—I will.
—Good. Now I am going to release you and confirm Fergun's crime. Try not to show any fear of Akkarin. If it helps, don't look at him at all— and keep your thoughts buried deep.
Feeling his hands lift from her temples, she opened her eyes. Lorlen regarded her solemnly, his eyes bright, then his expression smoothed and he turned to face the Higher Magicians.
"She speaks the truth," he said.
A shocked silence followed Lorlen's words, then the room began to buzz with exclamations and questions. Lorlen lifted a hand and the room fell silent again.
"Lord Fergun imprisoned this young man," Lorlen gestured toward Cery, "after he had told me he was going to escort him to the gates. He locked him in a room underneath the Guild, then told Sonea that he would kill her friend if she did not lie at this Hearing to confirm his story. Having won his claim, he intended to force her to break one of our rules, so that she would be publicly expelled."
"Why?" Lady Vinara hissed.
"From what Sonea understands," Lorlen answered, "to dissuade us from offering a place in the Guild to other commoners."
"She wanted to leave anyway."
All eyes turned toward Fergun. He stared defiantly at the Higher Magicians.
"I'll admit I got a little carried away," he said, "but I only wanted to save the Guild from itself. You would have us welcome thieves and beggars into the Guild, without asking whether we, or the Houses, or even the King we serve, wishes it. It may seem a small thing to let a beggar girl into the Guild, but what will it lead to?" His voice rose. "Will we let more of them in? Will we become a Guild of Thieves?"
A murmur followed and, looking at the magicians on either side, Sonea saw several heads shaking.
Fergun looked at her and smiled. "She wanted to have her powers blocked so that she could return home. Ask Lord Rothen. He will not deny it. Ask Administrator Lorlen. I asked her to do nothing that she did not already want."
Sonea clenched her fists. "Nothing I did not already want?" she spat. "I did not want to make the Novice's Vow and then break it. I did not want to lie. You imprisoned my friend. You threatened to kill him. You are . . ." she stopped, suddenly aware that all eyes were watching her. Taking a deep breath, she faced the Higher Magicians. "When I first came here it took a long time before I saw that you were not . . ." she paused, not liking the image she saw of herself, standing in the Guildhall calling the magicians names. Instead she turned to point at Fergun. "But he is everything I had been taught to believe all magicians are."
Silence followed her words. Lorlen regarded her solemnly, then slowly nodded. He turned to face Fergun.
"You have committed numerous crimes, Lord Fergun," he said. "Some of them of the most serious nature. I need not ask you to explain yourself; you have done so quite well enough already. A Hearing to discuss your actions and decide your punishment will be held in three days. In the meantime, I suggest that you cooperate with our investigations."
He strode past Osen and climbed the stairs between the Higher Magicians. The High Lord watched him, a half smile curling his lips. Sonea shivered as she imagined the conflicting emotions that Lorlen must feel under that gaze.
"The issue we have gathered to discuss is now irrelevant," Lorlen announced. "I hereby grant guardianship of Sonea to Lord Rothen, and declare this Hearing ended."
The hall filled with voices and the thunder of booted feet as the magicians rose from their seats. Sonea closed her eyes and sighed. It's over!
Then she remembered Akkarin. No, it isn't, she reminded herself. But, for now, that is not for me to worry about.
"You should have told me, Sonea."
Opening her eyes, she found Rothen standing in front of her, Cery at his side. She looked down.
"I'm sorry."
To her surprise Rothen gave her a quick hug. "Don't apologize," he told her. "You had a friend to protect." He turned to regard Cery. "I apologize on behalf of the Guild for your treatment."
Cery smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "Get me my stuff back, and I'll forget about it."
Rothen frowned. "What are you missing?"
"Two daggers, a few knives, and my tools."
"Tools?" Rothen echoed.
"Picks."
Rothen lifted an eyebrow at Sonea. "He's not joking, is he?"
She shook her head.
"I'll see what I can do." Rothen sighed, then looked over Sonea's shoulder. "Ah! Here's a man more familiar with the ways of Thieves—Lord Dannyl."
Feeling a pat on her shoulder, Sonea turned to find the tall magician grinning down at her.
"Well done!" he told her. "You have done me, and the rest of the Guild, a great service."
