“What the fuck does that mean?” I fisted my hands in my skirts, just itching to slap some sense into him. “How the hell do you expect us to work together if you insist on treating me like a child that needs to be kept in the dark?”
“It’s not a matter of age, but experience.” Iannis’s eyes hardened. “Acknowledging your parentage publicly is going to open up a world of problems that you won’t be well-equipped enough to deal with until you understand the magical world and its rules far better. Once you are finished with your apprenticeship, I will happily divulge your father’s identity.”
“Once I’m finished with my apprenticeship?” I echoed in disbelief. “But that’s not for another ten years!”
Iannis sighed. “Answer me honestly. Is there really any burning reason for you to know his identity right now?”
“Other than the fact that he’s my father and I want to?” I answered sarcastically.
“Yes, and just what would you do with that information?” Iannis challenged. “Are you going to run off to reconnect with the father who abandoned you, while the Northia Federation is on the verge of calamity? Is it truly so important that you discover the identity of a mage who clearly does not want to have anything to do with you, right this very second?”
“No,” I admitted tightly around the lump swelling in my throat. I glanced away, blinking back tears of anger and grief. Apparently the wound of my father’s abandonment was more tender than I’d realized.
“I haven’t told you who he is precisely because I do not wish to cause you unnecessary distress,” Iannis said gently. “Believe me, if circumstances change and this knowledge becomes necessary, I will tell you.”
I let out a deep breath, then turned to face Iannis again. “You know, I could just ask Coman myself,” I pointed out.
“Let me save you the trouble,” he said dryly. “Coman is not your father, and if you ask him about it he will likely be rather confused. Your inquiry will merely raise suspicion and questions that we would rather not deal with, since you are here as Narina Sernan, not Sunaya Baine.”
“I guess you have a point.” My lips twisted as I acknowledged that logic. If I was going to ferret out more information about the identity of my father, I couldn’t very well do it as myself.
“I do find it very interesting that Coman approached you, however.”
“And why is that?”
“Because he is Lord Cedris’s Legal Secretary.”
“What?” My eyes widened. “What was he doing out in the coffee shop then, instead of the rotunda?”
“He may have come there during an intermission for refreshments,” Iannis speculated. “More likely, though, Lord Cedris sent him out specifically to question you and try to find out more information about me, since he believes I am his direct competition.”
“Huh.” I pressed my lips together as I considered that. “He was asking questions about our time at the Resistance camp,” I recalled. “I don’t know why that information would be of relevance to Lord Cedris, though.”
“The fact that he is asking might suggest that he has an interest in the Resistance somehow,” Iannis said, frowning. “Although he could have just been digging for dirt.”
“Well maybe we can find out more at the ball tonight,” I suggested hopefully.
“Indeed. Our main objectives tonight are to discover exactly where the Minister is sequestered, and to determine if Lord Cedris’s sudden popularity is legitimate. It defies belief, but after all that has happened we cannot exclude the possibility that he is somehow allied to the Benefactor or the Resistance.”
“I’m guessing that means you’re going to rub a lot of elbows and I’m going to listen in on as many conversations as possible?”
“Yes. And since you are not a delegate, you’ll attract less notice if you sneak off somewhere that guests are generally not supposed to be.”