“Well—and this is not to blame you, Sunaya—but when I left to retrieve you from that remote little island, I had to cancel my participation in an important mission for the task force the Minister formed after we’d rescued him.”

“You mean the one that is supposed to shut down any ongoing operations of the Resistance?” I sat up straighter. “What mission did you miss?”

Iannis waved the question away. “It no longer matters. But now the Minister has another mission for me, and I cannot refuse again. He wants me to personally smoke out some secret Resistance stronghold.”

“Where is it?” Fenris wanted to know.

“The Minister refused to divulge that information over the phone. He wants to brief me in person, and he is expecting me tomorrow night.” Iannis turned his gaze toward me. “You will be coming along.”

I frowned. “For the meeting?”

“Not just the meeting, but the mission itself. We will be leaving for the stronghold as soon as we are briefed. The minister expects me to personally lead an assault on the remaining Resistance forces in the area. Your shifter and enforcer experience will come in handy, and it will be educational for you, especially if you plan to specialize in combat magic. Consider it part of your practical training.”

“But I can’t go.”

Iannis’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“I can’t go,” I repeated, feeling both angry and horrible at once for saying it. I wanted to go on this mission, of course—it was an honor to be included, and, besides, I wanted to take down the Resistance. “I’ve got to go after Annia and Elnos.”

“You think they’re in trouble?” Fenris asked, sounding concerned.

I sighed. “There’s no way of knowing, since it’s so hard to communicate with them. But I have a bad feeling about this, and I think they’re going to need me soon. I’ve got to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

“Sunaya, I understand your concern, and your desire to help your friends, but going off alone on a rescue mission is absolutely out of the question,” Iannis said sternly. “You’re my apprentice, and now my fiancée as well—you can’t simply go gallivanting off as you please.”

“Gallivanting!” I slapped my hand on the table, and the silverware jumped. “You call going after my friends whose lives are in danger ‘gallivanting’? Is that what I did when I took Fenris and Annia to rescue you?”

“No,” Iannis said, completely unperturbed about my outburst. “Perhaps I chose my words poorly. But I am still your master, and I can’t allow you to go off by yourself. The Resistance isn’t the only danger, you know—there are others who would sooner see you dead rather than wedded to me, or would be happy to capture you and use you for political leverage.”