Rothen smiled crookedly. "Feeling particularly cheerful, Dannyl?"
Dannyl gave his friend a haughty look. "Who was right about Fergun, then?"
Sighing, Rothen nodded. "You were."
"Now do you understand why I dislike him so much?" Seeing Cery, Dannyl's expression became thoughtful. "I think the Thieves are looking for you. They sent me a message asking if I knew where a companion of Sonea's had disappeared to. They sounded quite concerned."
Cery looked up at the tall magician appraisingly. "Who sent the message?"
"A man named Gorin."
Sonea frowned. "So Gorin was the one who told the Guild where to find me, not Faren."
Cery turned to stare at her. "They betrayed you?"
She shrugged. "They had no choice. It was a good thing they did, actually."
"That's not the point." A gleam had entered Cery's eyes. Guessing what he was thinking, Sonea smiled.
I do love him, she thought suddenly. But right now it's a friend's love. Perhaps, if they had time together, without all the distractions they'd had for the last months, it would grow into something more. But that wasn't going to happen. Not now that she was joining the Guild and he was returning, most likely, to the Thieves. Knowing this, she felt a small pang of regret, but pushed it away.
Glancing around the hall, she was surprised to see that it was nearly empty. Fergun still stood nearby, among a group of magicians. As she looked toward him he caught her eye and sneered.
"Look at them," he said. "One consorts with beggars, the other with Thieves." His companions laughed.
"Shouldn't he be locked up or something?" she mused aloud.
Rothen, Dannyl and Cery turned to regard the magician.
"No," Rothen replied. "He'll be watched, but he knows that there's a chance he won't be expelled if he appears repentant. Most likely he'll be given a duty to perform that nobody wants, probably one that will involve working in some remote place for several years."
Fergun scowled, then turned on his heel and strode toward the door, his companions following. Dannyl's smile widened, but Rothen shook his head sadly. Cery shrugged and turned to regard her.
"What about you?" he asked.
"Sonea is free to go," Rothen replied. "She'll have to stay another day or two, however. By law she must have her powers blocked before she returns to the slums."
Cery looked at her, his brows knitting. "Blocked? They're going to block your magic?"
Sonea shook her head. "No."
Rothen frowned, then looked at her closely. "No?"
"Of course not. It would make it a bit difficult to teach me, wouldn't it?"
He blinked. "You're really staying?"
"Yes." She smiled. "I'm staying."
Epilogue
In the air above the table floated a speck of light. It slowly expanded until it was a globe about the size of a child's head, then rose up to hover near the ceiling.
"That's it," Rothen told her. "You've made a globe light."
Sonea smiled. "Now I really do feel like a magician."
Rothen looked at her face and felt his heart warm. It was hard to resist the temptation to keep teaching her magic when it obviously gave her so much pleasure.
"At the speed you're learning, you'll be weeks ahead of the othe
r novices when you start lessons in the University," he told her. "At least in magic. But . . ." Reaching to a pile of books beside his chair he started to sort through them. "Your calculation skills are far behind," he said firmly. "It's time we got stuck into some real work."
Sonea looked down at the books and sighed. "I wish I'd known what tortures you were going to put me through before I decided to stay."
Chuckling, Rothen slid a book across the table. He paused, then narrowed his eyes at her.
"You haven't answered my question yet."
"What question?"
"When did you decide to stay?"
The hand reaching for the book froze. Sonea looked up at him. The smile she gave him did not extend to her eyes.
"When it occurred to me that I should," she said.
"Now, Sonea." Rothen shook a finger at her. "Don't get evasive on me again."
She leaned back in her chair. "I decided at the Hearing," she told him. "Fergun made me realize what I was giving up, but that wasn't what changed my mind. Cery told me he'd think I was stupid if I went home and that helped, too."
Rothen laughed. "I like your friend. I don't approve of him, but I like him."
She nodded, then pursed her lips.
"Rothen, is there any chance at all that someone might be able to hear us?" she asked. "Servants? Other magicians?"
He shook his head. "No."
She leaned forward. "Are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes," he said.
"There's ..." she paused, then slipped out of her chair and knelt down beside him, her voice dropping to a murmur. "There's something Lorlen said I had to tell you."
