The room fell silent as Akkarin walked through the door into the Night Room, Sonea stood behind him, unnoticed.

'Good evening everyone. I hope we are not late.'

'We?' Lord Garrel asked from somewhere near the back of the room. Akkarin stepped further into the room to allow Sonea to enter and then closed the door behind her. Sonea blinked in surprise at the vast number of magicians situated around the room. To cover her nerves, she bent at the waist, offering a bow to the room.

'Good evening Lords and Ladies of the Guild.' A smatter of whispering graced her ears. She was not going to be afraid of their judgement and decisions and stood tall meeting the eyes trained on her.

'The request was for you alone, Akkarin.' Garrel continued. 'Sonea, please return to your—'

'Sonea has as much of a right to be here as I do,' Akkarin interrupted. 'The decisions regarding the fate of Black Magicians affects her too and she should get to hear them and voice her opinions.'

'He's right, Lord Garrel,' Lord Balkan injected as Lord Garrel opened his mouth to argue. 'Sonea should be here to hear our plans.'

'Fine,' Lord Garrel grumbled, 'but Sonea, why are you wearing full robes? You have not earned them.'

'That was at my behest,' Akkarin said before Sonea could make a sound. 'She was about to choose a discipline before we were exiled, and since I have taught her everything I know about Black Magic then I determined that she has become a full Magician in the discipline of Black Magic. If you wish to change this, we would be happy to do so.'

'Yes, that was one of the points we were going to bring up this evening.' Lord Balkan answered. 'We might as well start with it.'

Lord Balkan gestured for Akkarin and Sonea to take a seat near the centre of the room where a circle of chairs was set out. Sonea stayed within touching distance of Akkarin's robes, ignoring the stares that followed them through the room. Within the circle of chairs sat Lords Garrel, Balkan, Telano, Peakin, Osen, and Rothen, who offered her a warm smile, as well as Lady Vinara and Director Jerrick. The rest of the Magicians in the room were sat in other chairs or stood around the them. A quiet hum of talking had begun around the room. Rothen stood as they neared the circle of chairs, and enveloped Sonea in a hug.

'How are you?' He asked quietly, only Akkarin was close enough to hear their conversation.

'I'm ok, still rather tired even though we slept until after noon,' Sonea paused, 'and nervous. Are we to be exiled again, Rothen?'

'No, you are not. Do not worry, Sonea, I have a feeling that you'll both be quite happy with the decisions that have been discussed.' A weight lifted off Sonea's chest, one that she had not realised had been there, and she felt like she could breathe again.

Akkarin retrieved a chair from somewhere and placed it next to Rothen's chair. Then he sat, leaving a space between him and Rothen's chair for Sonea to sit. Sonea sank into the armchair and tried not to let her tiredness show, despite all the sleep and lounging in bed, the past few days had really taken its toll both mentally and physically, and she was not sure if she was going to stay awake through the whole meeting. She looked around the circle at the eyes observing her and Akkarin, they all looked rather nervous. Apart from Lady Vinara who gave her a warm smile, Sonea tentatively smiled back before a light brush of fingertips on her hand bought her attention to Akkarin.

Are you alright?

There's a lot of people here.

You've faced almost all of them before.

Yeah, but that was in the Meet. This feels... more real.

It will be ok, you heard what Rothen told you. I expect we will get a little more free reign than they had originally planned for Black Magicians before we were exiled.

Before Sonea could reply, a mental call from Lord Balkan entered everyone's minds.

Magicians! Please could I have your silence and attention.

The room went silent and Sonea turned her attention to Lord Balkan.

'This informal meeting was called to inform the Magicians of the Guild of the decisions made by the Higher Magicians earlier today, and to discuss the future of the Guild along with the futures of the Black Magicians Akkarin and Sonea.

I would like to start by saying that in two days time, at noon, we will be holding a service to honour those who gave their lives for the sake of Kyralia. The location will be decided tomorrow after the assessment of the damage to the buildings and grounds have been completed.'

A solemn quiet extended throughout the room, quieter than it had been after Lord Balkan had asked for silence.

