A gasp came from the rebels. Dannyl felt a stab of guilt and forced himself to look at the group. The Dem's face was white. His wife gripped his arm tightly. The rest of the rebels looked pale and uneasy.
Kito glanced at the Higher Magicians, then turned back to face the hall and spoke another rebel's name. The rest were granted the lesser punishment of imprisonment. Clearly, the Guild saw Dem Marane as the leader of the group and wanted to make an example of him. His refusal to cooperate had done him no favors either, thought Dannyl.
When it was Kaslie's turn, Kito surprised Dannyl by speaking out in her defense. He urged the Guild to consider her two children. His words must have sufficiently moved the magicians, because they granted the Dem's wife a pardon, allowing her to return to her home.
The Elyne magicians then asked if they could mentally communicate the judgments to the Elyne King. Lorlen agreed, on the condition that no other information was communicated. He then announced the Hearing concluded.
Released from his role at last, Dannyl felt an overwhelming relief. He looked for Rothen in the crowd of magicians descending from the seats, but before he had located his friend, a voice spoke his name. He turned to find Administrator Kito approaching.
"Administrator," Dannyl replied.
"Are you satisfied with the result?" Kito asked.
Dannyl shrugged. "Mostly. I have to admit, I did not think the Dem deserved his punishment. He is an ambitious man, but I doubt he would ever succeed in learning magic in a prison."
"No," Kito replied, "but I think the Guild resented his attack on your honor."
Dannyl stared at the magician. Surely that was not the sole reason for the Guild choosing execution?
"You find this disturbing?" Kito asked.
"Of course."
Kito's gaze was unwavering. "It would be particularly disturbing, if his claims were true."
"Yes, it would be," Dannyl replied. He narrowed his eyes at the man. Was Kito baiting him?
Kito grimaced apologetically. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to insinuate that they were. Will you be returning to Elyne soon?"
"Unless Lorlen decides otherwise, I will stay here until we are sure there is no threat from Sachaka."
Kito nodded, then glanced away as his name was called. "I will speak to you again soon, Ambassador."
"Administrator."
Dannyl watched the man move away. Was what Kito had suggested true? Had the Guild voted for execution out of anger at Dem Marane's accusation?
No, he thought. The Dem's defiance had swayed the vote. He had dared to seek what the Guild felt it has the sole right to, and he obviously felt no respect for laws or authority.
All the same, Dannyl could not find it in himself to agree with the Guild's vote. The Dem did not deserve to die. But there was nothing Dannyl could do about that now.
Walking back through the underground passages of the Thieves' Road, Cery considered his latest conversation with Takan. Akkarin's former servant was difficult to read, but his mannerisms had betrayed both boredom and anxiety. Unfortunately, Cery could do little about the former, and nothing about the latter.
Cery knew that being cooped up in a hidden underground house, no matter how luxurious, was bound to become tedious and frustrating. Sonea had lived in a similar place when Faren had first agreed to hide her from the Guild. She had grown restless after a week. For Takan it was even more frustrating because he knew his master was facing dangers elsewhere and there was nothing he could do about it.
Cery also remembered how solitude and being unable to help someone he cared for had once made his every moment a torture. He still dreamed, though now only occasionally, about the weeks he had spent imprisoned under the University by Fergun. When he remembered that Akkarin had found and freed him, he was even more determined to help Takan in any way he could.
He had offered to provide any sort of entertainment Takan might crave—from whores to books—but the man had politely declined. Cery asked the guards to chat with his guest now and then, and he tried to visit every day, as Faren had once done for Sonea. Takan was not a talkative man, however. He avoided discussing his life before becoming Akkarin's servant, and spoke little of the years after. Cery eventually drew out some humorous stories that servants liked to tell about the magicians. It seemed even Takan didn't mind indulging in a little gossip.
