Akkarin fortunately had only two meetings that day, and both ended quickly, so he was able to move the chest to a safe spot in the tunnels near his Residence and devote a good deal of time to the books he found in it. He had skimmed them all and sorted them based on the order in which he wanted to read them. Four seemed to be detailed accounts of how to perform black magic, and Akkarin noted there were far more applications than he had assumed. One was a diary written by the late Lord Coren about shaping stone—Akkarin had not known he had needed black magic to do so, but as he considered what he knew about architecture and black magic, he supposed it made sense. The sixth book, and the one he chose to read first, was a history of the conflict between Kyralia and Sachaka. Unlike every other history in the Guild's possession, however, this one gave a full account of exactly how black magic—called higher magic in the book—had been used in the conflict. As Akkarin read, he grew more and more excited, knowing that the book in front of him provided him with the best chance of convincing the Higher Magicians and the King about the danger from Sachaka without needing to admit his own use of black magic.
He was so immersed in the book that he did not sense Sonea's familiar presence until he heard the door open. He looked up, his lips starting to turn into a smile, but his expression quickly changed when he noted her fear and confusion. Automatically, he reached out for her surface thoughts, but her mind was in such turmoil, they were a confusing jumble. He pulled out of her mind, focusing on her face. "What happened, Sonea?" Instead of answering verbally, she turned her head, gesturing to her neck where he could clearly see a purpling bruise. He winced. "I apologize. It seems I quite lost my head last night. Would you like me to show you how to use an illusion to cover it?"
Sonea sighed, dropping into a chair across from him. "What's the point? Regin already saw it, so the whole class knows. If you teach me now, it might be worse because I couldn't tell them who showed me how to do the illusion." He acknowledged the truth of that with a slight incline of his head. Noting the book in his lap, she remarked, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"It's no problem, Sonea. I want you to come to me with these things, particularly when it's my fault."
"I certainly didn't stop you. And I would have seen it this morning if I had taken the time to check my appearance more closely."
"Technically, that is my fault as well."
Her eyebrows rose. "Have you always insisted on taking the blame for things which aren't your fault?"
"It's a problem of mine." He gave her a half-smile, and after a moment, she returned it. He reached out a hand, grasping hers, and she allowed him to pull her into his lap. Once there, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a long, lingering kiss. When he pulled away, he brushed her hair out of her face and pressed a second kiss to her forehead. "Takan should have dinner ready shortly."
"Good. I'm very hungry."
"Did you skip lunch again today?"
She shrugged, "I didn't feel like having everyone stare at me. What are you reading anyway?"
He recognized the subject change but decided not to press the issue of her skipping meals. At least with her eating breakfast and dinner with him, he could ensure she had two decent meals a day. "It is one of the books we found in the tunnels, specifically a history of the Sachakan War. It includes details that the books in the Magicians' Library do not have, specifically details on the use of black magic in the war." Her eyes widened.
"Do you think it will help to convince the Higher Magicians that the Sachakans could be a threat?"
"I hope so, but I suppose I will not know until I try."
"Are you planning to tell them about the books then?"
He nodded. "I would like to finish reading this one first and then I will likely have Lorlen call a meeting. But I certainly do not have to do so tonight." He marked his place and set the book aside, one of his hands coming up to cup her cheek.
"I thought you said dinner was soon."
"There's still time," he murmured before capturing her lips with his.
Three days later, he had finished both the history and the diary and decided it was time to bring his findings to the Higher Magicians. He caught Lorlen in his office just before lunch one day during a short break that he had from his Court duties. "Do you have a minute to talk?"
Lorlen gave him a tired smile. "Only for you." Akkarin stepped inside and shut the door, causing his friend to raise his eyebrows.
"I would like to call a meeting of the Higher Magicians."
"We have our monthly meeting next week. Do you need something sooner?"
Akkarin had considered using that meeting before, but he knew that his colleagues would expect him to bring the information in the chest to them sooner rather than later, so he wanted to show a sense of urgency to allay suspicion. "It would probably be best to do this sooner."
