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

The Journey Continues

It was still dark, when Sonea awoke. She was cold and stiff from lying on the ground and allowed herself a trickle of Healing to remove the worst of her aches and pains. Another burst of magic cleaned her robes and hair. Looking around for something to use to boost her power levels, she found a large tree which looked vibrant and healthy. She quickly drained it. She had not had to use trees before to increase her power and she found the feeling odd. It was not like taking power from a magician, not actually unpleasant, but odd nevertheless. The power was cold, unlike the warm and comforting rush she experienced from magicians, but she had little choice. Wishing to obtain as much power as possible, she moved on to another, smaller tree, then several bushy plants. Each time, the power surge into her system felt alien and she was overwhelmed by a sense of greenness, which added to the feeling of wrongfulness.

However, she had no time to spend considering the various options for power and how they felt, she had to get back to her tent before the others started to stir. She found her way back to the campsite retracing her steps with no difficulty. The camp was stirring, with Warriors patrolling the boundaries and servants hurrying to feed and groom the horses or prepare breakfast for the magicians. She managed to evade notice and quickly found the rows of tents. Mostly they were quiet, still dark inside, with no sense that their occupants were awake.

She located her tent and slipped inside. The others were still asleep, so she was able to slide into bed and roll herself up in the blankets. She was only just in time as a moment or two later, a servant undid the flap and told them in a loud voice that breakfast was now ready and waiting for them. The others began to make the usual waking up noises which Sonea joined in, make a show of stretching and yawning. No one appeared to have noticed her absence, apart from one Healer who remarked she must have been out late looking for her herbs. Sonea made some non-committal remark and the moment passed without further comment. She went outside with the others to find a servant setting up a table next to the fire, which had been newly set with logs and was burning with a welcome warm and cheerful flame.

Unlike the day before, Sonea felt hungry. She took a bowl of warm grains soaked in milk and made short work of it. Next she ate some of the fresh rolls, liberally spread with butter and honey. There was no raka on offer, so she made do with a large mug of tea and accepted a refill when it was offered. After her meal, she felt so much better, she was even looking forward to the ride ahead.

But it seemed that Balkan was again in no hurry to depart as there was no sign of him or his Warriors. Akkarin, however, was in evidence, moving around the camp and stopping frequently to talk to some of the magicians. Sonea kept an eye on his progress. She hoped he would not come in her direction. She was still unsure of how easily he would detect her illusion magic and she didn't want to find out.

Closer and closer he came and she began to panic. What if he came directly towards her? What if he actually spoke to her? She looked around quickly, where could she go? There was no obvious place. While she had been eating, the servants had been busy dismantling the tents and packing them away in the carts. There was no hiding herself behind concealing canvas.

Akkarin was only a few strides away when his attention was diverted as he listened to a message delivered by a breathless Warrior. To Sonea's intense relief, instead of continuing his progress towards her, he turned away and followed the messenger. She was suddenly conscious of the fact that she'd been holding her breath and she let it out slowly. That had been a near thing and she made a mental note to make sure she always had an alternative if he looked like coming near her again.

There was still no sign of the High Lord, so they continued to wait by their fires while the camp was removed around them. The Guild servants were efficient at their tasks and soon only the cheerful fires remained to show where the tents had been, each fire surrounded by a huddled group of magicians.

Mostyn wandered over and engaged her in conversation about nothing much in particular but she was grateful for his presence. She didn't want to stand out as being someone on her own all the time, so she smiled sweetly and agreed with whatever he was saying. Mostyn stayed with her, telling some long and involved tale of an experiment which went terribly wrong, until Balkan and his entourage appeared and the servants came with the horses.

Sonea stared at Trouble, mentally telling him she would stand no nonsense today. Trouble rolled his eyes and stared back, ears close to his head. Sonea grinned, it looked as if Trouble would continue to live up to his name! The servant tossed her up into the saddle and this time she was ready for the horse's tricks. Apart from a little dancing on the spot, and one or two sideways movements, Trouble settled down more quickly than the day before. As they lined up into the usual procession, Sonea was surprised to find her riding companion of the day was not Mostyn as she'd assumed, but Kelda. She was suddenly nervous. Why Kelda? What did she want? But it seemed her fears were unfounded. As they made their way along, Kelda engaged her in friendly conversation about this and that, with no apparent attempt to probe her.

It seemed Kelda did not know Jalette well, so Sonea did not have to deal with unexpectedly difficult questions about a shared past. They had been in different year groups as novices and the differences in Disciplines had meant they spent little time together. Although Sonea did not like the Alchemist, she had to admit that she made a pleasant riding companion.

An hour passed quickly, and Sonea had relaxed her guard somewhat, when the unexpected question came.

"What do you think of our new black magician?"

She glanced sharply at Kelda, but she appeared only to be making conversation, "I haven't seen much of him," Sonea managed to say smoothly.

"I noticed you watching him closely this morning," Kelda replied. "Many say he is a very handsome man, although I prefer men who are not quite so tall myself."

Sonea felt the colour rise in her cheeks, "I was curious, that's all. There's been so much talk about him, I thought I'd take the opportunity to see what all the fuss was about."

Kelda glanced over at her and smiled, "So, what did you think?"

"I can see why many of the younger magicians are interested, but he doesn't seem to be very approachable, does he?"

Kelda nodded, "He seems to be a cold sort of a man, but I'm sure that's just his outward appearance. Underneath he's probably just like all the others."

