From the outside, only the towers of the Palace were visible over the high round wall that surrounded it. As the Guild carriage turned onto the circular road ringing the wall, Lorlen looked up and felt a twinge of anxiety. It had been many years since he had entered the Palace. Matters between the King and the Guild were always dealt with by the High Lord. Though two magicians - the King's Advisors - attended the monarch on a daily basis, their role was to protect and counsel, not to receive or attend to orders regarding the Guild. Now, with Akkarin gone, the responsibilities of the High Lord fell to the Administrator.
While Lady Vinara looked calm, Lord Sarrin wore a frown of worry. Expatriate Administrator Kito was tapping the fingers of one hand against the other. Lorlen was unsure if this indicated nervousness or impatience. Not for the first time, he wished that Kito's duties didn't require him to be absent from the Guild so often. If he had known Kito better, he might have been able to read the man's mood from this little mannerism.
The carriage slowed, then turned toward the Palace entrance. The two enormous blackened iron gates swung inward, each guided by a pair of guards. Several more guards, standing on either side of the entrance, bowed as Lorlen's carriage entered a large enclosed courtyard.
Statues of previous kings stood proudly around the courtyard. The carriages drew to a halt in front of the grand Palace doors. A guard stepped forward and bowed as Lorlen climbed out of the carriage.
Lorlen glanced at the second Guild carriage pulling up behind the first, then stepped forward to meet the greeter at the Palace doors. The task of the greeters was to welcome every visitor to the Palace with appropriate formality and later compose a report. Lorlen had been fascinated to learn, as a child, that the greeters had developed their own shortened form of writing to speed the process.
The man bowed gracefully.
'Administrator Lorlen. An honor to meet you.' His alert eyes moved from magician to magician as he greeted each. 'Welcome to the Palace.'
'Thank you,' Lorlen replied. 'We have been summoned by the King.'
'So I have been informed.' The man was holding a small board in one hand. He drew a square of paper out of a slot in the side and made several quick marks on it with an ink stick. A boy standing nearby dashed forward, bowed, and took the slip of paper.
'Your guide,' the greeter said. 'He will take you to King Merin now.'
The boy dashed to one of the huge Palace doors and hauled it open, then stepped aside. Lorlen led the other magicians into the Palace entrance hall.
The hall was based on the one in the University and was filled with fragile-looking spiral staircases. There were many more of them, however, and they were decorated with gold and illuminated by several hanging lamps. An elaborate clockwork timepiece clicked and whirred in the center of the room. They followed their young guide up a staircase to the second level.
A complicated journey followed. Their guide led them through large doorways and along wide corridors and halls. After a long climb up a narrow staircase, they arrived at an ordinary-sized door, blocked by two guards. The boy asked them to wait, then slipped past the guards. After a short pause, he reappeared and announced that the King would see them.
As Lorlen stepped into the room beyond, his attention was immediately drawn to the tall, narrow windows. They gave a view of the entire city and beyond. He realized they were in one of the Palace towers. As he looked to the north, he almost expected to be able to see a dark line of mountains, but of course, the border was far beyond the horizon.
The King was sitting in a large, comfortable chair on the far side of the room. The King's Advisors stood on either side, their expressions watchful and serious. Lord Mirken was the older of the pair. Lord Rolden was closer to the King's age, and, Lorlen knew, was considered as much a friend as protector.
'Your Majesty,' Lorlen said. He dropped to one knee, and heard the rustle of robes behind him as the other Higher Magicians followed suit.
'Administrator Lorlen,' the King replied, 'and Higher Magicians of the Guild. Be at ease.'
Lorlen and the others rose.
'I wish to discuss the claims of the former High Lord with you and your colleagues,' the King continued. His gaze shifted from one magician to another, then he frowned. 'Where is Lord Balkan?'
'The Head of Warriors is at the Northern Fort, Your Majesty,' Lorlen explained, 'with the magicians who escorted Akkarin to the border.'
'When will he return?'
'He intends to remain in case Akkarin attempts to return that way, or his story proves to be true and these Ichani he spoke of try to enter Kyralia.'
The King's frown deepened. 'I need him here, where I can consult with him.' He hesitated. 'My Advisors tell me you have given orders that all mental communication cease. Why is that?'
'Last night I heard the mental voice of a magician unknown to me.' Lorlen felt a chill as he remembered. 'He appeared to have been listening in to a conversation I was having with my assistant.'
The King's eyes narrowed. 'What did this stranger say?'
'I thanked Lord Osen for informing me that Akkarin and Sonea had entered Sachaka. The stranger repeated the thanks.'
'That is all this stranger said?'
'Yes.'
'You don't know if this stranger is Ichani, however.' The King tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. 'But if the Ichani do exist, and have been listening to your conversations, they may have learned a great deal in the last few days.'
'Unfortunately, yes.'
'And if I order Lord Balkan home, they will hear of it. Will his Warriors be capable of defending the Fort against attack if he leaves them and returns?'
'I do not know. I could ask him, but if his answer is no and he leaves, anyone listening will know the Fort is vulnerable.'
The King nodded. 'I understand. Speak to him. If he feels he cannot leave, then he must stay.'
Lorlen sent out a mental call to Balkan. The response was immediate.
Lorlen nodded and looked at the King. 'He is confident they can defend the Fort. He should arrive in two or three days.'
The King nodded, satisfied. 'Now, tell me about your investigations.'
Lorlen clasped his hands behind his back. 'In the last few days we have located a few merchants who visited Sachaka in the past, and one does remember the term 'Ichani.' He said it meant 'bandit' or 'robber.' Merchants and their possessions have been known to disappear in the wastes. It was assumed they had lost their way. That is all we know. We are sending three magicians into Sachaka to seek more information. They will leave in a few days.'
'And what defensive preparations have you made in case Akkarin's story is true?'
Lorlen turned to regard his fellow magicians. 'If what he says is true, and these Ichani are hundreds of times stronger than a single Guild magician, I don't know if there is anything we can do. There are over three hundred of