Lorlen's eyes went wide. "Did someone find out?"
Akkarin was puzzled for a moment before realizing Lorlen was referring to his relationship. "No, this is about a different matter entirely. I would appreciate your continued discretion on the matter to which you referred." Lorlen opened his mouth, but Akkarin anticipated his question. "I would prefer to tell everyone at once, old friend."
"In that case, I will endeavor to make the meeting as soon as possible."
True to his word, Lorlen managed to find a free hour for all the Higher Magicians the following day. Akkarin brought the chest through the tunnels to an exit near Lorlen's office before covering it in an illusion and taking it to the Administrator's office. Balkan and Lorlen were already waiting there, and they bowed to him in greeting when he entered. He set the chest in a corner out of the way before taking his seat. The other two men were practically screaming at him in curiosity with their thoughts, but he ignored them. Vinara and Sarrin soon joined them, and after quick greetings, they turned to Akkarin. He looked slowly around the room, meeting the gaze of each of them, and then he began to speak. "I discovered something the other day that I believe will have a great impact on the Guild, and I wished to discuss it with all of you before determining our next course of action." With a thought, Akkarin removed the illusion, looking over at the chest. All eyes followed his.
"What is it?" Balkan questioned.
"A chest with seven books." After some debate and a quick discussion with Sonea, Akkarin had decided to include the Guild records detailing Tagin's atrocities in the chest. Admitting he had actually found it in a small, magically-protected hiding spot in the underground room of his Residence months before would likely raise more questions about why he had not revealed its existence to the Higher Magicians sooner, questions he would rather avoid. "I have read three of them," he continued. "One is a history of the the Sachakan War, one is a diary of the late Lord Coren, and the third is a series of Guild records from about 500 years ago. They all have one thing in common—they deal with the subject of black magic." Akkarin heard the gasps of shock from all the magicians present, and he paused, taking the opportunity to reach for their surface thoughts. Though he generally preferred to avoid such actions, he needed to make sure that no one had any suspicions about his own knowledge of black magic. Fortunately, though he heard a good deal of confusion and worry, he heard nothing that indicated anyone distrusted his story.
"Why did you not bring the chest to us right away?" Balkan asked.
"I did not know what was in it at first."
"But surely it would have made sense to call a meeting once you realized the books spoke of black magic!"
"I debated with myself extensively about that, but the Guild records I read made it quite clear why black magic was banned 500 years ago. In addition, I suspect the remaining four books in the chest are detailed accounts of how to use black magic. I worried about letting too many know of their existence."
"You are saying you do not trust us? The Higher Magicians?"
Akkarin turned a cool stare to the Head of the Alchemists. He knew Sarrin had been his main opponent among the Higher Magicians when they first nominated him for High Lord, mostly due to his age, and the older magician had made no secret since that time that he felt Akkarin was unsuited for his role. However, his distrust had typically been subtle; he rarely openly opposed Akkarin. "I am saying, Lord Sarrin, that the more people who know about a secret, the less likely it is to stay a secret for long. If news of the existence of these books spreads among the magicians. . . well, I am sure we can all imagine several unpleasant scenarios that might result."
"Why tell us now then?" Lorlen questioned.
Akkarin looked to his old friend. "Because the third book I read—the history of the Sachakan War—worried me. As I am sure you are all aware, it was a war fought among magicians of the two countries. What no other history tells us, however, is that it was a war among black magicians." Akkarin paused, letting that fact sink in. He heard some quiet muttering, but no one asked a question aloud. "The Guild outlawed black magic two hundred years after the war but I saw no indication that Sachaka did the same. In fact, the Guild records seem to indicate that the leadership wanted to preserve this knowledge in case it should be needed in a future conflict."
"But they did not preserve this knowledge," Balkan pointed out.
"They did." Akkairn nodded to the chest. "The Head of Warriors was supposed to know how to find the chest and the High Lord what it contained, but that knowledge must have been lost. Five hundred years is a long time, and it is certainly possible that someone forgot to pass on his or her knowledge to a successor during that time."
