Walking With You

by Aylatha

"And how have you been, Sonea?", Lorlen asked. "Well." "Well, she says", Akkarin huffed, covering his face with one hand. "I'm still alive, aren't I?" Lorlen's eyebrows rose. Rothen's knees buckled. "What?", he yelped, colour draining from his face.

12. Forgotten History

A/N:

This one is the longest yet – almost 50 pages. And it wasn't easy to write, either.

In this chapter, Savara gets to meet the rest of the Guild, Sonea hatches more plans, Regin is reminded that gay people exist, and Merin needs a drink.

---

Savara liked the rooms she had been given. They consisted of a small bedroom and a sitting room, both of them facing the gardens. A servant had also shown her to the baths, and Savara had enjoyed her first proper bath in weeks.

After that, she had retreated into her bedroom, used the window screens to darken the room as much as possible, and slept for a while.

She strolled over to the window as she started braiding her hair, gazing down at the manicured hedges outside. It was interesting to see how hedges and flowers had been planted in geometric patterns, like a living painting.

The clouds had parted unexpectedly, and people were milling around, eager to catch a few rays of sunlight. Savara assumed that this dreadful weather might have lasted for a few days.

She was surprised to see that the majority of the people outside were novices and Alchemists, although she spotted a few Warriors as well. However, she didn't see any Healers.

Savara had no idea what, exactly, the Warriors did, but she figured that they were probably more flexible than the Healers, who couldn't just leave their patients behind to go on a walk.

A knock sounded on her door. Savara turned and unlatched the door while continuing to braid her hair. A Guild servant stepped inside and closed the door behind himself before bowing.

"Ambassador Savara, the High Lord invites you to take the evening meal with him and Lady Sonea tonight."

"Thank you for informing me. Am I required to send a reply, or am I required to show up?"

The corners of the man's mouth twitched. "You are certainly free to refuse the invitation, although most people would think it the height of folly to do so – the High Lord hardly ever entertains guests."

"Oh? Bit of a recluse, is he?"

"He certainly values his privacy."

"Hm. Can you tell me more about him?"

"Not much, I'm afraid", he replied with a grimace. "He doesn't socialise much, and his only friends are Administrator Lorlen, and King Merin."

Savara noted that last detail with interest.

"He is firmly opposed to the idea of getting married – much to the chagrin of his lady mother – and every unmarried noble lady or magician in Imardin. The only person aside from his two friends and his family he's shown an interest in since being elected is Lady Sonea, actually. Although I cannot give you much information on her, either, besides what is commonly known."

Savara hummed in response. She had a feeling she knew why Akkarin didn't want to get married – and she definitely knew why he had taken Sonea in. It had most certainly not been due to some kind of "interest".

"It has been noted by the staff that one of his sisters, Lady Chessea, has been visiting more often recently, sometimes accompanied by her eldest daughter – who is slated to join the Guild in a few years."

"Interesting. Do you know why she's been visiting?"

"I'm afraid not. I only got all of that second-hand."

"I see. Thank you. As for the invitation – I'll gladly accept. Although I have no idea where he lives."

"The residence – you can see it from the window", the servant replied, pointing.

Savara turned around to scan the gardens.

"Oh, do you mean that ugly grey building back there?"

He made a noise that sounded as though he was trying to disguise a laugh as a cough. "That's the one."

"Oh, by the way, do you know how old he is? I have a hard time placing his age, and I get a feeling that this isn't just because he's Kyralian."

"You would be correct, my – Ambassador. Both the High Lord and the Administrator style their hair the way they do to make themselves appear older than they are. Both of them were elected at a ridiculously young age, and felt that they had to look the part. If I remember correctly, both of them are thirty-three."

"I see. I would have guessed the High Lord to be older, that's for sure. The Administrator seems younger, somehow."

"He certainly seems more approachable. The High Lord is very – distant. Aloof. Some even call him cold."

Savara had to suppress a smile. She had a feeling Akkarin was anything but.

"I appreciate you telling me all of these things. Did the High Lord specify the time for our meal?"

"An hour after sunset."

"I see. Thank you."

He bowed again, and left.

Savara settled into one of the chairs, and tied off her braid. The room was too bare for her tastes – perhaps she could get her hands on some books, there had to be a library somewhere. Although they probably wouldn't allow her to read anything she wanted – she assumed that they weren't going to hand over any knowledge related to Healing for free, either.

Savara used the time left to analyse today's events. All in all, she felt that the meeting with the Higher Magicians had gone pretty well – although she had not expected them to be foolish enough to challenge her – and to assume that they might win.

Overconfidence was a dangerous trait.

Still, the way they had shared magic, made each other stronger, had been interesting. As had been 'seeing' them Heal each other – Savara wasn't entirely certain what, exactly, they had done, but Vinara, Balkan and Sarrin had looked slightly less dead on their feet afterwards.

And Savara had been pleased to see Akkarin look out for the older woman – men in power usually didn't see women as equals, but it was clear that he considered Vinara an equal – and Sonea, as well, despite the fact that she ranked much lower in the hierarchy.

Impressive, especially considering that Sonea was also from the lowest social class.

Savara wondered if he'd always been like that, or if his ordeal at the hands of the Ichani had taught him to value all life. Then again, both Lorlen and Vinara had responded with anger and censure to Sarrin's insult, so Akkarin was clearly not the only person who felt like that.

Akkarin's reaction to Sarrin's words had caused Savara to feel a surge of fear – thankfully, the Higher Magicians had been preoccupied with their High Lord losing his temper, and had paid her no heed. Akkarin had looked ready to murder Sarrin – something he was perfectly capable of doing, at least in theory – and Savara had been very grateful to Lorlen for diffusing the situation.

Right now, Savara's biggest concern was King Merin. She had no idea what kind of person he was, how much he knew about magic – and if he could be reasoned with. She didn't know if Akkarin could push for this change with the King in opposition to these plans.

Hopefully, the fact that Akkarin appeared to be his friend would work in their favour.

As the appointed hour drew near, Savara rose to her feet. Since she no longer had to hide the fact that she was a magician, she left her cloak. However, she brought her knife – and her Blood Gem. She wouldn't leave it where someone might find it.

She put a binding on her door before turning around – and finding herself face-to-face with several men and women in purple robes, who were staring at her wide-eyed.

"Greetings", Savara said politely as she side-stepped them.

"Wait!", one of them demanded. "Who are you? You're not dressed like a servant."

"I'm not. I'm a magician, which is why I am staying at the Magicians' Quarters, albeit temporarily. Now, if you'd excuse me – I shouldn't keep the High Lord and Lady Sonea waiting."

They gaped at her. Savara gave them a smile, and strode outside.

It was colder than it had been previously, and Savara threw up a shield to ward off the chill.

"Is she a rogue?", someone whispered.

Glancing about, Savara spotted a gaggle of novices doing a bad job at hiding in the shrubbery.

"Why don't you go and ask her?"

"You can't just go and ask someone – "

"Ha, look at you, being all scared."

Savara suppressed a chuckle, and continued on, pretending not to have noticed them.

Upon reaching her destination, she knocked. The door swung open moments later, and Akkarin rose from the same chair he had been sitting in yesterday to greet her.

"Welcome, Ambassador. I hope you had a pleasant afternoon?"

"Restful, mostly", she replied with a chuckle, before looking around for Sonea.

"Sonea is not back yet, I assume she must have been held up. Ordinarily, she would have returned from classes by now."

"I see."

"Do sit down."

"Thank you."

Savara noticed that the divan was gone, however, the third armchair was still there. Savara took one of the free chairs, not sure if Sonea had a favourite one.

"I ran into some Alchemists and some novices on my way here. The magicians were confused by my presence, I believe that they thought that I was some kind of intruder. The novices speculated that I might be a rogue."

"Oh, dear", he huffed. "This should stop as soon as I make the announcement later tonight. Incidentally, would you like to accompany me to the Night Room? I believe it might be best if I introduced you to as many magicians as possible."

"I see your point. I don't mind."

"Excellent."

The door clicked open, and Sonea hurried inside, looking as though she'd been running, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes alight.

"Sorry for being late", she gasped as she dropped a wooden box into the free armchair. "Trassia decided to ask me – of all people – what kind of colour she should pick for her new hairband. I tried to tell her that I was entirely unqualified to help, but she wouldn't listen."

Akkarin grimaced, looking like the thought of having to pick out colours was the worst.

"Who is Trassia?", Savara inquired.

"A girl from my class", Sonea explained. "I recently became friends with her – and Narron, her boyfriend." She smiled, looking as though this was an extraordinary thing. "Unfortunately, Trassia now believes that she is entitled to ask me for fashion advice. I don't mind, of course, but I don't even know what kind of colour 'saffron' is! How on earth am I supposed to help her?!"

"It's a shade of yellow, if that helps", Savara chuckled.

"Great. Very helpful. My point is that she would have been better off asking Narron than me."

"Perhaps she was trying to bond with you. Does she have any girl friends?"

"No, I don't think so. We're the only girls in our class, too. She mostly hangs out with Narron."

"I see."

"I am certain my sister would love to assist you, should you wish to know more about colours. You could easily combine this with embroidery lessons, as well", Akkarin interjected.

Sonea looked thoughtful. "Would I be allowed to visit her?"

"Certainly."

Sonea smiled brightly in response.

"Sonea, what is that box for?", Savara asked curiously.

"Oh, I keep my notes and other things in there", she replied with a shrug.

"Seems a bit impractical."

"Sure. But I preferred that to constantly having my things messed with. My former classmates loved to play pranks on me. I got this to prevent that from happening again."

"Your former classmates?"

"I started attending university in summer, I joined with the Summer Intake of that year", Sonea explained as she placed the box on the floor and sat down. "However, my classmates didn't like me. When I found out that it was possible to skip ahead if you managed to pass the exams early, I decided to give that a try. I was already ahead of the others because I'd mastered Control before starting classes, unlike the others, who had to have their powers released. Many of the exercises they had to do I had mastered already, and I was mostly bored. Rothen helped me, and I managed to catch up to the Winter Intake. My current class. I'd observed them beforehand, and they struck me as much more mature than the noble brats I was stuck with. Rothen had warned me that they might not be any more accepting than my previous classmates, but thankfully, they mostly left me alone.
"What I hadn't expected was for Regin to catch up with me almost immediately. I still have no idea how he did that."

"It's possible that someone leaked the information that you were trying to 'escape' him", Akkarin replied. "He has a guardian, as well, meaning he had access to the same resources as you did, and, from what I hear, he's a diligent student, his awful personality non-withstanding."

"Who is this Regin?", Savara asked with a frown. "You've mentioned him before."

"He was the ringleader of the others, the one who was the most intent on bullying me", Sonea explained in a quiet voice. "Although Issle wasn't much better, really."

"And they rejected you because you were from the 'wrong' social class?"

"Yes", Sonea whispered. "I'm the only Dwell here at the Guild – the only commoner. Even the magicians and novices from abroad come from powerful, influential families. I'm the only one with no name, no house, and no impressive magical lineage I can trace back five centuries or so." She gave Savara a brittle smile. "It's got better during the last year or so, but there are still people here who despise me, people who look down on me for things entirely outside my control."

"Something like that would be unthinkable in Sanctuary", Savara huffed, her eyes flashing. "Why don't you come with me, when I return? We would allow you to flourish, to become anything you wanted to be, and no-one would ever look down on you, I can promise you that."

Sonea looked completely taken aback. "I – I am honoured, and, well, it does sound tempting, but – I can't abandon my people. The Dwells. I – I might be able to help them after I graduate. If I just left – especially for such a selfish reason – I could never live with myself."

"I see. That is very noble of you. Very selfless."

"Oh, um, thanks", she replied, ducking her head as she blushed.

"Just stating facts here."

A movement in her periphery attracted Savara's attention – Akkarin reached for a glass of wine on the table next to him, and took a deep draught. Savara shot him a questioning glance, but he didn't react in any way.

Takan appeared, bowed, and informed them that the meal was ready. The three magicians rose to their feet, however, just as Savara made to follow Akkarin, Sonea's hand shot out to grab hold of her sleeve.

"Wait, I just had a thought – you've probably never had a formal Kyralian meal before, have you."

"No, can't say that I have."

"I see", Sonea replied with a frown.

"I thought that you might teach the Ambassador", Akkarin interjected. "There is a chance that the King – or members of the Houses – might invite her to eat with them. We had better prepare for that eventuality."

"You want me to teach her? I'm not qualified to teach!"

"I hear you tutored Regin, and rather successfully."

"That's something entirely different!"

"Not really. Give it a try – you're not on your own, I'll help you if you should need it. Not that I expect that this will be the case. You are much more capable than you think."

"I believe in you, Sonea", Savara chimed in.

"Great. How am I supposed to say 'no' after that?"

Savara let out a chuckle. Deciding that this conversation was finished, Akkarin turned and made for the staircase on the right – the same one Savara had come in from the previous day. He started up the stairs, and Savara followed.

"There's something you need to know before we get started", Sonea whispered, tugging on the hem of Savara's shirt. "The head of the household always serves himself first."

"All right. Weird."

"Nobles have lots of weird rules. Better get used to it."

Globe-lights flared into existence to light their way. On the first floor, Akkarin turned right and ushered the women into a room with a large table, and chairs with beautifully-carved backrests. Sonea moved toward the seat closest to the door, and indicated for Savara to take the one where a place had been set on the long side of the table. Meanwhile, Akkarin walked around the table to the seat directly across from Sonea.

Takan, who had followed them, pulled out Sonea's chair for her, who thanked him softly, before performing the same service for Savara and Akkarin.

Next, he poured them some wine before leaving, presumably to fetch the food.

"Takan is used to switching me from wine to water if I get too inebriated", Sonea said. "Since you can't Heal the drunkenness away, you might need that, too."

"You can Heal being drunk? If I could do that, I'd never stop drinking wine."

"Trust me, not being able to do that doesn't stop any of the nobles", Sonea muttered as she reached for her glass. "I have no idea how they do that."

"Years and years of practice", Akkarin explained.

Takan returned with a large tray laden with dishes, which he placed on the table. Then, he tucked the tray under his arm and proceeded to describe every dish. Akkarin thanked him, and Takan left.

While Savara was familiar with some of the foodstuffs, others she had never even heard about. She waited for Akkarin to serve himself – taking care to observe how that worked, too – before serving herself. Sonea was already lading her plate, a smile on her face.

Takan's food was simply divine. Savara had already enjoyed the small portion she had been given the previous day, but this feast was even better.

She took care to watch Sonea and Akkarin to see how she was supposed to eat different kinds of food, and Sonea occasionally gave her some pointers.

"This is excellent", she observed in between bites. "I've never eaten food this good."

"Takan's cooking skills never disappoint", Akkarin chuckled.

"I used to hate these", Sonea added, spearing a bean covered in a salty crust with her fork. "But Takan manages to prepare them in a way they become quite irresistible."

She popped the bean into her mouth with a grin.

"I well remember the look on your face when you realised this, the first time we ate together", Akkarin observed with a smile.

"And I remember you watching me eat like a total creep!", Sonea accused, jabbing her fork at him, not caring that there was another bean impaled on it.

"There are few things in this world that give me more pleasure than watching people try Takan's food for the first time", he replied evenly, entirely unbothered by her accusations. "And yours most certainly did not disappoint. I should have tried to bribe you with food."

"You're awful."

He gave her an unrepentant grin before fixing his attention on Savara. "I have asked Takan to lie low for a bit to keep people from realising he is Sachakan as well. I would ask that you do not interact with him, should you encounter him on the Guild grounds, if you can help it, Ambassador."

"Certainly. Do you both have a story to tell, should people make that connection?"

"We do."

"Wait", Sonea interjected, her eyes wide. "Regin knows."

"Ah, but Regin is an idiot, I doubt he'll arrive at any dangerous conclusions. I am mostly worried about the Healers who treated us after our arrival, who may have noticed that Takan showed signs of being a traumatised abuse survivor."

"Fair point."

Savara was about to ask how Akkarin and Takan had met, but held her tongue. It might be better to ask Sonea if she knew first, to feel things out a bit. Akkarin seemed very well put together, but that didn't mean he didn't still suffer the after-effects of what had happened to him. She'd seen these things sneak up on former slaves often enough.

"How did the meeting go? Don't keep me in suspense any longer," Sonea urged.

"Things went pretty much as predicted, right until the point where Balkan thought that it would be smart to challenge the Ambassador to a fight", Akkarin replied.

"What? Is he insane? Didn't he pay attention during the Formal Battle? I gave him an excellent demonstration of what happens when you're up against someone way out of your league."

"What do you mean?", Savara asked.

"Are you aware that I'm a Natural?"

"Yes."

"Well, this makes me a lot more powerful than the other novices in my class. Regin is the most powerful after me, but there is still a massive gap in between us. During the final bout, I drew out almost all of my remaining power – after having already fought four bouts, mind you – and let it loose in three waves. The first one shattered Regin's shield. The second one battered Garrel's, and the third one almost broke it – I – I saw it waver. And – I was just fighting with my own strength. I'd imagine that you are many times more powerful than I am."

