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The evening hall was, as expected, well filled when the administrator and the High Lord entered side by side. Together they made their way through the aside-stepping mages until Akkarin suddenly stopped and folded his arms. Astonished, Lorlen looked around to find out what had caught the high lord's attention. He did not have to search long - not even two metres in advance of them, Lord Garrel was engrossed in a conversation with Lord Makin and Lord Elben. Just this moment he was explaining with grand gestures that 'she' could obviously be capable of anything. Puzzled, Lorlen frowned and stepped next to his friend.
Lord Elben just shook his head thoughtfully. "Sonea was always quiet and attentive in my lessons. And she never interrupted of her own accord. Your novice, on the other hand" The alchemist left the sentence unfinished and inclined his head instead. "Good evening High Lord"
Lorlen found it hard to stifle a smile as Garrel sprang around in consternation and greeted the High Lord as well. Akkarin took his time to respond. Only when Garrel began to grow restless did he take the word. "Lord Garrel. Is there a problem with my novice? I heard she and Regin don't get along very well."
Lorlen forced himself not to purse his lips contemptuously as the warrior assured the High Lord that all was well. If Akkarin were not here, he would surely say something completely different. Moreover, the administrator had long suspected that Regin was being actively supported by his uncle. Sonea rarely resisted the pranks that were played on her and that made her the ideal victim. Lorlen suspected that he and Akkarin would probably have made her just as much their victim back when they were novices. But unlike Regin's antics, what he and the High Lord had done had been downright harmless. And instead of targeting their fellow students, they had often played tricks on Lord Margen - The Monster as they had called him.
"Lorlen? Are you coming?" Akkarin pulled Lorlen out of his memories of the old days. A better time, as it often seemed to the Administrator now. The friendship between them had been unclouded and their greatest worries had been the ridiculous concerns of spoilt juveniles. Lorlen pulled himself together. He could think about the past later, now he had to deal with the troubles of the present.
"Of course," the Administrator murmured and followed Akkarin to their regular place where the other Higher Mages had already gathered. Vinara looked tense, Balkan worried and Lord Sarrin upset.
"Too bad Lord Elben noticed me. I would have loved to know what Lord Garrel actually had to say," Akkarin remarked quietly.
Lorlen raised his shoulders. "Probably nothing nice," he replied. He kept his suspicions about Garrel's active intervention in Sonea's affairs to himself. There were too many prying ears around them. Akkarin likewise let the subject rest and greeted the Higher Mages instead.
"You have heard of the rumours surrounding you and your novice?" inquired Balkan brusquely, as soon as Lorlen and Akkarin were seated, each a glass of wine in hand. Akkarin turned it thoughtfully between his long fingers, watching the red liquid slosh back and forth in it.
"Ah, unfortunately, yes," he finally replied, then frowned. "A deeply vexing affair"
"Is there anything to it?" asked Sarrin just as directly. It seemed that everyone collectively held their breath as Akkarin's dark eyes locked onto the alchemist and literally pierced him.
"No" Akkarin's mouth corners twitched upwards for a tiny moment as if this matter amused him.
"Sonea and Viola say the same thing. I think that settles this matter," Vinara interjected. "I rather suspect someone extremely jealous of Sonea started this rumour. I'm surprised it was able to take root so much in the first place."
Lorlen secretly admired how the head of the Healers accused Regin without mentioning his name. He felt the boy deserved punishment for it, but at the same time knew that no one would ever be able to prove anything against him. "We won't be able to prove anything. Either way, we should consider how to respond. Sonea could move to the novice quarters to put an end to this."
Akkarin raised an eyebrow. "Letting Sonea move now would send the wrong signal. Nothing has happened and it won't"
Vinara nodded in agreement. "I suggest you move your lessons to the Mage Library, High Lord. Then everyone can see that is the case"
Lorlen gritted his teeth. He would have preferred it if Sonea could have moved out to at least get some space from Akkarin. But he nodded. Vinara's solution was the best, he had to admit. Akkarin seemed to see the matter the same way, he too nodded.
