The Traitor Queen (23 page)

“Like the shield blocking the passage, I’ll have to hold this in place constantly,” she said. “It won’t be too hard if I stay
close by. It’s strong enough to stop a collapse, but it won’t hold against a magical attack. If there’s pressure on it from
above or an attack from below I should sense it.” She sighed and shook her head. “Just as well Kallen’s been teaching me how
to draw power, and I haven’t been using it up in fighting practice. This is going to sap some of my strength.”

Cery nodded. “Thanks. Again.”

His gratitude only made her stomach twist with anxiety.

“You’re obviously worried that Skellin might find his way in here before the Guild are ready to help.”

“Yes. If Skellin finds us before we’re ready to spring the trap, and doesn’t want to risk that you or other magicians are
close by, he might collapse the roof on us and slip away.”

She imagined Anyi suffocating under bricks and dirt, and shuddered. It would not be easy to sleep, knowing that her friends
might die if she didn’t sense an attack on the barrier.

“If I feel anything happen to the barriers I’ll come as quickly as I can,” she said.

Cery nodded. “If there are any other signs someone has entered the passages Anyi will go to your room to fetch you. Or get
Jonna to. How often is Jonna there?”

“A few times a day. Should I ask her to visit more often?”

“That might be a good idea.”

Lilia nodded. “Is there anything else?”

“That’s everything.” Cery looked at Gol and Anyi, who nodded.

“Then I had better go back,” Lilia told them. “I have some studying to do.”

“I’ll come with you as far as the room,” Anyi said.

“Don’t distract her too long,” Cery told his daughter. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

Anyi rolled her eyes as she turned away. Beckoning to Lilia, she led the way toward the Magicians’ Quarters.

“Sometimes I wish he didn’t know about us,” she muttered.

“It’s nice that he doesn’t mind, though,” Lilia reminded her.

“Yeah.” Anyi shrugged and smiled reluctantly.

“So why’d you want me to leave earlier tonight?”

Anyi glanced behind. “I’ll tell you when we get there.”

As always, the climb up the wall to the panel behind Sonea’s guest room was uncomfortable in the confined space. Lilia went
up first, then lifted up the now-empty lacquer box she always brought food in with magic. Anyi came up after it. They dusted
off their clothes.

“My poor old coat,” Anyi said, examining the scratches in the leather.

Lilia looked down at herself. “I had better get changed.” She took a step toward her room.

A knock came from the door. They exchanged looks of dismay.

“Not Jonna,” Lilia said. “She doesn’t knock like that.”

“Get into your robes,” Anyi said. “I’ll delay them.”

Lilia hurried into her room and stumbled into her robes. It seemed the faster she tried to put them on, the more tangled she
got. She could hear voices from the guest room, but Anyi didn’t sound alarmed.

At last she was dressed. Opening the door, she looked out and sighed with relief.

“Lord Rothen,” she said, bowing to the elderly magician.

A strange, uncomfortable look crossed Anyi’s face as she realised she’d forgotten the gesture of respect, and she quickly
bent in an awkward bow. Rothen looked amused.

“I came by to see how you are, Lilia,” he said. “I’ve come past on other nights but you’ve been out.”

“Oh. Sorry.” Lilia spread her hands.

“I have a hunch I know where you’ve been, but you can trust me to keep your secret. Sonea told me of Cery’s visits.” He smiled
at Anyi, then turned back and his expression became serious. “So how are you?”

“Um …” Lilia gestured at a chair. “Why don’t you sit? Can I get you some sumi?”

“Yes, thank you.” As he sat down Anyi settled into one of the other seats.

“I’m … fine,” Lilia told him as she lifted the sumi-making set with magic and moved it to the table, then, as an afterthought,
brought over the raka powder. She sat down and set to making the brew. “You know that Cery is in hiding?”

Rothen nodded. “Kallen told us as much.”

“
Us
”, Lilia thought.
I suppose that means the rest of the Higher Magicians
.

“Well … I worry about him.” She handed Rothen a steaming cup. “And Anyi.”
And Gol, but he may not even know about Gol
.

“That’s understandable.” Rothen was frowning now. He looked at Anyi. “Is he safe?”

Anyi shrugged. “For now, but how long we can remain undetected …” She shook her head. “They could find us tonight, or never
find us at all.”

Lilia handed her a cup of raka, grimacing at the strong smell of it, and poured some sumi for Rothen.

“Well, if there’s anything we can do to help keep you hidden, let me know,” Rothen said.

Anyi hesitated, then nodded. “Thanks.”

The old magician sipped his sumi and turned back to Lilia. “How are your studies?”

It was her turn to hesitate. Should she be honest, or try to delay the inevitable?

