Lorlen, Akkarin called mentally as he entered the underground tunnels which would take him back to the University. It took his friend a minute or so to respond.

Akkarin?

Meet me in your office in fifteen minutes. We need to discuss something. Akkarin sensed Lorlen's assent and then his friend's familiar presence left his mind. Akkarin increased his pace, letting his long legs easily eat up the distance in the tunnels. He knew it would not be long before someone reported the magical battle to the Guard, and it was likely they would recognize that someone had performed magic. Akkarin had contacts who would take care of the magician's body, but even they would not be able to erase all evidence of the fight. But Akkarin could use it to his advantage. He needed the girl off the streets so she would not be easy prey for the next attacker. For he knew there would be another. There always seemed to be.

It's no wonder I'm so tired. Akkarin reached the rocks which marked the beginning of the tunnels under the University and exerted his will so that they formed a set of steps. He closed up the entrance behind him before taking the familiar twists and turns back to a non-descript wooden door tucked into an alcove. He opened the magical lock with a brief thought and strode quickly into the room. His servant, Takan, was waiting as usual, and he stripped off the clothes he was wearing before taking the bundle of black robes from Takan's arms. He put them on with practised ease and carefully tied his hair back before leaving the secret basement room, Takan following close behind. He left the Residence, checking the time as he went. Thirteen minutes had passed since his call to Lorlen. That gave him two minutes to cross the courtyard and make his way to Lorlen's office to make the appointed time. He sped up his steps.

Lorlen was waiting for him when he arrived in the office. His blue robes were immaculate as usual, and his green eyes peered curiously at his best friend. "You certainly know how to cause a stir. The Night Room was abuzz with speculation about your news."

"I had forgotten it was Fourthday."

"Because you never go."

Akkarin gave his friend a half-smile at the familiar argument. "What would be the point when you are so much better at listening and reporting all the important news to me?"

"And you prefer to maintain your aloof, mysterious appearance." Akkarin decided that comment did not deserve a response. "So what was so important that you had to pull me away from the latest gossip?"

"I sensed magic in the city. In the Northeast section, outside the Inner Walls. Uncontrolled, most likely." Lorlen frowned.

"Magic outside the Inner Walls? I cannot think of a reason for a magician to be there, especially on Fourthjday."

"Nor can I. Thus you understand my concern."

"Could it have been a Novice?"

"I suppose it's possible, but I cannot think of a reason for them to be outside the Inner Circle either. And they've all learned Control." Lorlen's frown deepened as he considered.

"Do you think we have a rogue magician?"

"Not from the Guild. Like I said, I don't believe this magician has been taught Control."

"How was the magic released then? You don't think a Guild magician did it, do you?"

Akkarin shook his head. "You don't have to have another magician release your powers. We start training early enough that we've always needed to do so, but if someone is strong enough, their powers can manifest on their own as they mature."

"How strong is this person?"

"I would guess quite strong."

"Without Control. . ." Lorlen trailed off, but he did not need to say more. Akkarin nodded grimly.

"My thoughts exactly."

"We need to find this magician." Lorlen thought for a moment. "We could organize a search, starting in the area where you sensed the magic."

"Have Lord Rothen lead it. He's approachable and has fewer. . . qualms about those in the lower classes. I suspect those skills will be important if we are going to bring this person in."

"I can ask him tonight and start sending out volunteers tomorrow. Do you have any thoughts as to how to find this magician? I can't imagine knocking on all the doors in the Slums will yield many results."

"A magician should have a magical presence. If you're close enough, you should feel that."

"Of course." Lorlen considered for a moment. "There will be a good deal of suspicion. Many people in that area consider magicians at least indirectly responsible for the Purge, so they're unlikely to tell us much."

Akkarin gave a low chuckle. "I cannot give you leave to have the searchers wear something other than robes if that's what you're asking, old friend. Only the King can do that, and I do not think he would be inclined to do so." Akkarin kept his tone carefully neutral. As far as Lorlen and everyone else around him knew, Akkarin and King Merin were good friends who worked well together. And in some ways, that was true–Merin was only three years Akkarin's senior, they had grown up in similar circles, and both had unexpectedly taken positions with great authority when relatively young. But while Akkarin knew his own mind and would not let others sway him from what he felt was right, Merin relied heavily on his Council for forming opinions and did not take a firm hand when ruling as Akkarin felt he should.

