Disclaimer: I do not own these characters – they belong to Trudi Canavan

This is been quite difficult to write and I am not sure if it has worked completely – please let me know!

Betrayal

Lorlen sank back into the corner seat of the carriage and breathed a sigh of relief. The meeting with the King had not gone well. It was the third meeting at the Palace this week, but the first where only he and the King had been present.

The earlier meetings had involved discussions about obtaining evidence of Akkarin's claims, or proof of his deception, the strategies the Guild might follow, if it turned out that Kyralia was under threat and how to prevent the return of Akkarin, if it was not.

Fairly standard discussions, given the circumstances thought Lorlen, but unfortunately not very productive!

But today's meeting had been very different.

Lorlen had been working late in his office when the King's messenger arrived.

"Administrator Lorlen," the man bowed, "The King wishes to see you now. You are to come alone, and tell no-one of your appointment."

An unmarked carriage was waiting outside and Lorlen soon found himself in the Palace precincts. The King's Secretary emerged from the shadows, as Lorlen descended from the carriage, and took him by a circuitous route to a smallish room in Merin's private apartments.

Lorlen bowed as the door closed behind him and he found himself alone with the young King. Merin was sitting in a large chair, gazing moodily into the fire, a wine glass in his hand. He looked up and waved Lorlen to a chair opposite.

"Some Anuren Dark, Lorlen?" The King gestured to a large decanter and several glasses on a small side table. "Ironic, isn't it? I developed a taste for this wine from Akkarin." The King's face was stony and he resumed his close examination of the fire.

Lorlen poured himself a large glass, it looked as if it was going to be a long night, and sat down, unsure of what to say or do. Merin continued to stare into the flames and the silence was broken only by the noise of the burning logs spitting and crackling in the fireplace.

After a few minutes, Lorlen cleared his throat, but there was no response. He set his glass down rather heavily, but still the King showed no interest in his visitor. It was several more minutes before Merin looked across at Lorlen.

"I can't believe that Akkarin, of all people, would seek to defy me and my law. I thought I knew him well. I felt we worked well together but all the time he was deceiving me." The King's face darkened. "He betrayed me!" His voice rose and he slammed his hand down hard on the arm of his chair.

So that's what this is all about, thought Lorlen. Merin is acting like a rejected suitor. What does he want from me, absolution?

"I think we all feel that way, Your Majesty," Lorlen began, calmly. "We were novices together and firm friends. I could not believe it either. And it is because of that long friendship that I feel there may be some truth in what Akkarin says."

Merin's eyes narrowed, "You would defend him?"

So, he doesn't want reassurance, Lorlen was bewildered. Just what am I doing here?

He tried again. "Akkarin has been an exemplary High Lord. He has strengthened the Guild, reformed some of its practices and preserved its traditions. His diplomatic skills have led to some positive results. How could he do all that, if at the same time he was plotting to take all power for himself for some evil purpose? I have found no evidence that he has tried to do more than his position as High Lord allowed!

"Except learn forbidden magic for purposes which he has only just revealed!" Merin was unmoved by Lorlen's arguments. "Do you think he would have revealed anything if he had not been caught?"

Merin poured a glass of wine and swallowed it all in one gulp, before pouring another. Lorlen was shocked, he had never seen the King in such a mood and sought frantically for something neutral to say. However, it seemed as if all his conversational skills had deserted him.

Before he could open his mouth, Merin leapt to his feet and moved over to the window. "I've known him since we were boys," he said, "We did all the things young nobles did and even when he was taken into the Guild, we still met regularly. When he became High Lord, I thought, at last, someone I could do business with – not an old, stuffy magician but a friend… someone to have a laugh with, someone who understood me, someone I liked….."

Merin flung himself down again and gulped another glass of wine. He relapsed into silence and Loren considered moving the decanter out of the King's reach, but didn't quite dare to. What can I do? I have no words of comfort to offer him. He continued to watch Merin in silence.

"Thank you for coming, Lorlen," the King said finally. "I know this seems strange to you, but there is no-one else I can share my thoughts with…."

His gaze returned to the fire, and he began to reminisce. For the next hour, Lorlen listened as Merin went over his long association with Akkarin and his hurt and anger at his betrayal. The King seemed happy to speak and didn't appear to want contributions to the conversation. As the wine took hold, Merin became more and more maudlin, at times there were tears in his eyes as he described some pleasant conversations with Akkarin and the enjoyment they had both shared.

As the King spoke, Lorlen began to remember his own relationship with Akkarin and, as he recalled their years of friendship, he began to think more and more that Akkarin was telling the truth.

The King's voice stopped and Lorlen glanced over at him. The maudlin phase had passed and now Merin had a growing look of anger on his face. "When I think of how he has betrayed me, I could carry out his execution myself! I tell you Lorlen, if he dares to return to Kyralia, I shall have him killed. I don't want to hear any more about him or the help he could give us, I want to forget he existed!"

So, thought Lorlen, as he made his way back to the Guild, I left him in the same angry state as I found him. Nothing was achieved by that meeting, except the King may feel relieved he had expressed his feelings.

Reviewing the extraordinary events of the past couple of hours, Lorlen found himself with a new perspective on the Merin-Akkarin relationship. The King loves him, he thought, those recollections about the times they shared involved quite a lot of mentions of Akkarin's long, elegant fingers, his fine, dark eyes and his slim, loose-limbed figure. Merin's whole demeanour was that of a lover betrayed. I wonder what his Queen would think, if she heard all that! The King, a lad, who would have thought it?

But not Arrakin, it seems, another reason for the King's anger and frustration.

Back in his office, Lorlen tried to grapple with the problems the Guild now faced, hoping to get his thoughts clear in his mind. It seemed more and more likely that Kyralia was under some sort of magical threat and that Akkarin was the only person with the right skills to deal with it. But how to get the King to understand that he needed Akkarin alive?

Lorlen fingered the blood ring in his pocket. He hadn't worn it since the day of the Hearing, but he kept it close to him. It was the only way to contact Akkarin. He slipped it on.

Akkarin?

Akkarin, can you hear me? Please answer?

He could almost sense a presence, somewhere on the edges of his mind, but no answer came. He sighed and took off the ring. For the moment Kyralia, the Guild and the King were alone.