“Thanks to a loyal servant who saw fit to send a report to me, your actions from last night have not gone unnoticed.” He snapped his fingers, and Fenris returned to his side. “You will go back to your room and stay there until I tell you otherwise. If I find you wandering around before I summon you, you will be severely punished. Have I made myself clear?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice as brittle as the rest of me. As I stood now, I wasn’t sure I would be able to take another blow, physical or mental. So in the interest of self-preservation, I bit back any retort I might have made, executed an about-face, and left the room.
Hopefully Fenris would get me some food before the Chief Mage saw fit to summon me. Otherwise, the guards might come to my chamber and find me in a coma.
Chapter Eleven
Servants arrived at my door with food shortly after I was sent to my room, and by the looks of things they were sent by Fenris – they brought in two roasted pheasants, a leg of ham, a heaping plate of potatoes and a bowl of greens that I didn’t examine too closely. I dug into the food with enthusiasm, eager to replenish my energy, and by the time I’d licked every crumb and grease spot from my plates I was full, sleepy, and feeling a lot better about myself.
Sure, I still had no idea what the Chief Mage was going to do when he summoned me, but since he’d had my shackles removed and given me the ability to recharge, at least I wouldn’t be completely weak and defenseless.
It was late afternoon, the sun beginning to dip toward the horizon outside my window, and the industrious part of me wanted to train, or study, or explore the palace – anything that might be useful. But since I wasn’t allowed to do any of those things, I did what any self-respecting feline would do in my situation.
I curled up on my bed and slept.
When the knock on my door awoke me, night had fallen, painting the room with shadows and moonlight. Yawning, I stretched lazily before I opened the door to find a single guard standing outside my room.
“What’s up?” I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle another yawn, blinking at the guard.
“The Chief Mage requests your presence in thirty minutes.” The guard looked me up and down with a disapproving frown. “He sent me to fetch you, so I suggest you make yourself look a little more… presentable.”
“Presentable?” My first instinct was to tell the guard to fuck off, but then it occurred to me that I’d yet to look at myself in the mirror today. I probably had crusts in my eyes and pillow creases all over my face, not to mention bedhead. “Oh alright,” I snapped. “Give me a few minutes.”
I slammed the door in his face, then opened it again after I’d grabbed a robe and a change of clothes and headed down to the bathing room, skipping the bathtub in favor of a quick shower. Ten minutes later, I stood in front of the mirror dressed in a red tee and black sweats, feeling ridiculously inadequate as I finger combed my unruly black curls. Thankfully my face looked decent enough – the food and sleep had been enough to heal the simple cuts and bruises from Chartis’s air slaps, and my bottle-green eyes were bright and alert – but I was woefully underdressed for an audience with the Chief Mage.
Oh please. As if you looked any better the last couple of times you were summoned. If he’d wanted you to wear better clothes, he would have had the servants provide you with some.
True. Clearly I was letting my hormones get the better of me again. Since when did I care what any man I wasn’t trying to fuck thought of me? But I couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped my lips as I studied my reflection. I’d been without my leathers and weapons for so long now, it was like a different person looking back at me.
A knock on the door interrupted my pity-party. “Miss Baine, the Chief Mage is waiting.”
Grumbling, I wrenched the door open and stepped out into the hall. “Take me away, Captain.”
The guard frowned at me, then led me through the torch-lit corridors in silence. He was nothing like the other guards, who’d been more than happy to taunt, glare and leer at me depending on their mood, and it made me wonder whether Fenris or the Chief Mage had specifically chosen him for that reason. I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about it – on the one hand it was nice not to have to put up with that shit, but on the other hand it was weird not to hear it.
Clearly I had masochistic tendencies.
The guard stopped in front of the doors to the Chief Mage’s study, then opened them and stood back to let me in. “They’re waiting for you, Miss Baine.”
Sure enough, I stepped in to see Iannis sitting behind his desk, talking with Fenris who was lounging casually in the visitor’s chair in human form. They both rose at the sight of me, Fenris coming around the back of the desk to stand by the Chief Mage’s side. The sight reminded me of where Fenris’s loyalties lay, regardless of how nice he was to me. The door closed behind me, and I swallowed against the ball of nerves in my throat.
“Hi.” I clasped my hands behind my back so I wouldn’t fidget with them.