"It is a little inconvenient, but if you think it best, I will teach Sonea in the library from now on. The term will be over soon anyway and after the holidays everyone will have other things on their minds"
With that, the topic ended and the conversation turned to the hospital and other Guild matters. Lorlen only listened with half an ear, instead keeping an eye out for Lord Rothen. The alchemist had surely heard of the rumours as well and was surely worried. But if so, he probably preferred to worry alone. He did not show up for the entire evening.
It was later than Akkarin had intended when he left the evening hall again. The evening had gone completely differently than he had planned and that annoyed him. Actually, he had intended to talk to Sonea again about the trip to the thieves to find out if his plan had worked. Instead, he had had to deal with the narrow-minded mages in the evening hall and make a most annoying compromise.
"Wait, I need to talk to you," Lorlen called behind him as soon as Akkarin had moved away from the crowded hall. Akkarin stopped so Lorlen could catch up and hoped it wouldn't take too long. He really had more important things to do.
"Thank you," Lorlen murmured when he reached him, but made no move to speak. Disgruntled, Akkarin started moving again. Silently, they covered the snow-covered path to the residence and entered. A single small ball of light was already hanging in the small reception room, illuminating his novice, who hurriedly stood up and bowed as the two men entered.
"Sonea, shouldn't you be asleep by now?", Akkarin asked her, folding his arms demonstratively, though he was pleased that she had waited for him. This meant he could go ahead with his actual plans for the evening after all.
Her gaze flickered uncertainly to Lorlen for a moment, then she looked to the ground. "I wanted to talk to you, High Lord."
Akkarin lowered his arms again and nodded. "Wait for me in your room, I will join you as soon as I am done here".
Again the girl bowed and then withdrew obediently. All at once Akkarin wondered how the whole situation must be affecting Lorlen, especially in the light of the latest rumours. 'I must take good care of how we meet in the presence of others from now on. Our improved rapport could have unpleasant consequences otherwise,' he reflected, at the same time feeling annoyed at this new complication.
"Well, what did you want to talk to me about?" he nevertheless turned first to Lorlen, who was staring seriously ahead. It took a moment for the latter to stir, as if he had been deep in thought.
"Perhaps I'm imagining it, but I believe Regin is actively supported in his chicanery by his uncle," Lorlen revealed. The High Lord thought about it for a moment. It made a frightening amount of sense, even if he would not have believed the warrior to be so calculating. Slowly, he nodded.
'I'll keep an eye on him,' he promised. If only because Akkarin could not allow it to ever come to Sonea being subjected to a truth-reading. Had it only been for his own secret he could have entrusted the matter to Lorlen, but the situation had changed. No guild mage was ever allowed to know of Sonea's abilities and he was responsible for her. He alone had been guilty of teaching her black magic. 'It was inevitable,' he reminded himself. The bitter taste remained.
"Well, in that case, I'll leave you to your novice now,' Lorlen announced to Akkarin's relief, wishing him a good night. The High Lord watched him leave for a moment, wondering if things could ever be the same between them. Then he pulled himself together. The Akkarin who had been Lorlen's best friend had died in Sachaka. He had resisted it for a long time, perhaps too long, but Dakova had broken him. And something broken was never made whole again, no matter how hard you tried. He might have returned, he might have escaped slavery, but he was still no longer a free man. Sachaka had followed him into the supposedly safe guild and imposed entirely new chains on him.
The temptation to surrender to his darkness was great at that moment. All at once, his responsibility, his burden, seemed to weigh him down completely. Who was he to think he could defy his master with impunity?
"Master?", Takana's voice snapped him back to reality. He had entered quietly as usual, a lantern in his hand. Only now did Akkarin notice that his ball of light had gone out. He shook his head to dispel the last of the darkness that haunted him now and then.
"What is it, Takan?"
"I just wanted to ask if you needed anything. Is everything all right? You were scowling quite a bit."
The corners of Akkarin's mouth twisted upwards slightly. Takan was the one person he didn't need to pretend in front of. The relationship between them was complicated because of their shared past, but they had both come to terms with the circumstances. "Thank you, I don't need anything. And I'm fine, just a few memories."
Takan nodded knowingly. "He is dead, Master and we are both free".
Akkarin looked at him for a long moment. "Are we really, Takan?"