"Should we inform the King about this magician?"

Akkarin sighed inwardly but kept his face expressionless. "Yes. I will take care of it tomorrow."

After helping her Aunt Jonna with the chores the next day, Sonea settled onto the small pile of blankets that formed her bed with some mending work, hoping to use it to take her mind off the events of the previous day. However, no matter how much she tried to focus on sewing, her mind kept returning to what had happened. Though the second magician had healed the worst of her injuries, she had still returned home with a number of cuts and bruises which had led to many questions from her aunt and uncle. Sonea had told them that someone had tossed a Firebol–a crude explosive device involving bol, a rag, and some sort of oil favored among criminals–into a crate and she was unlucky enough to be nearby. They still seemed suspicious but did not question her further for which she was grateful.

Sonea's main concern was the second magician's parting words. She loved her aunt and uncle, and they had taken her in when no one else would. She refused to be responsible, however indirectly, for any harm to them. Of course, she was not exactly sure who she would tell. The entire encounter was so strange that she was still having trouble believing it had happened.

Resolving that it was a question best left for another time, Sonea returned her attention to her mending, but her mind refused to focus on the task. Setting the fabric aside, she stood and stretched. From across the room, her aunt looked at her curiously. "I'm feeling a bit stiff. I think I'll take a walk around for a bit to exercise my muscles and clear my head. Do you need anything?"

Jonna shook her head, still watching her niece carefully. "Nothing. Be back before dark."

Sonea scowled slightly but gave her assent. She would be seventeen in less than a month, and her aunt still often treated her like a child. Then she remembered the attack the previous night, and she shivered. She's just trying to keep you safe, her inner voice chided. Sonea knew it spoke the truth.

Sonea had only walked a couple blocks from her house when she saw a man in purple robes standing in a nearby doorway. Her heart began to pound loudly in her chest. A magician! In the Slums! Sonea had never seen a magician in the Slums before. With frightening clarity, she realized that he was there for her. She remembered the battle the previous day, the certainty that she was about to be killed, and the cold aloofness in her rescuer's eyes. She wanted nothing to do with the magicians. If they wanted her, she would make them work for it.

At the moment, the most pressing issue was getting away from them as quickly as possible. She turned, striding down the street, keeping her head down. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sweep of another set of robes, and she quickly turned away from them down a different side street. This street was relatively crowded, and she hoped that she would be lost in the sea of people surrounding her. She was not even sure that they would know what she looked like. The magician she had met the previous night certainly would, but it seemed odd that he would swear her to silence only to tell the other magicians about her later. Of course, she was not sure why else the magicians would be in the Slums.

Sonea was not going to take any chances. She wove in and out of the sea of the bodies, relaxing slightly with each step that took her further from the magicians. Her mind worked furiously, trying to figure out her next move. She could not go back to Jonna and Ranel. She would not put them in danger like that. But she also knew she could not stay out on the street past dark–magicians could easily become the least of her worries if she did so. She needed somewhere to lay low, somewhere that the magicians would not think to look.

Sonea was so focused on her thoughts that she nearly ran into a tall figure who stepped onto the street in front of her. She tried to sidestep him, but her eyes caught sight of flapping purple robes around his ankles, and she looked up, horrified, into the face of a man in his late twenties. He stared at her for a moment as she stood, too terrified to move, and recognition soon came over his features. An arm reached out for her, and she felt something push out from inside her. The man looked surprised as he stumbled backwards, and Sonea used the chance to turn and run, heedless of the people she knocked into along the way. She heard him call after her, but she did not look back.

Fortunately, she was in a familiar area, having spent many hours as a child running through the narrow, winding alleys that crisscrossed each other in sometimes unexpected ways. She used this knowledge now to make a series of confusing turns, hoping to lose her pursuers in the warren of passageways. She was not sure how long she ran for, but the sun was sinking lower by the time she finally stopped, winded, tucking herself into a small alcove where she would not be readily visible from the street. Leaning against the crumbling brick facade of the building behind her, she listened carefully for her pursuers but heard nothing that would indicate they were still chasing her. Good. She had bought herself some time though she was not naive enough to think she was safe. It was magicians chasing her, after all. She was sure they had some magical means of tracking her.