'I would also like to formally thank Black Magicians Akkarin and Sonea for the service and protection they have provided for Kyralia these past few days and, if I may say so, years in Akkarin's case. Imardin, if not Kyralia, would be in the hands of the Ichani right now if you had not come back. So, I thank you.'

Then Lord Balkan surprised Sonea, and quite a few other magicians by the look on their faces, by standing and bowing first at Akkarin then to her. Heat flushed to Sonea's cheeks unsure of how to acknowledge this form of thanks. Others in the room also rose, starting with Rothen and Lady Vinara, and bowed at them too, including a begrudging but respectful bow from Lord Garrel. Sonea turned slightly to look at Akkarin who to her surprise seemed uncomfortable with the attention and was staring around in shock. Tears pricked in Sonea's eyes as she realised what an honour it was to have all the Guild Magicians bowing to them, despite their Black Magician status.

'Thank you,' Akkarin said quietly. His voice reached the corners of the room, and there was a rustling of robes as everyone settled back into their previous positions. Lord Balkan cleared his throat, pulling a piece of paper from within his robes.

'The Higher Magicians had a meeting earlier today to discuss the items on this list which we are about to share with you. There will be opportunity for opinions and discussion after each item has been read and explained. Is everyone clear?'

Lord Balkan took the silence that greeted him as confirmation.

'The first item is that Akkarin and Sonea, and any future black magic learners, will henceforth be labelled as Black Magicians, and Black Lord or Black Lady shall be their title as mine is 'Lord' and Director Jerrick's is 'Director'. Please raise a red orb of light if you disagree and wish to state your opinion.'

Sonea observed the room and no lights appeared. Lord Balkan nodded and wrote a note on his list.

'The second item is on the subject of robes. The Black Magicians will wear full length black robes, Black Magicians in training will wear a black sash over their selected disciplines robe until they are deemed competent in Black Magic. They will be allowed to wear a sash of their previous discipline once fully trained. The Heads of each discipline will now wear white sashes to denote their status, and the High Lord's robes will also be white.' Lord Balkan's voice seemed to go a bit terse towards the end of his statement, Sonea noted, it must be because he is the most popular choice for the High Lord's position. 'Does anyone object to these decisions?'

Once again, no lights appeared. Lord Balkan sighed, making a note on his list.

'The third item discusses the Black Magician's power. In this sense, the Black Magicians must be willing to have their store of power observed at regular and irregular intervals to make sure that he or she is not storing up a vast quantity of power. If their power has increased beyond their usual amount then that power must be released, either through use of harmless magic or into one of the arenas. They may only take power from magic wielders with permission from the Higher Magicians, and the person they are taking it from, or their family, in case of a dying magician who wishes to be buried. In times of war or conflict, the power they need to accumulate to fight will be taken from the arena or anyone willing to donate their power. Does anyone raise an issue with this?'

This time a couple of red orbs glowed throughout the room, including from Akkarin.

'Black Lord Akkarin?'

'May I ask who would test our power, and what would the regular intervals be?' A few red orbs blinked out.

'I would suggest a group of people including the Administrator, myself, and the heads of disciplines. The tests would be done daily, but sporadically so that the Black Magician doesn't know when to expect a visitor.'

'That seems fair enough. The reading wouldn't take very long and I am sure that Sonea and I can shield our thoughts of Black Magic for the duration.'

'Does anyone disagree or have any other qualm about this item?'

One light remained red.

'Lord Garrel?'

'May I ask how this would stop the Black Magician from overpowering or reading the power-reader's mind?' A smatter of muttering rippled around the room. Akkarin spoke up.

'You have my word that I will not over-power anyone, nor read their mind, without their permission.' Akkarin looked at Sonea expectantly.

'I swear the same, I would never do either of those things.' Sonea's voice came out clear and confident, which surprised her considering who she was speaking to.

Akkarin smiled at her briefly and then continued, 'would it ease everyone's minds if I suggest a punishment of exile for doing either of those things without permission? To also include the excess accumulation of power as well?' This time it was more than whispers that rolled around the room after the initial shock of the statement. Sonea realised that it was actually quite a clever plan. Although there was no reason that she would ever over-power someone or read their mind, it would make all the rest of the magicians more comfortable knowing that Akkarin suggested the punishment rather than the punishment being forced upon them by someone else.

