Disclaimer – I do not own BMT world – it belongs to Trudi Canavan

Akkarin's Plan

Sometimes, Sonea thought miserably, I wish Akkarin would simply avoid being absolutely accurate when he tells me something. The long ride he had promised was exactly that. They had been travelling continuously since he had made the cloth saddle for her. At first, the horse had moved at a fairly quick pace, but now, even the strong plough horse was feeling tired, so their rate of progress had been reduced to a walk.

For much of the time, she had been concentrating on adjusting her seat to the rhythms of the horse's gait and after so many hours of practice, she seemed to have finally got it right so it ceased to worry her as much. Much more of a worry was the nearness of Akkarin, seated behind her with his arms holding her lightly in place, as he handled the reins. She was extremely conscious of the feel of his body against hers, in one way, it was delicious torture and she was glad he couldn't see her face to read her surface thoughts. On the other hand, she was also very much aware that he held himself stiffly, as if her nearness was a trial he was reluctant to endure.

She kept telling herself that it didn't matter, that all she could hope for was a working partnership, but deep down, she simply knew that wasn't true, it did matter, very much, and it was driving her to distraction. So much so, she was tempted to say to him she would stay behind, simply to get away from the overwhelming feelings of rejection she picked up from the way he treated her.

These lapses into self-pity annoyed her at the same time she was indulging in them. What is happening to me? she kept asking herself, Where has that self-reliant Novice, Sonea, disappeared to? In all her early trials and tribulations at the Guild, when she had been so badly treated by her classmates and sneered at as a dwell by many magicians, she had never fallen into such whining self-pity. If this is what love reduces you to, I don't want it! I will be strong and overcome this, she promised herself. I've done it before, many times, and I will again. To that end, she ruthlessly suppressed any more thoughts of a personal nature and resumed her Warrior training mental exercises; they at least prevented any other thoughts from intruding.

As the sun rose high in the sky and it looked as if the journey would never end, she finally asked her companion where they were going.

"We're not too far from Coldbridge," he replied, "I aim to camp around half-an-hour's walking distance from the town and then go into the centre, to see what I can find out from the locals."

She thought about this for a moment, before saying, "I think we should both go, we can split up in the town and cover the ground in half the time. Besides, I may find that people will overlook a young lad wandering around, whereas they may be more circumspect in front of an older person."

Much to Sonea's surprise, Akkarin agreed without argument. That's a first! She smiled inwardly at her victory and hoped it would be the first of many.

They found a tumbled-down mill by the side of the river in which to stay over night. There were several buildings, and one of them, a small barn-like structure, had retained its roof, walls and windows. It had obviously been a store for grain because it still had remnants of its hayloft with decaying bundles of wheat. Sonea made short work of setting up sleeping places and Akkarin secured the horse in an area with lush grass.

They set off for the town soon afterwards and when they reached it, they found a market just winding down after a day's trading. Akkarin used some of the Ichani's coins to buy bread, cheese and a bottle of the local wine. Sonea found a stall selling bruised fruit cheaply and secured a large bagful. After making their purchases, they arranged to meet up at the local bol house in half an hour's time and went off in different directions.

Sonea was the first to arrive at the bol house. She took a quick look round but couldn't see Akkarin. It was crowded with customers who'd come into town for the market and all of them seemed to be enjoying a good old gossip. She moved around, trying to look inconspicuous to see if she could pick up any information. Her earlier efforts had not proved very productive, but at least the bol house was a hive of activity with a real buzz of conversation everywhere.

When Akkarin arrived a few minutes later, she was able to tell him that there were rumours flying around of Warriors and other magicians galloping through various towns in a great hurry. It was said they were on their way to a battle or perhaps running away from one. He looked rather grim and said he'd heard something similar. Before starting their trek back to the mill, they had a quick drink. But to her disappointment, Akkarin made sure that Sonea's mug of bol had been well watered before letting her drink.

Later, over their meal of market produce, they discussed what they'd heard in the town. Akkarin was grim-faced when they discussed the rumours of Warriors seen galloping through the countryside.

"I knew they would try something like that," he said in exasperation. "They think it's just a few magicians with a little extra skill, because they don't understand black magic at all. If Balkan has sent Warriors to face the Ichani, he can write them off immediately. None will be coming back," and he repeated what he'd said before, "Such a waste."

"Why would people think the Warriors were running away?" she asked curiously. "I thought people admired them."

He shook his head, "I don't know unless word about what happened, what truly happened at the Fort, has got out and people realise the sort of enemy they're facing."

Sonea was pleased to see Akkarin in such a talkative mood and wondered if the mug of bol, followed by the bottle of local wine they'd finished with their meal, had something to do with it. Whatever the reason, she felt it was her chance to find out what he was planning.

"If you'd still been High Lord, what would you be doing now?"

