“I’ll make sure you’re seen back to the hotel, then.” He tucked my arm in his and guided me carefully off the dance floor, as if not wanting to move too fast lest he upset my stomach. I kept my hand placed over my abdomen, allowing lines of strain to tighten my face, and the dancers who saw us hastily cleared a path. Guess they weren’t really into the idea of getting projectile vomit on their finery.
I stiffened momentarily as I caught an excited whisper. “Can she be expecting his child?”
“Why else would he be so solicitous of a mere assistant?”
I bit back a snarl at that. I wanted to give those two gossips a piece of my mind, but I had bigger things to worry about, so I bit my tongue and kept moving.
“Leaving so soon?” The Finance Secretary approached us as we headed for the exit.
“Ah, Cirin.” A faint smile curled Iannis’s lips. “I’m taking Miss Sernan back to the hotel as she isn’t feeling well, but I’d like a word with you. Would you mind following us outside?”
“Certainly.” The Finance Secretary’s expression never changed, but curiosity flickered in his dark blue eyes as he fell into step with us. We made quick goodbyes to the variety of mages who came up to us, then boarded the elevator and asked the operator to take us down to the second floor.
“What is it that you wanted to speak to me about, Lord Iannis?” the Finance Secretary asked once we were out on the front steps awaiting our carriage.
Iannis glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot, then leaned in. “Miss Baine has discovered the Minister’s whereabouts.”
“Is that so?” Cirin’s eyebrows winged up as he turned his gaze toward me. “How did you manage that? I’ve made discreet inquiries of my own, but I’ve yet to turn anything up.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t have my super-hearing skills.” I tapped my left ear, then grinned as Iannis and Cirin both gave me vaguely annoyed looks.
“The how is not important at this moment,” Iannis said impatiently. “Miss Baine and I will go see the Minister now. It is likely we will be bringing him back with us. Apparently Coman ar’Daghir, Rhodea’s Legal Secretary, is hiding him somewhere on Blixton Road, on the south side of town.”
Cirin frowned. “I’m gathering it’s no coincidence that the Chief Mage of Rhodea is the frontrunner as the Minister’s replacement?”
“You can put money on that,” I assured him.
“Alright. I’ll prepare a room for the Minister, and discreetly tell the rest of our delegation.” Cirin hesitated. “Are you sure you will be alright on your own? I could always put one of the other delegates on this and come with you.”
“No, Miss Baine and I will be fine.”
“Very well.” The Finance Secretary bowed deeply. “Good luck, to the both of you.” His eyes met mine for a heartbeat longer than necessary, assessing me, and then he was gone, headed back up the stairs and to the light and laughter of the ballroom.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. “Are you sure he can be trusted?”
“Cirin is ambitious, but loyal,” Iannis said. “He’s gotten to where he is because of me, and he won’t damage that alliance.”
The carriage the concierge had called for us pulled up, and a footman jumped down from the rear to open the door and help us climb in. Iannis gave the driver directions in a low voice, and the vehicle bumped and jostled along the streets as it headed over to the South Side neighborhood.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked, reclining against the plushy upholstery. “Are you expecting me to fight the guards in this dress?” I could do it, of course, but I was growing fond of the garment and I didn’t want to ruin it.
“Of course not,” Iannis said “We’ll use magic to distract the guards and then sneak in.”
Iannis used illusion magic to disguise us, swapping out our finery for dark, unassuming clothing and hooded cloaks that would hide our faces. The carriage came to a stop, and I stepped onto the cracked sidewalk and looked around while Iannis paid the driver and gave him instructions to wait until we returned. Sewage and brine laced the air, and many of the houses here sported peeling paint, rickety fencing, and dingy windows. Every third streetlamp or so was cracked, casting the neighborhood in more darkness than it perhaps deserved, and I couldn’t help but think that Lord Cedris had chosen a good location to hide the Minister. No one would think to look for him in a rundown neighborhood like this.
It took a bit of searching, but we found the house several blocks up, sitting in the middle of a wide, unkempt yard that prevented the other houses from cozying up to it. I picked out three guards total, two by the front porch and one by the rear, a dead giveaway in this poor area.
“They set wards set around the perimeter,” Iannis murmured as we studied the rear of the property from across the street. “Likely to prevent the Minister from leaving. I will need to disable them in order to get him out safely.”
I sighed. “Are you sure we can’t just knock the guards out?”
“Doing so will only alert Lord Cedris,” Iannis reminded me. “I’d like to keep him in the dark about this until after the vote.”
“Oh alright.” I huffed out a breath, crossing my arms over my chest. “We’ll do this your way.”
Iannis muttered a Word, and the streetlamp posted on the sidewalk outside the rear of the house flickered twice before plunging the street into darkness. The guard, who had been lounging against the two-story house’s faded siding, straightened up with a curse and fumbled for his flashlight. In the time it took for him to find it, Iannis and I darted across the street and up the back steps, our feet making no sound as we alighted on the porch.