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

The Elyne Witch

It had been almost a week since he had visited Cery, but no word on Sonea's whereabouts had come from the Thief. It was tempting to go back to the city to confront Cery and demand that he find her, but Akkarin knew that was neither wise nor useful. Cery has a network of informants, he will find her, it's only a matter of time, he told himself.

Akkarin had used one of his own trusted informants to ask around, but he, too, had found no trace of his wife. He felt a bitter frustration that with all his power, wealth and influence, he was unable to find out where Sonea had gone, but must rely on the efforts of others. He had once been well known for his patience, but that, like so much else these days, had deserted him, just when he needed it most.

He gazed into the fire, his thoughts wandering. He treasured the few moments he had alone, when he could just sit calmly and let his thoughts and emotions simply be. But these moments were few and far between. He could not give up on his role as High Lord, simply to indulge his own personal concerns.

So far, he had been able to keep the fact of Sonea's disappearance a secret, known only to a very few trusted people. Vinara, of course, had to know because she was in daily contact with her patient; Lorlen, he had told himself, and Takan and Viola, of course, but no one else in the Guild knew. It's lucky that she'd been keeping away from everyone since the battle, he thought. That makes things so much easier.

However, he was expecting Rothen shortly to report on his progress with seeking out any amongst the Alchemists who might know something about balefire, or remember Temsin and his wife; and he would have to tell him about Sonea. Rothen is bound to ask to see her, he realised. I can't put him off with excuses, he'll know something is wrong.

He heard faint noises from the hall and guessed that Rothen had arrived. There was a soft tap at his door and Taken came in.

"Lord Rothen awaits, Master."

"Show him in and bring refreshments, Takan."

Akkarin looked closely at his visitor. Rothen was not an old man by any means, but he was well into late middle age. Like all magicians, he had a much younger appearance than his age suggested, but in the last few months, he had begun to look tired, and that aged him. The High Lord noticed there were many more silver threads amongst the pale gold of his hair and deep lines had appeared around his eyes, nose and mouth.

Rothen sat down and accepted a glass of wine and a plate of savouries. He looked over at the High Lord and smiled.

"Thank you, High Lord, just what I needed," and he popped a tartlet into his mouth and started chewing.

Akkarin sipped his wine and waited until Rothen had eaten his savoury before asking, "Have you made any progress?"

"Yes, I have, much to my surprise," Rothen replied cheerfully. "I managed to find one of the older Alchemists who remembered Temsin and his wife. The woman's name was Krysterne, it seems, and she created rather a stir when she arrived at the Guild. She was very eccentric, even by Guild standards, so she made quite an impression."

"Eccentric? How?" Akkarin sounded intrigued.

"Old Rheda, my informant, says she wore strange, flowing clothes in striking colours and had a number of unusual pets, which she insisted on keeping in her apartment. One of them was large, black bird which used to ride on her shoulders sometimes." Rothen smiled as he remembered Rheda's comic description of tall, willowy Kyrsterne swaying down a corridor with the enormous bird chattering in her ear.

"Rheda particularly remembers her hair," he continued, "It was very long and thick, almost down to her knees and was a dark red colour. She had never seen anything like it before. When Krysterne first arrived, she used to wear it loose, so from a distance it looked like a cloak. Then someone had a word with her and afterwards she usually wore it in a long plait."

"Does Rheda know what happened to her?"

"No, after Temsin killed himself, Rheda remembers Krysterne screaming hysterically and making threats at some sort of meeting, but then she just disappeared and no one would say anything about where she'd gone. But we know, she was sent back to Elyne, to her family. It's just possible she's still alive. I would like your permission to go to Elyne and try to find her." Rothen looked earnestly at Akkarin. "I'm a good choice to send, I know something about balefire, I can recognise it when I see even small traces of it. I have no ties here, so leaving Kyralia would not be a problem for me. More importantly, perhaps, I feel responsible for Sonea, for her being here, in the Guild, and I want to do something positive to help her."

