A shiver crawled down my spine at that. “Like who?”

“Rival mages who covet my position. Or citizens who disapprove of giving shifters more status and power.” Iannis shrugged. “In any case, I am not prepared to risk your life in such a foolhardy manner.”

I gritted my teeth. “Then come with me. That way I won’t be alone, and I can still rescue my friends.”

“I cannot.” A hint of anger entered Iannis’s tone now. “As I just explained, I must attend to this mission. If I keep refusing missions from the Minister, he will begin to doubt my commitment. He could even try to relieve me of my position if I anger him enough, and with all the chaos the Resistance has caused, he is on edge.”

“Hang on.” Fenris held up a hand before I could spit back an angry retort. “There has to be a way we can come to some sort of an agreement on this. After all, Annia, Noria, and Elnos are amongst the Resistance right now. Surely, whatever camp they have infiltrated is also a worthy target. The Minister should be happy to see it shut down as well.”

“I can mention it, but I doubt he would consider that a higher priority than the mission he’s currently assigned me,” Iannis said dryly, “especially since we have no idea which camp they are in, or what sort of operation is being run there.”

“It could be a higher priority,” I argued. “When Elnos sends his next ether pigeon, I may have more details regarding their whereabouts.”

“Perhaps, but we cannot count on that. And we have no idea when to expect his next message.”

“How about this, then?” Fenris said, turning to me. “Why don’t you go with Iannis to Dara, for starters, and find out more about his mission. In the meantime, I will call Comenius daily for news from Elnos, and relay it instantly once it is received. I will also keep an eye on Director Chen and the Council to see if they learn anything, since the camp Annia and Elnos went to is within Canalo’s borders. It is entirely possible that you may be finished with the Minister’s mission by the time we receive Elnos’s next message, and you and Iannis can go find them right away. But if not, you can make a judgment call then as to whether or not to finish the mission with Iannis, or leave and go after your friends.”

“I will not allow her to go off by herself—”

“I will meet her there,” Fenris said calmly, cutting him off. “I may not have your power, Iannis, but I am more than capable of watching over and assisting Sunaya until you arrive.”