Iannis swung around to face her, and she flinched a little under the weight of his icy glare. “I cannot leave them to die, and besides, such missions are best performed under the cover of darkness. We will go now. Once the delegates are liberated and the Convention is over, I will stamp out the Resistance and their mysterious Benefactor once and for all.”
18
With Iannis’s mind made up, we packed up and headed for the Resistance camp. Fenris and I changed into beast form, and with the aid of Iannis’s spell Annia was able to keep pace with us as we ran. The moon was nearly full now, and gave enough light for us to pick our way through the forest.
I wondered again just how it was that Iannis was able to keep up with us so easily. I hadn’t seen him use the energizing spell on himself, and since expending any magic drained the body’s energy, such a spell would only cancel itself out. I resolved to ask him about it later, when we weren’t in the middle of a rescue mission, and also to fill him in on the problems back in Solantha.
Even at a steady run, it took us several hours to reach the abandoned mining town. By that time, dawn’s fingers were painting the peaks of the mountains pink and gold. The camp was still covered in darkness, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before the light washed over the tops of the rickety old cabins and the soldiers began stirring.
“I bet the cook is pissed that he’s stuck back in the kitchen again,” Annia muttered, and I snickered mentally.
“Stop.” Iannis held up a hand, and we came to a halt. Standing between Iannis and Annia, I peered through the trees and tried to see what had caught Iannis’s attention, but there was only the dark, barely visible outline of the crumbling buildings.
“What is it?” I asked Iannis.
“Someone has set up wards around the camp.” His low voice simmered with anger. “It must be that renegade mage you and Fenris mentioned earlier.”
“Shit.” I squinted through the tree line again, trying to see whatever Iannis was looking at, but I couldn’t. “How the hell do you know there are wards out there?”
“With enough practice you can train yourself to see the residue from active spells,” Fenris explained. “It takes years to master though, so in the meantime you’ll have to trust us. I can see it too.”
“I don’t see how the wards matter right now,” Annia said. “We’re heading for the mineshaft, not the camp. As long as there aren’t any wards outside the mine it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“True, but it’s very likely the mage has warded the mineshaft as well,” Iannis said tightly. “It’s what I would do in his place. No matter though; I don’t intend to walk away without confronting the traitor. Any mage foolish enough to side with the Resistance must answer to the Federation for his crimes.”
“That sounds a little hypocritical, considering that you saved Fenris from execution for defying the Federation,” I couldn’t help pointing out. Even though I wasn’t a fan of the Resistance, I did think that the current establishment needed to change. I liked the idea that maybe, just maybe, there was a mage out there who agreed and had the balls to join the fight for equality.
“Now is not the time to debate politics,” Iannis growled, and the hairs on my spine rose in challenge.
“Maybe, but could you at least hold off on erasing the mage from existence until we find out a little more about him?” I snapped back. Part of me couldn’t believe I was saying this, but I’d come a long way from my black and white viewpoint about mages ever since I was forced to stay at Solantha Palace. “If we could turn him back onto our side, he could help us bring the Benefactor down.”
There was a long pause. “I will consider your suggestion. In the meantime, lead the way to the mineshaft.”
Who knew I could actually be the voice of reason? I thought as I changed back into human form. Once the glow had faded from my eyes, I swept my gaze across the horizon again…and in the growing daylight, spotted something I hadn’t seen before.
“Guys,” I muttered. “Any of you see that airship over there?”
Everyone turned their heads in the direction I was pointing. Settled about fifty yards from the camp was a small airship, with a wooden cabin attached under a faded canvas cylinder. It was half the size of those owned by the Mages Guild.
“I’m pretty sure that’s how the camp receives their supplies. It could fit all four of us,” Annia said, excitement in her voice. “Maybe we don’t have to walk all the way back to Solantha after all!”
“You’re forgetting about the delegates,” Fenris said dryly. “Not to mention that Iannis needs to get to the Convention as soon as possible to thwart whatever the Benefactor is up to there. If we commandeer that dirigible, we’ll be heading away from Solantha, not toward it.”
“Okay, but we are agreeing that we’re going to commandeer it, right?” Annia demanded. “The Chief Mage can send back a larger aircraft to pick up whoever is left behind, and any prisoners we take.”
“Indeed.” Iannis’s eyes were focused on the dirigible. “Miss Melcott, I suggest that you stay close to the dirigible to make sure that no one takes off in it, while Miss Baine, Fenris, and I rescue the delegates.”
With that settled, we split up, Annia sneaking toward the dirigible while I led the way to the mines. The sun was creeping closer to the horizon now, bathing the dark, rocky mountain face with a muted glow, and we moved a little faster, not wanting to be caught in the sunlight where sentries might see us.