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

Vinara

Standing outside Vinara's rooms waiting for permission to enter, Sonea found her throat rather dry. She couldn't help remembering their last meeting when Vinara had seemed to take pleasure in treating Sonea with disdain. To say that she was not looking forward to meeting her again was an understatement.

Enter.

Nothing could be learned from Vinara's mental voice, it was cool, without any hint of emotion behind it. Lorlen opened the door and motioned Sonea to go in ahead of him. She took a deep breath and walked in. She found herself in a spacious entrance hall, with several doors off it. It was a large apartment, as befitted the head of a Discipline, but Sonea had lived in the High Lord's Residence, so she was not over-awed by the space and fine furnishings, as some might be.

One of the doors opened, revealing Vinara standing just inside, "Come through to my study. We can talk there." Again, there was nothing to be learned from her voice and Sonea decided that Vinara was too canny to give anything away so easily. She still had no idea how Vinara was going to react, nor whether or not she could control her own feelings about the Healers' Leader.

Vinara offered no greeting to her two visitors, but instead waved them towards some chairs which had been placed in front of a large desk. After Lorlen and Sonea were seated, refreshments were offered and accepted. Then Vinara shuffled through a few papers on her desk, found a clean sheet and a pen, then looked enquiringly at Lorlen.

"What is this 'urgent request' for a meeting all about?"

"Perhaps Sonea could explain," Lorlen replied and turned apologetically towards Sonea. She understood why Lorlen was reluctant to speak, he was a Healer after all and had to live under Vinara's direction.

Vinara turned her piercing gaze upon Sonea, "Well?"

Sonea took a deep breath and tendered her prepared story, emphasising the fact that she had not been asked to accompany the High Lord, but leaving out Akkarin's direct instruction to her to remain behind. She made it sound as if Balkan was behind her lack of invitation.

"It is important that I be in the party in case there is any problem or interruption to Akkarin's plans. He is vulnerable, both to the High Lord's Warriors, as well as any possible Ichani magicians who have managed to gain entry to Kyralia. If I am there, I can keep watch and keep him safe."

Vinara said nothing as Sonea came to the end of her speech, but continued to gaze closely at her. Sonea, who found this scrutiny most disturbing, hurriedly spoke to break the mood.

"What do you think, Lady Vinara?"

Unexpectedly, Vinara laughed, "You are again a member of the Guild, Sonea, there's no need to be so formal."

This direct reference to their last encounter left Sonea feeling uncertain. Was there a sense of, not forgiveness exactly, but more a wish to draw a line under the past? Nothing could be discerned from Vinara's expression.

Sonea had no idea just how old the Healer was. She knew that Vinara had already been a senior teacher of Healing when Akkarin had first joined the Guild as a Novice, but her face was as unlined as a young woman's and there was no hint of grey in the short glossy hair which framed her face. Like Akkarin, Vinara was skilled at keeping her features smooth and her expression blank. Still she stared at Sonea, keeping up the pressure for the younger magician to speak. But Sonea refused to take the bait a second time, and merely waited until Vinara decided to contribute to the conversation.

"I am not sure why you are asking for this, Sonea," Vinara finally said. "Perhaps Akkarin could simply add you to his party of Warriors. I cannot see why you need to go disguised as a Healer."

Luckily, Sonea had anticipated this question. "Because I need to be able to pass amongst the others unnoticed. Dressed in these black robes, I would be a target for every eye. If I am to safeguard Akkarin from possible threats, I must be able to blend in. Healers come and go, practically unnoticed most of the time. Someone, somewhere is always in need of Healing. No one will think it strange to see a green robe amongst the red or purple."

"Hmmm…" Vinara continued to stare at Sonea, who got the distinct impression that she was weighing up Sonea's arguments. "I am not yet convinced that this is a good idea. I am sure Akkarin is very capable of looking after himself and he will have his team of Warriors with him."

"You were the one who engineered Akkarin's return," Sonea stated. "You spoke to the King and encouraged him to persuade Akkarin to become the King's Magician. You must want him to succeed in the task he has been given. I can help him by making sure nothing interferes." Then she played what she hoped would be a trump card, "I am a powerful black magician. I can do more than all of Akkarin's Warriors put together. It makes perfect sense for me to be there."

Vinara allowed a frosty smile to pass briefly over her lips, "You are an impassioned advocate for Akkarin. However, I am still not convinced that allowing you to impersonate one of my Healers is the right way to proceed."

"Then what do you suggest as an alternative, Lady Vinara?" Sonea asked tartly.

"I think Sonea has made some convincing arguments," Lorlen said hastily, trying to forestall an outright refusal to help on Vinara's part. "Her plan is the best option under the circumstances. The High Lord and his party will leave shortly. What's one more Healer among them? Jalette is unlikely to return to Imardin for several weeks. Her mother is responding to Healing but only very slowly. There is no risk of Jalette arriving here in the Guild and being with the High Lord at the same time. No one will ever know."

Vinara looked down at the sheet of paper in front of her and scribbled something. Sonea held her breath. Would Vinara help or not? If she didn't …. Sonea swiftly choked off that thought. To give herself something to do, she sipped at her fruit juice. Beside her she could sense Lorlen's tension as he too waited for the decision.