Sonea needed a plan, and she knew that plan needed to involve help. She was in way over her head now. Looking around, she realized with a start that perhaps her subconscious had been planning all along even though she was only consciously aware of escaping the magicians she saw. The area where she found herself belonged to Harrin, a boy a couple years older than her who ran a gang who liked to terrorize magicians and other authorities. Sonea had run with them for a few years before her aunt had forbidden it, feeling they would get her in trouble.

Looks like I get in enough trouble on my own, she thought ruefully. But appealing to Harrin and his gang to help her could be her answer, especially since his second-in-command, Cery, was a good friend who had grown up with her. At the very least, there could be no harm in asking. Whatever else one might say about Harrin and his gang, they were honorable in their own way and would not turn her in even if they did not help her.

Decision made, Sonea exited the alcove and walked confidently down the street, scanning the area for a scout. It did not take her long to find one, and she made a quick signal which caused the boy to frown slightly before beckoning her over. "That's an old signal," he remarked once she reached his side. Sonea shrugged.

"It's been awhile. I need to see Harrin."

"Why?"

"That's between me and him. Tell him Sonea's asking for him." The boy stared at her suspiciously for a moment before finally turning. Sonea followed him a few blocks until they stopped in front of a bolhouse that she recognized. For the first time that day, she smiled. Perhaps things were going to turn out alright after all.

"Wait here," the boy instructed her before disappearing into the building. Sonea did as he asked, pulling her hood low over her eyes and slumping into the shadows just in case. It did not take the boy long to return, and he jerked his head sideways to indicate she should join him. "Cery says you should go get a drink." Sonea nodded her thanks before entering the bolhouse. She chose a seat at a relatively empty section of table and caught a waitress's eye to order her drink. In another minute, someone dropped into the seat beside her.

"I never thought I would see you again." The voice was warm and familiar.

"Never say never," Sonea said, repeating a phrase Jonna liked to use. She turned to face her old friend, noting that he had grown a few inches since she last saw him. He was still short for his age, a not uncommon occurrence in the Slums, but he was now a couple inches taller than Sonea. His face had filled out, too, making him look less like the young boy most mistook him for when Sonea last knew him.

"Do Jonna and Ranel know you're here?"

"No. And I don't want them to. Cery, I need your help."

He studied her face for a moment before standing, dropping a couple coins on the table. "Come on, there's a room in back where we can be more comfortable." Sonea followed him gratefully to a small boarding room where he knocked on the door in what was obviously a pre-arranged pattern. A heavyset boy opened it, smiling in recognition when he saw Sonea.

"Little Sonea, what brings you to my humble abode?" Harrin questioned.

"She needs help," Cery said without preamble. Harrin studied her for a minute before nodding, stepping out of the doorway.

"Come on in. Let's see what we can do for you."

A couple minutes later, Sonea sat in front of the two boys, trying to explain how she knew that the magicians were chasing her. "It was just a feeling that they were after me. And when that one saw me, it was almost like he recognized me and tried to grab me. That's when I ran, and I ended up here."

Harrin was frowning. "But why would magicians be looking for you? You haven't done anything to 'em, have you?"

Sonea shook her head, debating internally over how much to tell them. She knew Harrin and Cery were both trustworthy, but who knew what magicians could do. Perhaps they could read minds in which case it would not matter how trustworthy her friends were. Finally, she settled on a half-truth. "I was attacked last night. And whoever attacked me was blowing up crates with what looked like magic."

Both boys' eyes went wide. "How'd you get away?" Cery questioned.

"I. . .uh. . . kicked him. Where it would hurt." The boys winced sympathetically.

"But why would a magician attack you?" Cery questioned.

Sonea shrugged. She did not have to fake her confusion. "I don't know. All I know is that I barely escaped with my life then and now they're looking for me."

Harrin was frowning down at her, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I like you, Sonea, and you were a good friend when you were running with us. I knew I could trust you to do what needed to be done. But magicians. . ." He trailed off, but Sonea understood his meaning.

"I understand. I can find somewhere else to go."

"Wait." Cery held up a hand. He glanced over at Harrin. "Can you give us a minute?" Sonea nodded, standing and leaving the room. Their voices were low enough that she could not hear them in the hallway, and she decided not to spy. She would know the outcome of their conversation soon enough. After a minute or two, Cery opened the door. "Harrin agreed to let me take you to one of our safehouses. It's not going to be the most comfortable, but only a couple people know about it, so it should be safe."