"I see. I take it this Garrel had formed the inner shield?"

"Correct."

"Hm. Well, I would say Balkan wasn't paying attention. I defeated him – and Vinara and Sarrin – within a matter of minutes."

"Although Sarrin remained doubtful – the Ambassador did have to offer letting him read her mind", Akkarin added with a sigh.

Sonea pursed her lips. "I do understand where they are coming from, though – I didn't believe any of what you had told me without proof, either."

"Ah, but that situation was a bit different. You thought of me as the enemy. The Higher Magicians had no good reason to think of Ambassador Savara as an enemy, or to suspect her of any falsehood."

"I suppose. So, then, what came of this? Did it work?"

"The Higher Magicians have accepted that this change is necessary, and we have begun outlining the details for the position of two Black Magicians. However, I feel that we have to inform the King, at the very least. We might even need his permission, given how monumental this change would be. I have already filed an urgent request for an audience, including a rough description of the current situation. I will be taking Ambassador Savara with me – and I would like for you to come along as well."

Sonea blinked, looking surprised. "How are you going to justify my presence, though? I'm not a member of the Higher Magicians, nor am I one of the King's advisers."

"I have taken this into account, naturally, and asked the King to allow you to attend off the record. I believe that we would benefit from your unique perspective on things, and that the commoners should have a voice in this, as well, as they tend to be the ones to suffer the most whenever us magicians make mistakes. I expect the King to go along with this – I've been surprised, to be honest, that he hasn't attempted to summon you to the palace again. He'll not let such a chance pass him by."

"You're devious."

"Two can play at that game", Akkarin replied with a shrug.

"Can someone clue me in on what is going on with the King and Sonea?", Savara asked.

"Sonea has something he wants", Akkarin replied simply. "We can use that to our advantage."

Savara frowned, but decided not to comment. She knew too little of the situation, and Akkarin seemed disinclined to volunteer information.

"I don't mind going. I just don't want to get in trouble", Sonea said.

"I would take the blame, should the Guild find out the truth", he assured her. "But your presence might help sway the King in our favour."

Sonea nodded, looking somewhat relieved.

"Do you have anything more – ah – fancy to wear, Ambassador?", Akkarin asked.

"No. we don't really do 'fancy' back at home. All of the clothes I brought are similar in style to what I am wearing."

Akkarin frowned. "It might be fine for just meeting with the King – however, in the event that you should be invited to a banquet, or if the King were to host some kind of celebration in your honour, you would need something more elaborate than this, or all the self-important sycophants at court will look down on you."

That was certainly not an appealing thought. Savara hoped that King Merin would decide not to "honour" her in such a way.

"High Lord, can you explain something to me?", Savara asked after Takan had brought in dessert.

"I will try my utmost."

"The slums."

"Do you wish to know how they came to be, or why they are still there?", he inquired as he laced his fingers together.

Sonea had stopped eating, and was watching them, the expression on her face unreadable.

"Both."

"As you wish. Long ago, a volcanic eruption somewhere in the north caused such pollution, the skies darkened, and crops were failing. The farmers, unable to support themselves, left their homes, and came to Imardin in droves. The king at the time handed out provisions to help them get through the winter, and asked them to return home come spring. During the winter months, crime in the city skyrocketed, and it became dangerous to go outside even during the day.
"However, in spring, only a small part of the people returned home. Others feared that the skies would remain dark forever, that the end was nigh. They saw no hope for the future.
"The situation did not improve, and more refugees flocked to the capital in autumn. Fearing a repeat of what had happened last year, the king at last ordered the magicians to drive out the homeless people from the city in what became later known as the first Purge.
"While the pollution eventually let up again, many people chose to stay in Imardin, and started building homes outside the city walls. However, since those people had not been wanted, this new part of the city never really received any proper 'care' from the authorities. The results you saw on your way here.
"The Purge became a yearly tradition, if you will – it has little practical purpose these days."

"The people the magicians drive out are mostly harmless", Sonea added. "The Thieves themselves are not bothered by the Purge at all. They just hide in their tunnels until it's safe to come out again. The Purge is one reason why the Dwells hate the Guild so much. Every year, there are injuries – sometimes, people even get trampled when the magicians scare the crowd into running. But nobody cares. We're just filth, after all."

Her voice was laced with bitterness, and her eyes full of fire. Savara could wholly understand why she would feel this way.

"We would never allow any of our brothers and sisters to live in such conditions", she said, eyes flashing. "I am, honestly, appalled."

"As you may have guessed, Ambassador, neither the kings nor the nobles have cared to improve the situation in the slums. Although King Merin has indicated that he would like to change that", Akkarin said.

"Funny you should say that – I saw something interesting when I arrived. A wagon laden with barrels, and some uniformed people handing out water rations. I asked a man, and he told me that the King had come up with that."

Sonea looked gobsmacked, her mouth hanging open.

"He – he's handing out water? To the Dwells?", she breathed.

"Indeed."

Sonea averted her eyes, her gaze flitting about as though she didn't quite know where to look before letting out a soft sound, and pressing a hand to her mouth.

"Oh, no, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry – ", Savara gasped.

"No, no, I'm happy", Sonea whispered, letting out a hiccup. "I just – it's one thing for someone like him to say that he wants to change things, and another to go and do it. I – I'll admit that I was having doubts." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and gave Savara a watery smile. "Thank you for telling me about this."

Savara gave her a smile in return.

Akkarin had watched their interaction in silence, his face completely expressionless. It was almost scary just how good he was at hiding his emotions, and, by extension, thoughts.

Given how intense his reaction had been earlier, when Sarrin had insulted Sonea, Savara couldn't imagine that this had not affected him.

Sonea soon rallied herself, and tried to dispel the somewhat sombre mood. Savara went along with her, and, after a while, Akkarin started participating in the conversation again.

After Takan had cleared the table of dishes, Akkarin rose to his feet.

"We should be going. The Night Room should already be quite busy at this time."

"All right."

They filed out of the room, and down the stairs. Sonea breezed past them, and picked up her box.

"Have fun", she told them with a wry smile, much to Savara's confusion.

"Aren't you coming with us?"

"The Night Room is off-limits to novices. If you want me to go with you, you'll have to stick around for a few more months until my graduation."

"Oh, I see. I wasn't aware."

"Though I doubt that I'd have any more fun being there than our esteemed leader."

The "esteemed leader" let out a huff.

"The reason I stay away is that they won't gossip nearly as much with me there to supervise them. Whenever I do go, I tend to enjoy myself."

"Right. I doubt your brand of 'enjoyment' would work for me, though."

"Probably not, no", he replied with a slight smile. "Well, then, Sonea, until tomorrow. Don't study too much."

"I'll try. See you in the morning. Have a nice evening, Ambassador. Can you drop by again tomorrow afternoon, so we can commence Phase 2 of Operation Becoming Friends?"

"Certainly."

"Excellent."

She bowed, and Akkarin ushered Savara outside.

Savara instantly threw up another barrier, muttering a few choice curses under her breath. It wasn't raining, thankfully, but the entire area was shrouded in fog.

"I hope you know where we need to go, I'm practically blind."

"Just stay close."

Akkarin led her along the same path she had taken earlier, she realised after a while, once she spotted the geometric hedges. They walked past the Magicians' Quarters, and into a square. They turned east, and headed toward a building on the other side of the square.

"The Seven Arches", Akkarin explained as they stepped into the building. "On the left, we have the Night Room, our destination. In the middle is the Banquet Room – which hasn't been used in ages – and on the right the Day Room, which is, similarly, rarely used."

Savara dispelled her shield, and let herself fall back a bit as they approached the door leading to the Night Room. As soon as Akkarin stepped inside, the people clustered around the door fell silent, and from that point, a hush spread outward. Akkarin didn't stop or slow his steps, he just continued onward, and the crowd parted before him, magicians bowing to him respectfully.

Savara trailed along in his wake – he seemed to have a destination in mind. Soon, she spotted the rest of the Higher Magicians clustered around an empty chair. Akkarin narrowed his eyes at another empty chair nearby, and moved it to join the cluster before settling down into the one that had, apparently, been reserved for him.

Savara took the other one.

While the Higher Magicians exchanged pleasantries – as though they hadn't just seen each other a few hours ago – Savara took in the room. The overall colour scheme was dominated by different shades of blue and silver, very fitting for the name. She noticed that the gathered magicians were clustered together based on colour – or discipline, really – and again, purple was the dominating colour. Although she did spot a few women in green robes.

Finding her chair to be sublimely comfortable, Savara reclined in it, and placed her right ankle on her left knee. This immediately caused a few magicians nearby to gawk at her in obvious shock.

Savara smirked at them before focusing her attention on the Higher Magicians, who appeared to be done exchanging niceties.

"Have you settled in yet, Ambassador Savara?", Telano inquired.

"I have. Spent a few hours sleeping – travelling is exhausting. Oh, it must be so nice if I could just Heal all of that away."

He grimaced.

A servant appeared, holding a tray, and Akkarin took two glasses of wine, passing one to Savara.

She could feel the curious stares of the surrounding people, but none of them could work up the courage to approach them.

After a while, Akkarin called out, asking for the attention of those present. He introduced Savara as a magician, and as an ambassador from Sachaka. This caused a few surprised reactions. He proceeded to explain that they were in a preliminary phase of sounding each other out, and that he would take her to meet the King soon, hinting that they would hold a Meet afterwards to explain the whole matter in detail. However, when he mentioned that Savara was capable of using what they called black magic, curiosity was suddenly replaced by apprehension.

Akkarin asked those present to spread the news, and the teachers to come to the Administrator, who had prepared a short statement the teachers should read to their respective first classes the next morning.

As soon as he finished speaking, the room was abuzz with voices.

"If you wish to speak to other magicians, you will have to leave my side", Akkarin told Savara in a low voice. "Most of them wouldn't dare approach me."

"Ah, I see", Savara replied with a chuckle.

However, her attempts to mingle soon proved fruitless – the fact that she knew how to use higher magic had tipped the scales not in her favour, and the Guild magicians responded with unease, if not outright fear, whenever Savara tried to approach any of them. Confused and hurt – while trying her hardest not to show it – she returned to Akkarin's side.

"I hadn't considered the fact that they might be frightened of you, as well", he murmured. "That may have been foolish of me."

"I feel dreadful. I don't mind frightening people when I intend to, but – being feared just for what I am is awful."

"I understand", he replied, too low for anyone else to hear. "It might take time – people reacted in a similar manner to Sonea – although people avoided her out of misplaced disgust rather than fear."

Savara heaved a sigh, not entirely certain how she should fix this mess.

A movement in the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Vinara had risen to her feet, and was now moving her chair – by hand – closer to Savara. Apparently, she was still too low on magic to be able – or willing – to move the chair with her mind.

Letting out a soft sigh, the older woman settled down again, and fixed Savara with a critical look.

"I saw you arriving together with the High Lord – have you met Sonea yet?"

"Yes, we ate together", Savara replied with a smile, relieved that someone was making an effort to speak with her.

The Head of Healers was certainly braver than most.

"What did you make of her?"

"She was just as fascinating as I'd hoped. Curious, kind, and well-mannered. Although – what impressed me the most was how completely at ease she was around the High Lord. Even I wasn't entirely unaffected when he came into the entrance hall earlier, and I've seen people's reactions to his entrance. Sonea? She doesn't seem to care."

Savara shot a quick glance in Akkarin's direction, and saw that he was smirking. Apparently, he was listening in on their conversation, although his attention was elsewhere.

"Akkarin has a certain effect on most people. Many, magicians included, find him intimidating, and some are even frightened of him. Sonea – I'm not entirely sure which side she fell on, as I don't know her terribly well, but, at the very least, she used to be intimidated by him. Their relationship has changed over the recent months, though."

"She certainly was bold tonight, and he didn't seem to mind, either. Men in power usually do not like this kind of behaviour."

"Hm, yes. Although they will usually make exceptions for a few people, such as close friends, or family."

"But Sonea is neither, as far as I am aware."

"It is not impossible for a mentor/novice pair to become friends once the novice graduates", Vinara replied. "A good example of that would be Lord Rothen and Ambassador Dannyl."

"Ambassador Dannyl? What does he do?"

"He's our Second Guild Ambassador to Elyne. He helps the First Ambassador with keeping an eye on the magicians living in Elyne, and maintain relationships with the king, and the nobles. The ambassadors are also often involved in scouting out potential future novices."

"I see. Fascinating. But most magicians live here, I take it?"

"Indeed."

"I seem to notice an abundance of Alchemists."

"Most novices choose that discipline. It is extremely versatile, and much easier to master than Healing. Additionally, you need the proper mindset in order to become a Healer – the same applies to Warriors, I suppose, but becoming a Warrior is much easier."

"Hm, that makes sense. Although I am not quite certain what, exactly, Alchemists and Warriors do."

"Well, Warriors focus primarily on honing their fighting skills, as well as anything else that has to do with this, such as complex military strategies. All of us learn basic fighting skills – just as all of us know basic Healing – but Lord Balkan certainly knows more about fighting than I or Lord Sarrin.
"Alchemists basically do anything that's not to do with fighting or Healing. Most of our teachers are Alchemists. Alchemists can become historians or librarians. And, if they don't want to work for the Guild in any kind of official capacity, they can do whatever they like. Do research. Turn a hobby into a profession. Ambassador Dannyl, for example, invented a press that allowed people to print images from their memories. Another Alchemist wishes to study the weather, and keeps asking for funding."

"I see. That does sound like a very versatile discipline."

"But you are mostly interested in Healing, I take it."

"Oh, certainly. I know how to fight, how to kill – I don't need any further instructions in that area. And sciences don't interest me much."

"Unfortunately, we don't have enough Healers, we can't even meet the demands of the people who could afford our services. And there is a large group of people who are unable to afford our fees."

"The people in the slums."

"That's right."

"Bet Sonea loves this."

Vinara grimaced. "There is nothing I can do, unfortunately. I don't have the means. I can't order Healers to go into the slums, and I can't make them work for free, either. We do need money to keep the Guild running."

Savara grimaced. As much as she would love to insist that a solution had to be possible, she knew, once again, too little of the overall situation.

"How did you even discover how to heal with magic?", she asked instead. "No-one in Sachaka has ever managed to do that."

"The ability was discovered by a young woman named Tessia, who was apprenticed to a magician from the countryside, Lord Dakon, during the Sachakan War. Ah – is it all right for me to refer to it as such?"

"Certainly. I just don't see the point in calling it that myself."

"Makes sense. Anyway, Tessia's father had been the village healer, and Tessia always wanted to follow in his footsteps. She learned basic surgery skills and other treatments from her father, and worked as his assistant for many years. During the War, she treated injured and sick people she came across, often using magic to assist her, such as for boiling water or sanitising equipment.
"The apprentices were kept out of the fighting, however, Tessia and Jayan, Dakon's other apprentice, were attacked by a Sachakan magician – a woman – in the streets of Arvice. Tessia was knocked unconscious by the attack, and Jayan grievously injured. He recognised one of the women, and she told the magician that he hadn't given away their hiding spot. The magician, in response, chose to spare them – although Jayan was dying. When Tessia came round, she attempted to help him, and then, finally, she managed to do what she had been trying to do all along – she figured out how to Heal. She saved Jayan's life, and they returned to Imardin, where Jayan founded the Guild, and Tessia started teaching Healing magic to others. And yes, they got married", she added with a chuckle. "It had been Tessia's love for Jayan that had driven her to go beyond what had been thought possible, and figure this out."

"What a story", Savara whispered. "To think that love was the catalyst – but then again, this makes sense. Wait – you mentioned a female magician! That must have been Stara. She was in Arvice at the time. She recorded running into two Kyralian magicians, and attacking them pre-emptively. One of her companions told her that the man had discovered the women and children hiding inside some massive vases, but that he had kept quiet, saving them from certain death at the hands of the more ruthless Kyralians."

"What a coincidence", Vinara muttered. "That these two women who shaped both our cultures met each other, albeit under less than ideal circumstances."

Savara hummed in agreement.

"How do you treat your injured?", the Healer asked curiously.

"Basically the same way your people did before Tessia came along", Savara chuckled. "Some of our healers are magicians, others aren't, and they work together to do the best they can. We know a lot about medicine, and can perform complex surgeries. For those of us who have magic – even if it's just latent – recovery rates are usually good. For those who don't – not so much. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, lives will just slip through our fingers. There aren't all that many of us, and every loss is felt most keenly."

"I see", Vinara whispered. "I must warn you, though – our magic is no cure-all, either. It doesn't happen often, thankfully, but – remember Lord Rothen? I mentioned him earlier."

Savara hummed. She'd even met the man, although she couldn't tell Vinara about that.

