The High Lord

Dannyl sat down. 'I see they've got you a set of robes. Have you started training yet?'

Farand nodded. 'Private lessons for now. I'm hoping they're going to spare me the humiliation of joining the younger novices.'

Dannyl chuckled. 'And miss all the fooling around?'

'From what I've heard, you didn't have an easy time as a novice.'

'No.' Dannyl sobered. 'Not in the first few years. But don't let my experiences put you off. I've heard some magicians say their years in the University were their most enjoyable.'

The young man frowned. 'I was hoping it would all be easier from here, but I'm beginning to wonder. I've heard it said that the Guild is facing a war. We're going to either fight Akkarin or Sachakan magicians. Either way, nobody is sure if we'll win.'

Dannyl nodded. 'You may have joined the Guild at the worst possible time, Farand. But if you hadn't, you would not have escaped the strife for long. If Kyralia falls to either enemy, Elyne would fall soon after.'

'Better that I'm here, then. I'd rather be a help, than gain a few safe months at home.' Farand paused, then sighed. 'I have only one regret, however.'

'Dem Marane.'

'Yes.'

'It is my one regret, too,' Dannyl admitted. 'I had hoped the Guild would be more forgiving.'

'I think, perhaps, this strife with your High Lord influenced the decision. The Guild ought to have noticed that its leader had learned black magic. It hadn't, so it didn't want to make the same mistake twice. And it should have executed Akkarin, but it couldn't. So it dealt out the full punishment to the next man to break that law, to show itself and the world that it would not condone such crimes.' Farand paused. 'I'm not saying that each magician was aware of this, just that the situation may have influenced their thinking.'

Dannyl glanced at Farand, surprised at the young man's perceptiveness. 'So we have Akkarin to blame.'

Farand shook his head. 'I'm done with blaming people. I am here, where I was supposed to be all along. I'm expected to put all political matters behind me, and that is what I will do.' He hesitated. 'Though I am not sure I could have if my sister hadn't been pardoned.'

Dannyl nodded. 'Did you see her before she left?'

'Yes.'

'How is she?'

'She grieves, but the children will give her something to hold to. I will miss them all.' He looked up as the gong signalling the end of midbreak rang out. 'Time to go. Thank you for stopping to talk to me, Ambassador. Will you be returning to Elyne soon?'

'Not for a while. Administrator Lorlen wants as many magicians to remain here as possible, until he knows more about Sachaka.'

'Then I hope I have an opportunity to talk to you again, Ambassador.' Farand bowed, then strode away.

Dannyl watched the young man leave. Farand had been through so much, and faced the prospect of death three times - through loss of control, poisoning, and possible execution. Somehow he managed to view it all without resentment.

It was humbling. And his thoughts on the reason for Dem Marane's execution were interesting.

He might make a good Ambassador one day, Dannyl mused. If he gets the chance.

But for now, the Guild could only go on as it always had. Dannyl sighed, stood up and went in search of Lord Davin.

Something brushed against Sonea's lips. She blinked her eyes open and stared at the face hovering above hers. Akkarin.

He smiled and kissed her again. 'Wake up,' he murmured, then he straightened, took her hand and pulled her to her feet. She looked around. An eerie half-light had turned everything to gray. The sky was covered in cloud, but she guessed it was too early for the sun to have dropped below the horizon yet.

'We should find the road now, before the sun sets,' Akkarin said. 'It will be very dark until the moon rises, and we can't afford to stop.'

Sonea yawned and looked up at the gap between the two peaks. They had left the waterfall after the Ichani's visit that morning, and continued up the ravine as far as they dared. A small space between some boulders and the rock wall had provided enough shelter to hide them as they slept. While it was not as concealed as the ledge behind the waterfall, there was no reason for the Ichani or his slaves to visit it.

Now, as the ravine narrowed and the light faded, the way became steadily more difficult. The small river filled most of the ravine, and the banks were strewn with huge rocks. After an hour or so, Akkarin stopped and pointed up at the ravine wall. In the fading light, Sonea could only see that a steep rock slope continued up from just beyond the top. Then Sonea blinked in surprise as she made out the stone steps hewn into the wall.

'The road runs alongside the ravine from here,' Akkarin murmured.

He started toward the stairs. They reached the base, then began to climb. When they finally reached the top, the darkness was like a thick smoke all around, and Akkarin a warm shadow within it.

'Be as silent as you can,' he murmured into her ear. 'Put one hand to the rock wall. If you want to speak, take hold of my hand so we can communicate mind to mind without the Ichani hearing us.'

A persistent wind tugged at them now that they were out of the shelter of the ravine. Akkarin walked in front, setting a steady pace. She let her right hand brush the rockwall, and tried to keep her footsteps light. The occasional stone clattered across the ground as she or Akkarin disturbed it, but the sound was blown away by the wind.

After a long stretch of walking, Sonea found she could make out another wall several hundred paces to their left. She wondered how she could see it, then looked up. The peaks above were glowing faintly, bathed in moonlight filtering through the clouds.

The ravine was gone and the road continued along the floor of a narrow valley. Sonea moved to Akkarin's side, and they strode on. As the hours passed, the left-hand wall drew closer, then fell back out of sight again. It returned, and the right-hand wall withdrew. The moon rose higher, then dipped down toward the peaks.

Much later the road started to twist and turn. It began to follow the curve of a rocky slope. The higher they climbed, the steeper the slope became, and soon they were walking with a cliff wall on one side and a precipice on the other. Still they strode onward.

Then she heard a faint noise ahead and Akkarin stopped. The sound came again.

A sneeze.

They crept forward to the next turn in the road. Akkarin reached out and squeezed her hand.

- That must be Riko, Akkarin sent.

In the faint moonlight, Sonea made out the dark shape of a man sitting on a rock beside the road. She could hear him shivering. As he rubbed his arms, something glinted on his finger. A blood ring, she guessed.

- Parika probably took his outer clothing from him to ensure he stayed awake, Akkarin added.

- This makes things difficult, Sonea replied. How are we going to get past the slave as well as his master? Do we trick both of them?

- Yes and no. The slave can be our bait. Are you ready?

- Yes.

It was not easy forcing herself to step past the turn in the road, knowing that the man would see them. Riko was too wrapped up in his misery to see them at first. Then he looked up, leapt to his feet and fled.

Akkarin stopped, cursed loudly, then propelled Sonea backward.

'A slave!' he said, loud enough for Riko to hear. 'There must be someone in the Pass. Come on.'

They ran back down the road. Akkarin slowed and stared up at the rock walls on either side. He pulled Sonea to a halt. She felt the ground shift, then they were rising up in the air.

The cliff face sped past, then slowed and they moved into a shadow. Sonea felt her feet touch solid rock. The ledge Akkarin had set them upon was barely wide enough for her boots. She leaned back against the wall, her heart hammering.

A long silence followed in which the only sound was their breathing. Then a figure appeared below, walking cautiously around the turn in the road. It stopped. Akkarin's hand tightened around hers.