Burned by Magic (16 page)

“That’s right.” The first mage took another sip from his glass of white. “From what I understand, quite a few humans died.”

The female mage sniffed. “Well, that can’t bode well for them. The Resistance might be gaining popularity right now, but if they keep getting their sympathizers caught up in the crossfire, they may soon lose public support.”

“True. If they go on like that, perhaps there will be no need to fight off the Resistance, and its base will simply dissipate.”

Their conversation turned toward more mundane topics, and I tuned them out, mulling their words in my head. I couldn’t deny the truth of them, and anger grew inside me at the idea that the Resistance was being careless enough to cause civilian casualties with their strikes. Could it be that Rylan had anything to do with these barbaric acts? I hoped not, but I resolved to have a talk with him about it the next time I saw him.

I kept my ears open the rest of the night for any more news regarding either the Resistance or the silver murders, but I didn’t hear anything else of interest. Nearly two hours had passed since that last conversation, and my stomach was rumbling in earnest now. If I didn’t get something to eat soon, I was going to crash the serving tables for leftovers, those mages be damned.

“Lord Iannis.” A nasal voice interrupted my train of thought, and my ears swiveled in its direction. “I can’t help but notice that you have yet to make a decision regarding the hybrid Sunaya Baine’s sentence.”

All other conversation in the room seemed to grind to a halt. I turned my head to locate the source of the voice, and saw that it was a bald mage with a handlebar mustache dressed in deep yellow robes. He was seated near the Chief Mage, clearly impossible for him to ignore.

“Yes, I have seen her wandering around the palace quite a bit,” an older mage with a silver beard commented. “Does she not have too much freedom, for a prisoner?”

“I heard that she tried to break out the other night and nearly killed someone,” another mage interjected. “Would that have happened if she were properly confined?”

“Forget confined,” a rotund mage with carrot-red hair and a ruddy complexion chimed in. “She should be executed! Hybrids like her are a danger to society!”

I stiffened as the rest of the mages also began to clamor, tossing politeness to the wind to make their objections about my existence known to the Chief Mage. Who the hell did these pompous assholes think they were? My claws dug into the branch, shredding the tree bark, and wood shavings fell to the ground. The longer Iannis sat there and said nothing, the angrier I got. Was he going to cave to the peer pressure and let these bastards have their way?

“If you are all quite done,” the Chief Mage said at last, raising his voice to be heard amongst the mages, “I would suggest that perhaps all of you are being hasty to dismiss the potential that Miss Baine represents.”

“If you mean potential for disaster, then I don’t think we’re dismissing it at all!” the ruddy-faced mage protested. “In fact, I think you’re taking this too lightly!”

Iannis leveled a glare at the mage, who shrank back slightly. “I don’t take anything lightly, especially when magic is involved.” His violet eyes moved amongst the crowd, meeting the eyes of every single mage present. “It may not have occurred to any of you, but Miss Baine could very well prove to be an asset in her own right if properly trained. There are other countries that allow hybrids, with few problems. A few of the states in our own country are experimenting with more liberal policies, and if Canalo is to keep up with the rest of the country, we need to be more progressive. Naturally, I would expect any mage who I appoint as Guild Director to share my view.”

There was a lot of muttering amongst the mages then, some looking abashed, but many just plain resentful. “So what do you plan on doing with the hybrid, then?” Baldy finally asked. “Are you going to find someone to train her?”

“Yes.” The Chief Mage clasped his hands in front of him. “That is one of the reasons I brought you all here tonight. I expect one of you to take on the task.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“I am,” the Chief Mage said firmly, and my heart sank. He seriously wanted one of these jerks to train me? I doubted I would last a single day with any of them before one of us killed the other. If I happened to be the one who did the killing I would be executed, so it was a lose-lose situation for me either way.

A tense silence filled the room, so thick I could almost swim in it. “Well?” Iannis demanded. “Which one of you is up to the task?”

He called dozens of mages out by name, likely the ones he knew best, asking each one of they would train me. The ball of anxiety in my gut lessened a little bit with each refusal, and when he’d finally finished, I nearly slid off my tree branch as I went boneless with relief. Thank Magorah I wouldn’t be subjected to any of their cruelty.

“Well, I have to say I’m highly disappointed in all of you.” The Chief Mage frowned at the lot of them, and it occurred to me that he should have been angrier than he was. After all, if one of the purposes of hosting this banquet was to find me a trainer, hadn’t this been a colossal waste of time? “I thought that surely one of you would have the fortitude to step up and take on this revolutionary project. It would appear my faith in you was misplaced.”

