“Why don’t we sit down?” Lord Logar suggested, obviously sensing the tension that had thickened the air. “Everyone knows about our mission in Nika, but they are anxious to hear the tale straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were.”

We sat and talked, and though the council members and Resa pretended that Fenris and I did not exist, the others were amiable enough. No, they didn’t treat us as equals, but they were friendlier than the Solantha mages had been when they’d first met me. I imagined this was because of Parabas’s more progressive stance toward non-mages, a stance that would hopefully expand to the rest of the Federation.

“It is most disturbing to realize that the Resistance has been organizing and plotting under our noses the entire time,” Carsid, the Legal Secretary, remarked. He was a black-skinned mage who wore his long, black hair in thin braids, his yellow, orange, and black robes easily the most colorful ensemble in the room. “We have clearly underestimated them.”

“Yes,” Iannis agreed, taking a sip from his glass of wine. “If not for Sunaya, I am not certain we would have unearthed the Resistance’s campaigns in Canalo in time to prevent them from doing even more damage.” He smiled, lifting his glass to me in a toast. “She has quite the nose for sniffing out trouble.”

“To Sunaya Baine and her superb sleuthing skills,” Lord Logar declared, lifting his glass in a toast. The other mages around the table followed suit, and then drank. Embarrassment at the attention warmed my cheeks, and I tried to hide behind my glass. It was too bad that the wine did nothing for me—it would have been nice to have something to calm my nerves.

On the other hand, I mused, glancing sideways at Fenris, it was probably for the best that we weren’t served any spirits that could affect shifters. Fenris needed to stay on his toes around these mages lest he slip and reveal his true identity. The mages of Parabas might be more tolerant, but I had little doubt that Lord Logar was loyal to the Federation and would not hesitate to turn Fenris in. And if that happened, Iannis would be charged with treason as well, both for harboring him, and for using a forbidden spell to turn Fenris into a shifter. The Solantha mages might have started warming up to me, but I had no doubt the Council would cry for my execution again as soon as Iannis was no longer around to protect me.

“So, how is Miss Baine’s training to be taken care of, now that the two of you are betrothed?” Resa enquired after our entrées had arrived. “I can’t imagine that you will continue to apprentice her.”