The Magicians' Guild

Looking around at the crowded Night Room, Rothen realized he had made a mistake arriving early. Instead of talking to a crowd, he had been questioned by small groups or individuals, forced to answer the same questions over and over.

'I'm beginning to sound like a novice repeating formulas,' he muttered to Dannyl irritably.

'Perhaps you should write a report on your progress every evening and nail it to your door.'

'I don't think that would help. I'm sure they'd feel they'd miss out on some snippet of information if they didn't question me personally.' Rothen shook his head and looked around at the knots of conversing magicians. 'And they all want to hear it from me for some reason. Why don't they ever bother you?'

'Respect for your obvious seniority,' Dannyl replied.

Rothen narrowed his eyes at his friend. 'Obvious?'

'Ah, here's some wine to wet your poor, tired vocal cords.' Dannyl beckoned to a servant carrying a tray.

Accepting a glass, Rothen sipped appreciatively. Somehow, he had become the unofficial organizer of the search for the girl. All except Fergun and his friends looked to Rothen for instruction. This had forced him to spend less time actively searching, and he was being interrupted many times a day by mind communication from those who wanted him to identify the girls they had found.

Rothen winced as a hand touched his shoulder. Turning, he found Administrator Lorlen standing at his side.

'Good evening, Lord Rothen, Lord Dannyl,' Lorlen said. 'The High Lord wishes to speak to you.'

Rothen looked across the room to see the High Lord taking his preferred seat. The murmur of voices had changed to a buzz of interest as Akkarin's presence was noted. Seems I'm going to be repeating myself again, Rothen mused as he and Dannyl started toward the Guild leader.

The High Lord looked up as they approached, and acknowledged them with an almost imperceptible nod. His long fingers were curled around a wineglass.

'Please sit down.' Lorlen waved to two empty chairs. 'Tell us how your search is progressing.'

Rothen settled into a seat. 'We have interviewed over two hundred informers. Most haven't given us any useful information. A few had locked up ordinary beggar girls, despite our warning not to approach her. Some were convincingly disappointed when the place where they believed she was hiding turned out to be empty. That, unfortunately, is all I can report so far.'

Lorlen nodded. 'Lord Fergun believes she is being protected by someone.'

Dannyl's lips pressed into a thin line, but he said nothing.

'The Thieves?' Rothen suggested.

Lorlen shrugged. 'Or a rogue magician. She did learn to hide her presence quickly.'

'A rogue?' Rothen glanced at Akkarin, remembering the High Lord's assertion that no rogue magicians existed in the slums. 'Do you think there's reason to suspect we have one now?'

'I have sensed someone using magic,' Akkarin said quietly. 'Not much, and not for long. I believe she is experimenting alone, since a teacher would have instructed her to hide her activities by now.'

Rothen stared at the High Lord. That Akkarin could sense such weak magical events in the city was astounding, even disturbing. As the man's dark eyes rose to meet his, Rothen quickly looked down at his hands.

'That is ... interesting news,' he replied.

'Could you ... Could you trace her?' Dannyl asked.

Akkarin pursed his lips. 'She is using magic in short bursts, sometimes a single occurrence, sometimes several over an hour. You would sense them if you were waiting and alert to them, but you would not have time to find and capture her unless she used her power for a longer period.'

'We can get a little closer every time she uses it, though,' Dannyl said slowly. 'We could spread ourselves throughout the city and wait. Each time she experiments we can move a little closer until we know her location.'

The High Lord nodded. 'She is in the northern section of the Outer Circle.'

'Then we'll begin there tomorrow.' Dannyl drummed his fingers together. 'But we'll have to be careful that our movements don't warn her of our strategy. If someone is protecting her, they may have helpers on the lookout for magicians.' He lifted an eyebrow at the High Lord. 'Our chances of success will be greater if we disguise ourselves.'

The corner of Akkarin's mouth curled upward. 'Cloaks should hide your robes sufficiently.'

Dannyl nodded quickly. 'Of course.'

'You'll only have one chance,' Lorlen warned. 'If she learns that you can sense her using magic, she will evade you by moving to a new location after each experiment.'

'Then we must work quickly - and the more magicians we have, the faster we can locate her.'

'I will call for more volunteers.'

'Thank you, Administrator.' Dannyl inclined his head.

Lorlen smiled and leaned back in his chair. 'I must say, I never thought I'd be happy to learn that our little runaway has started to use her powers.'

Rothen frowned. Yes, he thought, but each time she does she comes closer to losing control of them completely.

The parcel was heavy, despite its small size. It made a satisfying thud when Cery dropped it on the table. Faren picked it up and tore off the paper wrapping, revealing a small wooden box. As he opened it, tiny discs of reflected light scattered over the Thief and the wall behind him. Looking down, Cery's chest tightened when he saw the polished coins. Faren drew out a wooden block with four pegs set into it. Cery watched as the Thief began stacking coins onto the pegs. The holes in the coins fit corresponding pegs: gold onto the round peg, silver on the square, and large coppers onto the triangular. The last peg, for the large coppers, which Cery was most familiar with, remained empty. As the stack of gold reached ten coins high, Faren transferred it to a 'cap,' a single wooden stick with stoppers at both ends, and set it aside.

'I have another job for you, Ceryni.'

Dragging his eyes reluctantly from the wealth stacking up in front of him, Cery straightened, then frowned as Faren's words sank in. How many more 'jobs' must he do before he would be allowed to see Sonea? It had been over a week since Faren had taken her in. Swallowing his annoyance, he nodded at the Thief.

'What is it?'

Faren leaned back in his chair, his yellow eyes bright with amusement. 'This may be more suited to your talents. A couple of thugs have taken to robbing shops around the inner Northside - shops belonging to men I have arrangements with. I want you to find out where this pair live and deliver a message in such a way they will be certain I am watching them closely. Can you do this?'

Cery nodded. 'What do they look like?'

'I've had one of my men question the shopkeepers. He will fill you in. Take this.' He handed Cery a small, folded piece of paper. 'Wait in the room outside.'

Cery turned, then hesitated. He looked back at Faren and considered whether it would be an appropriate moment to ask after Sonea.

'Soon,' Faren said. 'Tomorrow, if all goes well.'

Nodding, Cery strode to the door and stepped through. Though the burly guards eyed him suspiciously, Cery smiled back. Never make enemies of someone's lackeys, his father had taught him. Better still, make them like you a lot. This pair looked so similar they had to be brothers, though a distinctive sear across one man's cheek made it easy to tell them apart.

'I'm to wait here,' he told them. He gestured to a chair. 'Taken?'

The scarred one shrugged. Cery sat down and looked around the room. His eyes were drawn to a strip of bright green cloth hanging from a wall, an incal stitched in gold at the tip.

'Hai! Is that what I think?' he asked, rising again.

The scarred man grinned. 'It is.'