Silence reigned for a minute or two. Finally, Lorlen questioned, "Do we actually know that Sachakans still practice black magic or is it just speculation?"
Akkarin steepled his hands under his chin, considering how to best answer the question without giving away too much of his own past. "We do know there are still magicians in Sachaka, including their king." At the looks of shock around him, he smiled slightly. "The Allied Countries are the only ones who forbid a magician from ruling."
"And King Merin is aware of this?" Balkan asked.
Akkarin nodded, for that knowledge had predated his tenure as High Lord. "He sends envoys to Sachaka every few years, and a couple have even had magicians, but they are turned away before they can get to Arvice, the capital. Even if they were to make it to the capital, most magicians would not recognize black magic if they saw it."
"Why would they turn away the envoys?" Vinara questioned.
"At a guess, Sachaka has still not forgiven us for the war. Our relationship with them is decidedly unfriendly, and we have heard some complaints about the wasteland."
"They blame us for that?" Sarrin questioned.
"Accurately, as it turns out. The history I read indicates that we created it after the war to stop Sachaka from gaining too much power and invading again."
"So you are saying that we are bordered by a hostile country who possibly has black magicians," Balkan summarized.
"You can see why the contents of the chest worried me."
"We will need to take this to the king," he remarked.
"Yes. However, I wanted to determine our recommendation first."
"And what is our recommendation?" Lorlen questioned, and Akkarin noted that the other four magicians looked to him expectantly. He considered for a moment, knowing this was his chance to convince the magicians of the necessity of having someone learn black magic but not wanting to seem too eager.
"I think we need to determine for sure if Sachaka has black magicians," Akkarin said carefully. "And if they do, we need to determine how we could have the strength to counter them."
"You're saying we should teach our magicians black magic," Sarrin said, disbelief coloring his tone. Akkarin shook his head.
"Certainly not all of them. But I think we should at least determine who should learn it should a need arise and give them the chest to look through." Akkarin heard a couple sharp intakes of breath, but no one disagreed with him outright.
"We could send Foreign Administrator Kito with the next envoy," Lorlen suggested. "As a Higher Magician, he can recognize black magic. And even if the envoy does not make it to the capital, it's possible he will see something along the way that others have missed."
"Plus he is the best diplomat the Guild has. An excellent idea," Akkarin agreed.
"Where is he right now?" Balkan questioned.
"In Lan trying to settle some disputes among the clans," Lorlen answered.
"I will recall him immediately. The Lan ambassador can handle the disputes in the meantime," Akkarin declared. "We will need to impress on him that this is likely to be a very dangerous mission. The Sachakans do not like Kyralians in general and Guild magicians in particular. Even if they do not practice black magic, a large number of them could easily overpower Kito."
"Should we send more magicians then?" Balkan questioned. "Perhaps a contingent of Warriors for protection?"
Akkarin shook his head. "That would be too conspicuous. Kito alone would have a chance of making it into Sachaka without anyone knowing who he was."
"You are saying he should go in disguise," Lorlen guessed.
"Yes, that would be best. I can talk to the king about recruiting a couple of his spies to accompany him. They could pose as traders—there are a few traders from the Allied Lands who do travel to Sachaka."
"And if he discovers that the Sachakans do indeed practice black magic?" Balkan questioned. The other Higher Magicians exchanged grim looks, but no one seemed willing to say the logical conclusion aloud, and Akkarin was hesitant to do so again. Finally, Lorlen spoke.
"I suggest we discuss that in more detail if it occurs. Perhaps we could come up with a different solution than the one the High Lord proposed in the meantime." He exchanged a quick look with Akkarin who simply gave him a small nod, his face expressionless. Perhaps the Higher Magicians could figure out a different solution, but Akkarin did not have much hope that they would. He had been trying to think of something since returning from Sachaka without success.
