“Such a desire for knowledge led to your father becoming a slave,” she told him, “and he was lucky it only led to that, and not his death.”
A thoughtful look passed over Lorkin’s face, then he straightened and shook his head.
“But this is different. I’m not wandering, unwelcome and uninformed, into a hostile land. The Guild knows much more about Sachaka now. Sachakans know more about us.”
“The Guild knows only what the Sachakans have allowed us to know. There must be – will be – plenty that was kept from our Ambassadors. They can’t be completely sure you will be safe there.”
He nodded. “I won’t argue that there’s no risk. But it is up to the Higher Magicians to decide if the risk is higher for me.”
He has doubts, she thought. He isn’t turning a blind eye to the risks.
“And I’m sure you’ll make them consider every possible consequence,” he added. He looked up at her. “If I promise that I will come home the moment Lord Dannyl or I have the slightest suspicion of danger, will you withdraw your protest?”
She smiled wryly. “Of course not.”
He scowled.
“I am your mother,” she reminded him. “I’m supposed to stop you harming yourself.”
“I’m not a child any more. I’m twenty years old.”
“But you are still my son.” She met his gaze, holding it despite the anger in his eyes. “I know you will be angry at me if I succeed in preventing you going. I’d rather that than you were dead. I’d rather you joined the Lonmar cult and I never saw you again. At least I’d know you were alive and happy.” She paused. “You say you are not a child any more. Then ask yourself: are you doing this, even only partly, in order to defy your mother? How much of your wanting to go comes from wanting to make your mark as an adult? If you took those two desires away, would you want to go as much?”
Lorkin said nothing, but his face was tight with anger. Suddenly he stood up.
“You don’t understand. I finally find something worth doing and you … you have to try to spoil it. Why can’t you just wish me luck and be glad that I might achieve something with my life instead of sitting around getting drunk or taking roet?”
His face red, he strode to the door and left her room.
Leaving Sonea frozen, unable to do anything but stare at the door, her heart torn between love and pride, the determination to protect him and the fear that she might fail.
CHAPTER 6
THE HEARING
There was quite a crowd outside the Guildhall, Dannyl saw as he entered the Great Hall. Thankfully Osen had decided the only magicians to attend the Hearing, held to decide whether to send Lorkin to Sachaka, would be the Higher Magicians, Lorkin, himself, and past Guild Ambassadors to Sachaka. Looking at the curious faces in the crowd, Dannyl wondered why these other magicians had bothered to come, when they wouldn’t be allowed inside. What did they hope to see? Did they want to know the decision as soon as possible after it was made? Did the outcome affect them in some way?
Whether Lorkin was allowed to go to Sachaka or not might indicate if other magicians had a chance of visiting the country. No, that can’t be it. There are always few volunteers for positions there. Dannyl noted a familiar face in the crowd. Regin. What has he to gain if Lorkin goes or stays? He frowned. Perhaps some satisfaction if Sonea’s protest is overruled. But Regin hasn’t shown any sign of animosity or disapproval toward her since they were novices. If he is harbouring any resentment, he’s hidden it well.
The rest of the crowd might simply want to see Sonea’s reaction if she failed to prevent her son going to Sachaka. Hearing that one of the Guild’s black magicians was in conflict with the former High Lord’s son must have generated plenty of gossip. Dannyl almost regretted slipping out of the habit of attending the Guild’s social evenings in the Night Room. He’d have already known what attracted the crowd today, and what they hoped and feared to witness.
As Dannyl neared the Guildhall doors, another magician emerged from a side entrance.
Black Magician Kallen. I wonder … is the crowd worried that Sonea will lose her temper and use black magic if she fails to stop Lorkin going to Sachaka?
If they truly believed she might, they ought to have made themselves scarce. Dannyl knew that he would never want to be close by if a black magician lost his or her temper. But they probably assumed Kallen could stop her, and the confrontation would be more entertaining than dangerous.