Rothen chuckled. “Looks like you are aware of how badly you’re failing to keep up. I’m also here to tell you that we’ve decided
that you can drop a few classes for now. You will have more time to finish them – possibly graduate half a year later. Kallen’s
lessons have added to your workload, and you had much to catch up on from your months of absence. It is better that you learn
well, than learn within the allotted time.”

At first Lilia only felt relieved.
But it’ll be another half-year until graduation
. That made her feel disappointed and tired. Still, less study meant more time with Anyi. She nodded slowly. “Thank you.”

Rothen smiled again. “Remember, you can talk to me any time. Even when Sonea is here. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Lord Rothen.”

They fell silent, each sipping at their respective hot drinks. Lilia asked if he’d heard from Sonea. He told her that Sonea
and Lorkin had been reunited.
Well, that’s good. She’ll be home soon
.

When they’d finished the drinks, Rothen rose and excused himself. Lilia rose to see him out. After he’d left, Lilia turned
to see Anyi sitting with her head in her hands.

“What’s wrong?”

Anyi sighed. Dark shadows lay under her eyes as she looked up. “Could you ask Kallen if the Guild will hide Cery here?
We’ve always assumed they would, but avoided it because … well, just out of pride. It’s crazy. I should try to talk Cery into
coming up here.”

“I can ask him tomorrow – unless you want me to tonight.”

Anyi shook her head. “Tomorrow if fine. Talking Cery into it will take time.”

“What do you fear? That Skellin will come before the Guild are ready to help?”

Anyi frowned. “That Cery will do something stupid. This trap he’s setting up … I’m not sure if he’s planning to wait for Kallen
or not.”

“He doesn’t think, now that Kallen’s teaching me to strengthen myself, that I’m strong enough to fight Skellin on my own,
does he?”

“No, he didn’t know about that until tonight. He started the preparations before then.”

Lilia felt a pang of sympathy. If Anyi, who was frustrated by being stuck underground, was concerned that her father was being
impatient, then things had to be getting bad down there.

She reached out and drew Anyi into her arms. “I’ll talk to him. I’ll talk the Guild into it. You talk Cery into it. And if
either or both of them won’t be sensible, then we’ll just have to find a way to trick them into it.”

T
he night sky was clear and the moon bright overhead. Cery breathed a sigh of relief. Though the moonlight made it more likely
someone would see them, it also made it easier for them to move about in the forest. Neither he, Gol nor Anyi were used to
getting around among trees and vegetation.

Though Lilia was able to supply them with most of what they needed, thanks to Jonna, a few items were beyond her. They’d been
back to the farm twice already for more chairs, sacking and straw for making mattresses. Tonight they were after some other
practical items.

“A bucket or tub, and more sacks. Nothing else?” Anyi asked.

“No,” Cery told her. “Don’t go looking for more things to take just ’cause you’re there.

“Of course not.”

As she slipped away into the forest, he turned to Gol. “Be careful. Don’t try to do anything else.”

Gol nodded. Cery watched as his friend stumbled off into the trees in the other direction, then cringed as the snap of a branch
echoed through the forest.
If Anyi hears him … well,
he can give her the story I’m going to tell her when she gets back and finds him missing: that he’s looking for the best way
to lose pursuit if we ever have to escape this way
.

Retreating into the hole, Cery picked up his lamp and headed back down the tunnel. Anyi had insisted that only one of them
needed to risk sneaking into the farm. He’d agreed, but only because he wanted to check on the Guild’s experiments with roet.

Unless they’ve moved them after Lilia told them she knew about it
.

He found the overhanging roots and pushed them aside. Entering the tunnel, he quietened his steps as he neared the secret
cellar door. Everything looked exactly as they’d left it. He bent to the spy hole and saw only darkness. For a moment he could
not shake off the idea that there was a dark cloth now covering the spy hole, making it look as if the room was unlit, and
there were magicians waiting beyond. Pressing his ear to the door, he listened for some time. All was quiet.

He closed the shutter of the lamp until only a little edge of light spilled out. Slowly he eased the door open. Musty air
greeted him, and the sound he made echoed in the room beyond. He opened the shutter of the lamp. Light spilled into an unoccupied
room. The same tables stood in the same places as before. He stepped inside and moved over to them. They were covered in small
containers. Less than half as many as before, he noted. A pile of broken pots and soil had been swept into a pile to one side.
Some of the pots looked burnt. Looking closer, he saw that the ones on the table were seared on one side – and so was the
table. He frowned and moved closer. The pots contained only dirt.

Or do they …?
He leaned closer. Tiny shoots were emerging from the soil.

Cery smiled.
Grow fast, little plants
, he thought. Then he shook his head.
Never thought I’d think that about roet
.