He was silent for a moment, "I would concentrate our strength around the Guild. That's the Ichani target, to take as many magicians as they can in one place, kill them and absorb their power. Once they'd done that, no one could stand against them. That has to be prevented at all costs. I would have all the Warriors in position to prevent an Ichani breakthrough. I would feed them power from other magicians, so they would be strong enough to repel a sustained attack. It's worse than useless to send out small groups to attack them on the road." He sighed, "Of course I'd know what I was doing! The Guild is now operating in the dark."

He stared directly at Sonea, "If you had stayed where I intended you to stay, you'd be able to help them defend properly. They would have some idea, at least, what they're facing."

Sonea didn't want to start that subject up again, so she was quick to ask another question. "What do you intend to do? I don't understand why you won't answer the Guild, they obviously believe you now, so you could put your original plan into action."

He gave a short bark of laughter, "You are a child, Sonea, if you think the Guild will readily follow my orders ever again! No, they want to drain me of my knowledge, but not do what I recommend. They will take the information, then do something inept with it. I have to remain free of the Guild, so I can deal with the Ichani."

Sonea looked at him curiously. He was so confident that he was right, but that was one of his most abiding characteristics. Many would call him arrogant, but as far as she knew, he tended to be right about most things. But was he right this time? She had no way of knowing.

"So your plan is that we fight the Ichani on our own?"

"Yes, with the proper strategy, we can defeat them. They are individuals, they don't act in concert and that is where we can pick them off, one by one, fighting house by house if necessary."

She considered his words carefully. She could see the logic and felt the plan might work, but could two black magicians prevail against a dozen or more opponents? That was the key question. She puzzled over it for a moment. Then she realised, his original plan counted on her not being part of it; it would be one against twelve or more, not two.

"This is what you were going to do on your own, if I'd stayed behind?" she asked.

He looked down at his hands, and paused. She began to wonder if he would answer, but eventually he looked up at her, "I don't necessarily expect to survive the experience, but yes, that has always been my plan."

At his words, the breath left her body. He expects to die. She could see it all now. His intention was to use the twists and turns of the city to harry and chase the Ichani, killing one after another for as long as he could hold out, hoping that he could do enough to prevent the destruction of the Guild before he was killed. The knowledge of what he intended chilled her. She went over to him and knelt down at his side.

"Akkarin, you can't do this," she said firmly. "Whatever you think, the Guild needs you alive. You are the strongest magician Kyralia has got, no one is anywhere near as powerful as you. The Guild needs you to help them in the years to come."

"They will have you, Sonea," he said softly. "You will be able to help them."

So, he intended to keep her out of it! She would never agree to that in a hundred years.

"I will be fighting with you," she said firmly, "Do you think I'd be hidden somewhere, watching you fight until you couldn't fight any more, and not do anything to help you?"

She could feel tears start to form and blinked furiously. It would never do to act like an emotional female. "I made a promise to look after you," she went on steadily, "That means I shall be with you, whatever you choose to do, helping you to stay alive."

She felt his hand unexpectedly brush her hair and saw he was staring at her, a strange expression in his eyes. Her heart began to beat painfully in her chest as she returned his stare. It seemed as if they stayed like that for hours, but it could only have been a few seconds. She didn't think; she acted. She took hold of his hands and pulled him forward slightly, then wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her mouth to his.

She felt his body stiffen for a moment, then he stood up, taking her with him, his arms around her, straining her close to him and his mouth was hard upon hers, forcing her lips apart. She could taste wine on his lips and tongue and feel the soft fur of his beard tickle against her skin as the kiss deepened. She could feel a hot sweet pain stab through her belly and down between her legs as she pressed harder and harder against him.

All of a sudden, Akkarin broke away from her, and she was left, standing alone.

"What…." she began, but he interrupted her.

"No, Sonea." his voice was low, but it was unmistakably a command. "This cannot continue. I think you should get some rest. We must leave before first light tomorrow."

"I think we need to talk about this, Akkarin." She tried to keep the hurt from her voice. "We can't pretend it didn't happen."

"These sorts of things happen, when people are thrown together, but it doesn't really mean anything. Having the wine this evening was probably a mistake. We'll regret this in the morning and will probably feel very embarrassed about it all. It's best to forget it."

Akkarin delivered his little speech without looking at her. His usually pale face was tinged with pink and she could see he was already embarrassed. She, on the other hand, was delighted. She couldn't be mistaken, he had feelings for her, she could feel it in his kiss and the way he held her. It would be an error to push things now, though. She would need to plan her campaign carefully.

"All right, Akkarin, if you say so," she said carefully.

She saw the relief flash across his face. I'll give you something to think about, though, she thought.

"I'll go to sleep, then."

She walked over to him; he watched her come warily, but made no move to avoid her. She stretched up and kissed him softly, running her tongue around his lips oh so gently. He kept perfectly still, his arms by his sides, but she thought she could feel a tremor in the mouth under her own.