Moving into the Guildhall, Dannyl saw most of the Higher Magicians were in their places. Lorkin was already waiting to one side. He walked over to the young man, who greeted him with a wary smile.
“Nervous?”
Lorkin smiled wryly. “A little.”
“How did dinner with your mother go last night?”
“Not good.” Lorkin’s smile faded and he sighed. “I hate fighting with her. But I also hate always having to fight to do what I want to do.”
“Always?” Dannyl repeated.
Grimacing, Lorkin looked away. “Well, I suppose not always. Not often, really. Just now, when it matters. When I finally find something important to take part in.”
“Going to Sachaka really matters that much to you?” Dannyl asked, not hiding his surprise.
“Of course.” Lorkin looked up and searched Dannyl’s gaze. “Why do you think I want to go? Surely not just to defy my mother?”
“No.” Dannyl shrugged. “I thought you wanted to have an adventure. Get away from a boring, restrictive Guild.” He smiled. “I had no idea you truly thought the work was important.”
“I do,” Lorkin assured him. “Both maintaining good terms with Sachaka and researching magical history. Though with the latter I’m more interested in what we can do with what we find.”
Dannyl regarded Lorkin thoughtfully. He’d hoped the young magician would be useful at the least, and a good companion at best. Now he found himself both pleased to find he might have such a willing assistant in his research as well as in his ambassadorial duties, and a little worried that he might not easily leave the lesser of those duties to Lorkin when he wanted a little time to pursue his own interests.
A low murmur filled the hall and Dannyl looked around to see what had caused it. Sonea had entered the room, but had paused to talk to – of all people – Lord Regin. She looked puzzled, but nodded and turned away. Instead of climbing the stairs at the front of the hall to her usual place, she remained standing at the other side of the front to Dannyl and Lorkin, while Regin left.
She looked calm, even a little amused. The remaining Higher Magicians had arrived now. No doubt she had timed her arrival so that she would be one of the last, to avoid subjecting her son to the awkwardness of her presence as an adversary. Osen began his slow pace across the front of the hall that indicated he was ready to begin, and soon the magicians quietened.
“Unless there is a reason not to, I will begin the Hearing now,” Osen said. He paused, then nodded as no voice rose to stall him. “First I will outline our reasons for meeting today,” he began. “Lord Lorkin has volunteered for the position of assistant to the Guild Ambassador to Sachaka, recently granted to Lord Dannyl. Black Magician Sonea has lodged a protest against our acceptance of Lord Lorkin in this role.” He turned to Sonea. “For what reason do you protest?”
“That for Lorkin, as the son of the former High Lord Akkarin and myself, there will be the danger that the family of Kariko and Dakova, the latter of whom I killed during the Ichani Invasion and the former whom Akkarin killed many years earlier, will seek revenge for their deaths. Or the families of the other Ichani killed in the invasion will do so. Even if their families do not seek revenge, sending him there may be perceived as an insult. Either way his presence may hamper efforts at peace between our two countries.”
Osen turned to Lorkin and Dannyl. “And what do you, Lord Lorkin, say in reply to this?”
“I leave the judgement as to whether the risk is as great as M—Black Magician Sonea believes to
the Higher Magicians, and will accept whatever decision they make,” Lorkin replied.
A faint smile of approval crossed Osen’s face. His gaze shifted to Lord Dannyl.
“And what do you say, Ambassador Dannyl?”
Dannyl shrugged. “I trust the observations and assessment given by the former Guild Ambassadors to Sachaka. They have told me they believe Lord Lorkin’s presence in Sachaka will be of no hindrance to my work and will present no danger to his life and wellbeing. His assistance is appreciated and welcome.”
“Then I call upon Lord Stanin and Lord Maron to provide their opinions on the matter.”
As the Administrator turned away, Dannyl could feel Sonea’s gaze on him. She’s not happy with me for encouraging Lorkin, but I know her too well to be intimidated by her stares. He looked up and met her gaze. A traitorous chill ran down his spine. It wasn’t that her expression held any hint of intent or accusation. It gave away nothing, yet was filled with an intensity that made him feel as if she were stripping back his skin and reading the thoughts beneath. He looked away. All right. Maybe her stares do intimidate me a little.
