Dangerous Liaisons

Sonea pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, wishing she could create a heat shield, but she did not wish to draw attention to herself as a magician. She glanced down Liana who held tightly to her hand and then back to see the rest of her family following her through the narrow streets of the Slums. They were rather conspicuous because of their size and because their clothing, while not of the finest quality, was free from holes and major repairs unlike what most in the Slums wore. Sonea was not worried about violence—she and Akkarin could defend themselves and the children without problem, but she was a bit worried about what might happen if they were recognized. She knew that if the wrong person heard that she and Akkarin were visiting the Slums, all sorts of nasty rumors would begin to circulate—despite the fact that it made sense for them to visit as she still had family in the area.

Sonea turned into one of the nicer sections in the area, matching her pace to Liana's shorter legs though she itched to move faster and finally be out of the open. She saw her aunt and uncle's house in the distance and walked briskly toward it, breathing a sigh of relief when they reached the door. Jonna answered as soon as she knocked, her eyes widening slightly when she saw the group gathered on her front step. Sonea mustered a small smile. "Can we come in?" Wordlessly, Jonna gestured them inside, still staring at them in shock.

Sonea had expected Jonna's surprise, for she had not spent Midwinter's Day with her aunt since she was a novice. Typically, they would get together later in the week so the children could spend the holiday at home. However, Cery had come to Sonea the previous day and mentioned Kerrel had found himself in some trouble, indicating that it would be best if Sonea and Akkarin visited as soon as possible. Therefore, they had left the Guild as soon as the children had opened their gifts, for Sonea knew Cery would not have come to her unless the situation was urgent.

"Hannia, come out and say hi to your cousins," Jonna called. A petite girl emerged from one of the back rooms, and Sonea noted that her oldest three children as well as her nephew towered over the young girl though Hannia was older than all of them. She supposed the Delvon genetics accounted for some of the difference, but she guessed that a lack of food at critical periods in development also contributed. Jonna and Ranel were quite proud and had always refused financial help despite Sonea's insistence. She wondered if the same thing would happen if she tried to help Kerrel or if concern for their son would finally win over their stubbornness.

At a nod from Jonna, the children disappeared into the back room. "No magic," Akkarin warned his sons who nodded. If they were alone, Sonea would not have trusted them to follow their father's command, but she was fairly certain Rhydian and Hanna could keep them in line.

Jonna's brow wrinkled. "Aren't they a bit young to be novices?"

Sonea sighed. "Yes, but Lorlen released his magic naturally about four months ago, and Orson was not far behind. They have mostly mastered Control now, and they both want to learn, so we are planning to have them start with the winter class in a couple weeks. It's far better than having two untrained magicians under our roof."

"Released it? Like you did?"

"It was similar, yes, but we have known for some time this was coming and could better prepare for it than with me. But we did not come here to talk about my sons. Where is yours?"

Jonna's eyes narrowed. "Cery told you."

"He did not give any details," Akkarin said. "He just mentioned Kerrel might be in some trouble."

Jonna glanced over at her husband who was sitting in a nearby chair, his bad leg propped up in front of him. He sighed. "It's my fault, mostly. We had a big row a few days ago. I wanted him to start taking a more active role in running the shop, and he wants nothing to do with that. Says he has bigger plans for his life. He guessed that he has magic since you do, and he's decided that he wants to be a magician. Outside the Guild."

Akkarin's frown had deepened as Ranel explained the situation. "He does have potential, doesn't he?" he asked Sonea.

Sonea nodded. "I tested him discreetly a few years ago. He has potential, but it's relatively low. If he was from an especially influential House, the Guild might take him, and I suspected we might still be able to convince them, but. . ." She trailed off, looking at Jonna.

"But one magician in the family is enough," Jonna said firmly. "We never even told him about his potential."

"But if he does find a magician, that person will tell him about his potential and can release it, even if it is minor."

"Where would he find a magician willing to release his magic without having him join the Guild?" Akkarin pressed his lips together but said nothing. "Akkarin? What aren't you telling me?"

"It's merely speculation at this point. Rumors, frankly."

"Rumors about rogue magicians? In Imardin?"

"They are all unsubstantiated."

"But if they're true?"

"We would have a lot more to worry about than just your cousin trying to release his magic on his own." Akkarin's eyes took on a distant look that Sonea knew meant he was thinking hard. "We need to find him quickly. Best case, we bring back a grumpy teenager. Worst case, well, we would at least be able to substantiate those rumors and act on them."

"I don't like this."

"Neither do I, but I do not see much other choice. Jonna, Ranel, you and Hannia should go back to the Guild with Sonea and the children."

"I don't know-" Jonna began, but Akkarin cut her off.

"It is the safest place for you. If the rumors are true and Kerrel does find a rogue magician, that person might want to use you as leverage."

"He's right, Jonna," Ranel agreed.

"I should help," Sonea said, but Akkarin shook his head.

"I would rather have you protecting the others, just in case. Besides, if Kerrel does release his magic, I should hopefully be able to track him by his presence since it should be somewhat similar to yours, but having you nearby would make that difficult." They stared at one another for a few moments before Sonea finally shook her head.

"Okay," she agreed. "But I still don't like this." Leaning forward, Akkarin pressed his lips to hers briefly before they called all the children out of the back room to explain what was going to happen.

A/N: So I couldn't resist a bit of action in this one (Kerrel's problem was originally going to be that he got a girl pregnant, but I already used that plotline for Edgar, so I wanted to do something different). The next one will be back to a more lighthearted tone, I promise!