Kyralia 01 - [Black Magician 03] - The High Lord

  Looking at Akkarin, she was shocked to see the anger in his face. She quickly looked away. I said I would do as he instructed. She felt doubts beginning to gather. Was I wrong? Did I just ruin some plan I wasn’t clever enough to see?

  But surely Akkarin had realized she would understand that he was sacrificing himself so that she could remain in the Guild. He must have considered that she might refuse to abandon him.

  “Sonea.”

  Heart still pounding, she forced herself to look at Lorlen.

  “Did Akkarin kill Lord Jolen?”

  “No.”

  “Did he kill the witness?”

  Her stomach fluttered at the question. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen this witness, so I couldn’t tell you. I can say that I have never seen him kill a woman.”

  Lorlen nodded and looked up at the Higher Magicians. “Any further questions?”

  “Yes,” Balkan said. “When we arrived at Akkarin’s residence, neither you nor Akkarin were there. You arrived together later. Where did you go?”

  “We went into the city.”

  “Why?”

  “To deal with another spy.”

  “Did Akkarin kill this spy?”

  “No.”

  Balkan frowned at her but remained silent. Lorlen looked at the Higher Magicians, then turned to regard the rest of the hall.

  “Does anyone have any more questions?”

  Silence answered him. Sonea breathed a sigh of relief. Lorlen nodded.

  “We will now discuss what we have—”

  “Wait!”

  Lorlen turned to the front. “Yes, Lord Balkan.”

  “One more question. For Sonea.”

  She forced herself to meet Balkan’s gaze.

  “Did you kill this Ichani woman?”

  Cold swept over her. She looked at Akkarin. He was staring at the floor, his expression hard and resigned.

  What difference would it make to tell them? she thought. Only to show that I believe what he says is the truth. She lifted her chin and stared back at Balkan.

  “Yes.”

  The hall filled with exclamations. Balkan sighed and rubbed his temples.

  “I told you not to let them stand together,” he muttered.

  18

  The Guild’s Judgment

  As soon as Lorlen called for another break for discussion, Dannyl hurried to Rothen’s side. He had seen his friend react to Sonea’s admission as if he had been struck a physical blow. Now Rothen stood staring at the floor.

  Dannyl reached his friend and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “You two never stop surprising me,” Dannyl said gently. “Why didn’t you tell me the real reason you lost Sonea’s guardianship?”

  Rothen shook his head. “I couldn’t. He might have…well, I guess he has now.” He looked at Sonea, then sighed. “This is my fault. I convinced her to join the Guild in the first place.”

  “No, it isn’t. You couldn’t possibly know this would happen.”

  “No, but I made her question her beliefs when she first came here. I taught her to look beyond them, so she would accept her place among us. She probably did the same for…for…”

  “What if all this is true? Then she had good reasons for what she did.”

  Rothen looked up, his expression bleak. “Does it matter? She just ensured her own execution.”

  Surveying the room, Dannyl noted the expressions of the Higher Magicians, then the King. They looked wary and anxious. Then he looked at Sonea and Akkarin. Sonea stood straight and determined, though how much of that was forced he couldn’t guess. The High Lord’s expression was…controlled. Looking closer, Dannyl read anger in the set of Akkarin’s jaw.

  He hadn’t intended for Sonea to reveal so much, Dannyl mused.

  But, despite this, he and Sonea now stood closer together. A few steps, and they would be side by side. Dannyl nodded to himself.

  “I don’t know if she has, Rothen.”

  Once the Higher Magicians had returned to their seats, they began to relate what the members of their disciplines had expressed. Lorlen listened closely.

  “Many find his story hard to believe,” Vinara said, “but some have pointed out that, if he was seeking to justify his actions with a fabricated story, surely he would come up with something more convincing than this.”

  “My Warriors also find it disturbing,” Balkan added. “They say we cannot ignore the possibility that he speaks the truth, and we face a threat of attack from Sachaka. We must investigate further.”