"His wife, Yilara, contracted an unknown illness, and died. We were powerless. It was a slow death, she wasted away before our eyes. Leaving behind a grieving husband, and a young son. Dorrien. He later became a Healer in order to find out more about this illness, hopefully find a cure. We've had no success so far. The thing is – Yilara did not deserve to die so young. Dorrien did not deserve to lose his mother. And Rothen did not deserve to lose the love of his life, and to be stuck raising an angry, hurt little boy all by himself. And, as though that hadn't been enough, he then went and took in Sonea, which was a chore and a half. But – my point is that, despite all this power that I have, despite all my knowledge, and that of the people who came before me, I was helpless to save Yilara. What good is all this power, if I can't even save a single life?!"

She let out a gasp, and curled her left hand into a fist.

"I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say that you have saved many other lives", Savara replied. Slowly, as not to startle her, or appear threatening, she reached out and closed her hand around Vinara's, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't beat yourself up over this. Sometimes, these things happen. Sometimes, a mission will go wrong, despite all of our careful planning, and we lose some of our sisters. Still, life goes on. You did your best. That's all people can ask of you."

"Thank you, Ambassador", Vinara whispered. "I appreciate this, truly. I – I don't think I ever told anyone. Not even Lord Rothen. Though I don't think he blames me for Yilara's death."

Savara gave her hand another squeeze before waving a servant over and pressing a glass of wine into Vinara's hands.

"Here. It'll help."

Vinara gave her a slightly tremulous, but sincere smile.

"Is there anything else I can do for you? I've noticed a bit of a trend – I keep making women cry without meaning to tonight", she grimaced.

"Sonea?"

"Mh. Although she recovered quickly. And she was crying tears of joy."

"I see. I'll be fine. Worst case, I'll bother the Administrator, he is a fellow Healer. Although the High Lord seems to have discovered his nurturing side recently, as well."

"Interesting. Well then, I think I'll try talking to Lord Rothen. I bet he would love to talk about Sonea."

"Oh, certainly", Vinara chuckled. "Good luck."

Savara had spotted Rothen across the room, talking to an old Alchemist. She rose to her feet and briskly made her way over, trying to ignore the people who practically fell over themselves to get out of her way.

How on earth does Akkarin deal with this?

Rothen noticed the commotion, and looked up. Savara had to commend him for his acting abilities – he managed to portray a believable amount of unease, but not too much as to make a conversation impossible.

The other Alchemist very much looked like he wanted to flee, but chose to remain by Rothen's side.

Savara started the conversation by saying that Vinara had mentioned him in regard to Sonea, whom she had "just" met, and asking about her.

She had not been prepared for Rothen's face to light up like that, or for him to spend the next half hour gushing about her. How smart she was, how diligent. How kind. And how much she had managed to achieve in such a short time, despite everything. It was plain to see that he loved Sonea very much, and, hearing of all the things he had done for her – out of kindness and a strange sense of obligation, no less – made him rise in her opinion. By a lot.

When the magicians began to disperse, Rothen offered to walk her back to her rooms. Savara accepted, glad to have an excuse to continue speaking with him. She was well aware that this could help change the other magicians' view of her.

After realising that her rooms were on the ground floor and his weren't, Rothen stopped in front of the staircase, and bid her a good night. He didn't leave right away, but looked deep in thought. Finally, he seemed to have arrived at some kind of decision.

"Ambassador, if this isn't too forward of me, would you like to join me for a meal tomorrow?"

"I have plans for the afternoon, but I should have time in the evening", Savara replied.

"Splendid. Yaldin, would you and Ezrille like to join us?"

Yaldin looked like he very much didn't want to, but let out a huff.

"I can't very well leave you to fend for yourself, can I?"

"Your concern is most touching", Rothen chuckled. "Ambassador, if you shouldn't run into one of us, you can ask a servant to show you the way."

"Thank you. As well as for the invitation."

Rothen bowed – Yaldin following his lead somewhat reluctantly – and started up the stairs.

Savara continued on to her quarters, feeling like this day hadn't gone too bad, all things considered.

---

"Good morning, Sonea. Um – may I sit next to you?"

"Sure", Sonea replied without looking up, already half-asleep again thanks to the lovely weather they were having.

"Thank you."

"Regin, I'm warning you", Trassia growled. "Try anything funny at all, and I'll make you wish you were never born."

"Duly noted, my lady."

"Stop it", Sonea groused. "I'm too tired for this."

"Are you unwell?", Narron asked in a concerned tone.

"No, it's just the weather. When the skies get like this, I just want to crawl back into bed and not come out."

"Understandable", Trassia murmured.

When Lord Larkin came striding into the classroom not much later, Sonea quickly called on some Healing magic to wake herself up, not wanting to have the same conversation again with a concerned teacher.

Larkin quickly scanned the room to make sure that all of them were present. He was not his usual cheerful self, and Sonea had an inkling she knew why.

"Good morning to you all. Before we get started, there is something I need to appraise you all of, since you're my first class today. Something quite extraordinary happened yesterday – the High Lord came to the Night Room."

He paused for dramatic effect, and the novices rewarded his efforts dutifully by letting out soft "oohs" and "aahs".

His lips twitched for a moment as though he wanted to smile. "What was even more extraordinary was the fact that he wasn't alone – he brought with him a young woman who was not wearing robes. He introduced her as Savara, a magician from Sachaka, who was sent here as an ambassador."

He paused again to give them a moment to digest this. Not convinced that she would be able to feign an appropriate reaction, Sonea opted to take a page out of Akkarin's book, and show no reaction at all.

"The High Lord did not say much on the matter, only that he would take her to meet with the King, and that more information would follow. However, he did say one thing, and I was asked to mention this part to you specifically: Ambassador Savara is capable of using black magic, an ability that is prohibited throughout the Allied Lands. Now, seeing as how she is not of the Guild, she can't be accused of the crime of 'having learned black magic', so, as long as she doesn't actually use it, there should be no issues. Be advised that seeking to learn black magic will get you expelled. The penalty for using this power is much steeper. Do not approach her with this."

This time, the novices were stunned into silence. This piece of information had unsettled the majority of Sonea's classmates, and they mulled it over in silence for a bit.

"Um, Lord Larkin", Benon said, lifting his hand. "We don't really know anything about black magic other than that it's forbidden. We don't know why, or what black magic is, at that. Is it something dangerous?"

Larkin bit his lip. "I'm afraid I can't really tell you much on this matter, either – ordinary magicians don't know any more about this than novices, I assure you. However, the Administrator told us teachers one thing – it appears that black magicians are many times more powerful than magicians incapable of using this power. That even our strongest magicians would be no match for her. And I've also heard that she's given the Higher Magicians a demonstration of just how powerful she was – she fought a practice bout, if you will, against Lord Balkan, Lord Sarrin and Lady Vinara – and defeated them within a matter of seconds."

Sonea suppressed a smile at hearing this clear exaggeration. It had taken Savara a bit longer than that. However, she wasn't going to say anything – this might actually work in their favour.

Most of her classmates were looking a little pale now. Her mirth fled when Sonea considered just how frightening this thought must be for them.

"Now, don't worry too much – the Ambassador came here for a reason, and is unlikely to do anything that might jeopardise her mission. And I doubt she'll be interested in spending time with novices, either. Should you meet her, treat her as you would a Guild ambassador. Oh, and keep two things in mind: Where she comes from, women are in charge – and they don't have social classes." His eyes slid to Regin, and Sonea. "As such, it is likely that she does not understand the concept of discrimination based on social status, and might react poorly if confronted with it."

This caused a bit of an awkward silence. While none of Sonea's classmates – with the exception of Regin – had ever said anything nasty to her, they had, occasionally, made derogatory comments about the lower classes as a whole. Sonea had been an exception because they knew her.

"All that aside – Sonea, seeing as how your guardian arrived together with the Ambassador, would you happen to know more about what's going on?"

Sonea suddenly found herself the focus of attention, and had to fight a blush.

"Well, she did eat with us before they went to the Night Room, so, yes", she admitted.

Larkin gave her a look you could only call "eager".

"I got the impression that she's a very nice person, if a bit – bold. And you could tell that she wasn't used to showing deference by the way she was talking to us – she would speak to me the same way as to the High Lord. Always polite, but she didn't act the way I've seen commoners, nobles or even some magicians act around him. I'd say that she considered both of us equals. Oh, and she asked about the slums, so the High Lord gave her a short history lesson. She was quite upset by the state of things here. Said that they would never let any of their 'brothers and sisters' live in such conditions. She was very interested in Healing magic – turns out Sachakan magicians don't know how to do that."

"They can't Heal? None of them?", Trassia asked in disbelief. "How do they treat people, then?"

"I didn't ask, but I imagine the same way people with no magic do", Sonea replied with a shrug.

"But, Sonea, weren't you terrified of her?", Poril whispered, his eyes wide.

"I'll remind you that I live with the High Lord."

"Fair point."

"The High Lord certainly can be intense if he wants to", Larkin agreed. "Although I find him quite pleasant to talk to."

Sonea's classmates didn't seem to know what to make of that.

"Now then. If none of you have any more questions concerning recent developments, I'd like for us to focus on less recent developments."

---

When Savara arrived at the residence after having spent the entire morning lazing about, Takan greeted her. He asked her a few questions concerning her well-being and accommodations, adding that the High Lord wanted to know if she needed anything. It didn't take her long to figure out that Takan must be carrying Akkarin's Blood Gem.

"I came to see Sonea."

"She is upstairs, in her room."

"Can you take me to her?"

Takan frowned, and his eyes lost focus.

"The High Lord says it should be fine as long as she, herself, does not object."

"Do I need his permission to see her?", she asked, arching a brow.

"No. The reason for this is something else entirely – Kyralians have some very peculiar and complicated rules concerning propriety. Were you a man, you would not be allowed upstairs, even if Lady Sonea were to be fine with it."

"I see."

Savara wasn't entirely certain that this was a measure meant to protect women – or to control them.

Takan took the lead, and approached the stairwell on the left.

"Where is the High Lord, by the way? I was expecting him to lurk down here."

Takan let out a chuckle. "He is in his study, not wishing to be disturbed."

"Why?"

"At a guess, I'd say he's burning marriage proposals again."

Savara gaped at Takan's back, somewhat surprised by his nonchalant way of saying that – as though the Guild's leader burning letters was a common thing to happen.

Takan stopped in front of a door, and raised his hand to knock. The door swung open moments later.

"Hello, Takan", Sonea's voice sounded from within. "Did you need something?"

"Ambassador Savara is here to see you, my lady. May she come inside?"

"Sure. Thank you, Takan."

Takan bowed, and left.

Savara stepped into the room, closing the door behind herself. The furniture looked simple, but of good make. Beside a bed, there was a desk and a chair, a wardrobe, and a more comfortable-looking chair, possibly for reading.

"A bit small, if you ask me", Savara observed.

"It's bigger than the one I had in the Novices' Quarters. Being the High Lord's favourite does come with a few perks."

Sonea had been studying, from the looks of it. Savara gave her books and scrolls a cursory glance before fixing her eyes on the dried lavender strung up around the bed.

"What's up with that?"

"Oh, they're here to ward off nightmares", Sonea replied with a grimace. "They got really bad after the attack on the residence – ah, do you know about that?"

"Queen Zarala told me one of the slaves got to you, and that you almost died", Savara replied quietly.

"I don't remember the 'almost died' part, not really, but when I came to, some time later, I still had barely any magic left", Sonea whispered, her gaze far away. "And the following night, I had a vicious nightmare, screamed the others awake. Since we didn't have anything stored that would help calm me, the High Lord set out in the dead of night to find something. What he found was lavender, and, when we realised that it worked well, and that I liked it, it was made into my safeguard, if you will. I always carry a small bottle of lavender oil with me, and Takan will brew some flowers for me if I get too distressed."

"I see. It is lovely to see that they take good care of you."

"Sometimes, they get a little too carried away", Sonea muttered. "I get why they're like this, but I'm not made from glass. They don't have to put on velvet gloves before touching me. I'm not some spoiled princess."

Savara chuckled.

"Anyway. I've been thinking about what we could do – has anyone given you a tour of the Guild grounds yet?"

"No. I only know the buildings I have been inside."

"I see. Let's do that, then."

"That sounds like a lot of walking", Savara groaned.

"Not if you know someone who knows how to drive a carriage", Sonea chuckled.

"Ah", Savara replied, her eyes lighting up. "That sounds acceptable."

"Come on, then."

Sonea bounded down the stairs excitedly, and was out of the door moments later.

"Don't you have to tell the High Lord where you're going?"

"No. I can do pretty much as I please."

"You did ask for permission to visit his sister."

"Ah. That's a safety issue. After the attack, he got somewhat paranoid, and had me confined to the Guild grounds so he could get to me in time if the next spy were to target me, specifically. He couldn't find out if Kariko had been watching the fight. Well, now we know. And I'm allowed to go out by myself again. Although I do have to notify him if I leave the Guild."

"I see."

They arrived at the stables after a short walk. Sonea strode inside, calling out greetings to the people working there.

"Should we get the curricle ready, my lady?", one of them asked.

"No, don't bother yourself, I can take care of that."

Sonea stopped in front of two boxes. The horse on the right was completely white, the one on the left had a light-brown coat and a white mane and tail.

"Meet Zeldra and Linken", Sonea said proudly.

"Are they yours?"

"No, they belong to the Guild. But novices and magicians are free to use the horses and equipment. And Guild carriages are used by magicians who have to travel. Although some magicians stable their own horses here, like Trassia and Narron."

"Can I help you brush them?"

"Sure. Why don't you get started with Linken? He's a sweetheart."

"And Zeldra isn't?"

"She's a mare."

"Fair point."

Between the two of them, they were done rather quickly. Linken did, indeed, turn out to be very sweet, constantly asking for cuddles.

"Now let's go get the curricle ready."

Sonea briskly made her way over to where the carriages were stored, and levitated a small, two-wheeled one outside. It was open, and appeared only big enough for two people.

"Now, then, I hope I won't mess this up. This is the first time I'm doing this all by myself", Sonea muttered.

"I'm sure the stable hands would help you."

"Sure, but I don't want to bother them."

After everything was in place, Sonea picked up the harnesses, and went to tack up the horses.

"Zeldra goes first, she'll complain otherwise", the young woman muttered as she led the mare from her box.

Savara waited until they had passed before following with Linken. Sonea hooked the harnesses onto the carriage, threaded the reins through the respective hooks, and picked up a whip.

"Ready when you are", she told Savara with a grin.

"All right."

Savara hoisted herself up, and Sonea followed. Then, she clicked her tongue, and directed the horses alongside a path that led into the forest.

"I doubt that there will be many people outside, given how awful the weather is", she said in a low voice. "We should be safe to speak freely while in the forest."

"I see. Good to know."

Since they were still relatively close to the stables, Savara decided to start the conversation with something she deemed harmless.

"Does the High Lord make a habit of burning marriage proposals?", she asked, arching a brow.

Sonea's mouth opened in a surprised "o", although she never took her eyes off the road. Then, her expression turned wistful.

"I wasn't aware that he did this at all. But it makes sense. I'd probably do the same thing, were I in his position. You see, he is quite popular with the ladies, both at the Guild, and outside of it. I heard some female novices gossip about him, once. It made me extremely uncomfortable. You see, the reason they want him is because they consider him 'a good catch'. He is known to be the most powerful magician the Guild has ever seen – at least in recent centuries – the High Lord, and quite attractive, at least to some people."

"So, they don't want him for who he is, but for selfish and superficial reasons", Savara concluded.

"Correct. Which, in itself, is already awful enough, but couple that with the fact that he can't get married, and I can see why he would burn the proposals."

"Why can't he get married?", Savara asked with a frown.

"Because he has a secret that could get him killed – or others in danger", Sonea whispered. "It's also the reason why he's never taken on a novice before me, and why he avoids getting close to anyone. He's closed himself off from the world to protect his secret so he can continue to protect us all."

"Oh, of course, that was a thoughtless thing of me to say. But – he has people he can rely on, now."

"Sure. But he still can't let anyone else get close. Even if he ever did fancy one of these women. And, apparently, his mother keeps pestering him to get married. Her other grandchildren are not enough, it seems."

"That sounds quite awful."

Sonea hummed, her brow furrowed. It seemed that Akkarin's predicament affected her strongly.

"I'm still not entirely certain I understand how things work between you three", Savara admitted after a while.

"Well, we're hardly what you can call 'normal' in any sense of the word", Sonea replied with a chuckle. "Takan and Akkarin consider each other as brothers – although I have a feeling that Takan would sooner die than admit as much – and the High Lord told me that he's started seeing me as a younger sister, as well. I don't have any siblings, so I don't know what that's like, but the thought is nice. And I like Takan."

"I take it that such, ah, intimate relationships between magicians and servants are uncommon?"