"We could train our magicians in fighting a much stronger opponent," Balkan suggested. "My predecessor may not have passed down knowledge of this chest, but he did let me know a few strategies for fighting a black magician." Akkarin looked at the Head of Warriors, intrigued. He had never heard of such strategies being passed down among the Warrior leaders before, but he also knew that Balkan was not one to exaggerate. Perhaps there would be a way to fight the Sachakans without black magic after all.
"I would be most interested to hear about those," Akkarin said.
"Of course, High Lord." Balkan considered for a moment. "It would be best to do some practice bouts as well. I can gather a list of our strongest Warriors who are currently in Imardin. High Lord, I know it is outside your normal duties, but perhaps you would be willing to be our opponent? You are the strongest magician in the Guild by far."
"Of course," Akkarin agreed immediately. "It will be nice to be in the Arena again anyway." He saw Lorlen smirking out of the corner of his eye but ignored his friend. Thinking of Sonea, Akkarin added, "I do not know that we should limit ourselves to only magicians, however."
Balkan's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"There are some exceptionally strong novices. If it came down to a fight with a black magician, we would likely want to use their strength as well."
Vinara frowned. "I do not like the idea of novices fighting."
Akkarin turned to her. "Nor do I, but if we truly need to fight a black magician, he would not simply ignore the novices, especially the powerful ones. They would be tempting sources of power for him. I would rather they know how to defend themselves and be able to contribute their power to our defenses." The thought of a black magician cornering Sonea and draining her power before she could stop him was, in fact, a scenario that had haunted Akkarin since he had begun developing feelings for her. Though he had taught her to hide her power better, it was still obvious to anyone sensitive to it as most black magicians were. She was a very attractive target.
Balkan frowned. "I admit, I did not consider that. I think it makes sense to use the fourth and fifth year novices who have chosen the art of war, but I believe the rest should focus on their studies."
"There are very strong novices in earlier classes as well. Lord Garrel's nephew, for example, and the Natural. Sonea." Lorlen gave Akkarin a sharp look, but he ignored it. Balkan looked thoughtful.
"They are both second years which seems much too early to involve them in a training fight like this. Perhaps once they are third years and learn how to share their power easily, it would make sense though I would not want them involved in active fighting, just as sources of power for our Warriors." Akkarin nodded, knowing it would raise far too many suspicions if he continued to insist. They discussed a few more details before Akkarin promised to call back Foreign Administer Kito and bring the discussion to the King. As the other Higher Magicians filed out of the office, Akkarin hung back, sensing Lorlen wanted to talk to him. Once it was just Akkarin and his friend in the office, Akkarin shut the door and silenced it with a thought.
"What was that about Sonea?" Lorlen demanded.
"Sonea's an extremely powerful magician but does not have the training to adequately defend herself. If there are black magicians in Sachaka, she would be a prime target for them."
"That assumes those black magicians come to Imardin. It seems unlikely even if they do exist. Surely if there were black magicians anywhere near Kyralia, we would have heard of them before." Akkarin remained silent. He was still not ready to tell his friend everything, fearing Lorlen's reaction, particularly when he had just seen how strongly Lorlen had reacted to the mere suggestion of training black magicians to meet a possible Sachakan threat. However, Lorlen was smart and knew Akkarin well enough to realize Akkarin was holding back information. "You know something," he accused.
"I know that it is not good to become too complacent."
"There is something other than this box that makes you think there are black magicians in Sachaka, isn't there? Why don't you tell us?"
Akkarin sighed. "I cannot. But I would recommend you think very carefully about what you plan to do if we do prove there is a threat from Sachakan black magicians." With that, Akkarin swept from the room before Lorlen could ask more questions that would bring him uncomfortably close to the truth.
As soon as they sat down for dinner that night, Sonea asked the question which had been bothering her all day. "How did it go?"
Akkarin gave her a half smile. "About as well as I expected. The other Higher Magicians were horrified at the thought of Sachakan black magicians but not so much that they agreed some of our magicians should learn black magic. They want more proof. I have called back Foreign Administer Kito who, as a Higher Magician, can recognize black magic, and they would like him to travel to Sachaka in the near future to see if he can find such proof. I also have an audience with the king tomorrow to talk with him about my findings."