* * *
Lord Dannyl's Guide to Slum Slang
blood money—
payment for assassination
boot—
refuse/refusal (don't boot us)
capper—
man who frequents brothels
clicked—
occurred
client—
person who has an obligation or agreement with a Thief
counter—
whore
done—
murdered
dull—
persuade to keep silent
dunghead—
fool
dwells—
term used to describe slum dwellers
eye—
keep watch
fired—
angry (got fired about it)
fish—
propose/ask/look for (also someone fleeing the Guard)
gauntlet—
guard who is bribeable or in the control of a Thief
goldmine—
man who prefers boys
good go—
a reasonable try
got—
caught
grandmother—
pimp
gutter—
dealer in stolen goods
hai—
a call for attention or expression of surprise or inquiry
heavies—
important people
kin—
a Thief's closest and most trusted
knife—
assassin/hired killer
messenger—
thug who delivers or carries out a threat
mind—
hide (minds his business/I'll mind that for you)
mug—
mouth (as in vessel for bol)
out for—
looking for
pick—
recognize/understand
punt—
smuggler
right-sided—
trustworthy/heart in the right place
rope—
freedom
rub—
trouble (got into some rub over it)
shine—
attraction (got a shine for him)
show—
introduce
space—
allowances/permission
squimp—
someone who double-crosses the Thieves
style—
manner of performing business
tag—
recognize (also means a spy, usually undercover)
thief—
leader of a criminal group
watcher—
posted to observe something or someone
wild—
difficult
visitor—
burglar
* * *
Glossary
Animals
aga moths—
pests that eat clothing
anyi—
sea mammals with short spines
ceryni—
small rodent
enka—
horned domestic animal, bred for meat
eyoma—
sea leeches
faren—
general term for arachnids
gorin—
large domestic animal used for food and to haul boats and wagons
harrel—
small domestic animal bred for meat
limek—
wild predatory dog
mullook—
wild nocturnal bird
rassook—
domestic bird used for meat and feathers
ravi—
rodent, larger than ceryni
reber—
domestic animal, bred for wool and meat
sapfly—
woodland insect
sevli—
poisonous lizard
squimp—
squirrel-like creature that steals food
zill—
small, intelligent mammal sometimes kept as a pet
Plants/Food
anivope vines—
plant sensitive to mental projection
bol—
(also means "river scum") strong liquor made from tugors
brasi—
green leafy vegetable with small buds
chebol sauce—
rich meat sauce made from bol
crots—
large, purple beans
curem—
smooth, nutty spice
curren—
coarse grain with robust flavor
dull—
long fruit with tart orange, seedy flesh
gan-gan—
flowering bush from Lan
iker—
stimulating drug, reputed to have aphrodisiac properties
jerras—
long yellow beans
kreppa—
foul-smelling medicinal herb
marin—
red citrus fruit
monyo—
bulb
myk—
mind-affecting drug
nalar—
pungent root
pachi—
crisp, sweet fruit
papea—
pepper-like spice
piorres—
small, bell-shaped fruit
raka/suka—
stimulating drink made from roasted beans, originally from Sachaka
sumi—
bitter drink
telk—
seed from which an oil is extracted
term—
grain that can be cooked as is, broken into small pieces, or ground to make a flour
tugor—
parsnip-like root
vare—
berries from which most wine is produced
Clothing and Weaponry
incal—
square symbol, not unlike a family shield, sewn onto sleeve or cuff
kebin—
iron bar with hook for catching attacker's knife, carried by guards
longcoat—
ankle-length coat
Public Houses
bathhouse—
establishment selling bathing facilities and other grooming services
bolhouse—
establishment selling bol and short-term
accommodation
brewhouse—
bol manufacturer
stayhouse—
rented building, a family to a room
Peoples of the Allied Lands
Elyne—
closest to Kyralia in position and culture, enjoys a milder climate
Kyralia—
home of the Guild
Lan—
a mountainous land peopled by warrior tribes
Lonmar—
a desert land home to the strict Mahga religion
Vin—
an island nation known for its seamanship
Other Terms
cap—
coins threaded on a stick to the value of the next highest denomination
dawnfest—
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