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

This is a bit of a scene-setting/background chapter.

Preparations

In all his forty years in the Guild, Rothen had never experienced such an atmosphere.

He hesitated to call it "panic" but it was pretty close. The steady, routine, day-to-day activities of the Guild had vanished. In their place was a bubbling cauldron of activity.

The call had gone out for those magicians who had chosen to live outside the Guild to return and, apart from those on essential duties throughout Kyralia, all had responded.

As a consequence, everywhere was overcrowded, with the new arrivals milling about, trying to rediscover their way about the place. It just like an ant hill which has been sliced open with a spade, he thought.

The Heads of Discipline were holding training sessions late into the night in the hope of beefing up the Guild's defences. Rothen had seen weary Warriors returning to their rooms in the evenings, too tired even to visit the Night Room. Alchemists were busy working on defensive tactics which would slow down, if not prevent, any attack. The Healers were engaged in building up supplies of medicines and other medical supplies as well as brushing up their medical knowledge.

The mental anguish and the accompanying images of the defenders of the Fort had cast a pall over their community. Guild members had seen the failure of Kyralian magic to prevent the fall of the Fort and the defeat and death of the defenders. No one could be unaware of what the coming days would bring.

But it was Lorlen who seemed to be suffering the most. Trying to fulfil his own duties as Administrator and shoulder those of High Lord placed an almost impossible burden on him. Added to that, the failure of Akkarin to answer his calls was weighing heavily on his mind.

Rothen had last seen him the previous evening, sitting on one of the benches in the gardens, frowning at a rose bush. He remembered Lorlen well as a mischievous novice, up to all sorts of tricks, aided and abetted by his best friend, Akkarin. Rothen sighed, How things have changed. Now one of them is disgraced and exiled, and the other is trying to deal with the aftermath.

Rothen sat down on the bench and waited for Lorlen to notice he was there. After a few minutes, the Administrator turned and smiled wearily. "Hope you haven't been sitting there long, Rothen. I was just trying to work out a few things – I've always loved the gardens, so peaceful, so restful…"

"I was wondering what terrible act that rose bush had committed, you were frowning at it so!" Rothern tried for a light touch. "Can I help at all?"

Lorlen sighed and shrugged. "I don't know if anyone can help. Time is running out and we are no-where near ready to face a group of Black Magicians. They over-ran the Fort so easily and that has given us much food for thought." He returned his gaze to the rose bush. "Every time I see the King he asks if Akkarin has answered. I am beginning to dread the expression on his face when I tell him no. Lord Balkan is concerned that the Warriors we sent to intercept the Ichani will be wiped out and every hour that passes brings the Black Magicians closer to Imardin."

Rothern patted his shoulder in sympathy. "I heard you were sending a number of spies into Sachaka to try to confirm Akkarin's claims." He noticed the surprise on Lorlen's face. "You know how rumours and gossip spread around here, it's almost impossible to keep anything secret!"

"Events at the Fort put paid to that idea." Lorlen frowned again. "We cannot risk wasting any more time – we have to accept that Akkarin was right and make plans on that basis. We also fear that another group may be trying to infiltrate Kyralia through the South Pass. We have sent watchers to try to find out what is going on."

Lorlen sighed deeply. "We've known each other a long time, Rothen, and I have always liked and respected you. I don't mind confessing that I feel completely unfitted for dealing with this mess. I think I was only elected because, having taken the very unusual step of electing a young High Lord, the Guild felt it only fair to have a young Administrator too. I've been really lucky these last few years. Akkarin and I worked well together and if ever I had a problem, we could always talk it through. Now, I'm on my own and I can't tell you how much I long for someone to tell me what to do!"

"Do you know why Akkarin hasn't answered? Rothern looked closely at Lorlen. "There's talk that he has washed his hands of the Guild because they turned against him and voted for exile."

Lorlen rubbed absent-mindedly at his temples, "I don't know why! I can't believe he has simply chosen to walk away from us. What about Sonea? I can't see him abandoning her or talking her into ignoring our calls."

Sonea? Yes, what about Sonea?, Rothen thought. "We don't know what sort of a hold he has on her. He may be taking her strength every day, keeping her weak and dependent on him. She may have no choice in anything she does."

Lorlen looked at him curiously. "You don't believe that Sonea learned black magic of her own free will, then?"

"I only know that she was afraid of him for a long time and hated him too. That only changed recently. For all we know, he might have put a black magic spell on her!"

"Remember what she said at the Hearing "If you send High Lord Akkarin into exile, you must send me too. Then, when you come to your senses, he might still be alive and able to help you." That doesn't sound like someone powerless and dependent, it sounds like a strong woman saying what she believes is right." Lorlen was still regarding him closely.

Rothen snorted, "Or a puppet repeating lines she has been made to learn. I cannot accept that Sonea entered freely into a working relationship with a black magician. I shall always blame myself for not trying hard enough to get her away from him."

"Well, we will probably never know exactly what went on between them." Lorlen resumed his examination of the rose bush. "The Houses are leaving Imardin as fast as they can find carriages and carts. There is talk of destroying the slum areas to slow down any invaders. So much to do, so much to organise…." Lorlen glanced at the sunset and stood up. "My thinking time is over, I have another meeting now. Thanks for listening, Rothen. I appreciate it."

With that, the Administrator walked quickly away in the direction of his office and Rothen was left to mull over their conversation.

Now, over twelve hours later, Rothen was still not sure if his talk with Lorlen had helped or not. He'd only briefly caught sight of him at a distance but he still looked tired and harassed. Rothen chatted to a few of his cronies, but the mood in the Guild was still uncertain. Most people thought that any battle with the invaders would not end well but were resigned to their part in it.

Rothen sat back in his chair and sipped his tea. There must be something I can do, he thought. I brought Sonea into the Guild, I persuaded her to stay, I promised to look after her. It's time I started to keep my promises.