"Indeed. I imagine that most magicians would be horrified if they saw us banter with each other. Or the way Takan tends to berate the High Lord when he's had a particularly stupid idea. Or how they tend to try and out-motherrassook each other. Both when it comes to taking care of each other, and of me."

"That is a funny thing to imagine."

"Hm. I could hardly believe my eyes when they did it the first time. Which was the night of the attack, too. I was extremely confused."

She fell silent for a bit, looking lost in thoughts.

"My relationship with the High Lord is a lot more complex", she said at length. "Are you aware of the history between us?"

"Queen Zarala told me that he had to take you hostage in order to keep you – and Rothen and Lorlen – from revealing his secret, and getting you all killed", Savara replied softly.

"Hm. Thing is, we didn't know any of that back then. He had no proof, and we were disinclined to believe him. He claimed my guardianship, and forced me to move into the residence, about half a year after I started university."

"How old were you, back then?", Savara asked gently.

"A little over seventeen. And I spent the next one-and-a-half years living in abject fear and terror. I was worried that he'd take my magic – not kill me, no, I had seen him take magic from Takan, you see, and knew that the 'victim' didn't necessarily have to die – and I was also afraid that he would use Rothen as leverage to get my help with his evil plans. I would have done anything he wanted if he'd threatened Rothen."

She swallowed hard. Savara grimaced in sympathy. The fact that this had all been necessary for the greater good didn't negate the suffering Sonea had endured.

"I eventually realised that he could have made things much worse for me, though. He was never cruel, never did any of the things I feared he might do, and mostly left me to my own devices. We had one meal together per week, but other than that, I barely saw him.
"And then, the attack happened, and it turned my life upside-down. Akkarin saved my life. He cared for me, did things that were, strictly speaking, unnecessary. It threw me, I couldn't make sense of it. He hinted that I was lacking information, and that he would be willing to provide it. The following day, we had a long conversation, and he told me the truth. All of it. Well, except for your Queen's involvement. It was a lot to digest, I'll admit. But I finally understood. Realised he wasn't actually a bad person. And forgave him for what he'd done to me, much to his shock.
"Ever since, we've been trying to find a new way to relate to each other. Despite the vastly improved situation, we were hardly a normal mentor and student pair. But, once I stopped being afraid of him, I realised that he is a very kind man. Caring. Despite everything that's happened to him. I know how it can end, you know, when people can't cope well with what's happened to them. And he was unable to see a Healer – until recently, he and Takan had to rely on each other for help. I tried my utmost to assist with that, afterwards, but I'm still a novice. Not a Healer. Thankfully, after we managed to convince Rothen and Lorlen of the truth, Lorlen offered mind-healing to the three of us. Takan took to it straight away, but Akkarin needed some convincing. He – he'd barely been able to reveal his past to me, and doing the same to Lorlen was a terrifying thought."

"I see. And I guess the reason you are so unaffected by his aura is because you have seen that side of him."

"And because I know that he would never harm me. Not that other people fear that, mind you. But he had the option to let the intruder kill me, rid himself of me. I thought he would. That I was going to die. But instead, he saved my life."

"I honestly hadn't expected you to be so open about this", Savara admitted.

"Talking about it helps. I've had this conversation with Rothen and Lorlen, as well, but they were very much in the same boat as me. You are completely unconnected to any of this. It's a relief, really, to be able to share this with someone who doesn't have any history with the High Lord."

"I see. Still, I appreciate everything you just told me."

Sonea smiled.

They crested a small hill, and Sonea pulled on the reins.

"Why are we stopping?"

"Look", Sonea replied, pointing with the whip.

"A cemetery?"

"No-one knows why it's here", Sonea said in a hushed voice. "The last magician was buried here roughly five hundred years ago. Even the historical records the High Lord found couldn't shed any light on this mystery."

"I don't understand. What do you do with your dead, if you don't bury them? Do you immolate them?"

"There's nothing there to immolate, nothing to bury. Which is why we don't understand why these graves even exist."

"What do you mean, nothing?"

"We don't leave bodies behind when we die, as the magic still stored within our bodies consumes them. We just vanish, as though we never existed."

Savara stared at Sonea in horror. "This is – I mean, it sounds plausible, but – it is a bit of a horrifying thought."

"Hm. So, that's why nobody understands why this cemetery exists. However, I know one thing the others don't – I know that higher magic was banned five hundred years ago. I've been meaning to ask Akkarin, but I kept forgetting – I have a theory that the magicians of old used higher magic to prevent the dying from combusting, if you will."

"That's very likely, after all, that is what we do", Savara replied. "When a magician is on her deathbed, she'll send for a relative or a close friend to send her off, if you will. It is considered quite an honour, to be chosen to receive the last bit of life-force from another. This will, naturally, prevent bodies from being consumed."

"I knew it! This makes so much sense."

"Strange, that you managed to forget such an integral part of life."

"Any and all mentions of higher magic were erased", Sonea replied quietly. "I knew that Lady Tessia had been capable of using higher magic before I started reading her biography. There is no mentioning of the fact. Nor that the magicians fighting during the Sachakan War were able to do so, as well."

"What a strange thing."

"Say, um, Ambassador, could you, perhaps, mention this to the Higher Magicians? If we were to allow the use of higher magic once again, the magicians chosen for that position could offer this, uh, 'service' to Guild magicians. I think it would help people if they could visit the graves of their departed friends and family. The thought that Rothen might, one day, just vanish – it's unsettling."

"Certainly, I can do that. Although I'm not certain this would be accepted."

"Dan- Ambassador Dannyl finds the thought that he will, one day, simply cease to exist quite unnerving", Sonea replied. "I imagine that more people feel like that."

"I see. That makes sense. Oh, and Sonea? Feel free to drop the title, even if others are around. We want to be friends, no? Feels strange if you keep calling me 'ambassador'."

"Very well", Sonea replied with a smile.

She picked up the reins again, and clicked her tongue.

"On that note, why do you keep switching between 'Akkarin' and 'the High Lord' whenever you're talking about him?"

"I wasn't aware that I was doing that!", Sonea whispered, paling slightly. "I'm allowed to call him by his name whenever it's just us, but in front of other magicians, I have to call him 'High Lord' because, well. Propriety and all that."

"Well, I don't particularly care how you address him. I was just curious."

"I see. I might have slipped up because you're part of the 'people who know' faction."

"Hm. Speaking of the High Lord, how did he and Takan meet? I was a bit surprised to hear that he had taken in an escaped slave."

"They escaped together", Sonea replied softly. "Takan was already Dakova's slave when he captured Akkarin. Following a fight with another Ichani, they were the only slaves still alive. And, after Akkarin finally gave Dakova what he deserved, Takan chose to follow him. Since he refused to leave, Akkarin made him his servant upon their arrival at the Guild – well, once the Healers deemed them well enough to leave the Healers' Quarters, at any rate. It seemed like a decent compromise to him."

"I see. I wasn't aware. Good thing I decided to ask you."

"Indeed", Sonea replied with a grimace. "He hates talking about that. Takan is better at dealing with what's happened."

A fork appeared in the road before them, and Sonea made the horses halt again.

"That road leads to the residences, where some magicians live at a remove from the hustle and bustle of the university", she explained.

"Let's not bother them, then."

"Agreed", Sonea replied, and directed the horses toward the left-hand fork.

"Before you, you see the baths, and the Seven Arches. Behind the baths are the Magicians' Quarters. I take it you're familiar with these buildings."

"Hm, yes."

"Over that way are the stores, where you can get most of the things you might need here at the Guild. If they don't have something, you can get it in the Inner Circle. The circular building east of the stores is the Dome, it was used for practising magic before the Arena was built. Not only is the Arena much larger than the Dome, but the way it was constructed allows people to watch safely, from the outside. I actually made use of the fact that you couldn't watch people practise inside the Dome while preparing for my fight against Regin. A few people complained, but the High Lord put a stop to that rather quickly."

They circled around the buildings Sonea had just described, probably in an attempt to avoid all the people milling around in the square.

"This building there is the Novices' quarters. The rooms there are rather plain compared to those in the Magicians' Quarters. The large circular building over there is the Healer's Quarters. You've been to the Arena, I believe."

"Indeed. They were smart to build the Arena next to the Healers' Quarters."

"Quite, but we have more accidents happening during chemistry lessons than Warrior Skills lessons, believe me", Sonea replied with a chuckle.

After circumventing the Healers' Quarters, they turned left again.

"Last but not least, the university building. Most classes are held there, and most of the Higher Magicians as well as University Director Jerrik have their offices there. The only exceptions are Lady Vinara, and the High Lord."

"I see. Thank you for the tour, it was very informative."

"Don't mention it. Oh! I almost forgot – how did it go, last night?"

"Not quite as well as I'd have liked", Savara sighed. "As soon as they found out that I could use higher magic, they all grew nervous. Some of them outright fled if I approached, and the others made it very plain that I was making them uncomfortable."

"Oh, no. I'm so sorry."

"Why are you apologising? It's not your fault."

"I mean, yes, but…"

"Well, at least Lady Vinara was able to work up the courage to talk to me. When she mentioned Rothen, I used that as an excuse to go talk to him. And, wouldn't you know it, he's invited me to eat with him tonight, as well as an old magician and his wife (I presume)."

"Oh, that must be Yaldin and Ezrille. They're very lovely."

"Hm. Although Yaldin didn't look too thrilled."

"They fear you because they don't know you. It was very similar for me when I first came here, although fear was not the emotion I was confronted with. I finally managed to win most of them over when I beat Regin."

"Well, I already tried that with Balkan", Savara muttered. "Didn't work."

"You did it the wrong way. There was no-one to watch. And you were fighting three of the Guilds' leaders. I have a better idea."

"Oh?"

Sonea grinned without taking her eyes off the road. "How good are you with that knife?"

---

Noticing a crowd gathering around the Arena portal, Regin stopped, surprised, before making his way over to find out what was going on. Novices from different years were crowded around the barrier, peering down at whatever was happening down there.

"What's going on here?", he asked a first year as he joined the crowd.

"Sonea's down there, along with a strange woman", the boy replied.

"Is that the Sachakan ambassador?", Regin replied with a frown as he moved closer to the barrier.

"Has to be", a girl who looked like she might be in second year replied. "She had a shield around herself when they arrived. I forgot her name, though."

"Savara", Regin replied absently as he watched the two women.

They were currently circling each other, knives in hand.

"Have they been at it for long?", he asked.

"No", the girl replied. "They've only just finished warming up and stretching."

"I see."

Without warning, Sonea lunged, and Savara jerked backwards to avoid her slash. And the next moment, they were fighting in earnest. It was almost as though they were dancing, a beautiful, deadly dance. Their movements were fast and precise, both of them seemed to know what they were doing.

When a sudden hush fell over the crowd, Regin knew the High Lord had arrived without having to turn around. Novices began murmuring greetings, and Regin tore his eyes away from the spectacle to bow to the High Lord.

He proceeded to ignore them, dark eyes fixed on the two combatants intently.

"Um, High Lord, is it save for them to be doing this?", another girl asked timidly. "I'm a bit worried about Sonea."

"There is no need", he replied without looking at her – which was probably for the best. "Sonea is quite capable, and I taught her how to blunt a blade with magic."

"Oh."

"Do you think she'll win, High Lord?", one of the boys ventured.

Akkarin paused for a moment before slightly shaking his head. "The Ambassador appears to be superior in skill."

Akkarin's prediction soon turned out to be correct – and Regin had to admit that he was impressed by that. Savara lunged, and before Regin knew what had happened, she had Sonea trapped in a headlock, knife at her throat.

Regin thought his heart might stop. A small part of him realised that it would be extremely foolish of her to kill Sonea, even if she might be powerful enough to survive all of Sonea's magic being released at once, but the rest of him did not respond well to seeing this.

Sonea said something, and Savara released her, stepping back. Sonea spun around in an excited manner.

"Can you teach me how to do that?", she exclaimed brightly – as though the fact that an extremely powerful magician had just held her at knife-point was no big deal.

Savara visibly chuckled in response, and proceeded to demonstrate. Once Sonea had the movements down, they increased the pace. The exercise ended with Sonea headlocking Savara.

Savara clapped her on the shoulder with a smile, and Sonea beamed up at her. Both of them looked rather exhausted at this point, and Regin wasn't surprised when they started toward the Arena portal moments later.

Savara emerged first, and stopped to take in the gathered crowd, her stance relaxed. Then, she spotted Akkarin, and made her way over to him. Sonea fell in step with her, much to Regin's surprise.

While Sonea bowed to Akkarin, Savara did not – instead, she placed her right hand over her heart. Akkarin acknowledged them with a nod.

The novices around them shifted uneasily, and some of them started edging away.

"High Lord", Savara said. "What brings you here?"

"I was a bit surprised when you two did not return from your little excursion, and decided to see what you were up to. Sonea, I do hope that you were not trying to lure the Ambassador into the forest in hopes of doing away with her."

"Of course not, High Lord", Sonea replied, clasping her hands behind her back. "I wouldn't want to start a war."

"Good", he intoned in all seriousness, as though the thing he had just suggested hadn't been utterly ludicrous.

Savara, for her part, seemed to find the exchange extremely hilarious, if the look on her face was anything to go by.

"Might I ask how this came about?", Akkarin asked.

"Sonea challenged me. I notice a bit of a trend here. Although she lasted longer than the last Guild magician who did that."

"No doubt due to the choice of weapon."

"Certainly. But you have to choose your battles wisely. Sonea was smart enough not to test my magical abilities."

Regin winced slightly at the rather unsubtle digs at Lord Balkan.

"And how did you find sparring with her?"

"Invigorating. It tends to get a bit boring if you always spar with the same people. Fighting someone new for a change is refreshing. And she is quite skilled. I hear she's been teaching you?"

"That is correct."

"Any chance I might get to spar with you?"

"Not in the near future. I fear I am nowhere near Sonea's level. I would hate to disappoint you."

"You're a fast learner, though", Sonea interjected. "I'm actually quite impressed."

Regin had been entirely unprepared for the High Lord to visibly preen at getting praised by his favourite. It was a strange sight, and Regin thought that he might be imagining things for a moment.

He tried to use the opportunity to examine Savara. She looked perfectly ordinary – apart from her rather exotic looks – nothing at all indicated that she was dangerous, that she was, apparently, more powerful than the High Lord – who seemed completely relaxed around her.

As was Sonea. Regin briefly wondered if she was fearless, or lacked a sense of self-preservation.

"I'll remind you that I live with the High Lord."

Remembering her words from this morning, Regin concluded that she must have got used to having terrifying, powerful people around. As in, one person. Apparently, this had resulted in her being unfazed by someone capable of using black magic.

"You should stop frowning like this, or you'll get wrinkles."

Regin nearly jumped out of his skin when he realised that Savara was speaking to him, head tilted to the side. For a terrifying moment, his mind was completely blank before he managed to rouse himself.

"Oh, ah, I'm sorry?"

"Why are you apologising?"

"Um, I don't know?"

"Well, at least you've got guts. Most of the people I've been trying to talk to ran away from me."

"Right. That's not good."

"Indeed. It makes getting to know people rather tricky. And if they refuse to get to know me, they will never find out who I am."

Regin was instantly reminded of Sonea. Those who had been the most opposed to her joining the Guild – himself included – had also been the ones who had been the most determined not to get to know her.

"So, uh, how do you find Imardin so far, Ambassador?"

"I've got mixed feelings, to be honest. The weather, for starters, is absolutely dreadful. I seem to have picked the worst time of the year to come here, really. And I can't say that I like how you seem to enjoy dividing yourselves into different groups. On the other hand, I have seen examples of people not caring for these distinctions, people who accept each other for who they are. And of people in power extending a helping hand to those who need it.
"Although I have to admit that I haven't seen much yet – it's far too early for me to be able to form a solid opinion."

"I see. That makes sense, I guess."

Regin noticed that Sonea was smiling, and shot her a questioning look. She merely shook her head in response.

Savara noticed that he had become distracted, and turned around.

"And what, exactly, are you smiling at?"

"Nothing. Am I not allowed to be happy?", Sonea quipped.

"I can't say I like the look on your face."

"Well, that's too bad, since it's not going anywhere."

And now she's bantering with a foreign magician. I swear she's not normal.

"You're bold", Savara observed as she moved closer to Sonea, who refused to back away. "I like that."

"I hope you're not trying to flirt with me, I'm not into women."

Regin thought he'd misheard. While it was common knowledge that there were people out there who preferred people of the same sex, these things were usually not spoken of in public.

And she was doing it in front of the High Lord.

Regin shot Akkarin a furtive glance – and found him watching the exchange with obvious amusement.

"I was just teasing you. Besides, I've got my eye on someone else", Savara replied with a smirk.

"Oh?"

"I believe you know him."

"Ah. Do be careful, though, he's dangerous", Sonea replied, her eyes twinkling.

"I like dangerous."

"Well, then, how about you go bother him instead of me?"