Moving back to the secret entrance, he re-entered the passage and closed the door behind him. He headed back toward the main
network of passages, but instead of returning to the room they were now living in, he checked that the passage to the Thieves’
Road was still blocked by Lilia’s shield. It was.

By the time he got back to their new room, enough time had passed for Anyi to have returned before him. But she wasn’t there.
He sat down to wait for her. Soon he felt anxiety rising. It was difficult to judge the passing of time here. Too easy to
imagine that hours had passed. Too easy to imagine that something had happened to his daughter.

At least, if she’s discovered, it’ll probably be by farm servants or magicians. Neither will harm her
.

An old memory rose of a much younger Sonea, standing in a city square, staring down at the burned body of a young man. Magicians
could make mistakes.

They did so only because they thought they were under attack. Anyi is a lone young woman and, unlike Sonea, doesn’t have magic
.

Yet his heart was beating too fast, causing an ache that kept growing.

Anyi is smart
, he told himself.
She won’t be caught
.

But if she was, she wouldn’t want to reveal that he was here. They’d throw her out of the Guild. Into the city. Where Skellin
was waiting …

Stop it
, he told himself, rubbing his chest.
There’s no point worrying about something until
…

A sound came from somewhere outside the room. His blood froze. He held his breath and listened. No sound came again. Then,
just as he had decided that he’d imagined the noise, the
faintest
whisper
of sound reached him. He stood up, certain that someone was approaching the room taking great care not to be detected. Had
Gol been caught as soon as he entered the city. Had Skellin already tortured Cery’s location out of him?

He cast about.
We haven’t even had a chance to set the trap yet. What should I do?
He turned toward the hole into the next room. Their escape route.

Then five taps echoed in the passage.
The signal!
He breathed a sigh of relief and dropped back onto the chair, almost forgetting to rap on a crate in reply. Footsteps drew
closer and light illuminated the corridor wall, moving in a way that suggested Anyi’s gait. She peered around the doorway
at him and grinned, then came inside carrying two buckets.

“Where’s Gol?” she asked as she set them down.

“Scouting in the forest, in case we have to escape that way. What’s this?” He peered into the buckets, which were full of
more than just sacking.

“Fruit. Seemed a waste not to take some, after they’d done all the picking.”

“I told you not to take anything else.”

“Yeah, well, you know how obedient I am. And hungry.”

He looked up at her and narrowed his eyes. “You said you didn’t like fruit.”

She looked away. “I said I didn’t like
most
fruit.” She sat down and yawned.

“Liar.”

“Should I take it back?”

He made a rude noise. “Get some sleep.”

“But Gol hasn’t returned yet.”

“He won’t for a while. It’s late, and the sooner you sleep the sooner
I
can as well.”

“Oh, all right then.”

Moving to the mattress, she lay down. Soon she was asleep, leaving Cery to wait, and start worrying all over again.

Be careful, Gol, my old friend. Not just for our sakes. I’ve known you too long to lose you tonight
.

As Tyvara left to find out what Savara wanted, Lorkin saw his mother nod.

“She’s smart, that one. I’d wager she wasn’t counting on you coming into her life.”

Lorkin grinned. “She did put up quite a lot of resistance. For a while there I thought I’d only imagined she returned my interest.”

“You’re sure now?”

“Yes.” He felt an echo of doubt. “Mostly.”

She chuckled, then her expression grew serious. “So. Black magic.”

Lorkin looked away, then forced himself to turn back and meet his mother’s gaze. As before, her expression was unreadable.
Though her eyes betrayed something. Not disapproval, though.

Sadness
, he realised. For some reason that made him feel even more guilty.

“Only so I could learn stone-making, Mother,” he said. Her eyebrows rose. “So the
Guild
could learn stone-making,” he corrected.

“I thought you volunteered to be Dannyl’s assistant because you wanted to find an
alternative
to black magic.”

Lorkin sighed. “Yes. I did. I had hoped the Traitors’ stones would be that alternative.”

“Is it really impossible to make them without black magic?”

“Not impossible, but … it is like trying to build a house blindfolded. The way higher magic alters your perceptions and control
of magic makes training the stones easier and more accurate.”

“Higher magic?” She smiled and looked away. “I find that is the term used by people who embrace black magic.”

“And black magic is the term used by people who don’t approve of higher magic.” Lorkin shrugged. “Whether that disapproval
is justified or not.”

“Is it justified?”

He thought of Evar, drained of all energy out of revenge. Of himself, kept weak as Kalia’s prisoner. But Kalia’s supporters
would have found another way to punish Evar if they hadn’t had black magic, and they’d have found other ways to keep Lorkin
prisoner.

