The High Lord (50 page)

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lorlen rose, knelt, then strode out of the room.

“What will you do now?”

Rothen turned to regard Raven. The spy’s expression was grim.

“I don’t know,” Rothen confessed. “Obviously, I don’t need to enter Sachaka now.”

“But finding out if the Ichani exist was not your only reason for going. You might still search for Sonea.”

“Yes.” Rothen looked away to the northeast. “But the Guild… Kyralia… will need every magician it has to fight these Sachakans. Sonea… Sonea might need my help but helping her won’t save Kyralia.”

Raven watched Rothen silently and expectantly. Rothen felt a pain in his chest, as if his heart were being pulled in two directions.

The Ichani exist,
he thought.
Akkarin wasn’t lying. Sonea hasn’t been deceived:
He felt a flood of relief, then, knowing that the decisions she had made were for good reasons, even if they weren’t the right ones.

Sonea is in Sachaka. The Ichani are here. She is safe, perhaps, for now. If I help the Guild, maybe she will have a home to return to.

“I will stay,” he said aloud. “I will return to Imardin.”

Raven nodded. “We can trade the cart and the goods in Calia for two fresh horses—if the reinforcements didn’t take them all.”

The reinforcements. Lord Yikmo and the others would not have reached the Fort yet. They would probably return to Imardin to join the rest of the Guild.

“I may as well wait in Calia and join the reinforcements on their return,” Rothen said.

The spy nodded. “Then we will part there. It has been an honor working with you, Lord Rothen.”

Rothen managed a wan smile. “I have enjoyed your company, and your lessons, Raven.”

The spy snorted at Rothen’s comment. “You lie well, Lord Rothen.” Then he shrugged. “But then, I trained you. Pity those lessons won’t be put into practice. But now you must do what you have been trained to do as a magician.” He glanced at Rothen. “Defend Kyralia.”

When the tiny house appeared between the trees, Sonea assumed it was another farmer’s cottage, but as they left the track Dorrien gestured proudly at the building. “My home.”

He reined his horse in before the house. The other riders watched nervously as Akkarin and Sonea dismounted. Sonea led her mount to one of the men.

“Thanks for the loan,” she offered.

He gave her a distrustful look before taking the reins. She returned to Akkarin’s side and watched as Dorrien thanked the men and sent them away.

“They’re worried,” Dorrien said as he returned. “One moment I’m escorting you out, the next there’s a dead Sachakan on the road and I’ve changed my mind about you two.”

“What did you tell them?” Akkarin asked.

“That we were attacked and you saved us. That I’ve decided you deserve a night’s rest and a meal in return, and I’d appreciate it if they kept that to themselves.”

“Will they?”

“They’re no fools. They know something important is happening, even if they don’t know the details. But they’ll do as I ask.”

Akkarin nodded. “We are in their debt. If they hadn’t caught the horses and come back for us, we’d still be walking. That took courage.”

Dorrien nodded. “Go on inside. The door is unlocked. If you’re hungry, there’s some fresh bread and a pot of leftover soup. I’ll be with you once I’ve tended to my horse.”

Sonea followed Akkarin through the cottage door. They entered a room as wide as the building. A bench and shelves ran along one side. From the baskets of vegetables and fruit, and the pots and utensils scattered about, Sonea guessed this was where he prepared his meals. Several wooden chairs and a large, low table filled the rest of the room. Shelving covered the walls, and every space was filled with jars, bottles, boxes and books.

Two doors led to other rooms. One was open, allowing a glimpse of an unmade bed.

As Akkarin moved to the cooking area, Sonea sat down in one of the chairs and gazed about at everything.
It’s so messy,
she mused.
Not like Rothen’s rooms at all.

She felt strangely calm. The images Makin had sent from the Fort had filled her with horror, but now, hours later, she felt only numb and bone weary. She also felt a peculiar relief.

They know,
she thought.
The Guild
—
Rothen
—
everyone
—
knows that we spoke the truth.

Not that it will do any good, now.

“Hungry?”

She looked at Akkarin. “Silly question.”

He picked up two bowls, poured soup from a pot into them, then broke off two fistfuls of bread from a large loaf on the bench. As he carried the bowls to the table they began to steam.