"Thank you, Cery," Sonea said, feeling a wave of gratitude. He smiled at her, and she gave him a small smile in return. She followed him out into the darkened street, falling into step beside him as he led her through a series of back alleys.

"So how have you been?"

"We were doing well for awhile, getting some good work that earned enough to get a space in a stayhouse in the North Quarter. But then. . . "

"The Purge," Cery guessed. Sonea nodded. "We harassed them like usual this year," Cery told her. "I wish I could say we did something, but with the magicians, it's just. . . impossible."

"Yeah," Sonea agreed, trying not to think of how ominous those words sounded when applied to her own situation. They walked a short way in silence before Cery spoke again.

"You ever think of coming back to the gang?"

"Jonna doesn't want me to." As she said that, she felt a pang of guilt. Jonna was probably wondering where she was, worrying about what might have happened.

"We've missed you. I've missed you." His words were soft, and Sonea looked at him curiously, but he had already turned away, looking at a building across the street. "Come on, this is it. It's an old inn, and a lot of the interior walls are still intact so we should be able to find you a relatively secure spot to sleep. I'll stay here tonight, too, to make sure everything is safe."

"You don't have to, Cery."

He shrugged. "I don't have anywhere else I have to be." With that, he led the way into the building that would be Sonea's temporary home.

Akkarin rubbed his temples as he felt the surge of uncontrolled magic assault his senses. Interestingly, unlike when he typically felt magic, he also received a sense of fear which he suspected came from the girl wielding the magic. A Natural according to his research–the first in hundreds of years. A picture suddenly flashed across Akkarin's mind of a man around his age, perhaps a year or two younger, in purple robes. Akkarin frowned, recognizing the face as a fellow magician. Lord Dannyl if he was not mistaken. But why would he be seeing Lord Dannyl?

He contemplated that question as he sent a trickle of healing energy to his head to take the edge off the pain. As the fear started to subside as well, he suddenly realized that he was not seeing Lord Dannyl–the girl was. Somehow, he had not only sensed her feelings but also her thoughts when he felt her magic. That was not something he had ever had happen before nor had he heard of it happening to others. Perhaps it had to do with her lack of Control. Whatever the reason, however, he would need to do more research.

He hoped they would catch the girl soon. Not only for his own sake but also because it seemed that her magic was getting stronger. Perhaps Dannyl had already caught her. With that thought in mind, he strode from his Residence, turning toward the University. As he had expected, he found Lorlen in his office. He knocked on the door frame, and his friend looked up, giving him a tired smile. "Any luck with the search?"

Lorlen's smile turned into a frown. "No. I just received a report that Lord Dannyl saw our rogue, but before he could stop her, she pushed him away with a Forcestrike and ran."

"Not a rogue," Akkarin objected immediately. Then, because he knew it was expected, he let a slight amount of confusion show on his face. "Her?"

"Yes. It seems our. . . not a rogue is a girl. And apparently a pretty strong magician. Dannyl said that her strike pushed him clear across the road and into a brick building."

"Is he hurt?"

"Only his pride. I don't think he was expecting to be attacked by a slum girl. I would expect he will be more careful with his shielding if he approaches her again."

"We should ensure everyone searching knows that."

"Lord Rothen said he has already mentioned that necessity to the rest of the search team."

"Is there anything else happening in our little family I should know about?"

"Ralia–one of the novices–is pregnant and claiming the father is Lord Hershat."

Akkarin's eyebrows rose. "You know I don't concern myself with the romantic entanglements of the Guild. That would be far too much trouble."

"Well, she's sixteen, and he's older than you, so you can understand why people are a little upset. Especially since this is not the first time though it is the first time he has fathered a child. Ralia's family blames the Guild. They have even talked of pulling her from her class."

"And her thoughts?"

"She would like to stay though it remains to be seen how her opinion might change once her pregnancy becomes the talk of the Guild."

"If she did not want to get pregnant, she should have prevented it."

"That's one of the problems. It sounds like there was far too much wine involved so neither party was thinking clearly about the consequences."

"I'm still unclear what you want me to do. We cannot police every decision our novices make."

"No, but someone needs to have a talk with Lord Hershat about his romantic entanglements. I've already tried and it seems it had little effect."

Akkarin smiled grimly. "So now it's my turn. Some days, I really do feel like I'm trying to manage a family of disobedient children."