The Novice

“Viola also said that Sonea has dinner with the High Lord on Firstdays, so perhaps he’s not neglecting her as much as you fear.”

“Dinner, eh?” Rothen’s mood darkened as he thought of Sonea eating meals with the High Lord. It could be worse, he reminded himself. Akkarin could have kept her close by, could have... but no, he knew how stubborn she could be. She would not allow herself to be corrupted. Still, he could not help wondering what they talked about.

—Rothen!

Surprised, Rothen straightened in his seat.

—Dorrien?

—Father. How are you?

—Well. And you?

—I am well, but some here in my village are not. Rothen could sense his son’s concern. We have had an outbreak of black-tongue disease here - an unusual strain of it. When it has passed, I will be coming back for a short visit, to bring a sample for Vinara.

—Will I see you?

—Of course. I could not come all the way without speaking to you! Can I stay in my old room?

—You’re always welcome to.

—Thank you. How is Sonea?

—Well, from what Tania tells me.

—You haven’t spoken to her yet?

—Not often.

—I thought she would be visiting you all the time.

—She is busy with her studies. How soon will you be visiting?

—I can’t tell you exactly. It could take weeks or months for this disease to run its course. I’ll let you know when I have a better idea.

—Very well. Two visits in a year!

—I wish I could stay longer. Until then, Father.

—Take care of yourself.

—I will.

As Dorrien’s mind-voice faded, Tania chuckled. “How is Dorrien?”

He looked up, surprised. “Well. How did you know it was him?”

She shrugged. “You get a certain look on your face.”

“Do I?” Rothen shook his head. “You know me far too well, Tania. Far too well.”

“Yes,” she agreed, smiling. “I do.”

She turned at a knock on the door. Rothen waved a hand and willed the door open, and was surprised when Yaldin stepped inside.

“Good evening,” the old magician said. He glanced at Tania, who bowed and slipped out of the door, pulling it closed behind her. Rothen gestured to a chair and Yaldin sat down with a relieved sigh.

“I’ve been doing some of this ‘listening’ you taught me,” Yaldin said.

Abruptly, Rothen remembered that it was a Fourday. He had completely forgotten about the Night Room gathering. It was definitely time to stop taking nemmin. Perhaps he would try to sleep without it tonight.

“Hear anything interesting?”

Yaldin nodded, his expression growing serious. “It’s probably just speculation. You know what gossips magicians are - and you have a gift for choosing novices who get themselves into trouble. But I wonder if he can afford such rumors surfacing again. Especially n—”

“Again?” Rothen interrupted. His heart had begun to pound at Yaldin’s words. Now he could hardly breathe. Had something happened in the past to cause people to question Akkarin’s integrity?

“Yes,” Yaldin said. “The Elyne court is all abuzz with speculations - you know what they’re like. What do you know about this assistant of Dannyl’s?”

Taking in a deep breath, Rothen let it out slowly. “So this is about Dannyl, then?”

“Yes.” Yaldin’s frown deepened. “You do remember the rumors that circulated about the nature of his friendship with a certain novice?”

Rothen nodded. “Of course - but nothing was ever proven.”

“No, and most of us dismissed the rumors and forgot about the whole thing. But, as you may know, the Elynes are more tolerant of such behavior. From what I’ve heard, Dannyl’s assistant is known for it. Fortunately, most of the Elyne court believe that Dannyl is unaware of his assistant’s habits. They seem to find this quite funny.”

“I see.” Rothen shook his head slowly. Ah, Dannyl, he thought. Isn’t Sonea enough for me to worry about? Must you cause me sleepless nights, too?

But perhaps this wasn’t as bad as it first sounded. As Yaldin had said, the Elynes tolerated much, and loved to gossip. If the Elynes thought that Dannyl was unaware of his assistant’s preferences, and thought his ignorance merely amusing, there mustn’t be any proof that there was more to the relationship.

And Dannyl was an adult now. He could handle himself in the face of public scrutiny. If anything, his past experience would have prepared him for it.

“Do you think we should warn Dannyl?” Yaldin asked. “If he doesn’t know about this assistant...”

Rothen considered this suggestion. “Yes. I’ll write him a letter. But I don’t think we should be too concerned. I’m sure he’ll know how to deal with the Elynes.”

“But what about the Guild?”

“Nothing will stop the gossip here but time, and neither you nor I - nor Dannyl - can do anything about that.” Rothen sighed. “I think this sort of speculation is going to follow Dannyl around all his life. Unless anything is proven, it’ll sound more tired and ridiculous every time it does.”

The older magician nodded, then yawned. “You’re probably right.” He stood up and stretched. “I’ll be off to bed, then.”

“Dannyl would be proud of your spying success,” Rothen added, smiling.

Yaldin shrugged. “It’s easy once you get the trick of it.” He walked to the door. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Rising, Rothen moved into his bedroom and changed into his night clothes. As he lay down, the inevitable questions started running through his mind. Was he right? Would this gossip about Dannyl blow over?

Probably. But only if nothing was proven.

Trouble was, while he knew Dannyl better than anyone else, there was a side to the man that was still unknown to him. The novice he had adopted had been full of self-doubt and fear. Rothen had respectfully kept his distance, avoiding certain subjects and making it clear he did not intend to question Dannyl about the incident with the other novice. He knew that anyone who’d had their personal life publicly discussed - especially at such a young age - needed their privacy respected.

All novices thought about their desires, about things Dannyl had been accused of. That was how the mind worked. It did not mean they were guilty of acting upon those thoughts.

But what if those early rumors were true?

Rothen sighed, rose, and returned to the guestroom. When he had taken on Dannyl’s guardianship, he had approached the Head of Healers, Vinara’s predecessor, for advice. Lord Garen had told Rothen that the occurrence of men taking male lovers was more common than generally thought. The old Healer had been surprisingly accepting of the practice, saying in his typical clinical fashion that there was no physical harm in an adult male relationship if both were free of disease.

The social consequences, however, were far worse. Honor and reputation mattered more than anything else to the Houses, and the Kyralian court was painfully conservative. While Dannyl couldn’t be thrown out of the Guild for such a “crime,” he would become a social outcast. He would probably lose his ambassadorial position, and would never be offered a role of importance again. He would not be included in Guild projects, and none of his own experiments would receive funding or attention. He would be the butt of jokes and the victim of...

Stop it. Nothing has been proven. It’s just a rumor.