Akkarin had only communicated with Takan a few times in the last eight days. When he did, Takan always reassured Cery that Sonea was alive and unharmed. Cery was both amused by and grateful for these updates on Sonea's wel-
fare. Obviously the servant had learned from Akkarin about Cery's former interest in Sonea.
That's in the past, Cery thought wryly. Now I have Savara to mope about. Had Savara to mope about, he corrected. He was determined there would be no pining, this time. We are both sensible adults, he told himself, with responsibilities that can't be neglected.
They reached the beginning of the maze of passages around his own rooms. Bricks whispered against bricks as Gol opened the first hidden door. Cery nodded at the guards as he strolled through.
She said she might come back, Cery reminded himself. To "visit." He smiled. That sort of arrangement has its advantages. No expectations. No compromises . ..
And he had bigger concerns. Imardin faced a probable invasion by foreign magicians. Cery had to consider what he would do about them—if he could do anything about them. After all, if the Guild was too weak to face these Ichani, what hope did non-magicians have?
Not a lot, he thought. But that's better than nothing. There must be ways ordinary people can kill a magician.
He thought back to a conversation he'd had with Sonea over a year and a half ago. They had jokingly discussed how to get rid of a novice who was bothering her. He was still thinking about it when one of his messenger boys informed him that a visitor was waiting to meet him.
Entering his office, Cery sat down, checked his yerim were still in his drawer, then sent Gol out to meet the visitor. When the door opened again, Cery looked up and felt his heart skip. He rose from the chair.
"Savara!"
She smiled and sauntered to his desk. "I have surprised you this time, Ceryni."
He dropped down into his seat again. "I thought you left."
She shrugged. "I did. But halfway to the border my people spoke to me. They decided, at my urging, that someone should stay and witness the invasion."
"You don't need my help for that."
"No." She sat on the edge of the desk and tilted her head
to one side. "But I did say I would visit if I came back. It could be some time before the Ichani come, and I might get bored while I am waiting."
He smiled. "We can't have that."
"I did hope you would think so."
"What are you offering me in return, then?"
Her eyebrows rose. "There is a price for visiting you, now?"
"Maybe. I just want a little advice."
"Oh? What advice?"
"How can ordinary people kill magicians?"
She gave a short laugh. "They can't. At least, not if a magician is competent and vigilant."
"How can we tell if he isn't?"
Her eyebrows rose. "You are not joking—but of course you are not."
He shook his head.
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "So long as I don't reveal my people's hand in this, I see no reason why I shouldn't help you." She smiled crookedly. "And I am sure you will find a way, even if I don't. You might get killed trying, though."
"I'd rather avoid that," Cery told her.
She grinned. "I'd rather you did, too. Well, then, if you keep me informed of what's going on in the city, I'll give you advice on killing magicians. Does that sound reasonable?"
"It does."
She crossed her arms and looked thoughtful. "I cannot tell you a sure way to kill an Ichani, however. Only that they are no different from ordinary people in that they make mis
takes. You can trick them, if you know how. All it takes is courage, bluff, and some considerable risks."
Cery smiled. "Sounds like the sort of work I'm used to."
"I hear water."
Akkarin turned to regard Sonea, but his face was in shadow and she couldn't see his expression.
"Go on, then," he replied.
She listened carefully, then moved toward the sound. After so many days in the mountains, she could now recognize the faintest noise of water trickling over rock. Drawn to the shadows of a recess in the rock wall they had been following, she stared intently into the darkness and felt her way forward.
She saw the tiny stream of water at the same time as she saw the break in the wall. A narrow gap led to an open space. Rock scraped across her back as she squeezed through. When she'd made her way out to the other side of the gap, she gave a low exclamation of surprise.
"Akkarin," she called.
She stood at the edge of a tiny valley. The sides sloped gently up to steeper rocky walls. Stunted trees, bushes and grass grew along a narrow stream that gurgled cheerfully down to disappear into a crack several strides away.
