The sound of violin music and chatter, which I’d caught strains of from the stairwell, grew louder, and I bit back a derisive snort as we turned a corner and came upon the banquet hall. The doors were thrown wide open, so music and light and tinkling laughter spilled freely into the hall, giving me an immediate impression of restrained elegance. More guards flanked the entrance, and expressions of shock crossed their faces before they stepped back to admit us.
The banquet hall was filled with round tables large enough to seat ten each. Most of the mages were seated at these tables, enjoying their food and wine and conversation, and my stomach grumbled at the enticing aromas of steak and salmon. A few people were standing around in small groups, some near the elaborate buffet toward the back of the room, and others near the entrance. The group nearest the doorway turned to look at us, and one of them dropped the glass of wine poised between her fingers.
“Lord Iannis!” the mage closest to us, a tall, slender man dressed in a set of silver robes that matched his short hair, exclaimed as the glass shattered into a million pieces. Dark red liquid spread quickly across the silver-veined marble, and the female mage who’d dropped it hastily scurried backward as a waiter swooped in to mop up the mess. “By the stars, but we thought you were dead!”
The entire room went silent at those words, and even the orchestra ceased playing for a few moments as everyone gaped at us in shock. Then the room exploded into pandemonium, and mages all around the room were jumping to their feet and rushing toward Iannis.
“Where have you been?”
“Do you realize you’ve missed over half of the Convention?”
“Was the Resistance responsible for your delay, or was there a mechanical malfunction?”
“Where are the rest of your delegates?”
“I’m very pleased to see you’ve brought him back here alive,” a voice murmured in my ear. I looked over my shoulder to find that Cirin Garidano, the Solantha Finance Secretary, had somehow maneuvered his way behind me. He looked very stately in his gold and blue robes, the same ones as the illusion Iannis wore, and for a moment I was reminded of the time when Argon Chartis had taken up Iannis’s seat in the audience chamber and worn his colors as well. But unlike Chartis, the Finance Secretary was acting with the blessing of the Mages Guild. It made sense for him to wear the colors of his state, as he’d been Canalo’s only representative until our arrival.
“Yeah, no thanks to you,” I jabbed, but only halfheartedly. “I had to hijack a hot air balloon in order to get to him.”
“So that hunch of yours really did work out. I must confess I thought you were bluffing. How exactly did you find him?” the Finance Secretary wanted to know. His voice was pitched low, his lips so close to my ear I could feel his breath on my skin. “What a slap in the face for the Council, that you managed to locate Lord Iannis when they could not. You clearly must have had some sort of plan in place.”
“It’s a long story.” I knew the Finance Secretary was trying to make sure he wasn’t overheard, but despite his efforts and the loud noise in the room, I wasn’t comfortable disclosing that information to him. Not to mention I still wasn’t sure I could trust him. “I’ll let the Chief Mage relay those details to you.”
“And who is this young lady accompanying you?” the mage who’d ‘greeted’ us asked, drawing my attention back to the conversation.
“Narina Sernan,” Iannis said, apparently inventing a name for me on the spot. I cursed him inwardly for not consulting with me first – he’d yet to pick an alias for me that I actually liked – but committed it to memory so I would know to answer to it. “She is my assistant, and she accompanied the search party which located me near the airship’s crash site.”
“I see.” The mage inclined his head in my direction before turning back to Iannis. “While we are all grateful for her part in your rescue, I’ll have to ask Miss Sernan to leave,” he said sternly. “This particular banquet is for delegates only.”
“Very well, Lord Bastien,” Iannis said before I could protest. “In any case, we came straight here, and one of our party must secure our rooms at the Crystal Hotel.”
“Are you serious?” I snapped, gritting my teeth in anger. “You’re going to send me off to run errands?”
“The rules here are very strict,” Iannis replied in mindspeak even as he went on talking to the other mages. “Besides, I really do need you to secure our hotel rooms and purchase clothing and other necessities. Much as I wish you could stay here with me, it isn’t possible, so please hold your temper and do as I ask. You’ll have plenty of time to snoop around tomorrow.”
“Fine.” His explanation was slightly mollifying, and I forced myself to keep my expression calm even though what I really wanted to do was spit on Lord Bastien’s shoe.