The Traitor Queen

Savara smiled. “If my meeting with his mother had achieved its purpose, we would be marching toward Arvice along with many hundred Guild magicians, among them quite a few men. Would so much masculine company alarm you, Kalia?”

“Of course not! Though I would not so easily trust them, as you might.” Kalia gave Savara a sidelong look. “So... the Guild won’t go to war with the Ashaki. And he is still here? Are you sure he isn’t a spy?”

“I am sure.”

“Do you really expect...?” Kalia fell silent as one of the Traitors at the rear called Savara’s name. All turned to see the man pointing back along the road. Several hundred strides back, a cloud of dust billowed up behind a rider galloping toward them.

“Stop,” Savara ordered. “And shield.”

It was not long before the rider reached them, the horse slowing to a walk, sides heaving and dark with sweat. The rider was a young man wearing fine clothing, but his build and colouring suggested he was an ex- slave.

“Queen Savara,” he said, placing a hand over his heart briefly. “I have been sent to warn you that two Kyralians are following you.” He paused to think. “Black Magician Sonea and Asha – Lord Regin. We tried to keep them at the estate, but they disobeyed our order to stay and forced their way out with magic.”

Lorkin suppressed a sigh. He should have expected it. But if I couldn’t let Tyvara go to war without me, why would I expect my mother to do the same?

“Was anyone hurt?”

The man shook his head.

Kalia muttered something. Savara stared at the woman through narrowed eyes. Then she turned to Lorkin, her eyebrows rising in question.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t say she was planning to follow me – us.”

“Spy,” Kalia said.

The queen scowled. “Enough, Kalia.” She looked around the group, her gaze settling on two of the Traitors, one male and one female. “Saral, Temi. Go meet Black Magician Sonea and ask her to explain herself.” She reached into a pouch at her waist and drew out a ring. As she tossed it to the woman, a glint of yellow reflected the sunlight. “Use this to tell me what they say.”

The pair nodded and, frowing with obvious annoyance at the task, rode away with the messenger. Savara nudged her horse into a walk and set her gaze on the road ahead. In grim silence, the two teams continued, heading for the next estate, and the next battle.

* * *

Lilia drew in a deep breath and sighed it out again as she set pen to paper and tried to make sense of her notes from the morning’s Healing demonstration. Though the number of subjects she was studying had been reduced and her graduation delayed, she still found it hard to concentrate at times like these.

It was easier to be motivated when I thought I might choose the Healing discipline. Now that I won’t get to choose a discipline at all, what’s the point? She’d be a black magician, and it was more important that she was ready to fight than Heal. Not that I’ve suddenly become enthusiastic about Warrior lessons. But these new lessons with Kallen have been interesting. Perhaps because there is a lot we can discover about black magic. It’s not as though the Guild has been studying it for centuries and knows everything about it.

This morning’s Healing demonstration had been on a man who had been stabbed accidentally during a sword-fighting lesson. The wooden practice sword had pierced the toughened leather armour, but hadn’t penetrated deeply. It was a rare occurrence. A slash with a sword usually slid across the armour, and stabs weren’t supposed to be made with full force. But he’d been leaping toward his fighting partner, who had been angry and used more force than he’d realised.

A quick, forceful stab, she thought. Which is what I want to do with magic, instead of using a knife, to break the skin’s natural barrier before using black magic to take power. Something caught her attention, and she looked up to find the teacher watching her. She realised she had been staring at nothing, her notes forgotten. And thinking about how to kill someone with black magic.

Other faces turned toward her, but she ignored them. When she’d entered the University that morning, and then the Foodhall later, the stares and whispering of other novices had been almost as bad as when she’d first returned to the University. Most likely Bokkin had said something about her lesson with Kallen. Not the truth, of course. Bokkin wouldn’t want to admit he’d got himself into a situation where his mind had been read, so he had probably made something up. She wished Kallen had said what he wanted from Bokkin in front of the other novices. Then they would know she’d read Bokkin’s mind, and if she revealed anything about him he couldn’t deny it was true.

Not that I’m going to be telling people what I saw in his mind, she thought. It just seems wrong. Though Bokkin hadn’t been tricked or coerced, and he could have left at any time. He could claim otherwise. He can’t accuse Kallen or me of anything, because he’d have to let a magician read his mind to confirm it. Still, he could insinuate that something else happened.

She considered his plan – his need – to weaken others before they became stronger than him. If he didn’t like anyone being stronger than him, then he was never going to be happy. He was surrounded by stronger magicians and, since his magical strength was average, he always would be.

Maybe he’ll go somewhere else, once he graduates. Somewhere everyone else is weaker. She shuddered. What would he do in order to assure himself that he was the strongest, and make sure others knew it, too? Someone needs to keep an eye on him. Perhaps Kallen would, or the other Higher Magicians. Or her. One day she would be a Higher Magician. She could end up being the one who had to watch Bokkin.

“Lady Lilia.”

Her heart skipped as she realised she had been staring at nothing again. The teacher didn’t stare disapprovingly, however. She pointed toward the door. Following the woman’s gaze, Lilia saw a familiar face and felt her heart jump again.

Jonna. The servant beckoned.

Rising from her seat, Lilia bowed to the teacher, then slipped between the desks and out of the room.

“What is it?” she asked as Jonna glanced up and down the corridor.

“Anyi was in Sonea’s rooms,” she said. “She said there might be an intruder down... you know where.”

Lilia caught her breath. “How long ago?”

“She’d been waiting for a time, but I’m not sure how long. Took me a while to find which classroom you were in.”

“I should hurry...” Lilia took a step down the corridor, then stopped. “I should go the other way. It’ll be faster. Could you go back and tell her?”

Jonna shook her head. “She went straight back.” The servant frowned. “If you mean the way I think you mean... I’ll come and make sure nobody sees you using it.”

“Thanks, Jonna.” Lilia headed toward a side passage and led Jonna deeper into the University. When they reached the hidden door Anyi had unblocked, Jonna moved to the next side corridor and peered down it.

She nodded. “All clear. Be careful,” she whispered.

“I will,” Lilia told her. Then she pulled the lever that opened the door, and stepped into the darkness beyond.

* * *

“It’s incredible to think that all these people were slaves,” Regin said.

“Yes,” Sonea agreed.