Hearing a grant, she turned to see that Akkarin was having some difficulty forcing himself through the gap in the rock wall. He freed himself, then straightened and gazed at the valley appreciatively.
"Looks like a good place to spend the night—or the day," she said.
Akkarin frowned. They had continued walking toward the South Pass long into the morning for the last three days, conscious of the Ichani travelling behind them. Sonea worried constantly that Parika would catch up, but she doubted that he would travel at such a punishing pace unless he had good reason to.
"It may be a dead end," Akkarin observed. He did not move back to the gap, however. Instead he started toward the trees.
A loud squawk rang out, echoing in the valley. Sonea jumped as a large white bird arced out of a nearby tree. The bird suddenly twisted in the air. Sonea heard a faint snap, then watched it plummet to the ground.
Akkarin chuckled. "I guess we will be staying."
He strode forward and picked up the creature. As Sonea saw the huge eyes of the bird, she gasped in surprise.
"A mullook!"
"Yes." Akkarin smiled crookedly. "Ironic. What would the King say if he knew we were eating his House incal?"
He continued up the stream. After several hundred paces, they reached the end of the valley. Water trickled over a looming cliff overhang to form the stream.
"We'll sleep under that," Akkarin said, pointing to the overhang. He sat down by the stream and began pulling the feathers from the bird.
Sonea looked down at the springy grass under her feet, then up at the hard stone under the overhang. Dropping into a crouch, she began tearing up handfuls of grass. As she carried armloads to their sleeping place, the smell of roasting meat drifted to her nose and set her stomach rumbling.
Leaving the mullook cooking in a floating globe of heat, Akkarin moved to one of the trees. He stared up at the branches, and they began to shake. Sonea heard a dull patter, then saw Akkarin crouch and examine the ground. She moved to his side.
"These nuts are hard to open, but quite tasty," he told her, holding one out. "Keep gathering them. I think I saw some stingberries farther down."
The moon hung low in the sky. In the growing darkness, it was hard to find the nuts. She resorted to groping around until she felt their smooth roundness under her fingers. Gathering them in the front of her shirt, she carried them to the cooking mullook, and soon worked out how to crack the shells without crushing the soft nuts inside.
Akkarin returned soon after, carrying a rough stone bowl filled with berries and a few stalks. The berries were covered in nasty looking spines.
Between shelling nuts, Sonea watched as Akkarin lifted the berries with magic and carefully peeled off the skin and spines. Soon the bowl was half filled with the dark flesh of the fruit. Next he set to work on the stalks, peeling away the fibrous outer layer.
"I think we're ready for our feast," he said. He handed her two of the stalks. "This is shem—Not particularly tasty, but edible. It's not good to live on just meat."
Sonea found the inside of the stalks pleasantly juicy, if not
flavorsome. Akkarin divided up the mullook, which contained more meat than any of the other birds they had eaten. The nuts proved to be as delicious as he had promised. Akkarin crushed the berries, then added water to the pulp to make a tart drink. When they had finished, Sonea felt full for the first time since they had entered Sachaka.
"It's amazing how something as simple as a meal can be so good." She sighed contentedly. The valley was almost completely hidden in darkness now. "I wonder what this place looks like in the daylight."
"You'll find out in an hour or so," Akkarin replied.
He sounded tired. She looked at him, but his face was in shadow.
'Time to sleep, then," she said. She drew on enough Healing power to chase away her own weariness, then held out her hands. He didn't take them at first, and she wondered if he could see her in the darkness. Then she felt his warm fingers wrap around hers.
She drew in a deep breath, then sent power to him, taking care not to exhaust herself. Not for the first time, she wondered if he had accepted her decision to take the first watch to ensure she didn't give him too much power. If she exhausted herself, she wouldn't be able to stay awake.
As she felt her power ebb, she stopped and pulled her hands away. Akkarin remained still and silent, making no move toward the grass bed she had prepared.
"Sonea," he said suddenly.