"So basically nothing has changed."
"I would not say that. The possibility is out there now. I never expected the Higher Magicians to change their attitude toward black magic overnight—their prejudices run quite deep. But we are moving in the right direction, and with some patience, I think I can convince them of the necessity of two black magicians in the Guild."
"Two?"
"So they can watch each other. It is not good for one person to be able to overpower everyone else—Tagin should have taught us that."
"I suppose. How do you know they'll choose you as one of the black magicians?"
"I don't. I have some ideas of how to convince them, but if they choose someone else instead, I have already started to consider alternative plans for how to deal with the spies."
Sonea sighed. "It all seems so complicated. I still wish you could just admit the truth."
"You know why I can't."
"I do. That doesn't mean I agree with it."
"I did get the Higher Magicians to make one other concession. They have agreed to let me start training some of our Warriors how to fight a much stronger magician. Balkan is still considering letting novices join in as well, particularly fourth and fifth year novices who chose the Warrior discipline and exceptionally powerful third years."
"That means it will be six months before I can join."
"I will try to speed up the timelines, but it was the best I could do today." They spent the rest of dinner theorizing how to best convince the Higher Magicians of the danger from Sachaka, but by the end of the meal, they were no closer to an answer. After eating, Akkarin disappeared to the basement room and returned with one of the books from the chest. He had explained to Sonea that there had been a good deal of debate over what to do with the books, but they had eventually all agreed to hide them in the tunnels, assuming they would be less likely to be discovered accidentally there. Fortunately, the Higher Magicians trusted Akkarin enough to allow him to hide the books and perform the illusion to keep them covered, so he could still access them. Akkarin hoped to find something in them which would allow them to defeat the Sachakans if they did attack, for he worried that the Higher Magicians might delay their decision until it was too late. While Akkarin poured over the book from the chest, Sonea finished some schoolwork. When she started to yawn, she closed her books and packed them back into her box, rising to her feet and starting for the door. Akkarin seemed to be deeply immersed in his book, and she did not want to disturb him, but he looked up when he heard the door open.
"Tired?" he questioned.
"Yes. I think it's time for me to call it a night."
Akkarin nodded, marking his page in his book. "Let me return this to the chest and then I will join you. I do not want it lying around."
"You can keep reading if you wish."
Akkarin gave her a small smile. "No, I would rather go to bed with you."
Sonea's eyebrows rose when she heard the suggestive undertone in his voice. "To sleep?"
"Eventually," he agreed, his grin broadening. Sonea flushed slightly, but she felt anticipation coiling in her gut. Some of that thought must have leaked through, for Akkarin raised a single eyebrow before crossing the room to stand next to her. Looping his free arm around her waist, he pulled her to him and pressed a long kiss to her lips that made his intentions perfectly clear. When he finally pulled away, Sonea's head was spinning, and she reached out to steady herself against the door frame. "I will be up soon," he promised, his voice laden with desire. Then, with a final kiss, he slipped out of the room and strode toward the stairs leading down. Sonea watched him go for a moment, letting her head clear, and then slowly moved to the bedroom.
Sonea slept deeply that night, tired but sated. Partway through the night, images flashed through her mind that she had never seen before, images of a dark room, quiet except for the sound of her own breathing. A bright light suddenly appeared in front of her, causing her to blink, momentarily blinded. A new voice sounded then, speaking a language she did not recognize, and she realized she had once more entered Akkarin's dreams. Since he had told her his story, she had not shared any visions with him and had assumed his confession had stopped them, but apparently it had not. Suddenly, pain lanced across her back, more intense than any pain she had felt before, and she cried out. She heard laughter, low and cruel, and the pain came again, somehow even stronger this time.