Akkarin said nothing for a moment, but stared at Rothen, considering his request. He wasn't surprised by it, Rothen had always had a romantic streak and going off on a journey to seek a cure for his favourite former novice was the sort of thing he would want to do.

"Forgive me, Rothen, but you are not known for your diplomatic skills," Akkarin said with a smile. "We know little about the Elyne witches and they may not be too pleased to find a Guild magician calling on them, especially one as desperate as you to find answers."

Rothen frowned, "I don't know what you mean, Akkarin. I can be the soul of diplomacy, just ask Dannyl. I coped with all his problems as a novice, and since, with no trouble at all."

"You are certainly an easy-going magician most of the time, but when your feelings and emotions are engaged, you've been known to lose your temper very easily. Where Sonea is concerned, your emotions are fully engaged, Rothen. I'm not sure you would be able to act with discretion in this case." Akkarin sipped his wine and stared at the Alchemist. He watched a range of emotions cross his face as Rothen acknowledged the truth of the High Lord's words.

"If not me, who else would you send?" he asked eventually. "You've kept the secret of Sonea's sickness very well. There aren't any others – you can't send Vinara or Lorlen or go yourself – who else is there but me?"

Akkarin nodded, acknowledging the truth of Rothen's words, but he was still hesitant. How would Sonea react if something happened to Rothen? She would blame her husband for letting him go on a dangerous journey. But Sonea's not here, his mind reminded him. And Rothen is right, there is no one else!

As the High Lord remained silent, Rothen eagerly went on, "I've thought about this carefully. I can go as a scholar. The Elyne witches are known to use alchemy so what better reason for a Guild Alchemist to visit them? I can say I'm researching different sorts of magic and alchemy for a book. I know what I'm talking about with regard to alchemy, they won't suspect anything."

There is no other choice, Akkarin thought. I must trust Rothen to cope with any problems.

"You're right, Rothen. You are the ideal choice," Akkarin's voice was firm. "I will give you an official document stating you have leave of absence from the Guild for your research and I'll alert our Ambassador to provide some assistance when you get to Elyne. That should smooth the way at the start, but once you set off for the border regions, you will be on your own."

"Thank you, High Lord," Rothen said formally. "I appreciate your help. I know I can do it. Now, can I see Sonea?"

Akkarin sighed, "I'm sorry, but Sonea is not here. She's taken it into her head that she won't get her magic back so she has left the Guild. I've got people searching for her, but at the moment I'm not sure where she's gone."

Rothen looked grim, "How long has she been missing?"

"Almost a week," Akkarin said.

"When did you plan on telling me?" There was anger in Rothen's voice and he was frowning.

"I have not told anyone apart from one or two people, Rothen. It's not something I want bandied about the Guild, so I'd appreciate if you kept this information to yourself. I am doing all I can to find her and when I do, I shall bring her back to the Residence."

Akkarin was disappointed, but not surprised, to see suspicion fill Rothen's eyes.

"Look, Rothen, I don't like this any more than you do, but you know Sonea. She's a woman of strong purpose and once she got it into her head that her magic was gone forever, she wanted to get as far away from magicians as possible. She didn't tell me or anyone else what she intended to do; I just came home one day and found a note. I've been searching for her ever since."

Rothen's expression softened as he listened to Akkarin's impassioned words. He could see signs of the strain the High Lord was under and felt guilty that he had added to his burden.

"I'm sorry, Akkarin. My reaction was unfair, I know how much you care for her, it was just a shock that's all. I know you're doing all you can. The best thing I can do is set off for Elyne as soon as possible. By the time I return, you will have found her and we can all start working on a cure."

Rothen left soon afterwards, and Akkarin was relieved to see him go. He was never completely sure how the Alchemist would react, where Sonea was concerned. He didn't doubt that Rothen's heart was in the right place, but that knowledge didn't make handling him any easier.

He poured another glass of Anuran Dark and sat back in his chair, his eyes once again on the dancing flames. He wondered what Sonea was doing at that moment and what she was thinking. He felt sure she was somewhere safe. I would feel it, if something happened to her, he thought. The bond between us is too strong to simply fade away.