Disclaimer – I do not own BMT world, it belongs to Trudi Canavan.
Lorlen's Task
Perhaps it was the half-suppressed snort of exasperation from Sonea which changed his mind, for Akkarin suddenly smiled, that warm, open smile he remembered from their shared boyhood and came across to him, holding out a hand. Lorlen took it in the old-fashioned clasp they'd always used and smiled back at him, "Hello old friend," he said warmly, "I can't tell you how good it is to see you again."
He sensed, rather than heard, Sonea give a quick sigh of relief, before going to fetch a bottle of wine from a nearby side table. She opened it and, taking three large glasses, brought it back to the table and began to pour.
Lorlen watched Akkarin greet his son, lifting him into the air and swinging him around, much to the child's silent delight. I never thought to see my old friend do that, he thought, Or even have a woman, let alone a child, waiting for him at home! And that thought for the first time brought home to him how difficult a task he had before him. Akkarin didn't seem to be a man thirsting to take up a position of power again. How could he hope to persuade him to return to the Guild, let alone deal with its problems?
When Vinara had revealed the existence of the lock of Akkarin's hair and suggested he use it to trace his whereabouts, she made it all sound so easy.
"We all know Akkarin and just how ambitious he is. He revelled in the power he had as High Lord, how could he resist a call from the Higher Magicians to return? You, Lorlen, are the ideal person to take on this mission. You were his only real friend, he'll listen to you."
After an initial show of resistance, Lorlen had allowed himself to be persuaded that Akkarin would relish a return to the politics of the Guild, but now, observing the former High Lord eating a simple supper with his woman and child, he had strong doubts. There was an easiness in his manner which had never been present before. He chatted throughout the meal, recounting humorous stories from his time away which had Sonea smiling widely. The boy followed the conversations closely and joined in with his silent laughter. It was a picture of a typical happy family and one which Lorlen had not really expected to see.
They had agreed to postpone discussion of what had brought Lorlen to this remote spot until after supper was eaten and Justen put to bed. Once everything had been cleared away and Justen settled for the night, the three magicians sat down in the comfortable chairs, each with a glass of wine to hand. For a moment there was an uneasy silence as Lorlen thought about what he was going to say, but before he could start, he was interrupted.
"Perhaps, first, you should explain how you found us," Akkarin said, "I thought I had taken every precaution against being discovered. You must tell me where I went wrong."
"I'm afraid that's my fault!" Sonea said hastily before Lorlen had time to answer.
Akkarin turned to stare at her and Lorlen saw the colour rise in her cheeks, "You remember when I cut your hair," she said, "Just before we crossed back in to Kyralia? I…I always loved your hair and it was such a wrench to cut it off, I…err… kept a piece of it."
There was a pause as Akkarin digested this statement, then he spoke, astonishment plain in his tone, "You kept a piece of my hair? Whatever made you do such a thing?"
The colour fled, leaving her face paler than usual as she said quietly, "I thought it was the only part of you I would ever have for myself. I kept it in my pouch and when I was captured by the Guild, they took everything away from me, including the hair."
Akkarin continued to stare at her as she went on, "I didn't think they would know what it was at first. Then later, I realised they would be able to work it out, but by then I hoped they would have discarded it along with my clothes. It never occurred to me that Vinara would keep everything."
"Vinara gave it to you?" Akkarin asked Lorlen.
"Yes, she told me she had all of Sonea's things. No one had ever asked for them or examined them, but she decided to keep them all, as she knew they would be useful one day. She knew it was your hair straight away, but said nothing to Balkan."
Lorlen noticed that Sonea was looking closely at Akkarin, whose face had remained expressionless. He said softly, "I'll talk to you later about the subject of my hair."
To Lorlen's surprise, a faint colour crept back in to Sonea's face and she smiled a little, but didn't give any response.
I wish I could work out what sort of relationship these two have, he thought. Just when I think I've got it straight, they do something, which changes everything!
"So, you had my hair?" Akkarin's voice recalled him to the present.
"Yes, Vinara remembered there was a spell which could be used to find the owner. She couldn't remember the details, so we started to search for it. She simply told the Librarian that I was carrying out some research for her, so no one questioned what we were doing. It took a few days, but we found it. We tested it first on something of mine and it worked very well."
"Once it was shown the spell worked, Vinara requested a number of Healers to search for some herbs she required which were hard to find. There were four of us, the other three were sent off for the herbs and I was sent to follow the trail. No one else in the Guild, apart from Vinara knows what I'm actually doing."
Akkarin drained the rest of his wine and poured more. As far as Lorlen could tell, he didn't appear curious about what had caused Vinara to want to find him. but then he had always been good at hiding his feelings. I must let things take their course, and be careful how I put my arguments.
"What did Vinara tell you to do once you found me?"
"There are things I have to tell you about what has been happening since you..err…'died'." Lorlen paused for a moment, then went on, "The Guild is not a happy place these days. Balkan was a respected Head of the Warriors, a man of authority within his Discipline, so it seemed fitting that he become High Lord, but the fact of the matter is he cannot cope with trying to run the Guild, deal with the King and control the use of magic in the Allied Lands. Things are falling apart."
He stopped speaking, and looked closely at Akkarin. Was there a gleam of interest in those eyes? It was impossible to tell. Even as Administrator to Akkarin's High Lord, working very closely together, Lorlen had found difficult to tell what was going on behind that calm and distant gaze, and time had not made that process any easier. He still had no idea what the former High Lord was thinking – about anything!
Akkarin continued to sip his wine. Sonea remained silent, her eyes flicking between the other two, but Lorlen sensed her growing excitement. Did Sonea want him to return? Lorlen considered that question. She had always been a feisty novice, with definite views on what she, and on occasions, others, should do. How had she taken to this remote mountain life? Did she long for the Guild life she'd once had?