A new voice suddenly cut through the pain, also screaming. She recognized it immediately. Sonea tried to follow it, and she found herself coming out of the dream. As she opened her eyes, she saw she still lay in Akkarin's bed, the heavy weight of his arm across her chest. Turning her head, she saw that he, too, was waking up, his body twitching as he pulled himself back into consciousness. When his eyes opened, they immediately locked onto hers. He grimaced. "Sorry. I did not mean to wake you. I had hoped I was done with the dreams, but I suppose it is to be expected that discussing Sachaka with the Higher Magicians today caused some old memories to surface."
"It's fine." He rolled toward her, wrapping both arms around her to pull her into his chest. Her hands splayed across his back, and she immediately felt the ridges of the scars, scars that she had just seen inflicted on him. Without considering her actions, she traced one of them. He flinched. Now, it was her turn to apologize. "Sorry."
"They don't hurt. It just reminded me of the dream."
"I know." He pulled back slightly to look at her in confusion. "I saw the dream. I did not mean to, I promise! I had thought our dream-sharing days were over, but I suppose I was wrong."
Akkarin grew thoughtful, his hands gently running over her bare skin. "I wonder if there is a way to control the images through the connection," he mused.
"What do you mean?"
"So far, the shared visions have come to us somewhat randomly, generally when one of us is feeling a strong emotion. But perhaps. . ." He trailed off, pulling away so they were no longer touching. Frowning, Sonea reached for him, but she had not yet touched him when she felt a sudden wave of intense love and desire accompanied by a picture of herself but not like the image she saw when she looked in the mirror. The young woman in the picture was beautiful, her hair fanned over her bare shoulders, the moonlight reflecting from her eyes and making them shine. With a start, she realized that he was sending her the image as he had suggested might be possible.
The image disappeared along with the feeling as suddenly as it appeared. Sonea looked over at Akkarin who appeared satisfied. "It seems to work."
"Can I try?" Sonea questioned, eager to explore this new facet of the connection.
Akkarin shrugged. "You will need to concentrate on both the image and whatever emotion you are using to project it." Sonea nodded, remembering the feeling of love she had received for him. It warmed her inside and made it easy for her to bring up the same feeling for him. Focusing on that, she brought to mind one of her favorite pictures of him—relaxed in one of the armchairs in the study, legs crossed, eyes focused on a book in his lap. After a moment, she lost her focus and looked to Akkarin who was smirking slightly. "I see," he remarked. Sonea blushed, wondering if she should have chosen a different image. "Well, I for one am rather awake despite the time. Perhaps we could find a way to change that?" He moved back so that he was hovering over her, his hand running alluringly down her body.
"I would not say no," Sonea agreed.
Sonea had an evening alchemy class the following day, and she left for it as soon as she finished eating dinner with Akkarin. Though alchemy was not her favorite subject, she did well enough in it generally, but on the current night, she found herself quite distracted. She wondered how others handled relationships smoothly; ever since she and Akkarin had become intimate, it seemed like all she could think about was him and when they would next be alone together. She had managed to keep such thoughts at bay during the day, but she was finding it difficult now that she was tired.
Unfortunately, Regin noticed her distraction and took advantage of it. She did not see exactly what he did, but without warning, the beaker holding the liquid for her experiment melted, causing the liquid to sizzle against the shield she had erected around her work area. The teacher approached her, frowning. "Were you paying attention to the order in which you added the components?" he questioned.
"I. . ." Sonea began, but she trailed off, unwilling to accuse Regin outright. She had no proof, and she had learned that others were quick to assume she was at fault without proof. In addition, she certainly did not want anyone to even suggest a Truth Read, for she knew it would be quite suspicious to refuse one. "I suppose I was not," she finally said.
The teacher's frown deepened. "Clean this up—and don't use magic. It tends to react poorly with the chemicals and could cause further problems. You will likely have to stay late to finish up the experiment." Sonea simply nodded, moving to grab a rag to clean up the spill. As she worked, she forced herself not to look back at Regin who she was sure was quite pleased with the outcome of his prank.