'Magicians!' Lord Balkan called over the talking. 'Those in favour of this punishment suggested by Black Lord Akkarin please raise a white orb, those not in favour please raise a red orb.'

Sonea willed a small white orb to appear above her head, and she saw that Akkarin had raised one as well. She looked over at Rothen, who still seemed to be trying to decide. She gave him an encouraging smile, and his eyes widened slightly at the white orb hovering above her head. Surely, he must not think that she would disagree with the terms, not when it is for all future Black Magicians as well. Rothen nodded to her and sent up a white orb as well.

The room had brightened considerably with all the white orbs floating above the magicians' heads. There was not one red orb in sight.

'Right,' Lord Balkan said after surveying the room. 'We are all in agreement, please remove the lights. There will be a punishment of exile to any Black Magician who, without permission from the Higher Magicians, over-powers a fellow magician, accumulates more than their usual amount of power, or reads the mind of an unwilling person.' He made a note on his list and then looked up again. 'Does anyone else have anything they would like to add about this item?'

No one spoke or raised a red orb.

'The next item regards Sonea and her education.' Sonea met Lord Balkan's eyes as he looked at her. Her heart sank, there was no way that she was going to be able to help the dwells with healing now that she was a Black Magician. They would deem it too risky for her to have access to so many people with potential magic. Maybe she would get to continue alchemy.

'As Sonea has not completed her studies due to her recent exile, the Higher Magicians have decided that she will continue her education at the Guild. She will continue learning as if she hadn't left, however she may not learn within the classroom with the other students. Is it correct, Sonea, that you were going to choose the Healing discipline before your exile?'

'Yes, that is correct, Lord Balkan.'

'Then you will continue to learn on that course of study with Lady Vinara and Lord Dorrien as your teachers.' Sonea turned to look at Lady Vinara who was smiling at her.

'Really?' Sonea asked, the shock evident in her voice.

'Yes, Sonea,' Lady Vinara replied softly. 'Lord Dorrien and I will continue your education in healing and medicine, and you will sit the same exams as the rest of the students at your level.'

'Thank you!' Sonea smiled happily. She was going to get to be a healer!

'Once Lady Vinara and Lord Dorrien deem you capable, you will also be allowed to enter the city with an escort to administer healing to those whom you think need it the most.' Lord Balkan continued. Sonea beamed in delight, they were going to let her do what she had wanted to do when she became a member of the Guild! She was going to be able to help those that needed it most in the city. Sonea turned to Akkarin in joy, and she could see the happiness in his face as well.

'There is one stipulation to this.' Sonea turned back to Lord Balkan, her smile fading slightly. 'I am going to have to request that you both make one of those blood gems so that whoever escorts you when you are out in Imardin will be able to see what you are doing, and no Black Magic will be performed on the inhabitants of the city. You will not be required to wear this gem inside the Guild grounds. If you do not agree to this then you will not be allowed outside the Guild grounds.'

Sonea bit her lip and then looked towards Akkarin.

'Would you mind if Sonea and I had a private conversation to discuss this? We may need to talk about the Black Magic in relation to the blood gem, and I would rather not do that out loud.'

Lord Balkan nodded in agreement, 'two minutes.'

Akkarin held out is hand for her to take so that they could communicate without the worry of someone overhearing.

Would it work?

The wearer would only be able to read our surface thoughts and what we are seeing. We would have to be very careful with what we thought about when wearing those rings, we could very easily reveal an aspect of Black Magic. I know how much this means to you.

What about saying that the escort will have to volunteer and be then be chosen with regards to becoming a Black Magician? Then if they do happen to learn something accidentally then we can teach them to become a Black Magician, I am pretty sure we are going to have to teach someone else eventually.

I agree, and that sounds like a good idea. However, we can't just keep changing escorts every time we let something slip through. We may end up with a lot of Black Magicians to teach.

There would have to be two willing volunteers, one for each of us in case we are allowed to into the city together.

And although this may be hard to hear, if both the original escorts accidentally learn Black Magic then we will confine ourselves to the Guild.

Sonea knew that Akkarin could feel her dismay.