  Sarrin nodded. “Yes, my people agree. Many have asked if there is information in the books we might use to defend ourselves, should an attack come. I fear there is not. If Akkarin is telling the truth, we may need him.”

  “I, too, would like to question Akkarin further,” Balkan said. “I would normally ask that he be detained until his claim is proven.”

  “We cannot imprison him effectively,” Vinara reminded him.

  “No.” Balkan pursed his lips, then looked up at Lorlen. “Do you think he would cooperate?”

  Lorlen shrugged. “He has up till now.”

  “That doesn’t mean he will continue to,” Vinara said. “For all we know, we could be doing everything he intended us to do. He might become very unhelpful if we took a different path.”

  Sarrin frowned. “If he wanted to take control of us by force, he would have attempted it already.”

  “That clearly isn’t what he wants,” Balkan agreed. “Though this whole story of Sachakan magicians might be meant to confuse and delay us.”

  “Delay us for what?” Sarrin asked.

  Balkan’s shoulders lifted. “I have no idea.”

  “But we cannot let him go,” Vinara said firmly. “Akkarin has freely admitted to practicing black magic. Whether he committed the murders or not, we cannot show any tolerance for someone of his standing breaking one of our most serious laws. Akkarin must be seen to be punished.”

  “The appropriate punishment is execution,” Sarrin reminded her. “Would you continue cooperating if you knew that was to be your punishment?”

  “No doubt he would object to us trying to bind his powers, too.” Vinara sighed. “How strong is he, Balkan?”

  The Warrior considered. “That depends. Is he telling the truth? He said a black magician with ten slaves could grow to the strength of hundreds of Guild magicians in a matter of weeks. He has been back eight years, though he claims he did not begin using it again until five years ago. Five years is a long time to be strengthening oneself, even if it was only from one servant—until recently.”

  “He has fought nine slaves during that time,” Sarrin added. “That would weaken him, too.”

  Balkan nodded. “He might not be as strong as we fear. If he isn’t telling the truth, however, the situation may be far worse. He may have been strengthening himself for longer. He may have been killing people in the city. And then there’s Lord Jolen and his household.” Balkan sighed. “Even if I could be sure of his honesty and strength, there is another factor that makes it impossible to predict what will happen if we tried to use force.”

  “What is that?” Vinara asked.

  Balkan turned to the left. “Look at Sonea closely. Do you sense it?”

  They turned to stare at the novice.

  “Power,” Sarrin said.

  “Yes,” Balkan said. “A great deal of it. She hasn’t yet learned to hide it as he does.” He paused. “She said he was teaching her black magic two nights ago. I don’t know how long this training ought to take, but he claims he learned the gist of it in one lesson. Sonea didn’t have this aura of strength when she was practicing in the Arena a week ago. I’m sure I would have sensed it if she had. I think this woman she admits to killing was the source of her sudden increase in strength. Sonea could not have become so powerful in one night by killing any ordinary woman.”

  They turned to regard the novice in thoughtful silence.

  “Why did Akkarin attempt to hide
Sonea’s involvement?” Sarrin wondered aloud.

  “And why did she decide to reveal it?” Vinara added.

  “Perhaps he wanted to ensure someone with the ability to fight the Sachakans remained alive,” Sarrin said. He frowned. “That does suggest that the books, alone, are not enough.”

  “Perhaps he just wanted to protect her,” Vinara said.

  “Lord Balkan,” a new voice spoke.

  The Warrior looked up in surprise. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

  All heads turned to face the King. He was leaning over the back of the empty High Lord’s chair, his green eyes bright and piercing.

  “Do you believe the Guild is capable of driving Akkarin out of the Allied Lands?”

  Balkan hesitated. “I honestly don’t know, Your Majesty. Even if we managed it, it would exhaust most of our magicians. Should these Sachakan magicians exist, they may see it as the perfect opportunity to invade.”

  The young King absorbed this.

