“You don’t know that,” Annia said darkly as she settled herself behind me on the bike. “There are rogue mages out there who consider themselves above the law, and one could be pulling the strings here.”
“Well regardless if they’re human or mage, they’re going to pay,” I growled, tightening my grip around the handlebars. I kicked off with a shrill whistle from my engine, and left Turain behind in a cloud of steam. I would be back tomorrow, and when I did I was going to blow a hole in this scheme and find out what was really going on. I was going to drag the cruel son of a bitch behind this out of his hidey-hole.
10
I dropped Annia off at her apartment in Maintown, then passed by Lakin’s house on the way home to tell him about the underground ring and that we had tickets for tomorrow night. He wasn’t home, so I picked the lock on the front door and left a note for him on his refrigerator with the details and my phone number – I wasn’t about to leave sensitive information like that on his doorstep.
I considered going to the Palace and telling the Chief Mage about what I’d found, but he had a lot on his mind and I didn’t want to burden him when I didn’t actually need his help yet. I would tell him when the time was right, probably after I went to the fighting ring myself tomorrow. So instead I headed home to resume my study of the Residah.
The phone started ringing almost as soon as I walked into my apartment, and I scowled. Not a single phone call in weeks, and now I was getting two in as many days?
You left Lakin your phone number, remember? He’s probably just calling you back.
Oh! Right. My mood lifted, and I quickly crossed the room to snatch up the phone.
“Hey! Thanks for calling me back.”
“I wasn’t aware you’d tried to contact me.” I nearly dropped the phone at the dry sound of my cousin Rylan’s voice. “Maybe you sent me a note to explain why you recklessly endangered yourself on the Firegate Bridge today?”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I exploded, the initial pleasure at hearing the sound of my cousin’s voice evaporating as he reminded me of the terrorist attack Iannis and I had thwarted. “You’re scolding me for saving hundreds of people today after you put them all in danger just to make a political statement? How fucking dare you!”
“I didn’t organize the attack on the bridge!” Rylan protested sharply. “If I had, I would have made sure to keep civilians out of harm’s way. Believe it or not, I don’t actually have a hand in everything the Resistance does.”
“Maybe not, but you knew about it, didn’t you?” I charged bitterly. “You could have sent out a warning or something, instead of keeping me in the dark about a potential mass murder.”
“I’m a soldier in this army, Naya,” Rylan said defensively. “It’s my job to follow orders, not make up my own. And you’re making my job really difficult by throwing yourself in harm’s way.
“Oh, well I’m so sorry about that,” I spat. “I’ll be more considerate the next time I have to evacuate several hundred civilians from a bridge that’s about to explode.”
“Naya –”
“Save it,” I snapped. “I don’t need to hear another lecture about your noble and glorious cause. How about you tell me something useful for once? Have you found out anything about the Benefactor like I asked you to?”
“I’ve had bigger things to worry about recently,” Rylan snapped back, “and so do you, Naya.”
“Why?” I demanded. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“All I’m going to say is that you need to watch your back. You’re painting a big target on it every time you interfere with the Resistance’s plans.”
“Gee, thanks. I’ll make sure to grow a second pair of eyes out of the back of my head.”
“Are you planning on accompanying the Chief Mage to the Convention this year?” Rylan asked, ignoring my sarcasm.
“No.” I blinked at the change of subject. “Why?’
“I highly suggest you don’t, if you value your life.”
“And just what is that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. And trust me Naya, if you warn the Chief Mage about this, the Resistance will definitely consider you an enemy of the people and treat you accordingly.”
“This is unbelievable! Rylan, just tell me what’s going on –”
“Goodbye, little cousin. I hope you make the right choice.”
The phone went dead, and I had a feeling Rylan wouldn’t be calling me again. By Magorah, but what had happened to him? Of all my family, he was the only one I’d been truly close with, mainly because we both shared a rebellious streak. But the Rylan who’d run off to join the Resistance had still believed in the idea of true justice, and would never have put his support behind an organization that condoned terrorist attacks and senseless destruction. Bombing the Firegate Bridge was both, and I just couldn’t understand how Rylan could possibly be okay with killing all those people.
I set the receiver back down in its cradle, then stared at it, wondering if I should call the Palace to warn the Chief Mage, or tell him in person. There was no way I could leave Iannis in the dark about something like this. On the one hand, Rylan’s warning had been vague – he could have simply meant that if I came along and interfered in whatever the Resistance had planned that they would kill me. But now that I knew what the Resistance was capable of, the Chief Mage’s life might be in some kind of danger.