Sonea, I honestly think that we could keep Black Magic from anyone wearing a blood gem. I don't think there is any need to worry, as long as you keep your focus on the healing and don't let your thoughts stray to Black Magic then you'll be fine.

Okay, will you explain?

Of course.

Akkarin squeezed her hand then released it to look at Lord Balkan and the rest of the Higher Magicians.

'Sonea and I have discussed your proposition and we agree with it, but we have something to add. There will need to be volunteers to be our escorts, but these volunteers will have to be willing to become Black Magicians in case they happen to learn anything through the blood gem. Hence, I suggest that they are chosen carefully. The blood gem will only allow surface thoughts to be read, not like mental communication, and if Sonea or I accidentally think about how to perform Black Magic then we will have to teach that magician everything. We have also come to the decision that there will only be two escorts, if both accidentally learn Black Magic then all four of us will be confined to the Guild grounds.'

Lord Balkan nodded, agreeing with the terms. 'Please raise a white light if you agree, and a red light if not.'

This time there were a few red lights scattered among the sea of white.

'Why are we letting the Black Magicians into the city at all?' A male voice called from the back of the room, one Sonea did not recognise. 'Why not let the people who need help come to the Guild?'

Sonea surprised herself by answering the question, 'because the people who live in the slums distrust magicians. It might be better after how we saved the city the past couple of days, but it also might be worse considering how much damage was done. To be able to help the people in the way I want to help, I would need to be able to meet with them where they feel comfortable. I also hope that it will also help smooth out the distrust between the Guild and the people in the less affluent areas of the city, especially if the Purge is discontinued.'

Everyone in the room went silent at her answer, and the red lights disappeared.

'Well put, Sonea.' Lady Vinara said with a nod, 'it will also allow for the testing of magical ability within the people of the city rather than just the houses which I believe is an item on the list for tonight.'

'Yes, that is true.' Lord Balkan mused, looking down his list. 'Before we get onto that, does everyone agree to Sonea's continued education, and the rules put in place regarding Black Magicians venturing into the city. The escorts will be decided at a later date.'

White light filled the room.

'Now, the next item to discuss is recruiting students from outside the houses. I know this is tradition, but we have lost a lot of magicians this last week and we will need to rebuild our ranks quickly in case we are taken advantage of whilst we are down. We would start with the wealthy merchant families and move out from there, and if there are any strong magical abilities found within the city as a result of administering healing then they would be considered too. Does anyone disagree?'

To Sonea's surprise, as she raised a white orb above her head, there were only few red lights scattered about the room. Their complaints were only about tradition and were quickly squashed by Lord Balkan. Sonea was now starting to feel exhausted, and she rested her head on the back of the chair wrapping her arms around her stomach. She hoped that the meeting would not go on much longer, if they were only halfway through then she was sure that she would not make it to the end without falling asleep.

'The sixth item regards Black Lord Akkarin's role within the Guild.' Lord Balkan turned to Akkarin. 'Since you cannot teach, nor hold a position of responsibility we have decided that for now we would like to suggest that you write a detailed account of the Ichani Invasion. You would have permission to interview people either out in the open, or two people at a time in a more private setting. If you would like to do this then we can discuss another position at a later date, if not you may suggest other roles for us to discuss.'

'I would be honoured to write an account of what has happened. Do you have a timescale in mind? And how far back would you like me to go?'

'You may take as long as you need to gather all the details, and as for how far back... start with your initial findings that led to this but exclude how to learn Black Magic.'

'Of course. As for a role once I have finished this account, may I suggest that I become a records keeper of sorts where I keep accounts of the business of the Guild?'

'I will agree with that, does everyone else agree?'

The sea of white lights appeared, and to Sonea's surprise there was, once again, no opposition. She had thought that there would be at least a couple of people who would disagree regardless of what role was chosen for Akkarin to do. She turned to him with a smile to find him looking happily at her, and she remembered how much Akkarin liked reading and discovering about the history of magic. This was the perfect role for him.

'I believe we have finished all the items regarding Black Magicians, does anyone have anything else to add?'

The room remained silent, then Akkarin spoke.

'May I ask where Sonea and I will live?'

