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

A Healer's Help

Sonea said nothing for a moment; she was too taken aback. The Guild in trouble? Akkarin's the only one who can deal with it? It was difficult to take it all in. It seemed so long since she had worn robes and gone about her business in the hallowed surroundings of the Guild. At this distance, sometimes it felt more like a dream than the reality of what had been her life for several years.

"But they think Akkarin is dead," she said, puzzled by what Lorlen had said. "There were notices posted everywhere saying he had been killed in an attack on the Guild." She remembered her earlier fury that the notices had given the impression Akkarin had been attacking, not defending the Guild and the pain those notices had caused her.

"Yes, that was the story put about by Balkan. We were all told he was dead, and his name was not to be mentioned, but there were some who didn't believe it, although they said nothing at the time, but lately, what with all the problems, there have been whisperings and they are growing louder. Some of the Higher Magicians feel they can't continue to ignore them."

"What problems?" she asked sharply.

Lorlen looked uncomfortable, "I think I'd rather wait until Akkarin is present, it will save me having to go though things twice. Where is he by the way? The trail I've been following doesn't actually stop here, it goes on over the ridge, presumably into Sachaka. I was steeling myself to cross the border, when I saw the farm. I thought I'd ask if I could stop here for the night. I wasn't expecting to find this was where you were actually living. It was a great surprise!"

Sonea had wondered how the spell for tracing the hair's owner would have led Lorlen to a place where he wasn't. She smiled inwardly. Lorlen was in for much more of a surprise when Akkarin did come home.

"Oh, he's away on some business," she said vaguely. "I'm expecting him soon. You're welcome to wait here until he comes."

"I shan't mind that! The trails around here are difficult to find, even when there is a spell providing a route to follow. A day or so of sitting around sounds very attractive to someone who is not used to so many days in the saddle."

Sonea left Lorlen by the fire while she went to make arrangements for his accommodation. There were only two bedchambers, so she asked Takan to move Justen's things into her room so that Lorlen could sleep in the boy's room. Justen had watched as she spoke with Takan, then tugged at her hand.

"He's an old friend," she said, easily interpreting the look on Justen's face. "He is going to stay until Father returns as he wants to speak with him."

Justen nodded and went back to looking at his book while Sonea and Takan finalised the arrangements. She had been sure he would want to meet the stranger, but the child had shown no further interest. Part of her was relieved. Lorlen needed to understand about Justen before meeting him. Although she didn't want to acknowledge it, part of her hoped that the Healer might be able to cure her son.

Lorlen looked up from contemplation of his teacup as she re-entered the room. He smiled at her cheerfully, "You're looking well, Sonea," he said warmly, "The mountain air seems to agree with you. And your child? There were no problems with the birth?"

"No, no problems with the birth. Our son was born during our first mid-winter here. He was a healthy baby, in fact he is a healthy child, but for one thing..." she broke off wondering just how to put into words what was the matter with Justen.

"But…?" Lorlen asked gently.

"Justen is a very healthy little boy, but he can't utter a sound. He doesn't speak nor make any noise at all." She could feel tears pricking at her eyes and blinked quickly. "He can't hear anything either."

She felt Lorlen's gentle hand on her arm and looked up. He smiled down at her, "Shall I see if I can do anything?"

"We have both tried," she replied. "There was nothing we could do."

"I am a Healer, Sonea. There are things I've mastered which you have not. Let me try?"

"Justen knows nothing of magic," she said. "He has magic of his own and we will begin to teach him when he is older. But as he's not yet six years old yet, we haven't told him he has a special ability or anything about magic at all."

If Lorlen was surprised about that, he hid it well, "I will just have a look at him, no magic he could see will be involved, I promise."

The sympathy in Lorlen's tone pierced the wall she had built around her emotions regarding the boy, and she felt everything she'd held back for years come pouring out all at once like water through a hole in a dam. She told him about Justen, how hard she and Akkarin had tried to find a cure for him and the pain of watching her son teach himself to manage in a world without sound. Lorlen asked few questions and seemed content to let her speak until she ran out of words. If she were honest, it was a tremendous relief to talk about the things which worried her. She had so much to hide from Akkarin, that she never felt comfortable discussing how she felt about what had happened. Equally, there was so much she couldn't reveal to Fallea. But with Lorlen, it was different.