  “Administrator Lorlen, do you believe he will comply if he is commanded to leave the Allied Lands?”

  Lorlen blinked in surprise. “Do you mean…exile?”

  “Yes.”

  The Higher Magicians looked at each other thoughtfully.

  “The nearest non-allied land is Sachaka,” Balkan pointed out. “If his story is true…”

  Lorlen frowned, then slipped his hands in his pockets. His fingers touched the ring.

  —Akkarin?

  —Yes?

  —Will you accept exile?

  —Instead of fighting my way out of here? Lorlen caught a faint amusement. I was hoping for better.

  Silence followed.

  —Akkarin? You know where they’ll send you.

  —Yes.

  —Should I try to convince them to take you somewhere else?

  —No. They would have to take me far from Kyralia. The Guild needs the magicians it would send as my escort to remain here and defend Kyralia if the Ichani invade.

  He fell silent again. Lorlen glanced at the other magicians. They were watching him expectantly.

  —Akkarin? The King is waiting for an answer.

  —Very well. See if you can talk them into keeping Sonea here.

  —I’ll see what I can do.

  “I guess we can only try to convince him to leave peacefully,” Lorlen said. “The alternative, if you wish to avoid a confrontation, is to allow him to stay here as a prisoner.”

  The King nodded. “To imprison a man you cannot control is foolish, and he must be seen to be punished, as Lady Vinara said. This threat from Sachaka must be investigated and confirmed, however. If he is proven right, and trustworthy, we may find and consult with him.”

  Balkan frowned. “I would like to question Akkarin further.”

  “You can do so on the way to the border.” The King’s eyes were hard.

  The others exchanged worried glances, but none protested.

  “May I speak, Your Majesty?”

  All turned to see Rothen standing at the base of the stairs.

  “You may,” the King replied.

  “Thank you.” Rothen bowed his head for a moment, then looked at each of the Higher Magicians.

  “I ask that you consider Sonea’s youth and impressionability when you judge her. She had been his prisoner for some time. I do not know how he persuaded her to join him. She is stubborn and good-hearted, but when I persuaded her to join the Guild, I encouraged her to question her distrust of magicians. Now, perhaps, that has led her to discard her distrust of Akkarin.” He smiled faintly. “I think once she has realized she has been deceived she will punish herself better than any of us could.”

  Lorlen looked up at the King. He was nodding.

  “I will consider your words, Lord…?”

  “Rothen.”

  “Thank you, Lord Rothen.”

  Rothen dropped to one knee, then rose and moved away. The ruler watched him go, then drummed his fingers on the back of the High Lord’s chair.

  “How do you think the High Lord’s novice will react when her guardian is exiled?”

  Sonea stood in utter silence.

  The Warriors surrounding her and Akkarin had enclosed them in a barrier that blocked all noise in the hall. She had watched as magicians had gathered to debate. After a long break, the Higher Magicians had returned to their seats and began an intense discussion.

  Akkarin shifted a step closer, but didn’t look at her.

  “You chose an inopportune time for disobedience, Sonea.”

  She winced at the anger in his voice. “Did you really think I’d let them execute you?”

  There was a long pause before he replied.

  “I need you to remain here and continue the fight.”

  “How can I do that with the Guild watching my every move?”

  “Little opportunity is better than none. If nothing else, they would have you to call on as a last resort.”

  “If they had me, they would never have considered allowing you to live,” she retorted. “I won’t let them use me as an excuse to kill you.”

  He began to turn toward her, then stopped as sound abruptly returned. Lorlen stood up and struck a gong.

  “It is time to judge whether Akkarin of family Delvon, of House Velan, High Lord of the Magicians’ Guild, and Sonea, his novice, are guilty of the crimes of which they have been accused.”

  He held out a hand. A globe light appeared above it, then floated up to the ceiling. The other Higher Magicians followed suit, then hundreds more globe lights floated up from the rest of the magicians, and the Guildhall was filled with brightness.