'Oh,' huffed Lord Balkan, rubbing his chin. 'I hadn't even thought of that.' He paused for a moment. 'I think that for now you may stay where you are, but a new residence will be built for the Black Magicians, one without connections to the city. Whilst you continue to stay in the High Lord's residence there will be magicians placed to guard the tunnel.'

'That is fair, thank you.'

'Does anyone have anything to add?'

'Would it be wiser to separate the Black Magicians?' Someone asked from behind Sonea, and dread pooled in the pit of her stomach as Lord Balkan paused.

'No, I think it would be a good idea for them to keep an eye on each other.' Sonea breathed a small sigh of relief. 'They are likely the only ones that would be able to hold off an attack from another Black Magician. The Higher Magicians will give this some more thought, and if you have any further thoughts please relay them to me. This will need a discussion that will take too long tonight because we will have to factor in who the new Black Magicians will be, if you would like to volunteer for the role of escort for Black Magicians Akkarin and Sonea then please send that my way as well.' Lord Balkan made a lengthy note on his list then looked up again. 'Is there anything else someone would like to add regarding the Black Magicians.'

This time the room remained silent.

'Well then, that concludes this evening's informal meeting and I thank you for coming. There will be a Meet held once the rest of this building is deemed safe to decide on who will take the roles of High Lord, Administrator, and Head of Alchemic studies. Good night everyone.'

A low rumble rippled around the room as people started moving and talking. Sonea watched sleepily as people formed groups and discussed the meeting. Akkarin had been drawn into a conversation with Lord Balkan, and Director Jerrick. On her other side, Rothen and Dannyl were talking with Lord Osen. Sonea could hardly keep her eyes open so she let them slide shut and just listened to the rumble of voices. She could not make out what anyone was saying, and the rumble of voices lulled her into a light sleep.

The carriage rocked gently on its springs. Outside, endless fields and the occasional farmhouse slowly passed by. Inside, Dannyl and Tayend raised wine glasses to each other.

'A drink to Lord Osen, who decided that you would best serve the Guild as Ambassador in Elyne,' Tayend said. 'And for letting us travel overland.'

'To Osen,' Dannyl replied. He took a sip of the wine. 'You know I would have stayed, if he'd asked me to.'

Tayend smiled. 'Yes, and I would have stayed with you though I'm glad I didn't need to. Kyralians are so suffocatingly conservative.' He bought his glass to his lips, then looked away and his expression grew sober. 'He's smart to send you back, though. A lot of people will question the Guild's authority now. It proved to be a bit ill-prepared for war.

Dannyl chuckled. 'Just a bit.'

'More people will be inclined to think like Dem Marane,' Tayend continued. 'You'll need to convince those people that the Guild is still in charge, when it comes to magic.'

'I know.'

'Then there's this issue of black magic. You'll have to show people that the Guild really has no choice but to learn it again. Ah, it could get a bit intense in the next few months.'

'I know.'

'It might take years, even.' Tayend smiled. 'But, of course, there's no reason you couldn't stay in Elyne, once your time as Ambassador is over, is there?'

'No.' Dannyl smiled. 'Osen granted the position to me indefinitely.'

Tayend's eyes widened, then he grinned. 'He did? That's wonderful!'

'He said something about Elyne suiting me better than Kyralia. And that I should not let concerns about rumours stop me from cherishing and enjoying our friendship.'

The scholar's eyebrows rose. 'Did he really? Do you think he knows about us?'

'I wonder. He didn't seem at all disapproving. But I could be reading more into his comment than he meant to say. He has just lost a good friend and mentor.' Dannyl hesitated, 'though it does make me wonder how much it would really change things if people knew.'

Tayend frowned. 'Now don't you get any stupid ideas about that. If you told the Guild, and they got a scandalised and send you away, I'd still follow you. And when I found you, I'd give you a good kick for being such an idiot.' He paused, then grinned. 'I love you, but I also love that you're in an important Guild magician.'

Dannyl chuckled. 'That's just as well. I could change the important part, and even the Guild part, but the magician part doesn't come as an option.'

Tayend smiled. 'Oh, I doubt I'll ever change my mind about you. I think you'll have to put up with me for a very long time yet.'