The High Lord

room restlessly, examining the furniture and the framed maps and plans he'd collected and hung on his walls years ago.

I miss Tayend, he thought. I miss sharing a bottle of wine, and talking for hours. I miss sitting in our room working on our research. I miss... everything.

He longed to tell Tayend about Akkarin's story. The scholar would work his way through every detail of it, teasing out hidden inconsistencies or meanings. He would see possibilities that others had never considered.

But Dannyl was glad that the scholar wasn't here. If Akkarin's story proved to be true, Dannyl would rather Tayend was as far away from the Guild as possible.

He considered everything he had been told about black magic in preparation for his position as Ambassador, and what he had learned from the Dem's book. By using it, a magician could draw magical strength from others. A person gifted with magical talent had more power to take than one without it - but that did not mean that a magician was the better target. A magician, once defeated, would have little magic left to take. It was the person gifted with magical talent who hadn't been trained to use it who would be the most attractive victim.

Which was exactly what Tayend was.

Dannyl sighed. He felt as if he were being pulled in two directions. Though he longed to return to Elyne to make sure Tayend was safe, he did not want to abandon Kyralia and the Guild either.

He thought of Rothen and smiled grimly. I might have joined this group of spies once. Now I hesitate, because I know how I would feel if Tayend left on such a dangerous mission. I wouldn't do that to him unless there was no other choice.

Sitting down at his desk, Dannyl drew out a sheet of paper, ink and a pen. He paused to consider what he could risk putting onto paper.

To Tayend of Tremmelin:

As you have no doubt heard, the Guild is in a state of upheaval. I arrived to learn that the High Lord had been arrested for using black magic. You will appreciate how unfortunate the timing was in relation to our work, but while it created some problems, none have proven too troublesome so far.

He went on to relate Akkarin's story, then explained that he could not return to Elyne until he knew the Guild was safe.

I will be surprised, and not a little annoyed, if I am not free to return within the next few months. While it is good to speak to Rothen again, I don't feel like I belong here now. Instead, I feel like a visitor waiting for the chance to return home. When this matter is settled, I will ask Lorlen if I may continue in the role of Guild Ambassador to Elyne permanently.

Yours in friendship, Ambassador Dannyl.

Sitting back in his chair, Dannyl considered the letter carefully. It was more formal than he would have liked, but he was not about to put on paper anything more personal. If there were people like Farand in the Allied Lands, employed to listen to magicians' mental conversations, there must also be people employed to intercept and read mail.

He rose and stretched. It might be months before he could leave Kyralia. If Akkarin's claims proved to be true, the Guild would want to keep as many magicians in Kyralia as possible. He could be stuck here for a long time.

If Akkarin was telling the truth, he thought with a shiver, I might never return to Elyne again.

23 Spies

While outside the summer heat was slowly rising to its peak, the rooms inside the University were still pleasantly cool. Rothen relaxed in one of the large comfortable chairs in the Administrator's office and regarded his companions. Lord Solend, the historian, seemed a strange choice for a spy, but who would suspect the sleepy- looking old man of gathering intelligence for the Guild? The other spy, Lord Yikmo, was the Warrior Skills teacher who had trained Sonea.

Solend was an Elyne, and Yikmo a Vin, making Rothen the only Kyralian magician chosen for the task. Rothen expected this would make it harder for him to get information out of the Sachakans - if they did dislike Kyralians as much as Akkarin claimed.

Lorlen drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. They were waiting to meet a professional spy, sent by the King, who would instruct them in the art of disguise and intelligence-gathering before they left for Sachaka in a few days. At a knock on the door, all turned to see who entered. A messenger strode into the room, bowed, and informed Lorlen that Raven of House Tellen would be late and offered his apologies.

Lorlen nodded. 'Thank you. You may go.'

The messenger bowed again, then hesitated and glanced around the room.

'Does this room often suffer from unexplained drafts, my lord?'

Lorlen looked at the man sharply. He opened his mouth to reply, paused, then smiled and leaned back in his chair.

'Raven.'

The man bowed again.

'Where did you get the uniform?'

'I collect them.'

So this is what a professional spy looks like, Rothen mused. He had expected someone sly and clever-looking. Instead, Raven's appearance was surprisingly ordinary.

'A useful habit, in your profession,' Lorlen commented.

'Very.' The man shivered. 'Would you like me to find the source of this draft?'

Lorlen nodded. The spy crossed the room and began examining the walls. He stopped, pulled out a nose cloth, and wiped the frame of a painting, then smiled and slipped his hand behind it.

A section of the wall slid open.

'The source of your draft,' Raven announced. He turned to regard Lorlen, and a look of disappointment crossed his face. 'But I see you already knew about it.' His hand moved again and the panel slid back into place.

'Everyone here knows of the passageways in the walls of the University,' Lorlen said. 'Not everybody knows where the entrances are, however. Using them is forbidden, though I suspect the former High Lord often ignored that rule.'

Rothen resisted a smile. Despite Lorlen's unconcerned manner, there was a crease between his eyebrows and he kept glancing at the painting. Rothen supposed the Administrator was wondering if Akkarin had ever spied on him.

Raven approached the Administrator's desk. 'Why is using them forbidden?'

'They are unsafe, in places. If novices observed magicians using them, they would be tempted to do the same - before they are capable of protecting themselves against cave-ins.'

Raven smiled. 'That is your official reason, of course. In reality, you don't want magicians or novices spying on each other.'

Lorlen shrugged. 'I'm sure that possibility was considered by my predecessor when he invoked that rule.'

'You might want to revoke it if your former High Lord's predictions come true.' Raven looked at Solend, then Yikmo. As Rothen was given the same calculating look, he wondered what the spy made of him. The man's expression betrayed nothing of his thoughts. 'They may prove to be valuable escape routes,' Raven added. He turned to face Lorlen. 'I have examined all the books, reports and maps you sent to me. Confirming whether these Ichani exist should not be difficult, particularly if they do live as the former High Lord described. You don't need to send three magicians into Sachaka.'