“Real food,” Sonea murmured as Akkarin put a bowl in her hands. “Not that I didn’t like your cooking,” she added. “You had somewhat limited ingredients.”

“Yes, and I don’t have Takan’s gifts.”

“Even Takan couldn’t have done better.”

“You’d be surprised. Why do you think Dakova kept him so long?”

They ate in silence, savoring the simple meal. Dorrien entered the room just as Sonea put down her empty bowl. He glanced at it and smiled.

“Good?”

She nodded.

He collapsed into a chair.

“You should get some sleep,” Akkarin said.

“I know,” Dorrien replied, “but I don’t think I can. I have too many questions.” He shook his head. “That magician… how did you get through the Pass if he was guarding it?”

“A little deception,” Akkarin replied. As he began to explain, Sonea watched him closely. He seemed different. Not as aloof and distant. “I thought Parika had entered Kyralia with the intention of finding us, but once the Fort was attacked I knew it was part of the invasion.”

“He was so strong.” Dorrien looked at Sonea. “How did you stop him?”

She felt heat rush to her cheeks. “I stopped his heart. With Healing magic.”

Dorrien looked surprised. “He didn’t resist?”

“The Ichani don’t know how to Heal, so he didn’t know I could do that to him.” She shuddered. “I didn’t think I’d ever do something like that to someone.”

“I would have done the same in your place. He was trying to kill you, after all.” He looked at Akkarin. “Was Parika the only Sachakan in the Pass?”

“Yes. That does not mean others won’t come later, however.”

“Then I should warn the locals.”

Akkarin nodded. “The Ichani will prey on non-magicians, particularly those with latent magical potential.” The Healer’s eyes widened. “So they’ll hunt down farmers and villagers all the way from the Fort to Imardin.”

“If the Guild is sensible, it will evacuate all the villages and farms on the road. Kariko won’t let the other Ichani waste too much time on the journey, however. He will be worried that the Guild will change their mind about me, and allow Sonea and me to return so I can strengthen myself in time to face him.”

Dorrien paused and stared at Akkarin. He seemed to struggle with himself, then he glanced at Sonea.

“What will happen if the Guild does not call you back? What can they do?”

Akkarin shook his head. “Nothing. Even if they do call me back and allow me to use black magic, I don’t have enough time to grow as strong as eight Ichani. If I were High Lord now, I would have the Guild leave Imardin. I would teach black magic to a selected few, then return and take Kyralia back.”

Dorrien stared at him in horror. “Abandon Kyralia?”

“Yes.”

“There
must
be another way.”

Akkarin shook his head.

“But you came back. Why would you do that, if you did not intend to fight?”

Akkarin smiled wanly. “I don’t expect to win.”

Dorrien’s eyes shifted to Sonea. She could almost hear him thinking:
And you are in this, too?

“What will you do?” he asked quietly.

Akkarin frowned. “I haven’t decided. I had hoped to return to Imardin in secret and wait for the Guild to call me.”

“We can still do that,” Sonea interjected.

“We have no horses and no money. Without them, we cannot reach Imardin before the Ichani.”

Dorrien smiled thinly. “I can help you with that.”

“You would disobey the Guild’s orders?”

The Healer nodded. “Yes. What will you do once you reach the city?”

“Wait for the Guild to call me back.”

“And if they don’t?”

Akkarin sighed. “Then I can do nothing. I gained some power from Parika today, but not enough to face an Ichani.”

Sonea shook her head. “We weren’t strong enough to face an Ichani this morning either, but we still managed to kill one. Why don’t we do the same thing to the others? We can pretend to be exhausted, let them catch us, then use our Healing powers to kill them.”

Akkarin frowned. “That would be very dangerous. You have never experienced the drawing of power. Once it begins, you cannot use your own magic. You would not be able to Heal.”

“Then we’ll have to be quick.”

Akkarin’s expression darkened further. “The other Ichani will see what you have done. Even if they don’t understand it, they will be cautious. It would only take a barrier at the skin to stop you using Healing power on them.”

“Then we have to make sure they don’t see.” Sonea leaned forward. “We get them when they’re alone.”

“They may stay together.”

“Then we’ll have to trick them into separating.”

Akkarin looked thoughtful. “They are unused to city surrounds, and the slums are quite a labyrinth.”

