Putting the letter down, Lorlen leafed through the notes that followed. They were clear and well-written, describing and piecing together scraps of information from ages before the formation of the Guild. Finally, on the last page, Dannyl had included a small note.
Lorlen smiled. If he’d known Dannyl was this good at research, he would have made use of him earlier. Though Dannyl had not yet unearthed anything that could be used against Akkarin, he had gathered a lot of information in a short time. Lorlen’s hopes that something useful would be found had grown stronger.
No awkward questions had been asked, either. As he’d hoped, Dannyl was sensible enough to keep the matter confidential even though he didn’t know the reason for the secrecy. If Dannyl did discover something that caused him to suspect that Akkarin had learned black magic, Lorlen was sure the young magician would inform him in secret.
What then? Lorlen pursed his lips, considering. He would probably have to tell Dannyl the truth. But he was confident that the young magician would see the wisdom of avoiding a confrontation with Akkarin until it could be done without risk. Knowing that Rothen and Sonea had agreed to this plan would also help to convince Dannyl to stay silent.
But it would be better to avoid telling Dannyl the truth for as long as possible. For now, Lorlen would help Dannyl gather as much information as he could. Pulling out a sheet of paper, Lorlen wrote a letter to the First Guild Ambassador. He sealed it carefully, marked the address of the Guild House in Elyne, then placed it in another box on his desk. Lord Osen would arrange for a courier to send it tomorrow.
Rising, Lorlen stowed Dannyl’s letter and notes in a box that he kept for important documents. He strengthened the magical barrier that prevented others from reaching the contents, then stowed it in a cupboard behind his desk. As he left the room he allowed himself a small smile.
Akkarin was right when he said I chose the right man for the position of Second Guild Ambassador to Elyne.
9
Considering the Future
“Could you get me a plainer one of these?” Sonea asked, holding up the silver hairbrush.
“Oh, not that, too?” Tania sighed. “Aren’t you going to take anything nice?”
“No. Nothing valuable and nothing that I like.”
“But you’re leaving so much behind - what about a pretty vase? I’ll bring you some flowers now and then. It’ll make the room so much nicer.”
“I’m used to much worse, Tania. When I work out a way to hide or protect things, I might come and get some books.” Sonea regarded the contents of a box lying on her bed. “That’s it.”
Tania sighed. She picked up the box and carried it out of the room. Following her, Sonea found Rothen pacing in the guestroom. His brow was furrowed and when he saw her he hurried over and took her hands.
“I’m sorry about this, Sonea,” he began. “I—”
“Don’t apologize, Rothen,” she told him. “I know you did what you could. It’s better that I go.”
“But it’s nonsense. I could—”
“No.” She gave him a level look. “I have to go. If I don’t, Regin will make sure they find proof. And he still might try, if his aim is to have your guardianship of me removed. Then the teachers can ignore me and I won’t be able to do anything about it.”
His frown returned. “I hadn’t thought of that,” he growled. “It’s not right that a mere novice should cause us this much trouble.”
She smiled. “No, but he won’t stop me from getting ahead of him, will he? We’ll keep working.”
Rothen nodded. “We will.”
“Then I’ll meet you outside the Magicians’ Library in an hour?”
“Yes.”
She squeezed his hands and let them go, then nodded to Tania. The servant lifted the box and carried it to the door. As Sonea stepped into the doorway she looked back and smiled at Rothen.
“I’ll be fine, Rothen.”
He managed a thin smile in reply. Turning away, Sonea started down the corridor, Tania at her side.
The Magicians’ Quarters were unusually busy for a Freeday morning. Sonea ignored the stares of the magicians who passed, knowing the anger she felt would be too hard to hide if she met their gaze. She half heard Tania mutter something about fairness as they started down the stairs, but didn’t ask her to repeat it. She’d had enough of such talk in the last few days.
She had sounded much braver than she felt, back in Rothen’s rooms. Once in the Novices’ Quarters there would be no escape from Regin. She could lock her room door with magic - Rothen had shown her how - but she was sure Regin would find some way to get at her. And she couldn’t stay in there all the time.
This was his revenge for her slandering of his House. She should have thrown him on the floor and left it at that. But she’d opened her mouth and insulted him and he wasn’t going to let her get away with it. So much for ignoring him in the hope he’d get bored and leave her alone.
Now it wasn’t just the novices muttering her name in the corridors. She’d heard enough whispers from magicians to know their opinion of her. None really cared who had started the rumor or why. “Rumors like these should never start in the first place,” as one teacher had put it. Living with Rothen looked suspicious, especially when her past was taken into consideration. As if every woman of the slums was a whore!
And she’d heard many people asking why she should be treated any differently than the other novices. They had to live in the Novices’ Quarters. So should she.
Reaching the doors to the Magicians’ Quarters, Sonea started across the courtyard. The stifling heat of midsummer was well past, and the day was pleasantly warm. She could feel a faint heat radiating from the paving stones.
She had never entered the Novices’ Quarters before. Only once, during the night she and Cery had snuck around the Guild so long ago, had she peeked through the windows and seen the rooms inside. They had been small, plain and undecorated.
Several groups of novices stood around the entrance. They stopped their conversations to stare at her, some leaning closer together to whisper. She gave them a mild glance as she passed, then stepped through the open doors.
More novices roamed along the corridor inside, and Sonea resisted the urge to scan for familiar faces. Tania moved to the right of the entrance and knocked on a door.
As they waited, Sonea watched the novices in the corridor from the corner of her eye. She wondered where Regin was. Surely he’d be present for this little moment of victory.