Seriously? He was going to let them off with this light scolding? With the way he’d treated me, I thought he terrified everyone, but he seemed practically tame here. Maybe he was too easy on his mages, and that’s why they were so irresponsible.

“Oh, very well.” Iannis shrugged his shoulders and let out a small sigh – one of the most expressive things I’d ever seen him do. “I suppose if none of you are willing to train her, then I must take on the task myself.”

I really
did
fall off the tree branch this time, and had to quickly right myself in the air so I didn’t come crashing down onto my side. I landed on my feet, but nobody noticed my aerial maneuver because the mages had exploded into an uproar.

“A hybrid as your apprentice? That’s preposterous!” the carrot-top mage shouted.

“There are plenty of worthy apprentices waiting for a master who would kill for that position!” This was Baldy, and his face was red with anger.

“What kind of example will this set for Canalo? Will every shifter in the state know that all they have to do is sleep with you in order to curry your favor?”

“SILENCE!”

Iannis’s voice, magically magnified, shook the walls. Everyone clammed up instantly, and I stood stock still, the hairs along my spine standing straight up in the air. I wasn’t sure if the energy crackling through my body was in response to the terror his glare inspired in me, or the fury and embarrassment that burned through my veins from the last mage’s comment.

“Lysander,” the Chief Mage said in a voice like boiling lava, addressing the silver-bearded mage who’d made the remark. “You have been around longer than most of the mages in this room, and know that I do not tolerate gossip and rumormongers, correct?”

“Y-yes, my Lord.” Lysander bowed so low that the tail end of his beard touched the ground.

“Excellent.” The Chief Mage’s icy gaze swept the room. “Then you understand that
anyone
who repeats such a vile rumor, in my presence or outside, will be struck deaf and dumb
for the rest of the year.
Short of Miss Baine actually killing someone or causing extreme damage, I do not want to hear any more complaints about her. You are all grown mages and more than capable of defending yourself from a single hybrid shifter.
Do I make myself clear?
”

The mages all rushed to assure Iannis that he did, their heads bobbing furiously. I noticed that none of them were able to meet his eyes, though I stared openly at him. I should have been relieved at this turn of events, because it officially meant that I wasn’t going to be executed, and was no longer a prisoner. But I was too confused to be grateful. What in the world was he thinking, taking me on as his apprentice? As much as I was loath to admit it, the other mages were right – there were many more apprentices out there who were more deserving of the position. Regardless of what Iannis said, the fact that he was favoring me would only encourage the rumors that we were lovers.

A hot flush spread beneath my fur as I realized what this meant – I would constantly have to endure whispers and speculative looks, not just from the mages but from everyone in Solantha. And what if this didn’t end up working out? What if he dropped me like a piece of garbage, like my family had? I would be known as the scorned lover
and
the failed apprentice.

“You are all dismissed,” the Chief Mage said, locking eyes with me. One by one, the mages filed out of the banquet hall, muttering and grumbling amongst themselves, until it was just Fenris and Iannis in the hall with me. Them, and my screaming thoughts, telling me to run as far and as fast from this room as I possibly could.

B
olting from the room
didn’t work. All it took was a single Word from the Chief Mage, and I froze halfway to the door like a fuzzy black ice sculpture.

“As much as I’m certain you’d like to leave my presence and never return, we are not yet finished with this conversation, Miss Baine.” Iannis’s cool tones echoed in the empty hall. “We shall adjourn to my chambers for further discussion.”

“
I don’t want to go to your chambers!”
I snapped at him mentally. If he heard me, though, he didn’t show it; he simply walked past me, his ornate blue and gold robes brushing against my fur before he disappeared through the doors. The spell dissipated and I growled, the beast inside me interpreting his “accidental” touch as an act of marking territory, which I did
not
appreciate.

“
Come on.”
Fenris paused beside me, regarding me with his yellow gaze. “
You may as well get this over with.”

Huffing out a breath through my nostrils, I followed Fenris into the hall and back down to the Chief Mage’s chambers. When we got there, Iannis was standing by the fireplace, holding a blue silk robe in his hands.

“Change,” he commanded, his stern eyes on mine.

Heat flooded through my body as I stiffened beneath his gaze. I wasn’t a prude, and had certainly never been shy about my body, but something about getting naked in front of the most powerful man in Canalo made the fur along my spine crackle.

“Miss Baine, I would prefer to have this conversation verbally.” The Chief Mage held the robe aloft again, which shimmered in the firelight. “Please change back into your human form.”