The servant preferred not to answer. They both knew Akkarin was right. "Go to bed Takan. I won't be awake much longer either"
As Akkarin stepped finally into Sonea's room she stood at the window staring out at the guild grounds at night. She did not turn around, but he could tell by her posture that she had noticed him. Relaxing, he leaned against her desk and waited. He could make out her face in the reflection of the window, a determined tug was on the corners of her mouth.
She took a deep breath, tightened her narrow shoulders and finally turned to face him. "I wish to help you, High Lord" her voice was strained but as determined as her whole posture.
"And what shall that help be?" he put her to the test.
She jutted her chin a little higher, as if it would make her look more grown up and even more determined. But it was more of a childishly defiant gesture. "I can fight by your side"
Akkarin shook his head. "No."
He could see how annoyed she was at this. "Why else did you show and teach me all this?"
The corners of his mouth involuntarily twisted upwards a tiny bit. Even though he knew all about her, she always surprised him.
"I never intended to teach you black magic, you left me no choice. And then to leave you to your own devices with that knowledge would have been beyond foolish, I suppose."
She gritted her teeth and averted her eyes. Suddenly he was sorry for his harsh words, though they had been nothing but the truth. "But we should do the best we can with the situation. I'm glad you decided to believe me," he continued when she said nothing. "For now, I will continue to instruct you in black magic and you will give me your power every night. If your grades in martial arts improve next term we can talk again about your offer."
Sonea was still silent, but not as angry as she had been a moment before. "Then you should take my magic"
She held out her hand to him and when he took hold of it she sent him a steady stream of her power. It was a strangely intimate moment and felt much more like breaking the rules to Akkarin than taking Takan's power.
He withdrew his hand from her as she began to falter. "Enough. Go to sleep now, we'll start your lessons tomorrow night"
The next morning Akkarin was awake early. Nightmares had awakened him and finally kept him from going back to sleep. So he had decided that he might as well work.
He had barely taken a seat at his desk when Takan knocked softly and entered.
"Shall I bring you some breakfast, Master?" He asked after a bow.
"Perhaps later. But Sumi would be wonderful." Again the servant bowed and disappeared silently. Akkarin looked after him for a moment before he turned his attention to the mail left on his desk. At least he tried to, but his thoughts kept returning to Sonea and Lorlen.
His best friend was still acting strangely. At first Akkarin had blamed it on Lorlen seeing their friendship being shaken to its depths, but the whole thing had been almost a year now, half a year since the Administrator had told him that he knew about his secret.
At first, their relationship had improved again, but Akkarin feared that Lorlen was losing more and more of his confidence in him. And he had no idea what to do about it. Restless, Akkarin stood up and strove to one of the windows that faced the forest, staring out as if the answer lay there.
"Is everything all right, Master?" asked Takan quietly. Akkarin heard it clink softly as the servant put down the Sumi.
"No," he replied. "Everything seems to be getting out of hand just now".
"So your trip to see the thief didn't help?"
Akkarin smiled. "Ah, at least that part worked. Sonea decided to believe me and to help. No, it is Lorlen who worries me"
"You should invite him to dinner and remind him of your friendship," the servant advised.
Akkarin could clearly sense over the blood jewel that this advice was also quite self-serving. Takan loved to cook, the more elaborate the better. He decided that by agreeing, he would please both his friends.
"I'll ask him to come to dinner tomorrow night," he promised. Then he changed the subject. "Since Sonea has agreed to help me, I will instruct her further in the control of her new abilities. I will need a harrel, a bowl of water and a plant for this tonight"
"It will be ready. Here in the library or in the basement?"
"In the basement. Better safe than sorry" he turned to look at Takan for his next question. "Will you allow her to take your power? That would make things a lot easier"
The servant nodded with a serious expression on his face. "Of course, Master" His formal retort did not match what Akkarin saw via the Blood Jewel: pure joy that he had finally found himself another ally.
Akkarin made a vague hand gesture. Takan's excitement at Sonea's decision strengthened his guilt and he didn't want to think about that right now. He needed a clear head much more. "You can go," he grumbled, turning back to the window to continue thinking about his novice, who was taking up far too much space in his life at the moment. He urgently needed to change that.