"Yes?"
"Thank you for coming with me."
She caught her breath, then felt her heart swell with pleasure. He remained silent for several minutes, then drew in a short breath.
"I regret separating you from Rothen. I know he was more like a father than a teacher."
Sonea stared at his shadowed face, searching for his eyes.
"It was necessary," he added softly.
"I know," she whispered. "I understand."
"But you didn't understand then," he said wryly. "You hated me."
She chuckled. "That's true. I don't any more."
He said no more, but after a short pause he rose and moved to the overhang and lay down on the grass bed. For a long time she sat in darkness. Eventually the sky began to lighten and the stars fade and disappear. She wasn't bothered by sleepiness, and she knew her Healing power wasn't solely responsible for that. Akkarin's sudden thanks and apology had stirred up the hopes and wishes she had been trying to smother for days.
Little fool, she scolded herself. He's just being kind. Just because he has finally acknowledged your help, and regrets what he did to you, doesn 't mean he considers you as anything more than a useful but unwanted companion. He's not interested in you otherwise, so stop torturing yourself.
But no matter how hard she had tried to stop herself, she couldn't help feeling a thrill every time he touched her, or even looked at her. And it didn't help that she kept catching him watching her.
She wrapped her arms around her knees and drummed her fingers on her calves. When she had lived in the slums, she had assumed she knew everything she needed to know about men and women. Later, Healing lessons had shown her how little she had really understood. Now she found that even the Healers hadn't taught her anything useful.
But then, perhaps they hadn't told her how to stop feeling this way because it wasn't possible. Perhaps . . .
A low noise, like a growl, echoed through the valley. Sonea froze, her mind now suddenly still, and stared out into the gloom. The sound came again, from behind, and she rose and spun about in one movement. As she realized the sound had come from somewhere near Akkarin, she felt a flash of fear. Was some night creature stalking him? She hurried forward.
Reaching the overhang, she peered into the gloom and saw no creature poised to attack. Akkarin's head was rolling fro
m side to side. As she drew closer, he moaned.
She stopped and regarded him with dismay. He was having another nightmare. Relief and concern filled her. She wondered if she should wake him, but it had always been so
clear from his expression after waking that he didn't like her witnessing these moments of weakness.
For that matter, she thought, I don't either.
Another moan escaped him. Sonea winced as it echoed loudly in the valley. Sound carried far in the mountains, and she did not like to imagine who might be listening. As he uttered another low cry, she came to a decision. It didn't matter if he liked it or not, she had to wake him up before he attracted unwanted attention.
"Akkarin," she whispered hoarsely. He stilled and she thought she had woken him, but then he tensed all over.
"No!"
Alarmed, Sonea drew closer. His eyes roved under his eyelids. His face contorted in pain. She reached toward him, intending to shake him awake.
The sting of a shield met her fingers. She saw his eyes fly open, then felt a force slam into her, throwing her up into the air. Something hard slammed into her back, then she dropped to the ground. Pain lanced down her arms and legs.
"Owl"
"Sonea!"
She felt hands pushing her over onto her back. Akkarin stared at her.
"Are you hurt?"
She examined herself. "No, just bruised, I think."
"Why did you wake me?"
She looked down at his hands. Even in the gloom she could see they were shaking. "You were dreaming. A nightmare . . ."
"I am used to them, Sonea." he said quietly, his voice controlled and calm. "They are no reason to wake me."
"You were making a lot of noise."
He paused, then straightened.
"Go to sleep, Sonea," he said in a low voice. "I will watch."
"No," she said irritably. "You've barely slept—and I know you won't wake me up when it's your turn to sleep."
"I will. I give you my word."
He leaned forward and offered her a hand. Taking it, she let him haul her to her feet. A bright light dazzled her, and
she realized that the rising sun was just beginning to crest the rock wall at the base of the valley.
Black Magician 03 - The High Lord Page 33
