The Magicians' Guild

Rothen smiled. 'When I first saw what was contained within her I did not believe it. The strength she has is remarkable!'

The muttering among the audience grew louder. Dannyl nodded to himself. Good, he thought. If she's strong people will favor Rothen as her guardian.

An older magician near the front of the gathering gave a shrug. 'But we knew she had to be strong or her powers would not have developed on their own.'

Vinara smiled. 'Of course, strength is not the ultimate test of a novice. What talents has she displayed?'

Rothen pursed his lips. 'Her visualization ability is good. That will help her in most disciplines. Her memory is good, too. I've found her to be an intelligent and attentive student.'

'Has she tried to use her powers at all?' asked a red-robed magician.

'Not since she arrived. She understands the danger very well.'

The questions continued. Glancing around the crowd, Dannyl caught a glimpse of a smooth blonde head in a group of approaching magicians. He shifted closer to Rothen, waiting for an appropriate moment to whisper a warning.

- Lord Dannyl.

A few magicians in the crowd blinked and looked at Dannyl. Recognizing the mind voice, Dannyl searched the room and found Administrator Lorlen sitting in his usual chair. The blue-robed magician pointed to Rothen, then beckoned.

Smiling, Dannyl nodded and leaned close to Rothen's ear.

'I believe the Administrator wishes to rescue you.'

As Rothen turned to look at the Administrator, Dannyl saw that Fergun had reached the crowd. A familiar voice joined the chatter, and a few faces turned in the warrior's direction.

'Excuse me, all.' Rothen said. 'I must speak to Administrator Lorlen.' He inclined his head politely, then nudged Dannyl in Lorlen's direction.

Looking back, Dannyl's gaze locked with Fergun's for a moment. The Warrior's lips were stretched in a satisfied smile.

As they reached Lorlen's chair, the Administrator waved to neighboring seats. 'Good evening, Lord Rothen, Lord Dannyl. Sit down and tell me how Sonea is progressing.'

Rothen remained standing. 'I was hoping to have a private word with you about that, Administrator.'

Lorlen's brows rose. 'Very well. Shall we talk in the Banquet Room?'

'Please.'

The Administrator rose and led them to a nearby door. As they stepped through, a globe light flared above his head, illuminating a huge table that filled most of the room.

Lorlen pulled out one of the chairs arranged around the table and sat down. 'How is your leg, Lord Dannyl?'

Dannyl looked up, surprised. 'Better.'

'Your limp seems to have returned this evening,' Lorlen observed.

'It is the cold,' Dannyl replied.

'Ah, I see.' Lorlen nodded, then turned to Rothen. 'What is it that you would like to discuss?'

'I began Control exercises two days ago,' Rothen told him. Lorlen frowned, but remained silent as Rothen continued. 'You wanted to check on her progress after two weeks, and asked that I introduce her to another magician before then. Because of her lack of progress, I haven't wanted to distract her with visitors, but I feel she may be ready soon. Can you put off your visit for a few days?'

Lorlen regarded Rothen steadily, then nodded. 'Only a few days, though.'

'Thank you. There is another matter, however. A possibility we will have to start considering sooner rather than later.'

Lorlen's brows rose. 'Yes?'

'Sonea does not want to join the Guild. I have ...' He sighed. 'To gain her trust, I have told her that, if she wishes to return to the slums, she may go. We can't, after all, force her to take the vow.'

'Did you tell her that we would block her powers?'

'Not yet.' Rothen frowned. 'Though I don't think she will care. I warned her that she would not be able to use her powers at all and she seemed pleased by the prospect. I believe she would rather be rid of them.'

Lorlen nodded. 'I am not surprised. She has only experienced magic as an uncontrollable, destructive force.' He pursed his lips. 'Perhaps if you taught her a few useful tricks she would start to like it better.'

Rothen frowned. 'She should not use her power until she has full control of it, and once she has Control she will expect us to let her go.'

'She does not know the difference between a Control lesson and a magic lesson,' Dannyl pointed out. 'Just let the instruction evolve from control into magic usage. That will also give you more time to convince her to stay.'

'Not much,' Lorlen added. 'Fergun doesn't need to know exactly when she achieved Control, but you won't fool him for long. You might gain an extra week.'

Rothen looked at Lorlen expectantly. The Administrator sighed and ran a hand over his brow. 'Very well. Just make sure he doesn't find out, or I'll never hear the end of it.'

'If he does, we'll say we were testing her Control,' Dannyl said. 'She is, after all, unusually strong. We would not want her to make any mistakes.'

Lorlen gave Dannyl an appraising look. He seemed about to say something, but instead he shook his head and turned to Rothen. 'Is that all you wish to discuss?'

'Yes, thank you, Administrator,' Rothen replied.

'Then I will arrange to visit in a few days. Have you considered who you will introduce her to first?'

Dannyl blinked as Rothen looked pointedly at him.

'Me?'

Rothen smiled. 'Yes. Tomorrow afternoon, I think.'

Dannyl opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again as he realized Lorlen was watching him closely.

'All right,' he said grudgingly. 'Just make sure you hide the cutlery.'

Sonea was bored.

It was too early to sleep. Tania had left with the dirty plates not long after dinner and Rothen had disappeared soon after. Having finished the book Rothen had brought for her to read that morning, Sonea paced the room, examining ornaments and the bookcase.

Finding nothing interesting or within her ability to understand, she moved to the window and looked out. There was no moon, and the gardens were shrouded in darkness. Nothing stirred.

Sighing, she decided to go to bed early. Sliding the window screen back, she started toward the bedroom - and froze as a knock came from the main door.

She turned to stare at the door. Rothen never knocked before entering, and Tania's knock was soft and polite, not this insistent rapping. A few visitors had knocked before, but Rothen had never invited them in.

A fleeting chill prickled her skin as the visitor knocked again. Sonea crept across the room to the door.

'Who is it?'

'A friend,' came the muffled reply.

'Rothen's not here.'

'I don't want to talk to Rothen. I want to talk to you, Sonea.'

She stared at the door, her heart starting to race.

'Why?'

The reply was fainter. 'I have to tell you something important, something he won't tell you.'

Rothen was keeping something from her? Alarm and excitement set her heart beating even faster. Whoever this stranger was, he was willing to defy the magicians for her sake. She wished she could see through the door to see who the visitor was.