The
please
– which he’d never used on me before – reached past my embarrassment and softened me up. I did my customary yawn and stretch, then shifted back into human form. White light engulfed me as my legs and arms grew longer and my snout, fur and claws receded. Crouched on the carpet in human form, I reached up and snatched the robe from his grip, incredibly aware of the fact that I was not only naked, but practically kneeling at the Chief Mage’s feet. I stood quickly and shrugged the robe on at the same time, the cool silk fluttering against my skin, and did my best to avoid Iannis’s penetrating gaze. It didn’t help matters that the blue silk smelled like him, and by the time I was done tying it around my waist I was decidedly hot and bothered. Worse, Fenris was in the room with his keen sense of smell, so at least one of these men
knew
I was hot and bothered.

As if things could get any worse.

“Alright, you boys have had your show,” I said, trying to make light of the situation as best I could. I leaned my hip against the arm of one of the couches and crossed my arms. “
Now
can I go?”

“I didn’t bring you here because I wanted to look at your body, Miss Baine,” Iannis said mildly. But the gleam in his eyes and the pheromones coming off him told me that he had enjoyed looking. “I brought you here to discuss your apprenticeship.”

That doused my fire as effectively as a hailstorm. “Yeah, I really like how you announced that to the Mage’s Guild without even bothering to consult me first. Has it occurred to you that maybe I don’t
want
to be your apprentice?”

“Sunaya –” Fenris began, his voice full of reproach, but the Chief Mage held up a hand.

“Has it occurred to
you
, Miss Baine, that perhaps you’re being childish?”

“Childish?” I shouted as anger scalded my cheeks. “How is my desire to be consulted on matters regarding my future fucking
childish
? Maybe the problem is that
you’re
treating me too much like a child, and not that I’m acting like one!”

“You are many things, Miss Baine,” Iannis murmured, his violet eyes traveling up and down my body. “But a child is not one of them.”

The heat in my cheeks spread to the rest of my body, and I wanted to sink into the floor. Thankfully, the Chief Mage blew right past his comment and back to the matter at hand. “Nevertheless, I’d like you to put your emotions aside for the moment and view this rationally. Aside from the fact that I’m bestowing an incredible honor on you –” he ignored my snort of disbelief, “– this is the only way I can grant you your freedom. I cannot simply set you loose in the world without proper training.”

The argument ballooning inside me deflated abruptly. “Hang on. Are you saying that I’ll be allowed to leave the palace?”

“You will be granted certain freedoms, yes,” the Chief Mage confirmed with a nod. “Although, with these freedoms come responsibilities. You will have to work hard and study every day, and in addition you will be expected to conduct yourself like a mage at all times. You will need to observe proper etiquette and curb your overly emotional attitude, and we will need to get you a proper set of robes –”

“Whoa. Hang on there.” I held up a hand and took a deep breath through my nose. “You are out of your fucking mind.”

“I fail to see –”

“Yes, as usual, you fail to see how anyone could possibly have an objection to your viewpoint.” I planted my fists on my hips. “But I do. Just because I was born half-mage doesn’t mean I’m ready to embrace the lifestyle! I’ve lived my entire life as a shifter, and I’m not going to change that overnight because you wave your hand and command it to be so.” I waved my own hands as I spoke, and his eyes narrowed at my mockery. “If being your apprentice means I have to put on robes and walk around like I have a wand up my ass, then you may as well send me straight to the chopping block, because I would rather
die
than live the emotionless, passionless existence you mages do.”

The Chief Mage’s eyes flashed, and he took a step forward. “The fact I do not display my feelings all the time does not mean I don’t have them,” he said tightly. “Rather, I would say I exhibit remarkable control for not lashing out at you, even though you mock me at every turn.”

Guilt sank its razor sharp claws into my chest, and I fought the urge to shrink back beneath his glare, which held more than simple anger. Could it be that I’d actually hurt his feelings?

That’s ridiculous.

And yet, I couldn’t deny the truth in his words – any other mage would have happily executed me at the first taste of my flippant tongue. But Iannis hadn’t, and I’d refused to give him credit for that.

“L-look,” I stammered, my emotions off balance, “even if I did agree to be your apprentice, I don’t see what the point is, since my magic is too unpredictable to train.”

The Chief Mage scoffed. “That’s nonsense. You’re the daughter of an extremely powerful mage. There is no reason that I wouldn’t be able to cultivate your talents and turn you into a powerful mage in your own right.”

I froze. “How the hell would you know that about my father?”

“Your magical signature is very strong and distinctive, which considerably narrows the field of possibilities.”

“Oh yeah?” My heart jumped with excitement. “Well who’s on the list?”

