The Rogue

Alina and your daughters. And because if you were to hurt them, then I would dislike you for it. And myself.”

He looked down. “I see. Father said as much. He also pointed out that Alina and I didn’t start getting along so badly until we came to Imardin.” He sighed. “I was ready to try city life. She wasn’t.” He managed a guilty smile. “Would you believe me if I said I do care about her?”

Sonea felt a pang of affection for him. “I would.”

He nodded. “I have to give it a try. That’s only fair. We’ve disagreed before, but we always got past it.” He shook his head. “It’s a pity she was so jealous of you. She is usually so lovely to people.”

Sonea shrugged. “I can’t blame her though. Even without her being as perceptive as Rothen, there’s all that black magic and reputation as a killer to get past.”

Dorrien shook a finger at her. “Stop that. Remember, you are what you chose to be. Your robes may be black, but you’ve got the heart of a Healer.”

Sonea looked down and shrugged. “Well, at least they make me look taller.”

He chuckled, then stood up. “Well, I had best get home and start making plans for our return to the village.”

Sonea rose and they swapped places. “When will you be leaving?”

“A few weeks after Tylia joins the University.”

“Will she settle in all right, do you think?”

He nodded. “She has already made some friends here, both starting at the same time as she will be now. Rothen will keep an eye on her.”

“And we both know he’ll do an excellent job of that.”

He smiled. “He will. Goodnight, Sonea.”

“Goodnight, Dorrien.”

As the door closed behind him, Sonea looked down in the chair he’d vacated. That hadn’t been as painful as she’d feared. For a moment she felt a pang of regret. If Dorrien hadn’t been married …

She pushed that thought away, walked to the door and opened it, waving to a Healer to indicate she was ready to see patients.

* * *

Shrugging into his robes, Lorkin smoothed down the fine, richly dyed purple cloth and sighed with both appreciation and wistfulness. It was strangely comforting to be dressed in robes again. When he’d returned to his new bedroom to catch up on some sleep he’d even contemplated, though briefly, sleeping in them.

They were so much less itchy than the hunter’s clothes, and yet the bulk of fabric felt overly indulgent and heavy after the plain, practical Traitor garb. He could not help enjoying the rich, dark colour, however. Though the dyes made in Sanctuary produced gentle hues, and he had come to see the aesthetic beauty in undyed fabric, there was something deeply satisfying about Alchemic purple.

And yet, I should not be wearing it. I should not be wearing robes at all. Not only because he was bound by his promise to return to Sanctuary and Tyvara, but because he had broken one of the Guild’s most serious laws. I learned black magic. Even if they saw fit to forgive that, they would probably insist I wear black robes now.

How and when he would tell them, he hadn’t yet decided.

Moving out into the central room of the suite, Lorkin saw Merria, who had been walking about the space, stop as she noticed him.

“Ah. Lorkin. You’re awake. Good.” She hurried over. “There’s something I didn’t think of until you were asleep. This.”

She held out a ring. A blood-red stone glinted in the setting. He felt his heart leap, and reached out to take it.

“Mother’s blood ring?”

“Yes. Ambassador Dannyl left it with me, since he took Administrator Osen’s ring with him, so I could contact the Guild.” She looked at him intently. “You’ll want to tell her you’re back, but I should probably still keep the ring. Is that all right?”

He smiled. “Of course. I won’t be going anywhere until Dannyl gets back, anyway.”

She looked relieved. “That’s good to know.” She looked at the ring, then at him, and smiled. “I’ll leave you to it.” She left the room.

Sitting down, Lorkin stared at the ring and gathered his thoughts. He slipped it on his finger.

—Mother?

—Lorkin? Lorkin! Is everything all right? Are you all right?

—Yes. Everything’s fine. Are you free to talk?

—Of course! Wait … I have a patient. I’ll just …

A long pause followed.

—I am alone now. Where are you? Can you tell me?

—I’m at the Guild House in Arvice.

—Not at the Traitors’ home?

—No. Queen Zarala sent me here. She sent me on a mission of sorts.

—Queen Zarala?

—Of the Traitors.

—You’re working for her now?

—Yes. But she knows I’d have never agreed to any task that would endanger the Allied Lands.

—That’s considerate of her.

He detected a tinge of disapproval and resentment in his mother’s tone. He smiled. He’d have been surprised if there hadn’t been.

—How are you? he asked.

—Good. A few problems were resolved in the Guild over the last few days. We have another black magician, I’m afraid. Two novices managed to learn it from a book. One learned it deliberately and killed with it, and tricked the other into learning it so that she would be blamed for murder. The first has been caught and executed. The other … she proved herself honourable enough to be allowed back into the Guild and University, though with conditions.

Lorkin could not help feeling a trickle of hope at that. If the Guild had forgiven a novice for learning black magic because she proved herself honourable, would they forgive him for learning it in order to bring them stone- making magic?

They’ll have to be more flexible toward black magic if they want to adopt stone-making magic, he reminded himself. And if they don’t, I’m going to return to Sanctuary anyway.

—Sounds like you’ve had some exciting times lately, he said.

—You don’t know the half of it. We also have foreign rogue magicians in the city, ruling most of the underworld. But I’ll save that story for when you get here.

—I look forward to hearing it.

—So what is this mission the Traitor queen has sent you on?

—To negotiate an alliance between the Traitors and the Allied Lands.

Sonea did not respond for several heartbeats.

—I gather the rest of Sachaka isn’t included in this.

—No.

—Exciting times ahead, I suspect.

—Yes.

—You want me to pass this on to Osen and Balkan?

—Yes. The queen sent me here because the route to the pass is not safe at this time of year. I