald; I don’t see why the same thing couldn’t be happening over at the Courier too.”

Noria opened her mouth to say something, but the telephone on the counter rang. Comenius sighed, then got up to go answer it.

“Over the Hedge. How can I help you?”

“Good afternoon,” a cool female voice answered. My sensitive ears picked her up clearly, and I froze – that was Dira, one of the secretaries at the Mages Guild. “Can you please inform Sunaya Baine that she is expected back at Solantha Palace immediately? The Chief Mage requires her presence.”

“Certainly.” Comenius slanted me an arch look as he spoke. “I will send her over right away.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t have the morning off?” Noria asked with a grin as Comenius hung up the phone.

“No,” I grumbled, shoving myself to my feet. Dammit, I’d been caught red-handed. “Guess I’d better head back to the Palace and find out what my Lord and Master wants.”

“Try some humility,” Comenius called as I strode out the door. “I find that works best when you’re apologizing for something you’ve done wrong.”

I bared my teeth at the idea. I had a few ideas about things I wanted to say to the Chief Mage when I saw him, but an apology definitely wasn’t on the list.

6

By the time I skidded to a halt outside the manicured grounds of the Palace, I’d worked myself up into a fit of righteous indignation. The sun blazing high above my head seemed to champion my thoughts, and I marched up the walkway with my shoulders back and my head held high, determined not to look like I was crawling back to my master with my tail tucked between my legs.

I took the steps of the wide staircase two at a time, the white stone edifice of the Palace looming up above me, majestic as ever with its red-tiled roofs and proud turrets that speared the gorgeous blue sky. The large, elegant foyer I stepped into was equally impressive, the sun shining in through the tall, stained glass windows splashing colorful patterns onto the walls, the oil paintings, the parquet floor and the thick, expensive rugs that covered it. Canter, the old, grizzled mage who manned the reception desk, gave me a disapproving glare from behind his hooked nose.

“You’re late.”

“Thanks for pointing out the obvious.” I rolled my eyes at the supercilious look on his wizened face – Canter hated me, and no doubt his shriveled little heart was bouncing up and down with glee at the idea that I was about to get a scolding from the Chief Mage. Ignoring him, I made my way up the right side of the double staircase that curved around both sides of the foyer, and down the carpeted hallway towards the West Wing, where the Chief Mage’s study was.

It wasn’t too long before I found myself in front of the familiar carved mahogany door, and I sighed, tracing the elegant patterns carved into the wood with my eyes. It seemed that every time I came to this room, it was always so that I could get into a fight with the Chief Mage. And even though it was in my nature to balk and fight, there was a part of me that wished that for once he would summon me to his study for a pleasant reason, like telling me that I was doing such a good job shuffling papers around, or that he was going to take off the restrictions he’d placed on my power level so I would have full access to my magic.

If wishes were steambikes, I thought, and pushed open the door.

The Chief Mage looked up from the report he was studying, his violet eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I see you’ve forgotten the art of knocking.”

“Yeah, well you don’t wear pants, so I figured there was no chance of catching you with them down or anything,” I quipped, shutting the door behind me. “Would you like me to go back out into the hallway and try again?”

Something suspiciously like humor flickered in Iannis’s eyes, but his stony expression didn’t budge. “Sit down,” he ordered, gesturing to one of the two chairs in front of his desk.

I did as he asked – if we were going to fight, I might as well make myself comfortable. Settling myself into the low, cloth-covered scoop chair, I crossed my right ankle over my left knee and clasped my hands in my lap, then looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to make the first move.

“Well?” he finally demanded. “Where have you been all morning?”

“I’ve been working on an investigation,” I said evenly, determined to hold onto my temper for as long as possible. “You know, because that’s what Enforcers do.”

   
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