Lorlen was sympathetic and kind. He didn't judge her or comment on the path she had taken, the choices she had made or the things she had felt impelled to do. He listened carefully, only speaking occasionally to clarify things, until she finished. Then he took her hand in both of his and squeezed it.

"Oh, Sonea," he said, "What a lot of things you've had to put up with."

And just like that, it was if a great weight had been lifted from her. Lorlen would make things right, she just knew it.

"When I visited the wise woman, she said I was touched by magic. It wasn't my magic she sensed, it was something else. Can you feel it Lorlen? Can you do something to take it away?"

The Healer kept hold of her hand and looked deeply into her eyes for a moment, before closing his own. She waited patiently for him to complete his examination. There were no sensations as she had experienced with Fallea, no sense that a magician was at work, just a sort of peacefulness.

"I can see nothing," he said after a time, "There doesn't seem to be any magic around you except your own. You are a healthy woman, Sonea and there is nothing I can detect which could prevent you from having more children and certainly no kind of spell or foreign magic is involved."

She frowned. Fallea had been so sure about the magic. Why would she say that if there were none? But she knew Lorlen and trusted him. There was no reason for him to lie about her condition. Fallea must have been mistaken. Relief flooded through her, the only thing she'd needed after all was a talk with a proper Healer.

She murmured her thanks and encouraged her unexpected visitor to take more tea and try more of Takan's little cakes and tarts. They began to speak of other things, light-hearted things, and shared things from the past. They didn't touch on more disturbing matters such as why Lorlen had been sent to find them, or what was happening in Imardin.

Later, Sonea brought Justen to meet their guest. Lorlen had taken the boy's hand for a moment and made sure he looked directly at him while he spoke, but there were no signs that magic was at work. Justen accepted the stranger with a calm air of assurance and listened carefully as Lorlen described some of the incidents that had occurred on his journey to their farm.

They were sitting down to supper, when Sonea heard from Akkarin.

Syma? Home soon.

It was a typical message, brief and with a prearranged code, just in case there were other magicians nearby. It meant he would be arriving in less than an hour. She responded with her own coded message telling him they had a visitor who was not a danger.

"Akkarin will be home shortly," she said, in case Lorlen hadn't heard the message.

"I heard the message, but faintly," he replied, "You are wise to keep things brief. Balkan has a team of Warriors listening out for any mental communications which might lead to your location."

"So Balkan accepts we are not dead?"

"I would not say he accepts it, but he is careful. He listens just in case…..I'm surprised you don't have a blood gem link. That way, no one could possibly hear your conversations."

Sonea sighed, "I've asked several times, but Akkarin won't agree. He won't explain why," she said ruefully. "I keep telling him it would be the answer, but it's no use!"

Lorlen nodded, "Having had such a link, I can see why he might refuse you."

"Do you still have the gem?"

"No, once I revealed its existence, Balkan had it destroyed."

Sonea felt there was more to it than that, but Lorlen was reluctant to say more and she respected his judgement. Perhaps he would be more forthcoming when Akkarin arrived. They continued with their meal but it wasn't long before Sonea heard hoof beats outside.

When the door opened, she and Lorlen turned as one to regard the newcomer. Sonea took a sneaky glance at Lorlen and was amused to notice the surprise on his face. The man standing in the doorway no longer resembled the Healer's boyhood friend nor even a magician. Instead, Lorlen was confronted by the well-armed figure of a mountain smuggler, dressed in dark leather trousers with knee-high boots, a leather jerkin over a linen shirt, and with his cloak carelessly carried over one arm. He paused on the step and looked at them both for a moment, his face impassive, before stepping down into the room. He slung his cloak over a chair, closely followed by his hat and gloves. He carefully unbuckled his sword belt and laid the weapon down. Keeping the steel dagger at his hip, he moved towards them with that easy Warrior's stride Sonea always found so attractive.

"Well," he said calmly, "Welcome to our humble retreat. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Lord Lorlen?"