As Sonea approached the residence, the sky had already turned an inky dark blue. Going to class the morning after the battle with the Ichani was one of the hardest things she had done, but it was necessary to prevent any suspicion. The day had past in a complete blur – she wasn't sure if she had managed to avoid suspicion, given the dark bags under her eyes and how distracted she had been. She was looking forward to going straight to sleep.

As the residence came into closer view, however, her steps faltered. All of the lights were on on the ground floor of the building. This was extremely unusual; Akkarin usually sat in the foyer in near darkness after his day. As her heart began to beat fast, she tried to calm her thoughts and keep her pace through the dark grounds steady. He may have Lorlen over for dinner. She groaned inwardly at the thought of sitting through a dinner tonight, of all nights. The shock of her kill had numbed, but she knew there was a wave of images and emotions she had been holding back all day. It felt like a dam that could break at any moment, given the chance.

By the time she stood outside the residence door, she knew something out of the ordinary was happening. The door swung open at her touch, as always, and Sonea was thankful her mental fatigue had dulled her reactions in that instant. Lady Vinara, Lord Balkan, Lord Sarrin, Administrator Lorlen and Lord Rothen were all standing in the brightly lit foyer. Akkarin was with them, his face that familiar mask of calm authority. Takan was standing at a respectful distance near the staircase, his posture slightly bowed in respect to all in the room, but his eyes sharp with attentiveness. They all turned to look at her, as if interrupted in mid-discussion.

"My Lords, my Lady," Sonea said, bowing. Her voice was steady, but she gripped the books in her arms tightly. Her stomach clenched in fear.

"Sonea," Lady Vinara replied, her face sombre. "Come in, please."

Sonea set down her books on the table as the door shut behind her. She stood standing, schooling her facial expression into that of a respectful novice's obedient alertness, as if awaiting instruction.

"Please go to your room, Sonea –" Akkarin began, but Lady Vinara interrupted him.

"This concerns her as well, High Lord, as you are her guardian," she said, the statement neutral enough, but carrying a touch of finality.

Akkarin's lips thinned ever so slightly in displeasure; Sonea had grown to read the slightest of his expressions in a way she would not have noticed a year ago.

Sonea was burning to ask what was happening, but was intimidated by the crowd in the room, and feared showing any anxiety would give something away in her face or tone.

"An accusation against the High Lord has been brought forth by Lord Rothen," Lorlen began, clearing his throat. His face looked strained, like he hadn't slept well. "Supported by a third party witness. In such cases, as protocol dictates, a trial must commence so the we can hear evidence."

Sonea's eyes widened and her mind began racing. No! Why has Rothen done this? I should have done more to reassure him of my safety… I should have deterred him from acting alone… He must have decided to tell the High Magicians that Akkarin practiced black magic, and Lorlen clearly hadn't seen it coming – otherwise Akkarin would have been forewarned of this through his blood gem. But who was this witness? What had they seen? Had they found out she had learned black magic, too?

"The High Lord has been accused of associating with a criminal. Under Guild law, magicians are forbidden from fraternising with persons of ill repute," Lord Balkan said solemnly. "An independent witness has confirmed this."

Sonea felt dizzy with a combination of relief and fear. She waited for more, but no other accusations were offered. They don't know. They don't know about the black magic, she thought. But as soon as her relief washed over her, dread settled in her stomach. They must have found out Akkarin's been in contact with Cery. But how much do they know of why?

"As I was saying before Sonea arrived, Lord Balkan, I am more than willing to co-operate until we have cleared up this misunderstanding," Akkarin said, his tone collected and dignified. His composed posture and face betrayed no sign of either denial or guilt. "Sonea's studies, however, need not be disrupted as you make your investigations, as this accusation does not involve her. Does it, Lord Rothen?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Rothen.

He is trying to take the fall alone, Sonea realised. The fear within her was suddenly displaced by a surge of stubborn loyalty. She looked at Akkarin, willing him to read her surface thoughts. Don't do this. Let me testify against this accusation.

Rothen opened his mouth to reply, but Lord Sarrin spoke first in his wheezy but stern voice. "The trial will call up on Sonea, as well as the two servants who work in this residence, to testify. It is only proper."

"Lord Sarrin, my contact witnessed only the High Lord –" Rothen began, his blue eyes betraying his anxiety.

"Be that as it may, Lord Rothen, any who are close to the High Lord may be called forth for questioning, until enough facts are collected to enable the Higher Magicians to reach a verdict," Lady Vinara replied. Something about the way she gave Sonea a sidelong glance when she said the word 'close' returned the feeling of panic to the pit of Sonea's stomach. Does she know about us? How can she know… we've never connected minds during lessons…

Rothen was now looking less angry, and more worried, than he was when Sonea first entered the residence, as if things had taken a turn he hadn't intended. I'm sorry, his eyes seemed to say when they locked with Sonea's.

"Well, my Lords, Lady, may we then retire for the evening, and return to this tomorrow? We can then discuss setting a date for a trial," Akkarin said, as if attending to just another Guild matter requiring his attention. When he embodied every inch the leader of the Guild like he was doing now, it always arose a combination of calm and admiration in Sonea these days. His appearance of control in the turbulent weeks of the past month had become something she held onto, she realised, to help her feel grounded when events threatened to waver her resolve.

We are in this together, she repeated her thought towards Akkarin. He neither changed his expression nor took his gaze off the Higher Magicians, so she wasn't sure if he heard her surface thought.

"I'm afraid that will not be possible, High Lord," Lord Balkan said, respectfully but firmly. "We have on good authority evidence of you having met this criminal mere hours ago, late last night. If you would please accompany us to the Arena, we will ensure you are comfortable until the morning. There must be no further opportunities for contact before the trial." Balkan's careful wording avoided what this sounded like to Sonea: an arrest.