"I just wanted to make sure you had no issues with this", Savara replied, sobering. "There is nothing more terrifying than a jealous woman."

"You have nothing to worry about on that front. He may be my friend, but he is free to live his life however he wants."

"Hm. Do you know where I might find him?"

"No. But I'd recommend looking for him where you last met."

"That's some decent advice, thank you."

"Ambassador", Akkarin interjected smoothly. "Will you be needing anything if you leave the Guild? A carriage? An escort?"

"No, don't bother yourself. I'll be fine on my own. And I wouldn't want to draw too much attention to myself."

"Very well."

"It's getting late", Sonea said. "I'd suggest hitting the baths before the meal."

"Good idea. Shall we go together?"

"I'd love to."

"All right. High Lord, I'll be seeing you around. Do let me know once you get a reply from the King."

"Of course, Ambassador."

Sonea bowed to Akkarin before fixing Savara with a challenging stare.

"Last one to the baths is a smelly Ichani!", she declared before breaking into a run.

"Wha- how dare you! I'll dunk you once we get there!", Savara exclaimed as she took off after Sonea.

"You'll have to catch me first!", Sonea shot back with a giggle.

Blinking rapidly, Regin stared after them, and was about to ask what in the world an "Ichani" was supposed to be when he was jolted from his thoughts by Akkarin's laughter.

Granted, Regin had seen him laugh before, but it was still strange. Although, this time it was more like a quiet chuckle, and not like the bellowing laughter from last time.

"I almost feel sorry", the High Lord uttered between chuckles.

"What do you mean, High Lord?", Regin asked tentatively.

"I introduced them. This may end badly for all of us."

"You don't seem to mind too terribly, though, if I may be so bold, High Lord."

"Ambassador Savara appears to genuinely like Sonea, and I'll not begrudge her another friend. The heavens know she doesn't have enough of those."

Several of the older novices shifted at that, and Regin had to suppress a wince.

Akkarin seemed to remember the gathered crowd, and spun around to face them, making most of them take a collective step back.

"Now, then, you had all best go back to what you were doing before my favourite and the Ambassador showed up, the show's over", he ordered.

The novices sketched deep bows and dispersed. Regin decided to follow their example. He had no reason to stay behind, after all.

---

Osen stopped speaking mid-sentence when a knock sounded on the door. Lorlen unlatched the door to reveal Savara, who was carrying a battered wooden chest.

"Administrator, a moment of your time? Oh – who is this?"

"My assistant, Lord Osen. Please, come inside, Ambassador."

Osen looked like he might faint, but managed a bow. Savara gave him a slight smile as she moved past him, and carefully placed the chest on Lorlen's desk.

"I found something I think you might want to see, Administrator", she said.

"What is it?"

"Books. I didn't read them, but based on the titles, one is a historical record, while the others appear to contain instructions."

"Instructions on what?", Lorlen forced himself to ask, even though he already knew the answer.

"Higher magic."

Lorlen sucked in a breath. "Osen, please send for the Higher Magicians. You need not return afterwards."

"Yes, Administrator."

Osen bowed, and cast a curious glance in the direction of the chest.

Savara waited until his footsteps had receded before giving Lorlen a grin.

"That was some decent acting."

"Thank you", he huffed. "But the real test lies still ahead. We'll have to fool five people."

"We'll be fine." She opened the chest and gingerly lifted the historical record out so she could show him the cover. It was stained and tattered. "I'm not familiar with your method of reckoning – but I have a feeling that this dates back roughly 500 years."

"You would be correct", Lorlen replied. "How did you know?"

"Just a hunch. But it's good to know."

Savara placed the book back inside the chest, and closed the lid.

"I didn't expect you to make your move so soon."

"I visited Sonea yesterday, and was inside her room. I figured it might be a good idea for the Guild to officially know about these texts before our audience with the King."

"Good thinking. Depending on how fast we are at reading, we might also be able to present some of these findings at the upcoming Meet. It might help us sway opinions.

"When the others arrive, do not volunteer information. Let's hope that they'll focus more on the books, and less on where they came from."

"Understood."

The first ones to arrive were Telano, Sarrin and Peakin, followed by Balkan and Vinara. They shot Savara – and the chest – curious glances, but had the sense to wait with asking questions until Akkarin arrived.

"The reason I called you all here is because Ambassador Savara has discovered something. This chest contains books – I've looked inside, but not read any of them – one appears to be a historical record, the other books on black magic. There's what appears to be a diary in here, too."

"What!", Sarrin exclaimed. "Ambassador, where did you find all of that?"

"I stumbled across this chest buried in the ground while exploring the university", Savara replied with a shrug. "It was very well-hidden."

"Would it be possible for someone reading those books to learn black magic?", Balkan asked cautiously.

"I'd have to read them in order to be able to tell you", Savara replied. "However, we usually teach higher magic mind-to-mind. It only takes a moment. I'm not even certain how you would explain this in writing, in a way that would make sense to the reader. You might have to be careful with the diary, though – who knows what's in there."

"Could you show us the historical record?", Akkarin asked. "I would like to know how old it is, if at all possible."

"Certainly."

This time, Savara used magic to lift the book into the air, tilting it so that the cover faced the gathered magicians. Lorlen quickly scurried around his desk so he could pretend to take a first look, too.

"Record of the 235th year", Akkarin read. "Those records are over five hundred years old."

"Oh, my, what a coincidence", Savara replied.

"What do you mean?", Lorlen asked, genuinely curious.

"Some of you may be aware that Sonea showed me the Guild grounds yesterday. She took me past the old cemetery, and told me that no people had been buried there within the last five hundred years. This record dates back over five hundred years ago, and it was buried along with books on higher magic. At a guess, I would say that we just found out when this kind of magic was banned by the Guild."

"I understand the part about the books", Balkan replied with a frown. "But how are the graves relevant?"

"Sonea explained to me that your bodies are consumed by leftover magic upon your deaths, which, if I'm being perfectly frank, is a horrifying thought", Savara replied with a shudder.

She seemed genuinely unsettled, as far as Lorlen could tell.

"I was quite surprised to hear that – it makes sense, of course, but I had never considered this. You see, whenever one of our magicians is on her deathbed, she will send for someone she trusts – usually a family member or a close friend – and allow that person to drain the last of her life force."

Lorlen was not the only one to let out a startled gasp at that. Akkarin, as usual, showed no reaction, although Lorlen was quite certain he hadn't known about this.

"The way I see it, this has two advantages over just letting the magic consume the body – the dying magician can choose the moment of her death, has control over the situation. And being able to visit the graves of deceased friends or family can be a massive comfort to those left behind. When my grandmother died, I was inconsolable. I spent many hours curled up next to her resting place, talking to her. I – the thought that I might not have been able to do that, had my mother not taken her life-force – I can hardly bear it."

There were tears glittering in her eyes, now, and she wiped them away absent-mindedly. Lorlen and the others were stunned into silence.

"Anyway, at a guess, I would say that this book will, most likely, tell you why higher magic was banned", Savara continued.

"I can't imagine it was something good that led to this", Vinara muttered.

"Probably not, no", Lorlen grimaced.

"What do we do, then?", Balkan asked, shifting his weight in his chair.

"Someone will have to read it", Sarrin replied with a huff. "We can't just ignore this."

"But what if, whoever were to read those records, teaches himself black magic by accident?", Telano asked with a worried frown.

"It wouldn't fall under 'seeking to learn black magic'", Loren replied.

"And I very much doubt that anyone included instructions in a historical record, especially since there were boos on black magic buried with it", Savara added. "Although it would be a good idea to make a copy of this as quickly as possible – this book is deteriorating. You should not handle it any more than you absolutely must."

"I could make a copy", Akkarin ventured. "Not to boast, but I believe I have the neatest handwriting out of all of us."

The others exchanged a glance, and Lorlen detected a slight hesitation. Savara had noticed, too, and Lorlen could tell that she was already formulating a plan.

"How about this: I work on this together with the High Lord. I'll study the books on higher magic while he transcribes the historical record. I very much doubt that he wants to teach himself higher magic, given how much all of you seem to hate that idea – should, against all expectations, the High Lord stumble across something that sounds like an instruction, he can stop reading, and let me take over. I could read it to confirm whether there are instructions in it, and gloss them over if need be."

"That sounds acceptable", Balkan rumbled. "We do need this information. How long, do you think, will this take, High Lord?"

"I cannot say. It will depend on how legible the handwriting is, and how badly the legibility has been affected by the passage of time. Although I'll try to make as much progress as possible before we put this whole issue to vote."

Balkan frowned, but accepted Akkarin's reply.

"At the very least, you'll be able to tell the King that we've found something, that we have a link to the history we apparently lost", Lorlen said to Akkarin. "It'll make us look less silly."

"Indeed", Akkarin agreed.

"Perhaps – if you could read the last page to us, Ambassador? That might shed some light on things", Vinara suggested.

"Certainly."

Savara gingerly flipped the book open, and began reading.

"I have not the gift of foresight, nor do I pretend to know enough of men and magic to guess the future, but after we made our decision I was gripped by a fear that the Sachakans might rise against us again in the future, and the Guild would be found unprepared. I proposed a secret store of knowledge, to be opened only if the Guild faced certain destruction. The others of my company agreed, for many of my fellows held the same fear.
"It was decided that the existence of a secret weapon would be known of by the Head of Warriors only. He would not know its nature, but would pass the location down to his successor. I now finish this record here. Tomorrow I will begin a new one. I sincerely hope that nobody will ever open this book and read these words."

"Well", Loren said with a weak laugh, "so much for that."

"Did you know about this, Lord Balkan?", Sarrin asked with a frown.

"No", Balkan replied with a frown of his own. "Somehow, this knowledge must have been lost with time. Perhaps one of my predecessors died unexpectedly."

"We should be able to verify that by checking their biographical details", Akkarin suggested.

"Is it safe to assume that the decision the chronicler refers to was to ban black magic?", Vinara asked.

"I'd imagine so", Savara replied before carefully turning the page to read the preceding entry. "Yes, that's right. It seems that your predecessors were worried about the exact same thing that is happening now. Perhaps this person did possess the gift of foresight."

"I'd rather call it an unfortunate coincidence", Balkan muttered.

"You would have to keep these books concealed from Sonea, though", Vinara said to Akkarin. "She can't know about them."

"I'll keep them in my study, Sonea doesn't go in there without express permission."

"I have a Healing session scheduled with her later today, you can use that time window to smuggle the books inside", Lorlen suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea", Savara agreed. "Wait. A Healing session? Is she sick?"

"Traumatised", Loren replied with a grimace.

Savara scowled. "Well, I am glad to hear she's getting the help she needs, at least."

"Let's do this, then", Sarrin concluded. "High Lord, the more information you have to share at the upcoming Meet, the better."

"I will devote all free resources to this project", Akkarin promised.

"Excellent", Loren said. "Did you get a reply from the palace yet?"

"No, not yet. I hope it will come soon, though."

"I see. Well, all we can do for now is wait."

---

Savara was feeling mixed emotions upon her arrival at the residence some time after nightfall. While the afternoon itself had been lovely, her mood had been dampened on her way to the slums, and back. Seeing how different the separate parts of the city were had already bothered her upon her arrival. It had not got any better. And then there had been the fact that she had been paying more attention to what the people in the Inner Circle had been wearing.

She'd spotted servants and people wearing simple clothing, who were running errands, but most of the people had been nobles. Seeing the kind of clothing they wore when out shopping had left Savara questioning her decision to wear her usual clothing when visiting the palace. While she, herself, wouldn't give a damn about what other people thought of her, she was here as a representative of her people. It would not do to give the Kyralians a reason to look down on them.

Unfortunately, Savara knew absolutely nothing about Kyralian fashion, possible meanings behind colours or other symbolism, and she couldn't imagine herself wearing a dress.

She was delighted to find Sonea in the guestroom upon her arrival, practically lying in one of the armchairs, head dangling off the one, feet off the other armrest, a massive tome in her lap. She looked up when she heard the door open, and smiled when she spotted Savara. She placed a green ribbon inside the book and closed it.

"Welcome back. Any luck tracking down Cery?"

"Yup."

"What did you do, then?"

"Sparred with knives. He's even better than you are, his weapons are rather – unconventional."

"Indeed, the loops around the hilts allow him to catch people off-guard more often than not – they never expect him to just grab them", Sonea chuckled.

"I certainly did not expect that. All that aside – have you been told about the books you're not supposed to know about?"

"I have", Sonea chuckled. "Akkarin is currently in his study, 'transcribing' the historical records that I've never seen, let alone read. I have every intention of complaining about the fact that he's up there, working, instead of being down here, reading with me, to the Administrator at my earliest convenience."

Savara let out a chuckle.

"I actually helped Akkarin calculate how long it might realistically take him to do this – he copied down one page, and I took the time. We think that it should be doable until the next Freeday, when they'll most likely hold the unscheduled Meet."

"What's a Freeday?"

"Oh, right, you wouldn't know, it's a Guild thing. And an Inner Circle thing, I suppose. There are no classes on Freedays, and nobody does any work. Instead, people will pursue their hobbies, spend time with friends, that sort of thing. And Meets are usually held on Freedays because all magicians will be available then."

"I see. That makes sense."

"I'm glad that Akkarin managed to suggest that he transcribe the records, that way, all that work he did all those years ago won't be wasted. And I'm glad that everything seems to have gone smoothly today, as well."

"People asked the right questions, there wasn't much need for us to direct the conversation."

"Hm, that was a massive relief. I'd been a bit worried about this."

"Sonea, I'd need your help with something."

"Oh, sure, what's up?"

"I've been thinking that I do want to wear something more fancy when visiting the palace, but I have no idea what to do, or if I could even get something on such short notice – have you heard from the palace yet?"

"We have, as a matter of fact. We're supposed to go tomorrow evening."

"Tomorrow?! That's bad."

Sonea grimaced in sympathy. "Unfortunately, I am the last person who could help you with anything related to fashion – but I know someone who might. Wait here."

She bounded up the stairs just as Takan emerged from the kitchen to ask Savara if he could get her anything. By the time he returned with her raka, Sonea was coming back downstairs, a letter in hand.

"Takan, could you look this over, check if I can send it like this?", she asked.

"Certainly, my lady." Takan quickly scanned the missive before looking up. "I see nothing wrong with it. Shall I send it straight away?"

"Yes, it's kinda urgent."

"Understood."

He bowed, and practically ran out of the house.

"Oh, dear, I hope he won't overdo it."

"It is rather urgent."

"True. Say, could you go and bring all the clothes that you have? Maybe I'll have an idea, after all."

"Sure."

Savara took a large sip of raka before bounding out the door herself, and making for her room. She gathered all of her clean clothing, and hurried back to the residence.

"So, you basically own the same stuff in different colours", Sonea observed. "It looks nice and everything, but awfully plain. The only thing I can think of is to try and combine colours that go well together. But I fear you will be severely underdressed next to any nobles we might encounter, and the King, especially."

"What about you? Will you be wearing just your robes?"

"We're not allowed to wear anything else", Sonea chuckled. "In situations such as these, this is a massive advantage. I only have to worry about what to do with my hair. Or, well, Viola, my servant, has to worry about that, since I'm hopeless when it comes to that."

"I could braid your hair."

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't mind, but I fear it might send the wrong kind of message if I showed up at the palace sporting Sachakan braids."

"Fair enough."

The sound of a carriage drawing up outside interrupted their conversation. Sonea shot up from her seat and ran over to the window before letting out a gasp.

"No way", she whispered in disbelief before darting back over to where Savara was.

The next moment, the door was opened, and a lady strode inside, followed by a servant. She was dressed in a gown made from an intense shade of dark blue velvet, and a heavy cloak rimmed with fur. Savara felt the same twinge of – well, not fear, exactly, but she got the same feeling she'd got from Akkarin the first two times she'd seen him. She was fairly certain that this lady was almost as tall as he was, and the fact that she resembled him so strongly indicated that she was, most likely, his sister.

"Chessea!", Sonea exclaimed in a somewhat faint voice. "I didn't expect you to come straight away!"

"You said that it was urgent", Chessea pointed out.

"Yes, but – "

"Sonea, you are my friend. I would take on the world for my friends."

Sonea let out a small gasp, and all but threw herself into the older woman's arms. Chessea, for her part, took that in stride, and simply hugged her back.

They separated again after a while, and Chessea fixed her black eyes on Savara. Sonea took the hint, and proceeded to introduce them.

"This is Chessea of the family Delvon, House Velan, one of the High Lord's sisters", she said. "Chessea, this is Ambassador Savara."

The two women proceeded to seize each other up, and Savara realised that she had someone powerful before her – not necessarily in the magical sense, but it was clear that Chessea was not to be underestimated.

"I hear that you are to meet with King Merin tomorrow", Chessea observed.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, our style of clothing is very different from yours. I fear that, if I were to go to the palace as I am, the people at court might look down on us. As a culture, a people. As much as it grates, I fear I have to play by the rules here."