“Yes and no. All magic can be abused. All power can be abused. The Traitors are proof that a culture that does embrace higher
magic doesn’t necessarily turn into Sachaka – the Ashaki kind of Sachaka, that is.”

Mother nodded. “Just as Kallen and I are proof that not every magician goes mad and tries to take over the Guild once he or
she learns black magic.”

“I’d have thought Father was proof of that.”

She shrugged. “He’s not the best example, since he did use it to win the position of High Lord.”

“Yes. He turned out to be a man of
many
secrets.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Plenty. After what you discovered, I … I wonder what else he kept hidden.”

“So …” He took a deep breath. “Will the Guild accept me now that I know black magic?”

Pursing her lips, she did not answer immediately. “Probably.
Stone-making is a new kind of magic with great potential, and they want it.”

“Even if it does require black magic?”

“Yes, though that will probably mean only a few will be allowed to learn it. Myself. Kallen. Lilia. You.”

“Lilia? Oh – the novice who learned it from a book. Now
that
was unexpected.”

“Yes. I have a hunch that she has a particular talent for it, and others might not so easily learn from a description. Though
that might be too much to hope for.”

“Was it another of Father’s deceptions? Did he hope to reduce the danger to the Guild by making us believe it couldn’t be
learned from a book, so that nobody would try?”

“I don’t think so.” She frowned. “There is another possibility. Zarala may have told him it could only be taught mind to mind,
to reduce the danger of the Guild adopting black magic. He …”

She straightened, her eyes widening. Guessing that Osen was communicating with her, Lorkin waited. The cry of a distant bird
drew his attention to the surroundings and he realised that the sun was dipping toward the horizon. The mountains loomed to
one side. He was suddenly aware that they were just a small gathering of people – isolated, exposed and insignificant.

But we’re not. We’re magicians. Two of us are powerful figures among our peoples. Important decisions are about to be made.
Historic decisions
.

His mother sighed. She looked at him, then over at Regin. As if sensing her gaze, Regin looked up. She beckoned, and he rose
and moved away from the pair of Traitor women he had been talking to.

“I have an answer,” she told him as he reached them. As she moved to stand, Regin extended a hand and, to Lorkin’s surprise,
she took it and let him help her up. “Could you go tell the queen, Lorkin?”

He did as she asked, finding Savara talking quietly with Tyvara. The two looked a little annoyed at the interruption, until
Lorkin told them that Black Magician Sonea had received an answer from the Guild.

Savara rose and dusted off her clothes as his mother walked over to join her. They sat down in a small circle where they had
settled the night before.

“Your invitation has been discussed among the leaders of the Allied Lands, your majesty,” his mother began. “First, I must
convey our thanks. We are honoured that you invited us to join your fight. However, the difference we might make to the outcome
is small weighed against the possible consequences of our participation should you lose. As you have already pointed out,
we have little to offer an army such as yours at this time. Some in the Allied Lands believe we would be more of a hindrance
than a help.” Her mouth twitched into a wry smile, to which Savara responded with similar amusement. “Others are not so pessimistic,
pointing out that we have more than once in the past proven stronger and more resourceful than we appeared to be. Unfortunately
those of the former opinion outnumber those of the latter, and the decision made is that we cannot join you in a conflict
against King Amakira.”

Lorkin’s heart sank. Looking around, he saw looks of disgust on the faces of the Traitors. But not surprise.

“All have expressed support for your aim to end slavery in Sachaka,” she continued. “If you delay your plans we may have time
to become a more useful ally in such an endeavour. If you
do not, we wish you every success and hope to form bonds of trade if not alliance in the future. In the meantime – if the
offer still stands – we are willing to trade our Healers’ services in exchange for magical gemstones, and I have been instructed
to negotiate the details of such a deal now if it is convenient.”

Savara nodded. “Please send my thanks for their consideration of our invitation,” she said. “Since we do not need to wait
for Allied forces to join us, we will not delay our plans. We leave in the morning. However, we still desire to trade Healing
for stones.” She paused to frown. “How long will it take your Healers to reach Arvice? Wait – before you answer that …” She
turned to look at Lorkin. “Would you ask Tyvara to bring some raka?”

Lorkin nodded, stood up and hurried over to where Tyvara was sitting alone, watching the meeting.

“Savara said to bring raka,” he told her. “Would you like some help?”

She stared up at him searchingly and didn’t move.

“What is it?” he asked, lowering his voice.

“What will you do? Where will you go?”

He glanced at his mother, then back at her. “I … don’t know.” Mother would expect him to return to Kyralia, despite the matter
of him knowing black magic. He wanted to return – to be able to return – but to leave Sachaka would mean leaving Tyvara.
And the Traitors. I want to see them win. To leave now would be like leaving in the middle of someone telling a story
.