29
Considering what had happened the last time Iannis had travelled on a dirigible, plus the fact that the Resistance was probably even more focused on eliminating us, I should have been a bundle of nerves during the flight home. But I was so tired from this long-ass ordeal that not long after we left Dara I conked out, sleeping like the dead for most of the flight.
“Miss Baine.” Iannis gently shook me awake. “We’re here.”
I cracked open my eyelids and looked out the window just as we passed over Solantha Bay. Despite the fact that I was dreading what I’d find on the ground, I couldn’t help but grin as I watched the morning sun crest over the horizon, pink and gold flames rippling across the water and making the Firegate Bridge glow. I couldn’t even explain how relieved I was to see the bridge still standing there in all its fiery glory – the Resistance had already tried to destroy it once, and I’d half expected to find it blown to smithereens. If it was standing strong, I hoped that meant Solantha was too.
But as we drew closer to the Palace, I saw groups of humans crowded outside the property just beyond the protective wards, and my sharp eyes picked out picket signs that many of them waved. I couldn’t make out what they said, but I imagined the words were angry, if the number of guards trying to corral the protesters were any indication.
“By Magorah,” I whispered as horror creeped up my chest. “Just what is going on down there?”
Rather than landing at the airport, which would force us to brave the angry mob to gain entrance to the Palace, Iannis ordered the pilot to land us in the middle of the palace gardens, well within the protective wards and away from the angry protesters. A light breeze tugged at my hair as I disembarked from the dirigible, bringing the kiss of the ocean with it, and for a moment I forgot about the protestors on the ground. But then I caught sight of Director Chen and Fenris waiting for us, and their grim faces reminded me all over again.
“Welcome back, everyone,” Director Chen said, her voice solemn. “I am glad to see you have all arrived safely.”
“You sure don’t look glad,” I pointed out. “Is there something going on we should know about? Such as why there’s an angry mob trying to storm the Palace downstairs?”
“Many things, and none of them good,” Fenris confirmed. He forced a smile, no doubt noticing the worried look on my face. “But we’re hoping that now that you are back, Iannis, things can be settled.”
“What things?” Iannis demanded, looking between Chen and Fenris. “What more has happened in my absence?”
Director Chen sucked in a deep breath before she spoke. “Because my appointment was never formally ratified, the Council decided to rule in your stead and completely shut me out while I was leading the search. They called for the arrest of anyone who has known or suspected ties to the Resistance, which in their very broad definition is half the city.”
“What?” Iannis’s voice sizzled with fury.
“It’s true, Iannis.” Fenris’s voice was heavy with sorrow. “Not only that, but they’ve arrested the families of all these ‘suspects’ as well. Prominent business owners, Enforcers, media employees, and many, many others have been taken, including Inspector Lakin and most of the Baine Clan. If not for the fact that I returned aboard Director Chen’s dirigible with Resistance prisoners in tow, I suspect I would be sharing their fate.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I shouted, furious at the idea that Lakin, who when last I’d talked to him had been working hard to protect shifters from the fallout, had been swept up by the Mages Guild’s misguided attempts at seeking justice. “Iannis, we have to fix this.” I nearly grabbed his sleeve before I caught myself.
“Set up a meeting with the Council in thirty minutes,” Iannis said between gritted teeth. “I want to get to the bottom of this, and I mean to do it now.”
The meeting was a bloody affair, and I got to watch from the sidelines as Iannis ripped each and every one of the Council members a new hole. Omonas tried to fight back, pointing out that it was Iannis’s fault that he hadn’t made sure to ratify Chen’s appointment, and in response Iannis set his robes aflame. It would have been gratifying to watch the fat bastard shriek and scream if he hadn’t also decided to rip off his robes, but apparently the fire Iannis had used couldn’t be put out by normal means, and it consumed the robe to ashes before winking itself out.
After that, none of the other councilmen dared to raise a voice against Iannis, and he told them in no uncertain terms that they were never to pull a stunt like that again, and that as of today he would be ratifying Chen’s appointment. He also told them that they needed to immediately release any citizens they’d imprisoned that they didn’t have hard evidence against, and that if it wasn’t done by the end of today he would see them all removed from their positions and new Council members appointed.
Seeing that he had matters well in hand, I slipped out of the Palace in disguise, briefly integrating myself into the mob outside as a human so I could get into the city itself. Now that I was on the ground, I could read the picket fences clearly, and they said things like “FREE MY FAMILY” and “DEATH TO ALL MAGES” and “GIVE THE POWER TO THE PEOPLE.” A huge part of me wanted to tell these people to stand down, that it was okay now, that Iannis was back and their loved ones would be returned to them, but there was no reason they would believe me, and in any case I needed to check on my friends.