Rothen sighed and reached for the jar of nemmin. As he mixed the powder with water, he thought wistfully of the past year. How could so much have changed in a few short months? How he wished everything was still as it was a year ago, before Dannyl left for Elyne, and Sonea started at the University.
Bracing himself for the bitter taste, he put the glass to his lips and gulped down the drug.
At the knock on his office door, Lorlen looked up in surprise. He was rarely disturbed this late. Rising, he walked to the door and opened it.
“Captain Barran,” he exclaimed in surprise. “What brings you to the Guild this late?”
The young man bowed, then smiled thinly. “Forgive me for the late visit, Administrator. I’m relieved to find you awake. You said I should contact you if evidence of magic was found in connection with the murders.”
Lorlen felt a stab of alarm. He opened the door wider and stepped aside. “Come in and tell me what you have found.”
Barran followed Lorlen into the room. Indicating with a wave that the young guard should sit down, Lorlen stepped around his desk and returned to his seat.
“So tell me why you believe this murderer is using magic,” he prompted.
Barran grimaced. “The burns on one of the bodies - but let me first describe the scene.” He paused, obviously sorting through details in his mind. “We were alerted to the murders about two hours ago. The house is in the Western Quarter, in one of the wealthier areas - which was a surprise. We found no sign that anyone had forced their way into the house. One window was wide open, however.
“Inside a bedroom we found two men, a young man and his father. The father was dead, and had all the marks we’ve come to associate with this murderer: wrists cut and marked with bloody fingerprints. The younger man was alive, though barely. He had typical strike burns across his chest and arms, and his ribcage was crushed. Despite this, we were able to question him before he died.”
Barran’s expression was strained. “He said the murderer was tall and dark-haired. He was dressed in dark, strange clothing.” Barran glanced up at Lorlen’s globe light. “And one of those was floating in the room. He had arrived home and heard his father shouting. The murderer had been surprised at his discovery, and had struck out without hesitation, then had fled through the window.” Barran paused and looked at Lorlen’s desk. “Oh, and he was wearing a...”
Seeing the guard’s surprised expression, Lorlen looked down. He caught his breath as he realized that Akkarin’s ring, glinting red in the light, was in plain sight. Thinking quickly, he lifted his hand to give Barran a better view.
“A ring like this?”
Barran’s shoulders lifted. “I can’t say exactly. The young man didn’t have time to describe it in detail.” He frowned and grew hesitant. “I don’t remember you wearing this before, Administrator. May I ask where you acquired it?”
“It was a gift,” Lorlen answered. He smiled wryly. “From a friend who wasn’t aware of that detail about the murders. I felt I had to wear it, even if just for a little while.”
Barran nodded. “Yes, ruby is not a popular stone at the moment. So, what will you do now?”
Lorlen sighed and considered the situation. With such obvious evidence of magic, he ought to alert the Higher Magicians. But if Akkarin was the murderer, and an investigation led to this discovery, it would bring about the confrontation with Akkarin that Lorlen feared.
Yet if Lorlen tried to hide the evidence of magic, and it turned out that Akkarin wasn’t the killer, people would continue to die at the hands of a rogue magician. Eventually the murderer would be found, the truth would come out, and people would question why Lorlen hadn’t done anything—
Lorlen blinked in surprise. Akkarin’s mind-voice was as quiet as a whisper. He managed to stop himself from staring at the ring.
Nodding, Lorlen looked up at Barran. “I will need to discuss this with my colleagues. For now, don’t let any word that this murderer uses magic spread further than necessary. Better that we can deal with this man without the public knowing he is a rogue. I will contact you tomorrow.”
Barran nodded. As Lorlen rose the young guard quickly got to his feet.
“There is one other piece of information that might interest you,” Barran said as he followed Lorlen to the door.
“Yes?”
“Word is going around that the Thieves are looking for this man, too. Seems they don’t much like having a killer about who isn’t in their control.”
“No, I imagine they wouldn’t.”
Barran stepped out of the door. “Thank you for seeing me at such a late hour, Administrator.”
Lorlen shrugged. “I am often up late. Though I doubt I’ll be getting much sleep during the rest of the night after this piece of news. Still, I thank you for bringing it to me so soon after receiving word yourself.”
The young guard smiled, then bowed. “Good night, Administrator.”
Watching Barran walk away, Lorlen sighed. He looked down at the ring on his hand.
There was no answer.
The passage turned again and Sonea paused to get her bearings. At first she tried to picture the plan in her memory, but after several tries she gave up and reached into her robe pockets.
It was a week since she had first entered the passages. She had visited them every night, each time leaving the map in her robes until she was forced to use it. She wanted to memorize it all in case Regin and his allies ambushed her and looked through her box or pockets once they had exhausted her.
Sonea’s searching fingers found nothing. The map wasn’t there. Her heart skipped and started racing. Had she lost it? Had she dropped it somewhere in the passages? She didn’t think there’d be much hope of retracing her steps. All those turns and intersections behind her...
Then she remembered that she had hidden the map inside the fraying cover of one of her medicine books, which was in her box - and she had left her box at a passage entrance, not wanting to lug it around while exploring.
She cursed herself for forgetting and started back the way she had come. After several hundred paces she stopped, shaking her head. She should have reached familiar ground by now, but the turns and intersections were all wrong.
She was lost.
She didn’t feel frightened, only annoyed at herself. The Guild grounds were big, but she doubted the tunnels would go far beyond the area covered by the buildings. If she kept going, she was bound to find herself under the University eventually. So long as she didn’t wander aimlessly, and paid attention to the general direction they took her, she would find her way out.
So she started walking. After several twists and turns, and the discovery of a small complex of rooms including one with a blocked fireplace and a tiled room that must have once been a bath, she came to a dead end where the roof had collapsed. It was not one of the dead ends she had encountered before. Doubling back, she chose another path.
Eventually she found herself in a straight passage with no side entrances. Her curiosity grew stronger as she continued down this passage. A straight tunnel like this must lead to something. Perhaps another Guild building. Or perhaps it led out of the Guild altogether.
After a few hundred paces she encountered an alcove. Stepping into it, she discovered the mechanism for a hidden door. She found the spy hole that all of the doors contained and put her eye to it.
A room lay beyond, but she could not see much of it. Not only was the room dark, but a piece of dirty glass had been placed over the hole, blurring the view.
But she could see enough to know that the room was empty. Reaching for the mechanism, she pulled a lever and the door swung open. She looked around the room and felt her blood turn to ice.