Akkarin raised an eyebrow as if this mildly inconvenienced him, and nothing more. "Very well, Lord Balkan, if it will put your minds at ease. I'm sure you will also question the veracity of your witness's account, however."

"He too will be called upon and asked to recount his findings at the trial, certainly," Balkan answered.

Akkarin nodded as though he was merely checking on the protocol on the proceedings. He gave Takan a quick and meaningful glance; Sonea suspected he was relaying him instructions, and grew calmer. Akkarin will have a plan for us, she thought.

But a small voice in her head still feared that he would try to exclude her from what was to come. They were lovers, but were they true partners yet in their mission? If only we had more time. I had only just come with him to face an Ichani… It's only been a week since I've learned black magic… Sonea wasn't sure, sometimes, if their act of pretending to be merely guardian and novice was detrimental to Akkarin seeing her as an equal accomplice.

But she was the only other person who could prove his innocence. She would own her part in this, even if he didn't want her to.

"You may both remain here tonight, but please come to my office two hours after sunrise, Sonea, Takan," Lorlen said. Sonea thought she caught the most fleeting expression of relief in Akkarin's face before his mask returned. "We will brief you on the order in which you will be called to testify, and require your oath of truth," Lorlen added.

Sonea nodded, and she saw Takan bow out of the corner of her eye. Her mouth felt as dry as sandpaper. She allowed herself a quick glance at Akkarin, who looked away as soon as she did. Look at me. Please, just look at me… she thought. She need some, any, indication that she could help, and that he wouldn't rebuff her help.

But Akkarin gestured towards the door instead. "After you, my Lady," he said to Lady Vinara with a polite inclination of the head. Vinara and Lorlen walked ahead of Akkarin, with Balkan, Sarrin and Rothen falling into step behind him. It all seemed polite enough, but Sonea almost trembled, knowing Akkarin was being escorted to his own imprisonment willingly.

He'll have a plan. He'll have a plan, she repeated to herself yet again, willing herself to remain still. As Rothen passed her, he looked at her entreatingly. But all Sonea wanted to do was shake him, and ask him why. You have it all wrong, dear Rothen, she thought, unable to hide the mix of care and disappointment in the gaze she returned him. If you only knew.

As the door shut silently behind them, Sonea and Takan stood where they were in a moment of stunned silence.

Then Takan slowly approached her. "Come with me, my Lady," he said quietly under his breath, turning around and making for the underground room. Sonea's heart leapt into her mouth. Akkarin must have communicated instructions to Takan via the blood gem before he left. She hurriedly followed him down the stairs.

––––

"Takan, that is a lie, and it would condemn him. I won't do it."

"My Lady," Takan answered politely but firmly, "master expressly instructed that I must entreat you to obey his wishes. You must testify that you found out about his contact with a Thief, and that he has blackmailed you into silence. You will then refuse a mind-read because you wish to protect the whereabouts of your family's new location from him and from his criminal accomplice."

"But how will this tale help prove his innocence? I don't understand. And he didn't do any such thing," Sonea's voice began to rise in indignation.

"What must be avoided is the Guild learning you know black magic by reading your mind. The Higher Magicians will accept that they cannot force you to risk your family's safety if they believe there is still a criminal on the loose doing the High Lord's bidding," Takan explained, his eyes begging Sonea.

"But I would then be condemning the High Lord to a guilty verdict! I won't do it Takan. Tell him," Sonea said, trying to control the panic in her voice.

Takan's gaze took on a distant quality as he communicated with Akkarin through his blood gem.

"My master entreats you to trust him, my Lady. He says the penalty for a guilty verdict on associating with a Thief will likely be demotion. This is a much better outcome than the sentence for learning and practicing black magic."

Sonea paced the underground room. "But… but…"

"He can still protect the guild without being its High Lord," Takan followed Sonea.

"But blackmail, Takan… Won't the sentence be heavier than demotion if I give false testimony that he threatened my family to ensure my silence? This is too risky!" Sonea exclaimed.

"Trust my master, Lady Sonea. Please," Takan could only repeat quietly. Sonea was suddenly gripped by the thought that Akkarin was giving Takan further instructions that he was forbidding him from revealing to Sonea. This felt too much like he was sacrifing, or at least greatly risking, himself just to convince the Guild that Sonea and Takan were innocent.

"But we're his accomplices, Takan, not his victims," Sonea said quietly.

Silence shrouded the room for a few heartbeats.

"We are more than that," Takan finally whispered, his eyes downcast in sadness. "You are his heart, and I am his conscience," he added with a melancholy smile.

Sonea couldn't help return his smile. She had grown to admire how much this observant and intelligent man always managed to express with so few words. She felt a surge of sympathy; only the two of them knew the devotion Akkarin could inspire.

"Tell Akkarin I'm sorry, Takan. It's time I stopped hiding in the shadows, allowing everyone to believe I am always the victim – of Fergun, of Regin, of the High Lord," Sonea sighed. "What has led me here have been my own choices, every step of the way. And I'd do it all again – joining the Guild, learning black magic, killing in defence, and –" Sonea took a deep breath – "…loving him."

Takan looked into her eyes closely. Sonea knew Akkarin was hearing everything through the blood gem, and that Takan was hearing his response. "What did he say?" She asked, almost tentatively this time.

"Nothing, my Lady. But he heard you," Takan replied, his gaze steady.

Sonea nodded. Tears threatened to constrict her throat for a split second, but she swallowed and straightened. Her eyes grew wide, dry, and alive with determination.

"I will come downstairs at sunrise, then. Goodnight, Takan," she said, reaching out to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Goodnight, my Lady," Takan said. As Sonea walked out of the door of the underground room and up the stairs, she thought she heard him add in the faintest of whispers: and thank you.