“I don’t know. He probably persuaded Gennyl to borrow some, too.”
“You don’t know it was Regin’s doing, Sonea.”
She snorted softly.
“Why don’t you have a copy made?”
“That would be expensive, wouldn’t it?”
“It’s what your allowance is for, remember.”
She winced and looked away. “How long would it take?”
“That depends on the book. A few days for printed ones, a few weeks for handwritten. Your teacher will know which volumes are best.” He chuckled and lowered his voice. “Don’t tell him your reasons, and he’ll be impressed by your apparent interest in the subject.”
She picked up her folder of notes. “I may as well go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Do you want me to come with you?”
She hesitated, then shook her head. “Lord Ahrind keeps a close eye on everyone.”
“Good night, then.”
“Good night.”
Lord Jullen eyed her suspiciously as she left the Magicians’ Library. It was chilly outside, and she hurried across to the Novices’ Quarters. Stepping through the door, she saw the small crowd of novices in the corridor and stopped. As they saw her their faces split with wide grins. Looking beyond them, she saw the words someone had written on her door with smeared ink. Gritting her teeth, she took a step forward.
As she did, Regin emerged from the crowd. She braced herself for his mocking words, but he suddenly retreated again as quickly as he had appeared.
“Hai! Sonea!”
Recognizing the voice, she spun about. Two figures had entered the corridor, one tall, one short. Lord Ahrind’s eyes narrowed as he saw the writing on the door. He stepped past her, and she heard the denials of the novices behind her.
“I don’t care who did it. You will clean it off. Now!”
But Sonea ignored it all. Her attention had been captured by a familiar, friendly face.
“Cery!” she breathed.
Cery’s grin faded as he took in everything behind her. “They’re giving you a hard time, aren’t they.” It was not a question.
She shrugged. “They’re just children. I—”
“Sonea.” Lord Ahrind returned to their side. “You have a visitor, as you can no doubt see for yourself. You may speak to him in the corridor, or outside. Not in your room.”
Sonea nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
Satisfied, he stalked to his door and disappeared. Looking around, she saw that all of the novices but one had disappeared. She watched the remaining boy wipe the ink off her door. By the sullen look he gave her before he hurried away and disappeared into his room, she guessed he had been merely one of the audience, not the one who had written the message.
Though the corridor was empty, Sonea could imagine ears pressed against doors, listening to her conversation with Cery.
“Let’s go outside. Wait here. I’ll just get something.”
Slipping inside her room, she collected a small package, then returned to the corridor and led Cery out to the gardens. They found a sheltered bench. As she created a barrier of warmth around them both, Cery’s eyebrows rose and he gave her an approving look.
“You’ve picked up a few useful tricks.”
“Just a few,” she agreed.
His eyes darted around, constantly watching the shadows. “Remember when we were in this garden last,” he said. “Creeping through those trees. That’s nearly a year ago now.”
She grinned. “How could I forget?”
Her grin faded as she remembered what she had witnessed beneath the High Lord’s Residence. At the time she had been too eager to get away to tell Cery what she had seen. Later, she had told him she’d watched a magician performing magic, but she hadn’t known it was forbidden black magic. Now, of course, she had promised the Administrator that she would keep the truth hidden from all but Rothen.
“That boy is the leader isn’t he? The one who hid when he saw that magician - Lord Ahrind, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
“What’s this boy’s name?”
“Regin.”
“He been bothering you much?”
She sighed. “All the time.” As she told him of the pranks and jibes, she felt both embarrassed and relieved. It felt good to be talking to her old friend, and satisfying to see the anger on Cery’s face.
He swore colorfully. “That boy needs a good lesson, if you ask me. Would you like me to teach him?”
Sonea chuckled. “You’d never get close to him.”
“Oh?” He smiled slyly. “Magicians aren’t supposed to hurt people, are they?”
“No.”
“So he can’t use his powers in a fight with a non-magician, can he?”
“He won’t fight you, Cery. He’d consider it beneath himself to fight a dwell.”
He made a rude noise. “Is he a coward, then?”
“No.”
“He’s got nothing against giving you some rub, though. You were a dwell.”
“He’s not fighting me. He’s just making sure everyone remembers where I’m from.”
Cery considered this for a while, then shrugged. “Then we’ll just have to kill him.”
Surprised at the absurdity of the suggestion, she laughed.
“How?”
His eyes flashed. “We could... lure him into a passage, then cave it in.”
“That’s all? He’d only have to shield himself, then push the rubble away.”
“Not without using up his magic. How about we cover him with a lot of rubble? A whole house.”
“It would take a lot more than that.”
He pursed his lips, thinking. “We could trip him into a vat of sewage and seal him in.”
“He’d blast his way out.”
“Then we’ll trick him into boarding a ship, then sink it far out in the sea.”
“He’d make a bubble of air around himself and float.”
“Ah, but he couldn’t hold it forever. He’ll get tired, then drown.”
“We can hold a basic shield for a long time,” she told him. “All he has to do is communicate with Lord Garrel by mind and the Guild would send out another boat to rescue him.”
“If we sank the ship a long way from any magicians, he might die of thirst.”
“He might,” she conceded, “but I doubt it. Magic makes us robust. We survive longer than ordinary people - and besides, we’ve learned how to extract salt from water. He wouldn’t go thirsty, and he could catch and cook fish to eat.”
Cery uttered a small gasp of impatience. “Stop it! You’re making me jealous. Can’t you wear him out for me first? Then I’ll give him a good softening.”
Sonea laughed. “No, Cery.”
“Why not? Is he stronger than you?”
“I don’t know.”
“What then?”
She looked away. “It’s not worth it. Whatever you do, he’d get me back.”
Cery sobered. “Seems he gets enough fun out of you already. It’s not like you to just put up with something like this. Fight him, Sonea. Sounds like you’ve got nothing to lose.” His eyes narrowed. “I could do it the Thieves’ way.”
She looked at him sharply. “No.”