The Chief Mage folded his arms. “I don’t see why I should divulge any details to you, since you’re not willing to be apprenticed.”

Damn him.
“That’s blackmail, and you know it.”

“
Blackmail implies that he’s holding damning information over your head, which he is not.”

I glared at Fenris. “I don’t care how you put it, it’s still coercion and I don’t like it.”

The Chief Mage simply shrugged. “Like it or not, that is the situation. If you want to know who your father is, you must complete your apprenticeship first. Or at the very least, make significant progress.”

Fury blazed in my chest, and I took a step forward. Fenris chose that moment to put his body in between us, and shift back into human form.

“I think perhaps we should change the subject,” he told the Chief Mage. I frowned, noticing that Fenris was fully clothed. How did he do that? Did he have some kind of charm that allowed him to retain his clothing? If so, I needed to get my hands on it, stat. “After all, there is still the matter of the poisoning to be dealt with.”

My ears went on full alert. “Poison? What poison?” Was another shifter dead already?

The Chief Mage wrinkled his long nose. “Fenris detected hemlock in a drink that was served to me,” he said, sounding more annoyed than anything else. “A rather amateur assassination attempt, considering that I am immune to most poisons, but it must be punished nonetheless.”

Fenris inclined his head. “I would appreciate if you could lend me your lie detector wand so I may go question the kitchen staff. They might have seen someone or something, or one of them may even be responsible.”

The Chief Mage nodded, drawing out a long, wooden stick from his sleeve. “Report your findings back to me,” he told Fenris.

“Why do you need a stick to tell you whether or not someone’s lying?” I asked. Any shifter worth their salt could smell a liar – no magic necessary.

“The stick is more reliable,” Fenris said lightly, but his face tightened, and I knew I had struck a nerve. He nodded stiffly at both of us and left.

The door closed behind him, and I shifted uncomfortably on the balls of my feet, self-conscious about the fact that I was alone with a man I was attracted to… a man who had just seen me naked. He regarded me silently, his violet eyes glittering, but with the firelight reflected in them he seemed warmer than usual, less dispassionate.

“I like how at the first sign of an assassination attempt on yourself you rush to have Fenris investigate, but you’ve yet to do anything about the silver murders,” I snapped, more to dispel the sexual tension in the room than anything else.

“There you go again,” Iannis said softly, taking a step toward me. His eyes darkened, and I backed up unconsciously to try and maintain some distance. “Throwing barbs and insults in my face, after I’ve extended you an honor that most apprentices would kill for. What do you hope to accomplish by this, I wonder? Can it truly be that you have a death wish?”

“No.” My shoulder blades brushed the tomes on the shelves behind me, and I stopped moving. “I just don’t like being told what to do by someone who thinks he’s better than me.”

Iannis placed a hand on either side of my head, bracing his weight on the shelves as he leaned into me. I sucked in a sharp breath, and my head spun as I inhaled his masculine scent. My heart was pumping so hard I thought it would punch a hole through my chest, and I fisted my hands at my sides to keep from quivering beneath his penetrating and unmistakably hot gaze.

“I would be the first to admit I know nothing about how to fight with crescent knives and chakrams,” he murmured, his warm breath caressing my cheek. “But make no mistake, when it comes to magic, I am your better in
every
way.”

My breath caught as he lifted a lock of hair from my shoulder, rubbing the glossy black curl between the pads of his thumb and forefinger. “W-what are you doing?”

“Reminding you who is in charge.” He wrapped the curl around his finger, his eyes never leaving mine. “I could twist up the fibers of your being just like this strand of your hair, and you would die a painful death. Instead, I’m struck by this odd compulsion to help you, despite the fact that you push me away at every turn.” His lips curled up at the corners. “Strange that at this moment, we’re the closest we’ve ever been to each other, and yet for once you’re not pushing back.”

My cheeks flushed as a tingle spread up my arms and down my body. Part of me wanted to shove him away, but I was caught up in the strange spell of this moment, fear and desire chasing each other through my veins as if to see which one could overwhelm me first. My lips parted instinctively, and I wet them with my tongue, imagining what it would feel like if his lips were pressed against mine instead. I knew I should fight these feelings, but our bodies were far too close, his masculine scent surrounding me and making it hard to reason. All I could think about was the heat spreading through my lower belly and how the silk of the robe was suddenly harsh against my skin.

His nostrils flared, and for a moment I thought he might actually kiss me. But instead he cleared his throat and took a step back.

“I think it’s best we both retire for the night,” he said, voice clipped. “We’ll adjourn tomorrow evening for your next lesson, so try not to get into too much mischief before then. You are dismissed.”