But ever since we’d confirmed that Argon Chartis, the former director of the Canalo Mages Guild, had defected to the Resistance, I was worried there would be others like him. What if the camp Annia and Elnos infiltrated had a renegade mage at their disposal, or some other magic user? They could have recruited a witch, or even a shaman if they were near tribal lands. As I’d experienced firsthand, tribal shamans were not to be underestimated—they could be just as powerful as mages. And though I didn’t know much about witches, some of them might be equally formidable, even if they practiced their magic differently.

I wonder if Elania and Comenius might be willing to come, I thought to myself as I headed down the front steps of the palace and onto the garden path. If Fenris had to come out and meet me, perhaps he could take them along. The more manpower, the better.

The gardens were beautiful this time of year, with paths winding through perfectly trimmed lawns, past fountains and statues of famous Canalo mages. There were bushes and trees with blossoms in every variety of color, some of them magically enhanced. I paused to sit on a carved stone bench and glanced up at the tree above me. It had brilliant blue leaves, and instead of blossoms, tiny bells grew from the branches, ringing softly as the ocean breeze ruffled them. These bell trees seemed to be very popular in the Mages Quarter—I’d seen more than one of them on the front lawns of the mages who lived here.

“Miss Baine! There you are.”

I stiffened at the sound of Director Chen’s voice. She was coming down the path to my left, her pale, ivory-skinned face serene as usual, though I caught a hint of relief in her slanted eyes. She wore emerald-green silk robes with a cream sash around her waist that drew the eye to her slim figure, and her fine, straight hair was tied into an elegant knot.

“Director Chen.” Resigned, I got to my feet to greet her. She was the director of the Mages Guild and Iannis’s deputy, after all, and I had to show some respect even if I didn’t like her all that much. “What can I do for you?”

“Would you mind sitting down with me for a cup of tea?” she asked. “There are some things I’d like to discuss with you that might be better said in private.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What kind of things?” If she was going to warn me off Iannis again, I was going to punch her right in the nose. Sure, that was probably stupid, since she was a powerful mage, but I wasn’t going to stand here and let her try to tear Iannis and me apart.

“Nothing bad,” Chen assured me hastily, reading the look in my eye. “It’s business-related, I assure you.”