"Hm, that depends. An individualistic approach is doable, but it brings with it certain risks. When Sonea attended a banquet at the palace, she had flowers in her hair instead of gemstones or something similar. Sonea embraced the fact that she was different, and owned it. And people – including the King himself – were quite taken with it. However, Sonea had the big advantage that she has to wear robes, which, in reverse, means that robes are always acceptable to wear."

"Well, I obviously can't do that. I'm not of the Guild. I wouldn't even know what colour I should pick."

"Red", Sonea suggested. "You strike me as a Warrior."

Savara huffed, but felt that Sonea had a point.

"The fact that we are pressed for time is a massive problem", Chessea continued, unbothered by Sonea's interruption. "Making a dress takes time, even if you have deep pockets."

"I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing a dress, or robes", Savara replied. "I would prefer to be able to wear boots and trousers, if at all possible."

"I asked Savara to bring me all the clothing she could wear", Sonea added, lifting the pile for Chessea's inspection.

Chessea hummed as she leafed through the pile.

"Ronia, come here. Do you think we could do something to improve these?", she asked, lifting a shirt and a vest. "Ronia is my personal seamstress", she added by way of explanation.

The servant, who was carrying a large basket, hurried to Chessea's side, and bowed.

"Yes, my lady. We could decorate one of the shirts around the neck and sleeves, and add more embellishments to one of the vests. Perhaps some jewels – "

"No jewels", Savara said sharply, much to Chessea and Ronia's surprise.

"It's a cultural thing", Sonea added. "Jewelled vests – bad."

"I'm sorry", Ronia stammered. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything, Ambassador – "

"Don't worry about it, you couldn't have known. And I shouldn't have reacted so strongly."

"Thank you", the servant whispered, looking relieved.

"How do you feel about embroidery?", Sonea asked.

"I got no issues with that."

Something behind them caught Chessea's attention. Savara turned to see that Akkarin had made his way downstairs.

"Akkarin! How good of you to join us!", Chessea called.

"Lovely to see you, too, sister", he quipped as he moved closer to them.

"Where have you been? You can't tell me that you didn't hear my carriage."

"I was working."

"At this hour? Well, you can hold off on that until after I've solved the Ambassador's clothing conundrum. Do your duties as master of the house. Don't keep foisting those on poor Sonea."

"Ah, but she does such a great job in my stead", he chuckled.

"You are awful. I do wonder how she manages to endure living with you."

Ronia let out a soft huff, and Sonea grinned in response.

"I'm such a poor damsel in distress, someone better save me", she whispered.

Savara chuckled. "I see banter runs in the family."

"Oh, yes, at least with these two. I haven't met any of the others."

Savara noticed that Ronia had picked out a tunic and a vest from the pile, and gave her a questioning look.

"I would recommend these two, Ambassador. Black is the colour of power here in Kyralia, you can't do much wrong with that. The white shirt will provide a nice contrast against your skin, and the vest. And both colours are easy to work with."

"I see. Sounds like a plan."

"Will you be needing a table for working?", Sonea asked.

"That would be lovely", Ronia replied. "A large one, preferably, if it isn't too much trouble, my lady."

"Not at all."

Sonea tried catching Akkarin's eye, but he was still busy bickering with his sister, much to Savara's amusement. Sonea watched them for a few moments, looking somewhat exasperated, before putting her hands on her hips and clearing her throat loudly.

The siblings snapped out of it immediately, only now seeming to remember that there were other people there.

Ronia gave the impression that she was not witnessing something like this for the first time.

"I'd like for us to relocate to the dining room, Ronia says that she needs a large table", Sonea announced.

"Fine by me", Akkarin replied. "I was not planning on having another meal tonight."

"A splendid suggestion, Sonea", Chessea added. "Ronia and I can work on the garments together, and easily pick matching colours."

Savara grabbed the chosen tunic and vest, and Akkarin started leading the procession upstairs.

Savara and Chessea had a bit of an awkward moment as they tried to figure out which one should go first. Chessea insisted that Savara lead the way, and she acquiesced. However, it turned out that they were not the only ones with that kind of problem – both Sonea and Ronia were waiting for the other one to go first.

"Ronia", Chessea called. "Come along. Lady Sonea would like to bring up the rear."

"But, my lady, that would be improper!", the servant stammered. "I can't walk ahead of a magician!"

Chessea stopped, and turned around. "Lady Sonea doesn't like people walking or standing behind her if she doesn't know them. It makes her uncomfortable."

Ronia paled. "Oh, no, so sorry, Lady Sonea, I had no idea – "

"It's fine. I should have figured that you would have issues going along with this without an explanation. But I would greatly appreciate it if you went first", Sonea assured her.

"Right."

Savara made herself a mental note not to stand behind Sonea, just to be on the safe side.

They filed into the dining room, and Sonea and Akkarin conjured a couple of globe-lights, asking for instructions as to provide Chessea and Ronia with the best lighting. Then, they settled into the same chairs they had occupied the last time. Chessea and Ronia sat down on one long side, Savara on the opposite side.

"First, we need to determine what colours to use", Ronia said. "Ambassador, does your name have a meaning?"

"Sure. Translated into Kyralian, it would mean something along the lines of 'the gentle breeze in the morning light'."

"What a lovely name", Sonea breathed. "It's so poetic."

"Why, thank you", Savara chuckled. "Does yours have a meaning?"

"No idea. I don't even know who picked it – although I do hope that it was my mother."

"Why?"

"Because if it'd been my father, I'd have to change it."

Akkarin and Chessea nodded in agreement, as thought that was a perfectly normal conclusion to reach.

Takan breezed into the room to deposit an assortment of drinks on the table: raka, sumi, and wine. Sonea and Savara poured themselves a cup of raka while Akkarin reached for the wine. Ronia looked somewhat unsure for a moment before reaching for the sumi pot. Chessea asked Sonea to let her try some raka.

"Oh! It tastes rather different from what it smells like. I'm not certain that I like it. Well, then, how do we proceed? I have no idea how to depict a breeze."

"We could go for some colourful swirls, perhaps in pastel colours, like a sunrise", Ronia suggested.

"Hm, yes, but I fear that pastel colours would not work well with the Ambassador's skin tone. I believe bold colours would be better. Especially against the black backdrop."

"Oh! Right."

Ronia heaved the basket onto the table, and started rummaging around inside. She then produced several balls of bead yarn, and asked Savara to extend a hand. She then held a single thread up next to it to check if the colour would work. She swiftly discarded some, and started collecting the ones that worked well with Savara's colouration.

Sonea was watching the whole process intently.

"We could embroider the tunic with golden threads", Chessea suggested. "Perhaps little sunbursts?"

"That sounds like a splendid idea, my lady."

"What say you, Ambassador? You are the one who will have to wear our creation, after all", Chessea asked, arching a brow in challenge.

"It sounds good to me", Savara chuckled. "You both seem to know what you are doing."

"Very well. Ronia, may I leave the vest to you for the time being?"

"Certainly, my lady."

The two of them set to work. Savara watched them for a while before fixing her eyes on Sonea.

"Say, have you ever tried sketching anything besides maps?"

"No, I haven't, why?"

"Would you like to try?"

"Do you have something specific in mind?"

"Sure. May I send it to you?"

Sonea hesitated for a moment before extending her hand. Savara sent her the image of the idea she'd had for the new robes.

"What is that?", Sonea whispered.

"Something the Guild might need in the new future", Savara chuckled. "We were discussing colours the other day, and ran into a bit of a problem, you see."

"Ah", said Sonea, her eyes widening. "Hang on. I'll go fetch my supplies."

She was back soon enough, and spread out a piece of parchment.

"I'll try my best, but I've never actually done anything like this before", she warned.

"I bet you'll do a better job than I ever could. I am woefully inept when it comes to drawing."

"Can you show me again?"

"Sure."

Savara took hold of Sonea's hand again, and projected the image once more, along with her thoughts on the design. Sonea sketched away, and was soon done.

"Does this look like what you were imagining?", she asked, pushing the parchment over to Savara.

"Pretty much. Ronia, could you have a look at this? Do you think something like this would work?"

She passed the parchment on to Ronia, who looked it over with a critical eye.

"Certainly. This is a pretty good sketch, too, Lady Sonea."

Sonea flushed slightly.

"Perhaps you should make drawing your new hobby, after all", Akkarin chuckled.

"Are you trying to slither out of having to tutor me?", Sonea asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Not at all. I was mostly joking."

"Right."

"I do enjoy tutoring you. It's delightful working together with someone who is as diligent and clever as you are."

"Oh, um, thanks."

"I'll hold on to this", Savara said, pocketing the parchment. "Thank you, Sonea."

"Oh, ah, don't mention it."

"I am starting to fee a bit useless over here", Akkarin observed after a while.

"Entertain us", Chessea replied without looking up. "I have not attended court recently – did anything interesting happen?"

"Oh, you will want to hear this – remember that woman who had the gall to insult Sonea at the banquet, and brazenly declare that she was not afraid of me?", Akkarin asked, his eyes glittering.

Savara felt a chill stealing over her.

"Oh, how could I ever forget so much cheek and stupidity rolled into one person?", Chessea sighed. "I am still not over her assumption that I needed rescuing."

"That is hard to imagine", Savara agreed. "I'd sooner assume other people might need rescuing from you."

"Indeed", Chessea replied with a grin. "Do go on, brother, tell us what happened."

"Very well. She has fallen out of favour to the point where people refuse to speak her name, and her husband is only invited to attend any kind of social gathering if she's not with him."

Chessea let out a cackle. "I see the King's decision to just leave her be was the correct one. Serves her right. Wrongfully assuming that someone needs rescuing is one thing – randomly insulting the King's guests another."

"And the reason she chose to insult poor Sonea was because she was born in the wrong part of the city, I assume?", Savara inquired.

"Indeed", Chessea replied, her eyes flashing. "I do not believe anyone has ever insulted Sonea for something that was actually her fault."

Savara scoffed. Then, she fixed Akkarin with a critical look.

"I get this feeling that you enjoy terrifying people."

"On occasion", he admitted with a smirk. "When people beg for it, for example, like that woman did. Sometimes, people need to be reminded why they should not trifle with me, or mine."

Chessea nodded, as though that was perfectly reasonable. Savara cast a quick glance in Sonea's direction, and found that she didn't appear surprised by this declaration, either.

It made sense, Savara allowed, for him to consider her "his" – he was her guardian, after all. Savara had used the meal she'd had with Rothen to ask for a proper explanation as to what guardianship was, and concluded that, even though Akkarin's motives for taking on Sonea's guardianship hadn't exactly been the right ones, it had been necessary given the circumstances. And it was clear that he saw Sonea as someone he ought to protect, in whatever form.

"By the by, Sonea, I've heard something interesting about you", Chessea said.

"Interesting how?", Sonea asked cautiously.

"A friend of mine saw you at one of the concert houses. She said you had the great misfortune of running into Lord Winar and his hag of a wife."

"Ah, yes, that was dreadful."

"It seems that they were acting just as one would expect the people who begot Regin to act."

"Well, she did start the conversation by remarking that I was 'uncommonly pretty for a Dwell'. I retorted by saying that it was plain to see where Regin got his delightful manners from."

Chessea started laughing so hard, she had to stick her needle into the fabric to avoid pricking her fingers. Savara let out a chuckle. Akkarin was smiling, looking immensely proud.

"She's clearly the stupid one in that relationship", Sonea added with a giggle. "And Regin even had the sense to warn her to back off. However, she clearly didn't feel the need to listen to someone who knows me."

"Ah, I would have loved to see this", Akkarin sighed. "Perhaps I'll ask Takan to show me that memory."

"I could show you", Sonea offered.

Akkarin blinked, and was about to say something when Chessea interrupted them.

"Could you postpone your magical shenanigans, please? I was trying to get somewhere with this!", she complained.

"Oh, sorry. Do go on", Sonea replied in an apologetic tone.

"Thank you", the older woman huffed. "My friend also mentioned her making insinuations about you, and that you responded to that by calculating the monetary worth of her gown on the spot."

"Ah, yes, I did that. Laid into her, too, since she was practically asking for it at that point."

"How come you can do calculations like that in your head?"

"Well, if you can't write, you have to make do without it", Sonea replied with a shrug. "You'll either have to learn to calculate things yourself, or find yourself a partner who can do it for you. It's probably also the reason I'm good a memorising things."

"I see. And I take it that your uncle taught you?"

"That's right. My aunt might be the one who wears the trousers in their relationship, but he's better when it comes to numbers, or haggling. One of my earliest memories is of him taking me to the market to show me the ropes. His leg was still hale back then, and he could carry me on his shoulders. Those are some of the best memories I have of my childhood."

Her smile turned wistful, then, and she shook her head as to dispel an unpleasant thought.

"I see", Chessea replied softly. "Thank you for telling me."

"Um, don't mention it. Although I never thought that all the things he taught me would, one day, help me put a snobbish lady in her place", Sonea chuckled.

"Ah, my sweet, young friend, off to destroy people. I am so proud", Chessea replied, pretending to wipe away tears.

"I've had excellent teachers", Sonea replied with a grin.

"True, but the best teachers will be useless if the student does not apply the knowledge obtained."

"I guess."

"Well, then, I have satiated my curiosity. Feel free to entertain my brother with your memories", Chessea said, waving a hand dismissively.

Sonea let out a chuckle, and shot Akkarin a look, almost as though she were asking if he was fine with this. He let out a sigh, much to Savara's surprise, before beckoning. As Sonea made her way over to his side and sat down in the chair next to his, Savara remembered something Zarala had mentioned – that Akkarin had forcefully read the minds of Sonea, Rothen and Lorlen.

Savara felt more than a little sick. Sanctuary had strict rules concerning reading minds, and reading an unwilling mind was a serious crime. The only thing worse than that would be taking magic from an unwilling source.

She could understand why Akkarin had chosen to do this, though – and, given his reaction to Sonea's suggestion, it was fair to assume that he felt bad about what he'd done.

She was immensely impressed by Sonea for allowing this, and not for the first time, either.

Akkarin was already in the process of reading her mind, and both of them appeared relaxed, and peaceful.

"Um, my lady, do you know what's happening over there?", Ronia asked.

"Magicians can read minds. And my brother is especially good at it – ordinarily, the person whose mind is being read has to co-operate – it is, apparently, possible to eject an intruder from your mind. However, my brother can read unwilling minds. There was a case, many years ago, when he was asked to read the mind of a criminal suspect. My brother did just that, and confirmed the man's guilt."

"So, Lady Sonea can't eject him, once he's inside?", Ronia asked, her eyes wide. "Does she know this?"

"She does", Savara assured her, reaching over to place a hand on hers. "And it's not the first time they've done this, either. She trusts him."

"Oh, I see. I – I was a little worried. Beg pardon, Lady Chessea, I didn't mean to imply anything – but it is a frightening thought."

"I understand. But you needn't worry. Akkarin is very fond of Sonea."

"I see. That's a relief."

"It seems as though my initial impression of you was correct, Lady Chessea", Savara observed. "You are nearly as dangerous as your brother."

"Nearly? The only thing he has that I lack is magic, and this does not help one much in society, believe me. Of course, magicians have a certain allure, but he would not nearly be doing this well – or have been elected High Lord, for that matter – if he were an idiot. People do not fear him because of his magic. So, as you can see, this makes Akkarin and me equally terrifying."

"Hm, I see. In Sachaka, it is usually magic that gives one power. I am still not quite used to the idea that a country's administration can work without magic."

"The King has two advisers who are magicians", Chessea allowed. "But they are just that. They are not allowed to make decisions."

"Fascinating."

"I bet the High Lord being such a powerful magician doesn't hurt with the ladies, if I may be so bold", Ronia piped up.

"Oh, certainly", Chessea huffed.

"I hear that your mother is quite displeased with the fact that he's not yet married", Savara observed.

"Indeed. I am not entirely certain as to why – but she is obsessed with Akkarin marrying, and providing her with more grandchildren. Maybe it has to do with him being her firstborn. At least my parents stopped trying to arrange marriages for him after he kept flat-out rejecting every proposal for several years, but this has not deterred other people. Or stopped my mother from nagging."

"Has it never occurred to her that he might not be interested in women?"

Chessea looked up sharply, and narrowed her eyes. "Ambassador, I must implore you never to make such speculations in public. I do not know how these things are in Sachaka, but here, it could cause trouble. While relationships between people of the same sex are not prohibited, they are frowned upon, and those thus inclined usually take great care to conceal this. It is fortunate that Akkarin had a few dalliances before he went travelling – his preferences are well-known. However, many people would perceive such speculation as an insult."

Savara blinked, surprised, before flashing Chessea a grin. "Must be another class thing – Sonea had no qualms asking me if I was flirting with her, and informing me that she preferred men."

It was Chessea's turn to look surprised. "Were there other people present?"