Feeling slightly uncomfortable discussing Akkarin with someone who was his enemy, Sonea changed the subject and they were soon back to talking about generalities.

The party stopped in a large clearing for the mid-day meal. Again, the servants efficiently laid out platters of cold food, plates of fruit and jugs of water or juice on small trestle tables. Sonea's appetite seemed to have returned with a vengeance because she was able to finish two full plates of food and still find room for plenty of juice and several pieces of fruit. Kelda had disappeared when the procession stopped and Sonea saw her later deep in conversation with Regin.

Although it was tempting to perhaps wander in their direction to see if she could hear what they were talking about, Sonea resisted the idea. She didn't want to give Kelda, or Regin for that matter, any reason to be curious about her. Later, she noticed they had gathered a small group around them and were engaged in lively conversation.

She could see Akkarin in the distance, not far from the High Lord. He was sitting a little apart from the others, seemingly engrossed in eating his meal. For a moment, Sonea felt like throwing off her disguise and rushing over to him. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to be sitting next to him, her arm about his waist and her head resting on his shoulder. She laughed softly. This is no time to be lovelorn! she told herself severely. But she was conscious of an overwhelming desire to be away from other magicians, from the Guild, from thoughts of fighting the Ichani, and to be once more in their mountain-top home where she had all she needed. To think I wanted him to return! she thought regretfully. There was no denying it, he had been reluctant, she had been the one who had persuaded him to give up his new life and return to the old one. Did I really do the right thing? That was the fundamental question, of course, and only time would give an answer. She pushed the thoughts aside and determined to think only of the present.

The order was given to get ready to leave. The servants cleared everything away as quickly as they had provided it. The horses were brought over and once again, Sonea was in the saddle. This time, Sonea was not surprised when Kelda reappeared and took her place by Sonea's side once more. Just as she did during the morning, Kelda chatted warmly about various things, but this time, Sonea was ready for more probing conversation. It was not long in coming.

"I've heard lots of good things about you, Jalette," the Alchemist started. "You are a good Healer, a hard worker and a pleasant companion. Everyone speaks well of you. They say you are an ideal Guild magician."

"Why, thank you," Sonea said, wondering what this would lead to.

"Do you enjoy working at the Guild or do you want to become a village Healer?"

Sonea heard herself reply in vague terms, all the while she was examining Kelda's words to try to discover any hidden meanings.

"…your mother?" she heard Kelda ask.

Taking a wild guess at what might have been the question, Sonea said quickly, "She is getting much better, so I was able to leave her."

Kelda looked at her curiously, "So you didn't contemplate staying near your home instead of returning to Imardin, then?"

"N No," she stuttered, hoping Kelda hadn't noticed her lack of attention. "She wouldn't want me too, anyway. She thinks my role in the Guild is more important than family wishes."

They rode on in silence for a while, then Kelda asked another awkward question, "So, have you got a lover, Jalette?"

Now what? "I can't tell you all my secrets," Sonea added what she hoped was a convincing giggle. "Why do you want to know?"

"Most young magicians have lovers, Jalette. The Guild is full of them. You're young and attractive, I would have thought you have many admirers."

"Oh, admirers! Yes, I've plenty of them. What about you?"

But Kelda wouldn't be drawn. Instead she asked another, seemingly unrelated question, "What do you feel about the Guild? Has it treated you well all these years? Have you got what you wanted from your association with it?"

"I'm very grateful to the Guild, for everything," Sonea replied with genuine feeling. If she had never joined the Guild, she would not have found Akkarin.

Kelda shot her a calculating look, "Would you be prepared to do something to help the Guild? Something unusual?"

"Perhaps." Sonea had a cold feeling in her stomach. "It would depend very much on what it was."

Kelda nudged her horse closer and lowered her voice, "There's a group of us who care very much about the Guild and preserving its freedom from interference by others. We want to protect the Guild from those who would change it. After all, the Guild has served the Allied Lands for generations and we want it to continue to do so. Don't you agree?"

Sonea spoke equally softly, "Of course. Nothing must turn the Guild from its path."

Kelda nodded approvingly, "I knew you would understand. Our group is tightly knit, but we do try to encourage people with similar views to join us. The High Lord knows of our existence and approves. But, once you join, you would be expected to keep our secrets and obey our rules and carry out our wishes without argument. Are you interested, Jalette?"

Sonea could feel her heart thumping loudly. Was this the chance she was looking for to find out what was really going on in the Guild? What were the risks? There were many, she knew. On the other hand, it was a golden opportunity and she needed to take risks in order to make discoveries.

She smiled at Kelda, "I would be honoured to join you."

Kelda smiled back, "I knew we could count on you to help."

"So, who are members of your group?" Sonea asked hopefully but Kelda shook her head. "It doesn't work that way, Jalette. New members know only two or three of us until they have proved our trust in them. Only then will they become aware of other members. For the moment, you and I will work together. After you have accomplished the task I will set you, I will introduce you to some of the others."

Although disappointed, Sonea was not surprised at the group's caution. The Guild was so full of factions that it was difficult to really know who to trust, so she couldn't blame them for keeping 'Jalette' at arms' length until she had proved herself.

"I understand, Kelda. So what do you want me to do?"

Kelda smiled, "It's an interesting task, and one you will perhaps find entertaining. If you have no lover at the moment, can I ask you to engage in a little flirtation?"

"A little flirtation? That doesn't sound difficult! Who with?"

"We would like you to engage in a flirtation with Akkarin."