After what seemed like minutes, but probably wasn't more than a few seconds, Vinara looked up at Sonea, "I cannot suggest an alternative that would not involve considerably more effort and preparation, or more risk. I will add Jalette's name to the list. Lorlen will provide you with a set of Healer's robes and a pouch with the usual herbs and medicines. He will explain what you need to know. I cannot help you further."

"Thank you Lady Vinara," Sonea said.

"I am doing this for Akkarin and the task he must complete, not for you. If you are caught, I shall deny any knowledge of what you have done, and," she looked meaningfully at the other Healer, "so will Lorlen. There will be nothing to link us to you in any way. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly, Lady Vinara."

She and Lorlen got to their feet, but Vinara still had something to add.

"You are not under the King's protection, Sonea. You are a Guild magician, directly under the control of the High Lord. If you are caught, you will be punished for acting without permission. Impersonating another magician brings an even more serious punishment. You should consider what you are doing very carefully indeed."

Sonea stared at Vinara, trying to read her intention. Was it a friendly warning, or some sort of threat? Despite her training from Akkarin and her skill as a black magician, Sonea found it impossible to read Vinara's surface thoughts.

"Thank you, I shall remember," she replied steadily and turned to leave.

Later, in Sonea's cramped apartment, she asked Lorlen if he knew what Vinara truly felt about Akkarin, the Guild and what was proposed.

He thought for a moment, then said slowly, "Vinara has been a good leader of the Healers. She has worked hard to make other magicians respect the Discipline. It wasn't seen as particularly skilful, just a Discipline that those not clever enough to be Alchemists, nor agile enough to be Warriors, ended up in. She is careful to guard the honour of Healing as a skilled and dedicated calling. She won't do anything to damage it."

"I don't want to damage it, but it's the only Discipline I can use. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, but Vinara suspects your motives. She wants Akkarin to succeed, but she has reservations about your usefulness."

Sonea thought about this for a time, "What does Vinara truly want?"

"That's easy, she wants the Guild to be whole and effective once again and not the fragmented, ineffective force it is at the moment. For a time, she hoped that Balkan would be the one to mend it, but it soon became obvious he was out of his depth. He was a good Warrior, skilled in battle, strong in magic and able to inspire his Warriors, but he lacks the vision to control the Guild. Add to that the fact that he knows he is failing and uses the only weapon he has, his Warriors, to bolster his position and you begin to see just how desperate the situation is. Vinara, and those who share her views, know there are few magicians with the inclination to fix things and only one who has the ability to do it – Akkarin. But you, you are not well regarded by many and I think you know why."

Sonea gave a small, bitter laugh, "I'm still only a dwell!"

"Yes, I'm afraid that many magicians see only where you came from, and not where you are now, a magician of power, with all the skills and training needed to help Akkarin in his struggle against the Ichani. I'm beginning to think you will never live down your origins, Sonea."

"You're right, Lorlen," she paused and her expression became a little wistful, "I did hope that things might have changed, that people would have welcomed us back, or at least, leave us alone to get on with what we have to do, but it hasn't been like that at all."

She gave herself a mental shake. There was no use in going over old ground. Time was getting short and there were things she still needed to ask Lorlen.

"Vinara said she would deny everything, if I was caught, but how can she? Surely Balkan would simply have her truth-read?"

To Sonea's surprise, Lorlen's face took on a guarded expression and for a moment she thought he wouldn't answer, but then he said softly, "There are things Heads of Discipline and former Administrators know which are not known to others."

Sonea's mouth opened in surprise, "You mean they cannot be truth-read?"

Lorlen shrugged, "You know how it works, a weak High Lord in times past, faced with strong Heads of Discipline grants certain….freedoms, which are never rescinded. No, Vinara cannot be truth-read."

Sonea considered this new piece of information. How would it affect things? Vinara, and the others could carry out all sorts of mischief secure in the knowledge that they wouldn't face the ultimate test. But did it apply to black magicians? Would she or Akkarin still be able to read their minds?

"How does it work, Lorlen? It couldn't just be a promise written on a scrap of paper somewhere, it would have to be something a lot more specific."

"I don't propose to tell you all the details, but you're right, it's more than a piece of paper. It's a binding spell which lasts as long as an individual is the leader of a Discipline. As far as I know, it cannot be undone."

Does Akkarin know? she wondered, then gave herself a mental slap, of course he did – he was High Lord! How many other secrets did he still keep?

"Don't worry, Sonea. Vinara may not approve of you, but she does want to protect Akkarin so that he can do what he came to do. She won't help you if you are caught, but she won' t do anything to prejudice your actions."

Sonea nodded at Lorlen's reassurance, "Thank you for all your help, I couldn't have done it without you." She smiled at him, pleased when he smiled back. She was really quite fond of Lorlen….

"I'll bring you the robes and pouch this evening and we can spend some time talking about what you need to know to pass as a Healer."

After Lorlen had left her alone, she began to practise the spell that would turn her into a copy of Jalette. She concentrated on Lorlen's memories of the girl stored in her own mind and sitting in front of a mirror practised and practised until she got it absolutely right.