  “Do you judge that Akkarin of family Delvon, of House Velan, is undoubtedly guilty of the murder of Lord Jolen, his family and servants?”

  Several of the globes slowly turned red, but most remained white. The Higher Magicians stared up for a long time, and Sonea realized they were counting the globes. When they looked down again at Lorlen each shook their head once.

  “The majority choose the negative,” Lorlen declared. “Do you judge that Akkarin of family Delvon, of House Velan, is guilty of seeking knowledge of, learning, practicing and, in addition to earlier accusations, killing with black magic?”

  At once all of the globes turned red. Lorlen did not wait for the Higher Magicians to count the globes.

  “The majority choose the affirmative,” Lorlen called. “Do you judge that Sonea, the High Lord’s novice, is guilty of seeking knowledge of and, in addition to this earlier accusation, learning, practicing and killing with black magic?”

  The globe lights remained red. Lorlen nodded slowly.

  “The majority choose the affirmative. The punishment for this crime as set down by law is execution. We, the Higher Magicians, have debated the appropriateness of this penalty in light of the reasons given for the crime, if they be true. We would prefer to delay judgment until the validity of these reasons is established, but due to the nature of the crime, feel immediate action must be taken.” He paused. “We have chosen exile as Akkarin’s punishment.”

  The hall filled with muttering as this was considered. Sonea heard a few weak protests, but no magician raised his or her voice to argue.

  “Akkarin of family Delvon, of House Velan, you are no longer welcome in the Allied Lands. You will be escorted to the nearest non-allied country. Do you accept this judgment?”

  Akkarin looked up at the King, then dropped to one knee.

  “If the King wills it.”

  The ruler’s eyebrows rose.

  “I do,” he said.

  “Then I will go.”

  The hall was silent as Akkarin rose to his feet again. Lorlen’s sigh of relief was audible. He turned to regard Sonea.

  “Sonea. We, the Higher Magicians, have decided to offer you a second chance. You will remain here with us under these conditions: you must vow to never use black magic again, you will not be allowed to leave the Guild grounds from this day, and you will never be allowed to teach others. Do you
accept this judgment?”

  Sonea stared at Lorlen in disbelief. The Guild had exiled Akkarin yet forgiven her, even though they had both committed the same crime.

  But it wasn’t the same. Akkarin was their leader and his crime seemed worse because he was supposed to represent the Guild’s values. She was just an impressionable young woman. The slum girl. Easily corrupted. They believed she had been led astray, and that Akkarin had embraced black magic willingly. In truth she had chosen to learn it, and he had been forced to.

  So they would allow her to stay in the temporary safety and the comfort of the Guild, while Akkarin was sent out of the Allied Lands to the nearest non-allied country, which was…She caught her breath.

  Sachaka.

  Suddenly she could not breathe. They were going to send him into the hands of his enemies. They must know that if his story was true he would die.

  But this way, they won’t have to risk a battle they might lose.

  “Sonea,” Lorlen repeated. “Do you accept this judgment?”

  “No.”

  She was surprised by the anger in her voice. Lorlen stared at her in dismay, then looked at Akkarin.

  “Stay.” Akkarin told her. “There is no sense in us both going.”

  Not if we’re going to Sachaka, she thought. But perhaps, together, we might survive. She could help him strengthen himself. Alone, he would only grow weaker. She clung to this small hope and turned to face him.

  “I made Takan a promise to take care of you. I intend to keep it.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Sonea—”

  “Don’t tell me I’ll get in the way,” she said under her breath, conscious of the many witnesses. “That didn’t stop me before, and it won’t now. I know where they’re sending you. I’m coming with you, whether you like it or not.” Turning to the front, she raised her voice so all could hear.

  “If you send High Lord Akkarin into exile, you must send me too. Then, when you come to your senses, he might still be alive and able to help you.”

  The hall was silent. Lorlen stared at her, then looked up at the Higher Magicians. Sonea could see defeat and frustration in their faces.

  “No, Sonea! Stay here.”