"A crowd of novices. And your brother, who seemed to be enjoying himself immensely."

"Goodness", Chessea replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I should speak with her. She may not know this. It is entirely possible that the lower classes view such matters differently."

However, before they could continue this conversation, Akkarin released Sonea, and thanked her softly. She gave him a smile, and made her way back to her chair.

"Wow, you two have made great progress!", she exclaimed as she stopped next to Savara's chair. "Shouldn't you take a break? I could Heal you, too, if you'd like."

"That would be lovely", Chessea replied.

Ronia, on the other hand, blanched. "Oh, no, my lady, please don't bother yourself – "

"It's not a bother, I assure you."

"But – I – I – I couldn't afford the fee", the servant whispered.

Sonea blinked. "I'm not a Healer. I won't charge you. You're doing me a favour here – it would be remiss of me to just let you struggle like this."

"Oh, um, in that case, please."

Chessea let out a chuckle, and reached across the table to take one of Sonea's offered hands; Ronia took the other.

"What, exactly, are you doing?", Savara asked curiously.

"Healing away fatigue", Sonea explained.

"I am convinced that Sonea has used this ability to keep herself awake all night so she can study at least once", Akkarin added in a disapproving tone.

Given the look on Sonea's face, he was right on the mark.

"You have no idea how envious I am", Savara sighed. "First thing I did after arriving here was sleep for hours. I was so exhausted."

"Do you not know how to Heal?", Chessea asked, surprised.

"No. That knowledge never reached Sachaka, and none of our magicians have managed to figure out how to do that, either."

"You want this power. This is why you are here."

"Perhaps. But even so, I am not here just to take – I have offered something of equal value in return."

"And what would that be?"

Savara shot Akkarin a look, and he shook his head once.

"That's classified."

Chessea had noticed the exchange, and narrowed her eyes at her brother.

"I can't tell you anything – we haven't even informed the Guild yet. I need to speak with the King first."

"Oh, my, that sounds serious." She turned back to Sonea. "That's enough, my dear. Don't exhaust yourself."

"It'd take much more than that", Sonea huffed in an amused way as she retracted her hands.

"If you'll all excuse me for a moment", Akkarin said, rising to his feet.

Sonea straightened, and shot him a questioning look.

"I won't be long, don't worry", he told her as he brushed past her, and out the door.

"Where is he going?", Chessea asked.

"No idea", Sonea replied as she returned to her chair. "I can't read minds at a distance."

However, Akkarin soon returned, Takan in tow, who was carrying a tray with small bowls. They contained a variety of nuts, dried and fresh fruit as well as some small cakes.

Sonea immediately grabbed a bowl filled with sweet cakes, and hogged it entirely to herself.

"Sonea", Akkarin chided. "Share."

"No. These are my favourites, I don't want to."

Akkarin arched a brow, and suddenly, the air was charged as the two of them stared each other down, neither willing to yield.

"Could you please not turn this into another tug-of-war?", Chessea sighed. "Ripping a napkin in two would be one thing, but this is quite another. There would be shards everywhere."

Ronia looked a little frightened at the thought.

"Wait, you play tug-of-war with napkins?", Savara asked in disbelief.

"Not habitually", Akkarin assured her.

"He threw his napkin at me and got upset when I refused to give it back", Sonea added.

"I could not let it slide, back then. However, I believe I should heed my sister's words. Sonea may keep her prize, however ill-gotten it may be."

Unfortunately, Sonea was not mollified by that in the slightest. She grabbed one of the cakes, and hurled it at Akkarin. It stopped about a hand-with from his face, and he plucked it from the air.

"Why, thank you. I do quite enjoy these."

He smirked at her, and took a bite out of the pastry.

Realising she'd just been tricked, Sonea gaped at him. "I hate you!"

"No, you don't", he quipped with a smile.

"Ugh! I wish I had something else I could throw!"

"I could lend you my knife", Savara suggested, very helpfully.

"Absolutely not!", Chessea protested.

"It was a joke. Mostly."

"Not to worry. Knives are just as easy to stop as cakes", Akkarin assured his sister.

Sonea gave him a sullen look as she started eating a cake herself.

"May I try one?", Savara asked Sonea.

"Oh, sure. Here you go."

She floated a pastry over to her, and Savara thanked her. Sonea fished another pastry from the bowl before relinquishing it with a sigh, pushing it to the centre of the table. Chessea gave her a smile, and took one of the pastries herself.

"I'm surrounded by awful people who won't let me eat my pastries in peace", Sonea lamented as she got started on her second one.

"I'll remind you that you live here", Akkarin pointed out in a conciliatory tone. "You can just ask Takan to make you more whenever you please. You know he'd be happy to."

Sonea was about to reply when she paused, the expression on her face changing abruptly. However, before Savara had the time to analyse it properly, Sonea had already banished it, and replaced it with what was, obviously, a mask. It was almost frightening to see how quickly this had happened.

"Sonea, what's the matter?", Akkarin asked gently.

"It's nothing. I just had a stray thought. It was quite silly. Don't worry about it."

"You do not have to tell us if you do not wish to, but please know that we are always here to listen, if you need someone to talk to", Chessea said. "All right?"

"Yes, I do. Thank you, Chessea."

Sonea even managed a smile that seemed almost convincing.

What kind of thought could have caused such a reaction?, Savara wondered.

However, she decided not to press the issue, especially since neither Akkarin nor Chessea, who knew Sonea better than her, did. Chessea and Ronia soon returned to their work, and Sonea, apparently eager to make everyone forget her short episode, did her best to make conversation.

Several hours later, Chessea announced that they were done. The result looked quite marvellous, and Sonea urged Savara to try on the jacket.

Savara obliged her with a chuckle, turning this way and that, so that the women – and Akkarin – could admire her from all sides.

"The colours suit you very well", Chessea observed.

"You look absolutely stunning!", Sonea added. "And, if anyone says anything different, they're saying it just to be petty."

"I feel much more confident about meeting all those shallow people now that I am properly armed", Savara replied.

"Proper preparation is very important", Sonea replied with a sage nod.

"Lady Chessea, Ronia, thank you very much for your help. What do I owe you?"

"Well, seeing how I did this as a favour to Sonea, let's say that you now owe me one", Chessea replied with a smirk.

"You're quite cunning."

"Indeed. Not to worry, I won't demand anything too outrageous, I promise."

"Very well."

"Well, then, I wish you luck with the King tomorrow. I need to head home, it is quite late."

"Thank you for coming so promptly, Chessea, you helped us out a great deal", Sonea added.

"I do expect to hear all the details of what is going on here eventually", Chessea warned. "Don't you dare keep me in the dark forever."

"We will share what we can at our earliest convenience", Akkarin assured her.

They filed down the stairs, and Akkarin and Sonea bid them good night. Chessea's carriage was already waiting, and Takan handed both her and Ronia inside. They said their farewells, and Savara hurried back to her room, desperate to get some sleep.

---

To say that Merin had been surprised when Akkarin had requested an urgent audience along with the Sachakan ambassador would be an understatement. Merin hadn't even known that a foreign ambassador had entered the city – something he'd had some words with his spies about. Reports then came in that a Sachakan woman had been seen in the city, by herself – no guards, no attendants, no nothing. Some digging on the spies' part had revealed that the Ambassador had not brought an entourage, had gone directly to the Guild instead of the palace, and that she was, apparently, a magician.

Merin wasn't entirely certain which of that was the most surprising bit of information. He'd never met a female ambassador before – even the Guild's ambassadors were all male – and he'd never met an ambassador who was a magician, either. Then again, Sachaka was not part of the Allied Lands, and, as far as he knew, nothing stopped Sachakan magicians from meddling in politics. He still didn't understand why they had sent a woman – or why she was, apparently, travelling by herself. He had to admit, though, that being a magician probably made travelling alone a lot safer.

Another surprise had been Akkarin's request to let Sonea attend, and off the records, no less. Still, Merin had granted his request – he was not about to pass up the chance to see her, especially if Akkarin was willing to let her out from under his wing, and Akkarin's arguments for letting her attend seemed valid.

When the servant he had sent to fetch Akkarin and Ambassador Savara returned, Merin rose to his feet. The two magicians entered, and dropped to one knee. Given the ease Savara did this with, Merin assumed that Akkarin had made her practise.

Sonea had certainly been much clumsier when they'd first met, although she'd clearly tried her best.

Merin bade them rise, and took a moment to examine Savara – only to find her, in turn, examining him in an entirely unabashed way.

She was around his age, maybe a few years older, and shorter than the average Kyralian woman. She wasn't wearing any jewellery, but her hair had been braided in an intricate way, a style that Merin was wholly unfamiliar with.

The most interesting part was her clothing, though – Merin had never seen a lady attend court in boots and trousers before. His female servants wore trousers – as did the Guild's servants – mostly for practical reason. But no lady he knew would be found dead wearing trousers. In addition, she wore a simple white shirt with golden embroidery around the neckline and sleeves, and a black vest that had been embroidered in an intricate pattern, but without looking overdone or tacky.

She also had a cloak draped over her arm.

Merin suppressed a chuckle. Leave it to Akkarin to bring unusual, interesting women to court.

They exchanged greetings, and Merin directed them over to a divan big enough to seat three. Akkarin and Savara exchanged a glance before sitting down on opposite ends, leaving space for Sonea in between them. Savara placed her cloak on the floor, and proceeded to stretch out her legs, crossing them at the ankles.

Merin sat down in a cushioned chair opposite them, and gestured to the drinks prepared on the low table.

"I have to say, High Lord, that I was quite surprised by your request to let Sonea attend this meeting", Merin observed as he poured himself a glass of wine.

"Were my arguments not convincing enough, Your Majesty?"

"Not at all. Although I must wonder – are you grooming her as your successor?"

Akkarin blinked, evidently surprised by the question, much to Merin's delight.

It was rather difficult to surprise the High Lord, after all.

His question had certainly caught Savara's interest, and she turned to watch Akkarin intently.

"The thought had honestly not crossed my mind, although it is quite an interesting notion. I certainly deem her capable of taking over my position one day, and I know that Lady Vinara would support the notion. However, there are many who are of the opinion that women cannot lead, and even more who would say that her background makes her unsuited for such a position."

"Fools, the lot of them", Savara huffed. "From what I have seen so far, Sonea would be more than capable of leading well."

"Ah, the conservatives, always insisting that things should remain as they are", Merin sighed. "So afraid of change."

A hidden panel in the wall slid aside, revealing Sonea, who stepped into the room. Merin rose to exchange greetings with her, noting that she had improved much since the last time she'd been here. Then again, he would have expected nothing less from someone under Akkarin's care.

"As far as anyone is concerned, Lady Sonea is spending the entire time of your visit at the palace library. The librarians have been instructed accordingly, and they will prepare a few books for Lady Sonea to borrow. I do expect that you will return them, though, and soon, Lady Sonea", he added with a wink.

"I will take great care of them", she promised.

"We thank you for going along with this, King Merin", Akkarin added. "This is an enormous help."

Merin gestured for Sonea to sit, and she joined Akkarin and Savara. As she sat down, her gaze fell on the assorted drinks, and she froze when she spotted the carafe of water he'd had prepared for her. Her eyes widened, and, much to Merin's surprise, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

He had to admit that he was confused. He'd certainly expected a reaction from her, but not this.

Savara gave Sonea a knowing smile while Akkarin made an aborted motion. Merin still felt mystified.

Sonea took a deep breath, and tried to get herself together.

"Sorry about that, Your Majesty", she said with a sheepish smile. "It's just – the Ambassador mentioned that you are handing out water rations in the slums. I hadn't known about that. Thank you so much, King Merin."

It had been a while since he'd been confronted with someone's genuine thanks, and, for a rather embarrassingly long moment, he had no idea how to respond.

Akkarin made a noise that sounded suspiciously like he was trying to disguise a laugh. Before Merin had the chance to feel offended, Sonea turned to glare at Akkarin.

"I'm not laughing at you", he assured her. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to render the King speechless?"

"Oh, um, no idea."

"Rare enough that you should note it in your diary."

"Rude", Merin complained. "I am your king. You should fawn over and flatter me, not make fun of me in my own home."

"I'm afraid you've invited the wrong people for that", Sonea replied with a chuckle.

"Ah, that is very true. I had intended to surprise you with my little project, Lady Sonea, but it seems that the Ambassador beat me to it."

"I still appreciate this a lot."

"I take it that this is a temporary solution?", Akkarin asked, back to his usual serious self.

"Indeed. We're currently trying to figure out what to do about the wells. Ideally, we'd fix that – alternatively, we could build an aqueduct, but that would cost a lot of resources, time and money, not to mention that we would have to demolish houses in the process."

"What's wrong with the wells?", Savara asked. "Is the water polluted?"

"Something like that, yes – thankfully, the people are smart enough to keep the wells themselves clean, so there is nothing harmful seeping into the water. I've had the water from all the wells in the slums analysed, which took a while – it turns out that all of them are inhabited by some kind of tiny life-forms, and that those make people sick. Kill them, in the worst case. Boiling the water makes it safe for consumption, but – boiling an entire well is a bit of a hassle. First, we would have to send magicians into the slums. Magicians don't like going there, and the people don't like having them there, either. Second, it would take a large amount of magic to boil an entire well, and third, making the water inside a well boil would probably not endear the magicians to the people, even if they tried to explain what they were doing."

"I can imagine that seeing steam rising out of your well would be frightening", Savara agreed. "Not to mention that some of the water would evaporate in the process." She paused for a moment before fixing him with a very direct look. "What if I told you that there was a simpler, better way to do this?"

Both Akkarin and Sonea fixed her with curious looks at that. Merin leaned forward in his seat.

"I am all ears."

"This has to do with the reason I am here, so this is rather convenient. Your Majesty, are you aware of the fact that most living creatures have a natural barrier that protects them against magical influences from the outside?"

"No, not really."

"I see. Well, this barrier prevents us magicians from directly messing with another's body – if this barrier didn't exist, I could, theoretically, use magic to re-arrange your organs."

"That sounds unpleasant", Merin replied, trying his hardest not to show how much that thought unsettled him.

"Indeed. This barrier, likewise, also prevents me from drawing magic out of another creature – if I were to grab Sonea's wrist and try to draw out her magic, I would fail because I could neither sense nor grasp her magic. In order to be able to access her magic, I would have to break through her barrier first."

"So, what you mean to say is that cutting the skin isn't actually necessary?", Akkarin asked with a frown.

"Indeed. Most people believe that drawing blood is necessary, that there is something magical about blood. There isn't. Unfortunately, the only reliable way for us to know that we have breached the barrier is to cut the skin.
"However, there are some life-forms that do not have such a barrier. Among them are the ones you mentioned, King Merin – the ones that pollute water. Instead of using magic to broil them to death, I could just suck the life out of them instead. I would gain magic – though not much – as opposed to using it up."

"You – you can draw life out of other creatures? To the point of killing them?", Merin asked, aghast.

Casting a quick glance at Akkarin and Sonea, he noted that neither of them seemed surprised or shocked by this revelation – apparently, they had known about this.

"I can", Savara replied softly. "Although we do not use this ability to kill, usually. You see, the point of it is for us to strengthen ourselves – and that is more efficiently done if the sources aren't killed. Not to mention the fact that we would consider that murder. We do not kill our own. And even the more ruthless factions do not, ordinarily, leave a trail of corpses in their wake.
"On the other hand, using this skill is one of the safest methods for killing a magician. If you fatally wound a magician without stripping away his magic first, you have a gigantic explosion on your hands."

Merin considered that. The fact that neither Akkarin nor Sonea were showing any kind of alarm calmed him somewhat.

"I have never heard of a magical ability like this before", he said with a frown.

"It's an ability that was banned by the Guild some five hundred years ago", Akkarin explained. "The average magician only knows that it is forbidden. We, the Higher Magicians, know how to recognise it, and what it does, but not how it works. We call it 'black magic' – a deliberate change that was made when this kind of magic was banned. In Sachaka, it is known as 'higher magic'."

"All Sachakan magicians are capable of using it, regardless of what faction they belong to", Savara added. "Using this ability, I could easily purify all of your wells. And no, I wouldn't ask for anything in return."

"And why, exactly, did the Guild ban this black magic?", Merin asked with a frown.

"Unfortunately, we don't know for certain yet – you see, all records from this time were either lost, or rewritten to omit any mention of black magic", Akkarin replied. "However, we've just discovered some ancient texts dating back five hundred years – one of them is a historical record, which I am in the process of transcribing. According to what I've learned, a young magician abused this ability, got drunk on power, and went on a killing spree across the country, growing stronger with every kill he made. I do not yet know how this story ends – however, it is certain that this prompted the Guild to ban this ability, and obscure all knowledge of it. However, the stash of books we found was meant to be a secret weapon, should Kyralia come under threat from Sachaka again. The knowledge of that was supposed to be passed down from the Head of Warriors to his successor, however, Lord Balkan knew nothing of it. Our records indicate that, seventy years after the ban, the Head of Warriors was killed in a practice bout at a young age. It is very likely the secret died with him."

