“May the gods be with you, Sunaya,” she told me.
“And you.” Truthfully, I had no idea what she meant by that, as I’d always operated under the assumption that there was one god – Magorah. I’d only recently found out that mages worshipped a version of Him called the Creator, as well as His right-hand woman, the first mage Resinah. I was still trying to wrap my head around what was true, but I couldn’t deny that I’d felt a strong, powerful presence in Resinah’s temple, and more than once I’d even imagined hearing her voice.
I stepped onto the platform, then turned back to face Noria as a thought occurred to me. “Promise me something.”
“What?”
“Will you wait to join the Resistance?” When Noria’s face stiffened, I added, “At least until we get back? I’d hate to think this is the last time we’ll see you.” Once Noria joined up with the Resistance she would become an outlaw, and would have to flee to one of the Resistance’s hidden camps.
“I’ll try,” she allowed, her voice tight. “But no promises.”
I nodded, then boarded the balloon. It was the best I could hope for.
“Take care of my sister, will you?” Annia called to Elnos as she hopped into the basket with me.
“Of course.” Elnos nodded solemnly. Although he wouldn’t – or rather, couldn’t – stop Noria from joining the Resistance, he wasn’t a fan of the idea. He would try to hold her off as long as possible.
“Alright,” Fenris said as he settled himself into the basket along with us. “Let’s get going.”
Noria and Elnos rushed to cut the ropes tying the balloon to the ground. As they did, I took hold of the rope dangling from above, which I was supposed to direct my magic through to steer the balloon. I gripped the edge of the basket with my other hand as the balloon began to rise into the air, slowly, ever so slowly, and I watched as we crested the tops of the various buildings that made up the compound of the Academy. Soon we were high enough to see all of Rowanville – I could make out my apartment building, clustered in between so many of the other buildings and shops in Rowanville, and further up, the Port, nestled alongside Solantha Bay’s glittering coast. Turning my neck, I also caught sight of Solantha Palace, Iannis’s home, its towers and turrets spearing the gorgeous blue sky. The sun was halfway up its ascent to noon, casting bright rays over the glittering Bay waters, and I felt a tug at my heart. Solantha might be unsafe for me right now, but it was still my home, and I hated to leave it.
“Sunaya.” Fenris’s voice was at my ear. “You need to steer now, or the wind is going to blow us off course.”
“Right.” The wind was already pushing the balloon in a northwesterly direction, and we needed to head southeast. I cast one last glance toward Solantha, my eyes briefly lingering on Hawk Hill across the bay where Resinah’s temple was secluded, then turned away. Focusing, I mumbled the Words that Elnos had taught me, and the burnt-sugar scent of magic laced the air as the rope between my fingers began to glow. Some directional instinct activated inside of me, a product of the spell, and I tugged the rope in the direction I wanted the balloon to follow.
“Nice job,” Annia said as the balloon began moving southeast. She braced her arms on the edge of the basket and looked out, her dark red hair streaming out behind her like a banner. The sun kissed her face, highlighting her skin with a peachy glow, and from the way Fenris was eyeing her I saw I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.
“What?” he asked defensively when he noticed I’d switched my gaze to his.
“Just wondering if you’ve got something to share with the class.”
“You already know how I feel about having her here,” he muttered, but he averted his gaze.
But as I continued to steer the balloon, I wondered if I really did know how he felt. Fenris had stressed the need for discretion on this mission, but I wasn’t sure why. After all, there was a horde of people heading out to search for Iannis. Why did it make a difference that Annia was teaming up with us as opposed to going out on her own, or with a crew of Enforcers? Was there some kind of secret that Fenris was worried she’d find out about?
He does seem to have his fair share of secrets, I thought as I looked out across the changing landscape. We’d cleared the city now, and rolling hills of green stretched out below us, side by side with plots of farmland and orchards. The trees beneath us were laden with fruit just ripe for the picking. Hopefully whatever part of Mexia we ended up in would also have fruit-laden bushes or trees, or at the very least plentiful game. But at least part of the Coazi area was supposed to be desert country, so perhaps that was overly optimistic.
So long as we find Iannis, I’ll put up with anything, I thought, my eyes firmly on the horizon. I only hoped that we found him before it was too late.
6