"This is all very interesting. Lorlen, but what's it to do with me?" Akkarin's cool voice interrupted his thoughts. "You were, I believe, instrumental in the Hearing which expelled me from the Guild and Kyralia. You'll remember the Guild washed its hands of me. It certainly found it inconvenient that I survived the wastelands and couldn't wait to announce my death. The Guild will not follow me again."
"Perhaps I haven't explained things as well as I should have. The Guild has split into factions. Balkan keeps some sort of control by using the Warriors as a force to watch magicians, reporting any behaviour which they deem to be against what Balkan wants. They have become more a group of spies for the High Lord than an army of Guild defenders. Many magicians are too frightened to speak about what concerns them in case they are reported. Some of the more powerful ones are busy gathering supporters and it's feared that once they have enough, they will try to overthrow the High Lord. Others will try to stop them and only the Eye knows what the Warriors will do. It will be a blood bath."
"That's terrible, Lorlen," Sonea said, "What's the King's position in all of this? Surely he can do something?"
Lorlen smiled humourlessly, "Ah, the King! Merin lacks the proper advice he needs to understand exactly what is happening. He only sees Balkan, who tends to address him as though he were a schoolboy who hasn't completed his homework. Any points the King makes are dismissed as not being appropriate. His other Advisors don't really understand Guild politics and tend to remain silent. However, even Merin has begun to suspect that things are not as well as Balkan maintains."
At the mention of the King, Akkarin at last seemed to show some interest in what was being said. Lorlen remembered that Akkarin had been a close Advisor to Merin, perhaps even closer than their relative positions had warranted. Perhaps this is the hook I've been searching for. He tried to use it.
"According to Vinara, the King spoke to her about some of his worries. She had been called to Court to advise the Queen's Healer and the King took the opportunity of speaking with her. He usually only sees Balkan, so it must have been important for him to take the trouble. It was a special request, she said."
"What did the King say to her?" Sonea asked.
Lorlen shuffled a little in his seat, "She didn't say exactly….only that he was worried."
A brief smile crossed Akkarin's features, "Nice try, old friend," he said. "You only have Vinara's word that the King is worried, don't you?"
"I have no reason to doubt Vinara," Lorlen replied stiffly.
Sonea snorted, " You should have heard the way she spoke to me! There was no warmth in her conversations with me, no Healer's compassion for someone who was injured, she spoke to me as if I were something nasty stuck on the sole of her boot. I can't believe that she has changed or that she wishes to see Akkarin again."
Lorlen sighed, Vinara had warned him of this. "Sonea will have strong feelings about the way I behaved when she was a prisoner, but you mustn't let that stop you from trying to persuade both of them to return." She'd said it not once but several times during their discussions. But she doesn't know Sonea well or how determined she can be!
"Why do you think they will be together?" he'd asked.
"The child is obsessed with him," Vinara replied. "All the time she was here, she wouldn't stop asking questions about where he was or, if he were dead, where he was buried. Nothing anyone could say would stop her. And there's the hair – only a woman obsessed with a man would carry a lock of his hair with her constantly. I am sure that wherever Akkarin is, there you will find Sonea."
Well you were right Vinara on both counts, he thought. She is obsessed with him and she dislikes you strongly.
"Circumstances change, Sonea," he replied, "Vinara may have once believed that Akkarin was evil and because you went into exile with him, that you were too. However, it's been several years now, and she's had plenty of time to think things through properly. Whatever she was like immediately after the attack on the Guild, she is not of the same mind now. She wants Akkarin to come back."
Akkarin rose and went to pick up the wine bottle. He refilled each of their glasses before sitting down again. He picked up his own glass and examined its contents, before taking a sip. He looked at Lorlen over the rim of his glass.
"You will convey my regrets to Vinara when you return to Imardin. Before you go, however, I'll thank you to return my hair and anything else of mine which could be used to trace me."
"Akkarin!" Sonea sounded agitated. "What about the Guild? You can't let it fall apart after everything you've sacrificed for it. The Eye knows I have no reason to trust Vinara after the way she behaved, but if she's right, if the Guild disintegrates into warring factions, the Ichani will be able to walk in and take control of it. You can't let it happen."
Akkarin said nothing for a moment and Lorlen wondered if Sonea's words would change his mind, then his hopes were dashed. When Akkarin spoke, his words were bitter.
"Once I may have believed the Guild was worth sacrificing my life for, but not now. I can see no good reason to put my family at risk in order to save the Guild from itself. It made its decision six years ago. It must learn to live with its mistakes."
There seemed nothing more to be said, so after a few more minutes of rather empty conversation, it was decided to retire for the night. Sonea took Lorlen up to his room but instead of leaving him at the door, she went inside with him and closed the door softly behind her.
"I'll try to talk to Akkarin," she said. "I'm sure that deep down, he still has strong feelings about the Guild and what it stands for. Don't give up hope, just yet."
After she'd gone, Lorlen undressed and slipped into bed. He lay awake for some time, thinking about the task he had been set and how impossible it looked at the moment. He had faith in Sonea, though. Against all the odds, she had formed a close relationship with Akkarin. It was obvious she cared for him deeply. There was no way of knowing how far her feelings were reciprocated, yet Akkarin seemed happy enough with his family on their remote mountain top. He was involved in some sort of scheme, that was obvious. Lorlen suspected it was something rather outside the law, but like everything Akkarin set his mind to, it appeared successful.
Perhaps Sonea would be able to persuade Akkarin to return. Lorlen really hoped so. He feared for the future of the Guild and he did agree with Vinara and the others, Akkarin was the only man who could deal with it.