"And now, you say, we face a threat from Sachaka."

"I'm afraid so."

Merin narrowed his eyes at Savara. "Not from your faction, I take it?"

"No, Your Majesty. I was sent here to warn you. One of these factions – the Ichani – have learned of the Guild's ban on higher magic, which has made them hatch a plan to invade Kyralia. If you thought that the Sachakan occupation of Kyralia and Elyne almost a millennium ago was bad, well, this will be worse. They will not leave a single magician alive this time."

"What do you mean?", Merin asked with a frown.

"When the Empire overran its neighbours back then, magicians who swore fealty to the emperor were spared, and taught higher magic – a skill that originated from Sachaka, as far as we know. There were mixed marriages, as well, and Kyralians and Elynes started keeping slaves, too. After the two countries were granted independence, slavery was abolished, but the use of higher magic retained. This put the magicians from Elyne and Kyralia on equal footing with Sachakan magicians – and this allowed them to repel the invading forces from Sachaka during the war seven hundred yeas ago.
"The Ichani will not risk history repeating itself. They will slaughter every single magician they can find, and take their magic for themselves. Then, they will enslave non-magicians with strong latent magic. When that happens, they will become nigh invincible, even King Amakira would be unable to oppose them, we fear. The Ichani are the worst of Sachaka. My faction – the Traitors, led by Queen Zarala – do not wish for this to happen. Rather, we would like to form an alliance with the Guild, or the Allied Lands – I'm still not entirely certain how things work around here. We wish to trade knowledge. Higher magic for healing magic. I would provide Guild magicians with the knowledge needed to stave off this threat."

"Hang on. Your faction is led by a queen? And is she connected to King Amakira somehow?"

"No. We form an independent society within Sachaka, one that shares similar values as you do. The rest of Sachaka do not. They still keep slaves, and none of them would be sympathetic to your plight. If King Amakira were to find out about Kariko's plans, he would, most likely, simply sit back and observe – and hope he gets himself killed abroad. Which, I fear, is unlikely to happen.
"On the other hand, if he were to find out that the Guild no longer knows how to use higher magic, he might just decide to invade you himself. You would lose all the same – although Amakira's men would probably be less cruel to your people than Kariko and his lot."

This bit of information sent his mind spinning. Merin grasped his armrests in a tight grip as he felt a surge of panic. The fact that they might all die at the hands of those powerful Sachakan mages – or be enslaved, how fun – was terrifying.

I've only just managed to stabilise the country! Finally managed to make the nobles back off! And now I'm supposed to defend Kyralia against some bloodthirsty magicians? I can't do this, I'm not cut out for this kind of thing! What should I do? They certainly won't keep me alive – I don't want to die!

"King Merin!"

Merin snapped out of his daze to find that Sonea had leaned forward in her seat, her dark eyes imploring.

"I know this is probably the last thing you wanted to hear, but you mustn't give in to the fear. Stay focused. Stay calm. You're not alone, we're all here to help."

Merin stared at her – this tiny woman from the slums who had only got caught up in all this because she'd decided to throw a rock at a magician three years ago – and once again found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

"Aren't you terrified?", he whispered.

"Of course I am", she replied with a nervous laugh. "But if I let the fear take over, I'm done for. If you just freeze and clamp up when someone's trying to kill you, you're dead. I'll admit that this is on a bigger scale than getting mugged in the slums, but – you wind up dead either way, no matter how you get killed."

Merin blinked – she was right, of course – and noticed, somewhat belatedly, that Akkarin had turned his head to regard Sonea with a proud look, not that she was aware of this.

The young king took a deep breath, and refocussed his attention on Sonea.

"Wait, how did you even – can you read minds at a distance, too?"

"No. However, I've seen that look before. That fearful stare. Far too often. Back then, I couldn't do anything about it, though – but now, I might be able to."

"Wait, hang on. Who can read minds at a distance?", Savara interjected with a frown.

"Oh, him", Sonea replied, jerking a thumb in Akkarin's direction.

Savara's eyes widened in alarm. "And you were going to tell me when, exactly?"

"I – I didn't conceal it on purpose, I swear!", Sonea protested. "Everyone around here knows – or suspects – the King included! It never occurred to me to mention it!"

"If it serves to reassure you – I don't make a habit of reading other people's minds", Akkarin added. "I've encountered minds so vile, I wouldn't want to touch them with a ten-meter pole. And I swear that I haven't deliberately read your mind."

"What do you mean, deliberately?"

"Sometimes, people will project their thoughts so loudly, I can't miss them."

"I used to be particularly bad in this regard", Sonea added with a grimace. "But I've also come up with a great way to deter him from doing it to me – I'll just go and think of really boring things, like formulas or stuff from textbooks."

"There are more fun things to do than watch Sonea revise formulas in her head", Akkarin added with a grin.

"Oi. Stay out of my mind."

"I am trying. I swear."

Savara watched the interaction with no small amount of surprise, a feeling with Merin shared. This was markedly different from how they had acted at the banquet – although Merin had been unable to observe them the entire time.

"I am still offended", Savara huffed. "I thought I was your friend."

"I'm sorry!", Sonea insisted. "I'll make it up to you."

"Hm… oh, I have an idea."

"Yes?"

"That Healing magic of yours. Show me."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"I want you to Heal me."

"But – you're not injured."

Savara smirked in response, and Merin sensed danger. Before he had time to react, Savara had already drawn her knife, and ran the blade across her palm.

"There", she said smugly, while Sonea stared at her, wide-eyed. "I fixed it."

Sonea let out a gasp and grasped Savara's wrist, staring at the wound intently. The skin started knitting itself back together moments later.

"It itches", Savara complained.

"Shut up. You just got yourself injured, so you don't get to complain. Besides, I need to concentrate."

The wound was soon gone, and Savara inspected Sonea's handiwork. Merin himself had been Healed before, but he could still vividly remember how amazed he had been, the first time.

The next moment, Sonea lunged for Savara's knife.

"Oi! Shove off!"

"No, give that here! You clearly can't be trusted around knives, you absolute madwoman!"

At this point, Sonea was almost halfway on top of Savara, who was trying her best to shake her off. Despite everything, Merin let out a somewhat startled laugh.

Both women froze, and turned to look at him with nearly identical expressions.

"Could you two try to behave yourselves?", Akkarin asked in an exasperated tone. "We are in the presence of the King."

"Sorry", Sonea muttered sheepishly as she righted herself.

Savara let out a cough, produced a piece of cloth from somewhere, and proceeded to clean her knife before sheathing it.

"That was certainly unexpected", Merin observed, arching a brow.

"I am glad to see that you can still laugh, despite everything. Your Majesty", Sonea said earnestly.

"Did you do this to make me laugh?"

"No. I genuinely think that the Ambassador should not be allowed near knives."

Savara pouted before turning to look at Akkarin.

"How do you deal with this on a daily basis?"

"Seemingly endless patience", he replied placidly. "I have four younger siblings. All the mayhem they caused was certainly good practice."

"Hah! The way I hear it, you were involved in a lot of that, often as the instigator", Merin chuckled.

"Lies. Baseless accusations."

"I'll have to ask Chessea about this, then", Sonea said with a giggle.

As Merin regarded the three people before him, it struck him just how young they all were. Even Akkarin, who was trying to be the responsible one, wasn't really that much older than the rest of them.

I don't know if Savara volunteered for this mission, but none of us should be in these positions. Akkarin was too young when he was elected. I was too young when I became king. And Sonea hasn't even graduated yet.

"So", he said, lacing his fingers together. "What do we do? High Lord, how does the Guild see this whole matter?"

"The Ambassador has provided us with enough proof that we consider this threat to be very real. We have agreed – although some were opposed to this idea – to partially lift the ban on black magic, and allow two magicians – who would be chosen – to learn black magic. Since this is a rather monumental change, I wanted to discuss this matter with you first, Your Majesty. Furthermore, the Traitors wish to form an alliance with us – they want their magicians to join the Guild. We are in favour of that, as well."

"I see. Lady Sonea, how do you view the current situation?"

"Well, it's bad, obviously. On the one hand, we're all taught that black magic is evil, and that we must not even seek to learn it, and, when looking at the story of that power-crazed magician, I can see why people would think that – but, the way things are right now, we won't survive unless we learn how to use this ability. And – to be honest, I don't think that magic can be evil. It can certainly be used for evil, yes, but – the Traitors are an excellent example of how you can use this power well. Besides, if these Ichani do invade – it'll be us Dwells, and other people at the bottom, who will die first. Those who have the means to flee will most likely do so. But those who have nothing have no choice but to stay."

"I see. Well, if the Guild thinks that this change is necessary, I will not oppose it. Just – please pick the right people."

"We've already discussed measures to ascertain this", Akkarin assured him. "Now that we have Your Majesty's permission to proceed, I will announce that an unscheduled Meet is to be held on the next Freeday."

"Then I'll send one of my advisors to attend."

"I thank you", Akkarin replied, inclining his head.

"Well, then, Ambassador, let's negotiate terms for joining the Allied Lands, and the Guild."

"Certainly", she replied, digging her left hand into her pocket – and leaving it there.

"One major problem that we have is that the Traitors don't control all of Sachaka. Ordinarily, a country needs to join the Allied Lands as a whole", Akkarin pointed out.

"We intend to remove King Amakira as a factor", Savara replied smoothly.

Merin's eyebrows shot up. "And how far along are you with these plans?"

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"I see. Well, the High Lord is right – we can't negotiate terms with just one part of a country."

"Can't you make exceptions, King Merin?", Sonea asked. "From what I understand, Sanctuary is almost its own country. Or perhaps the Traitors could split off from Sachaka?"

"We don't want to do that", Savara replied. "We want to take over the country. We've been preparing for this for a long time."

"How confident are you that you will win?", Akkarin asked.

"Very. We have spies all over the country, and are in contact with the slaves in most of the estates. When the time comes, most of them will abandon their masters, which will significantly weaken them."

Merin frowned. "Is there anything we could do to help with that? I get the feeling that your people would make better neighbours than the ones we currently have."

"Well, seeing how you only intend to let two people learn higher magic, the Guild wouldn't be able to help much with the fighting. However – we might have need of people who can Heal. I seem to remember that all Guild magicians know basic Healing?"

"That is correct", Akkarin replied. We could easily dispatch a few Warriors or Alchemists to do that. We cannot spare any of the Healers."

"Yes, I've heard that you have a shortage of those. If your magicians could serve as our rearguard, and take care of any injured magicians, that would be a great help."

"Keep in mind that, should they get caught up in the fighting, they would be virtually helpless."

"We will treat them the same as our sources."

"Very well. The Warriors might also, to some extent, be able to help with the strategising."

"If we know that this help is coming, we could increase our efforts to assassinate key figures, destabilise the country that way", Savara mused. "And we'd have to deal with the Ichani in the event that they decide not to invade you."

"In that case, let's just pretend that you have already conquered Sachaka – and pray that you do not fail, or it will end badly for all of us", Merin decided.

"I can work with that", Savara replied with a grin.

"Oh, but what do we do about black magic?", Sonea asked. "All magicians in Sanctuary use it. That would conflict with our laws, even if we manage to implement that change."

"We will not give up the use of higher magic", Savara replied. "We will not budge on that front. It is an integral part of our culture."

"How about a compromise?", Akkarin suggested. "Teach your magicians higher magic after they have finished their education at the Guild."

"I would prefer it if they didn't come back to Kyralia after that", Merin added. "And if the ambassadors you dispatched here were not magicians, themselves."

"So, if any of our girls wished to stay at the Guild, they would never be allowed to learn higher magic", Savara concluded.

"Unless they were elected as one of the Black Magicians", Akkarin replied.

"Do you really intend to only send girls?", Sonea asked.

"Lonmar only sends boys."

"I don't think you should use a worse example to justify your own unfairness. You're pre-emptively punishing all of your men and boys for crimes committed by other men."

"And it has worked out well for us for centuries", Savara retorted. She was silent for a moment before saying, "We will also allow male Naturals to attend the Guild. That is all we can do at present – the men of Sachaka are not as well-mannered as our own. We will have to teach them to be better first – until that day comes, we will not allow them and their sons to wield magic."

"All right."

"Do the other laws of the Allied Lands seem acceptable to you?", Merin inquired.

"What are those?"

"All countries are required to aid one another in times of military conflict. All magicians must join the Guild, and are the responsibility of the Guild. Magicians suspected or convicted of crimes must be handed over to the Guild for punishment. Aiding other countries in times of need. Not attacking other members of the Allied Lands. I think that's all."

"All of that sounds acceptable."

"Splendid! Let me fetch something to write with."

Merin summoned one of the palace scribes, and dictated the terms they had just agreed on. The woman quickly drafted a contract, and dripped sealing wax onto the parchment. Merin stamped it with his signet ring before signing his name next to it. He passed the pen to Savara, and she signed her name.

The scribe was already writing a copy of the contract.

"I can't believe I'm here to witness this", Sonea whispered. "It feels so unreal."

Savara turned, and gave her a grin.

"As soon as the Guild has chosen its Black Magicians, I will teach them higher magic, and other related skills", she said to Merin. "That shouldn't take too long. I'm not entirely certain what to do about Healing magic, though – Lady Vinara told me that it's very difficult to master."

"The best method would be for us to train some of your magicians", Akkarin replied. "Which will take time. But, as mentioned previously, we can't spare any of our fully-trained Healers."

"That's hardly ideal, but I suppose it's the only way. I can't stay here and study Healing magic, either."

"I would have to inform the Guild's leadership about you joining the Allied Lands first, but – your girls should be able to join with the next Summer Intake. They wouldn't make it here in time for next year's Winter Intake, even if they left right away."

"We'd lose half a year, though", Savara protested. "Can't they join an already existing class? We could teach them Control on the way here."

"It would be best if you discussed any matters concerning novices with University Director Jerrik", Akkarin replied. "After the Meet."

"Very well."

"Was that all you needed?", Merin inquired.

"Indeed. Thank you, again, Your Majesty, for seeing us so quickly", Akkarin replied.

"Don't mention it. Well, then, Lady Sonea, time to head back to the library. I'll be sure to give you a little head start before letting these two go."

"Thank you, Your Majesty", Sonea replied, rising to her feet.

Merin escorted her over to the wall panel and opened it for her. One of the Eyes was waiting inside, ready to guide her. Sonea bowed to him, and vanished.

"I do believe that it was a good thing that you brought her", Merin observed as he sat down again. "Although I had not expected to get comforted by her."

"Sonea tends to be unpredictable. This does not really surprise me."

"I suppose she is quite singular. I find that rather refreshing, if I'm being honest."

"She's certainly stirred things up at the Guild, too", Akkarin replied with a faint smile.

"Oh, about the wells, Ambassador, could you?"

"Certainly. I'd like to take Sonea with me, High Lord, if you don't mind."

"I don't, although I can't say that I like the idea of unleashing the two of you on the poor people in the slums. Would you mind if I tagged along, as well?"

"Not at all. Just try not to scare people too badly."

Akkarin let out an amused huff.

"I think Lady Sonea has enough of a head start now. You are both dismissed."

Akkarin and Savara rose, and bowed to him. The scribe handed her the copy of the contract, rolled up and safely stored inside a metal tube, with a bow.

"Oh, one last thing – why did you bring a cloak? I thought magicians didn't need them."

"Flair", Savara replied with a chuckle.

"Ah, I see. Well, then, I wish you luck with convincing the Guild."

"Thank you, King Merin", Akkarin replied.

As soon as they were gone, Merin summoned his servant, and asked for something stronger than wine. His nerves desperately needed that.

---

A/N:

Fun fact: Horses have better night vision than humans.

Glossary:
Ronia – God's joyful song (Hebrew)
Fun fact: I didn't know this was a name – I changed the spelling of the made-up name "Ronja" (the main character from one of Astrid Lindgren's novels), since Trudi Canavan has done the same thing with the name Tanja. When I looked up the meaning, I got a result for "Ronia".

Idioms in this chapter:
to touch someone with velvet gloves (jemanden mit Samthandschuhen anfassen) – to treat a (supposedly) very fragile person with extreme care

Savara: Come to Sanctuary with me. I promise that we'll treat you right.
Akkarin, panicking in the background: No, don't go! I promise to treat you right, too! (And to kill everyone who is mean to you)

Akkarin: Shit, Sonea is crying. I'd love to comfort her, but I can't with Savara here.
Savara: Shit, I didn't mean to make her cry. I'd love to comfort her, but I don't know if she'd appreciate that.

Larkin: I don't mind talking to Akkarin, he's actually kinda nice.
Sonea: That's because you're such a big fan of my maps.

Sonea: * casually compliments Akkarin *
Akkarin: * turns into a peacock *

Chessea: * somehow manages to be even more oblivious than Sonea *