“We could enlist the Thieves.”

Dorrien looked at her, then narrowed his eyes. “Rothen said you had broken all connections with them.”

She winced at Rothen’s name. “How is he?”

“I haven’t heard from him since before Lorlen’s order to cease mental communication,” Dorrien replied. He looked at Akkarin. “He would be relieved to know Sonea is still alive. If I tell the Guild that I have seen you, I can tell them that you are willing to help.”

“No.” Akkarin’s expression was distant and thoughtful. “If Sonea and I are to ambush Ichani in the city, they must not know we are there. If they do, they will band together and hunt us down.”

Dorrien straightened. “The Guild would keep your presence a—”

“The Ichani will read it from the mind of the first magician they kill.” Akkarin looked at Dorrien, his eyes dark. “Where do you think I learned that trick?”

Dorrien paled. “Oh.”

“The Guild must not know we are in the city,” Akkarin said, a note of determination entering his voice. “So you must not tell them you have met us, or of your encounter with Parika today. The fewer who know of our return, the less chance of the Ichani discovering what we plan.”

“So we have a plan now?” Sonea asked.

Akkarin smiled at her. “The beginning of one, perhaps. Your suggestion may work, though perhaps not on Kariko. Dakova learned to Heal from me, but he kept that secret to himself. I’m not sure if he ever taught the skill to his brother, but even if he didn’t, Kariko is more likely to know Healing is possible and have considered how it might be used to harm another.”

“So we avoid Kariko,” she said. “That leaves us seven Ichani to kill. I think that will keep us occupied for a while.”

Dorrien chuckled. “Sounds like you do have a plan. I might be able to drop a hint or two here and there when the Guild are debating strategy. If there’s anything you’d have me say… ?”

“I don’t imagine anything you say will persuade them to hide,” Akkarin replied.

“But they might, once they’ve fought and exhausted themselves,” Sonea pointed out.

Akkarin nodded. “Suggest they focus their power on one Ichani. The Sachakans are not used to helping and supporting each other. They don’t know how to shield together.”

Dorrien nodded. “Anything else?”

“I will consider on the way. The sooner we leave, the better.”

The Healer rose. “I’ll saddle up again and find horses for you both.”

“Could you get us some clean clothes, too?” Sonea asked.

“We should travel in disguise,” Akkarin added. “A servant uniform would be ideal, but anything plain should do well enough.”

Dorrien’s eyebrows rose. “You’re going to pose as my servants?”

Sonea shook a finger at him in warning. “Yes. Just don’t get used to it.”

The Guildhall fell utterly silent as Lorlen rose from his seat.

“I have called this Meet at the request of the King. As you must all know, the Fort was attacked and breached by eight Sachakan magicians yesterday. All but two of the twenty-one Warriors at the Fort were killed.”

A whispering rose from the audience. The discovery that two of the Warriors had escaped the Fort had been the only good news Lorlen had received in the last day.

“It appears that some of the former High Lord’s claims and predictions are right. We have been invaded by Sachakan magicians of immense strength. Magicians who use black magic.”

Lorlen paused and looked around the hall. “We are unable to avoid the possibility that we are too few and too weak to defend the Allied Lands. In these circumstances, the King has asked that we set aside our laws. He has asked us to choose one among us, one we consider unfailingly trustworthy, to learn black magic.”

The hall filled with voices. Lorlen read a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some magicians voiced protests, while others looked resigned.

“I ask you now to suggest candidates for this role,” he called out over the noise. “Consider carefully. Strict rules will curtail the activities of this magician. They must remain within the Guild grounds for the rest of their life. They may not hold a position of authority within the Guild. They will not be allowed to teach. These rules may become more restrictive, as we consider the consequences of creating this position.” Lorlen was pleased to see no sign of eagerness on any magicians’ face, “Any questions?”

“Can the Guild refuse to do this?” a voice called.

Lorlen shook his head. “The King has ordered it.”

“The Council of Elders would never agree to this!” a Lonmar magician declared.

“According to the Allied agreement, the Kyralian King is obliged to undertake whatever measures necessary to protect the Allied Lands from a magical threat,” Lorlen replied. “The Higher Magicians and I have discussed this with the King many times. Believe me, he would not have made this decision if he did not feel there was no better option.”