Even before she’d become a novice – long before she’d become a black magician – she’d made him a little nervous. It was reasonable considering that, when just an urchin of the slums, she’d managed to stab him in the leg. If she had been capable of that then, before she’d been trained to use her powers, it was no surprise he was intimidated by her now.
He did not want to start considering what she might do to him if something did happen to Lorkin in Sachaka, so he turned his attention to the former Ambassadors who were speaking now. The Higher Magicians were asking them questions, and the answers showed that, while they conceded that no Kyralian was ever perfectly safe in Sachaka, neither man thought Lorkin would be in any greater danger than any other magician. If Lorkin was at all worried, he should avoid speaking of his parentage. But because he would be in a subordinate role normally given to a slave, the Sachakans were not likely to pay much attention to him at all.
Next, a trader was called who favoured Sonea’s cautious position. He told of vendettas among the Sachakan families that had continued for decades, which he had observed during his yearly visits. The Higher Magicians questioned him closely as well.
Finally, Osen asked for all but the Higher Magicians, except for Sonea, to leave so that they might debate and come to a decision. Dannyl heard Lorkin sigh with relief when Sonea quickly turned and left, her expression suddenly distracted. As Dannyl stepped out into the crowded Great Hall, he looked for her, but she had disappeared.
The voices of the magicians milling outside the Guildhall quickly faded as Sonea hurried into the passages of the University, and were replaced by higher pitched ones as she neared the main corridor to the classrooms. The morning classes had ended and the novices were making their way to the Foodhall for the midday meal.
As she stepped out into the corridor, ready to weave her way through the novices, the voices abruptly faded to silence. She glanced about and realised all were looking at her. Those in the middle of the corridor hastily stepped out of her way and then, as one, the novices remembered their manners and bowed.
She resisted a smile, and hoped the little flush of embarrassment she felt didn’t show on her face. I know exactly what they’re thinking and feeling. A memory of a tall, frowning man in black robes striding down the University corridor, causing the same frozen moment of panic and a little fear among her fellow novices, flashed into her mind. When I look back, I wonder at how scared we were of Akkarin, as if we knew, somehow, that he was more powerful than he ought to be. The memory caused her chest to tighten, yet she held onto it. She treasured it for a moment, then let it fade.
Her feet took her on to the second-last classroom, which was empty but for one red-robed magician who had once made walking these corridors a torment for her.
“Lord Regin,” she said. “I don’t know how long I have. What did you need to tell me so urgently?”
He looked up at her and nodded politely.
“Thank you for coming, Black Magician Sonea,” he said. “I’ll get to the point. I’ve been told by someone whose word I trust that Pendel’s followers are planning a raid or ambush of some sort designed to expose the criminal connections of rich novices.”
Sonea sighed. “Fools. That won’t help their cause. I thought Pendel was smarter than that.”
“I’m not sure Pendel knows about it. The trouble is, if he doesn’t he might not be inclined to believe me if I tell him, and if he does I might inadvertently expose my informant.”
“You want me to talk to him?” Sonea guessed.
“Yes. But …” Regin frowned. “My informant was not sure of the timing. I fear it may be very soon. Today, perhaps. They said something about taking advantage of the Guild being distracted. I haven’t seen the ones I suspect are involved so far today.”
She looked at him. “I must return to the Hearing, Lord Regin.”
“Of course. But …” He grimaced. “If you can speak to him as soon as you are able to I … I think he would listen to you.”
“I will,” she told him. “But now I’d better return to the hall. Can’t keep Administrator Osen waiting.”
The corner of his mouth twitched upward, but his gaze remained anxious. Turning away, Sonea hurried out of the classroom back into the corridor, where the remaining novices froze and didn’t recover in time to bow until she was well past. Once she was out of sight she broke into a jog, slowing only when she turned from one passage into another in case she collided with someone. Finally, she made it out of the passages into the Great Hall. To her relief, Dannyl and Lorkin stood outside the Guildhall, still waiting to be called inside.
An awkward wait followed. She did not want to increase her son’s discomfort by joining him and Dannyl. Nor was it appropriate for her to talk to the former Ambassadors and the trader, who were chatting together. None of the crowd seemed inclined to approach her, and she saw nobody she knew who wouldn’t mind her company right now. Pendel was not among them. So she had to stand alone and wait.
After several long minutes the doors to the Guildhall finally opened. Relieved, Sonea watched as Osen gestured for Dannyl and Lorkin to enter. He looked up and nodded to her. For once his expression wasn’t cold and distant. He almost appeared sympathetic.
Uh, oh. Does this mean they overruled my protest?
Her stomach sank. Then her heart began to beat faster. She kept her expression as neutral as she could manage as she walked past the crowd into the hall. Once inside, she could not help scanning the faces of the Higher Magicians. Vinara’s wrinkled face seemed to express guilt. Peakin was frowning with what might be uncertainty, but Garrel’s looked smug. She felt her stomach sink even further.
Looking higher, she met Balkan’s gaze. His expression gave away nothing. But Kallen … Kallen looked annoyed. Hope filled her.
Then she looked at Rothen and her heart stopped beating. He knew she could read him too well these days, so he wasn’t even trying to hide anything. His eyes were full of apology, and he was shaking his head.
“Black Magician Sonea, the Higher Magicians have considered your protest carefully. They find there is no strong evidence that Lord Lorkin will be in grave danger if he enters Sachaka, so long as he remains in the protection of Lord Dannyl and the Guild House and does not flaunt his parentage needlessly. Do you accept this decision?”
She looked at Osen, drew in a deep breath, forced her face to show no sign of the turmoil growing inside her, and nodded.
“I do.”
“Then I declare this Hearing over.”
Disbelief and then jubilation filled Lorkin after Administrator Osen announced the Higher Magicians’ decision and he felt a sudden desire to let out a whoop. But it would not have been appropriate in the dignified surrounds of the Guildhall, and not kind to his mother.
As always, she showed little of her thoughts or feelings. How she managed that he could
not guess. Long practice? He hoped that one day he would inherit the ability. Still, he saw small hints that others did not. The slight sag of her shoulders. The hesitation before she answered Osen’s final question. As she walked over to him, he saw how wide her pupils were. But wide with anger or fear?
“Don’t worry about Lorkin,” Dannyl said quietly to her. “I will make sure nothing happens to him. I promise you that.”
She looked at him and her eyes narrowed. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”
Dannyl actually winced. “I know.”
“And you,” she said, her eyes snapping to Lorkin. “You had better be careful. If some Sachakan murders you in your sleep I’ll hunt you down and make you admit you were wrong.” The smallest twitch of a smile lifted the corner of her mouth.
“I’ll remember that,” he said. “No getting murdered.”
The smile faded and she gazed at him in silence for a moment. Then she abruptly turned to Dannyl.
“When will you be leaving?” she asked.
“As soon as possible, I’m afraid,” he replied apologetically. “The Guild would rather someone had gone to Sachaka to learn from Lord Maron before taking on his duties, but Maron had to return to Kyralia in a hurry. Apparently if we leave the Guild House empty of an Ambassador too long they’ll find another use for it, and we’ll have to go live out in the country.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“How long is too long?”
“We don’t know. They’ve never told us.”
Sonea snorted quietly. “So they’re keeping you hanging on a string. Glad it’s you going, not me. Not that I could if I wanted to.” She turned to look at the Higher Magicians, who had nearly all descended from their seats and were making their way out of the room. Osen looked back at them.
“We’d better leave,” Dannyl said.
“Yes,” Sonea agreed. She frowned, her expression becoming distracted. “I have something rather urgent I need to attend to.” She glanced at them both, and managed a thin smile. “Don’t go leaving without saying goodbye, will you?”