By the time Sonea finally finished up the experiment, the rest of the class had gone. The teacher nodded once at her work before instructing her to clean everything up and then tidy up the classroom. As soon as he had given the instructions, he also left, and Sonea could not suppress her groan while she moved to do as he asked. The hallways were dark when she emerged from the room, and she sent a globelight ahead of her to light the way. At least the rest of the class had already gone, so she did not have to go first to the Novice Quarters and then double back to the classroom with the tunnel entrance to avoid suspicion. Instead, she turned toward it, her steps quickening in her eagerness to be back with Akkarin.
She had just turned the corner when a familiar figure suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway. "Well, look who's working late," Regin remarked, moving toward Sonea who noted that he had gathered seven other novices as well. She scowled at him.
"You know exactly why I was working late. Let me pass."
"Oh, of course. But before we do, we have a little gift for you." Regin pulled a hand from behind his back and held up a glass vial. Sonea was not sure exactly what it contained, but she was certain it was not something pleasant. "I was thinking about that mark I saw the other day, and I thought perhaps since you are unable to hide it with an illusion, I could help you obtain some similar marks so it would not be as noticeable. I am sure that whatever low life gave you the first one would not mind." Sonea quickly threw up a shield as she began backing away, but a shield behind her kept her from moving too far. Resolving herself to the situation, Sonea straightened her spine and faced Regin, trying to recall some of the lessons Akkarin had taught her. Regin's followers began to strike, but their attacks were relatively weak and skittered harmlessly off of Sonea's shield. Regin himself seemed almost bored with their efforts; he simply stood, arms crossed, with the vial floating just in front of him.
Seeing the vial gave Sonea an idea, and she formed an attack focused on Regin, directing most of it at the front of his shield and the ground just under his toes. He jumped slightly, and she felt a moment of satisfaction. Apparently, he had not been shielding well beneath himself. Noting that his jump had taken him backwards a half step, Sonea increased her efforts, ignoring the attacks directed at her. Regin's eyes narrowed, and he joined the attack, sending a pair of powerful Forcestrikes that forced Sonea to strengthen her shield. Concentrating harder, she continued to attack Regin, focusing her attack at the front of his body. Her strikes were weak enough that she knew they would not hurt him, but she used a couple of Akkarin's tricks to make them look powerful. The tricks worked, and Regin took another step away under the onslaught. Sonea's own power was draining quickly now that all eight novices were fighting against her, but she still had some reserves. She just needed Regin to step back a bit more.
A Heatstrike through the floor followed by a series of powerful Stunstrikes made him stumble, and Sonea quickly took advantage. As soon as his shield no longer covered the vial, she encased it in her own shield and pulled it forward. One of the other novices shouted in alarm as it whizzed past his head. Sonea ignored him, focused on defending herself from the attack which had increased in intensity when Regin lost his weapon. She was beginning to wonder if she should shatter the vial while she still had enough power to keep whatever it contained from hitting her when a new voice shouted, "What is happening here?"
The strikes died down as all nine novices turned to face the newly-arrived magician. Administrator Lorlen stood at the end of the hallway opposite Sonea, his face more furious than Sonea had ever seen. Regin spoke first. "She threatened us, Administrator."
"Oh?" Lorlen turned to Regin, a single eyebrow raised.
"Yes, she has some sort of acid in her shield, said she was going to use it to burn us all."
"Are you making an accusation?" Lorlen questioned.
Regin's confidence faltered, and he glanced at Sonea. "The proof is right there," he said, gesturing to the floating vial still encased in Sonea's shield. "That should be enough."
"I see." Lorlen turned back to Sonea. "Sonea, would you like to say something for yourself?"
Sonea considered for a few seconds. "The vial is not mine," she finally remarked.
"And do you know whose it is?"
"No," Sonea answered truthfully. Lorlen's brow furrowed for a moment before his expression cleared.
"Do you know who brought it today?" he questioned.
Sonea sighed. "Does it matter?" Lorlen stared at her intently for a few seconds before finally turning back to Regin and the others.
"Well, it seems that no one knows the full story. In that case, I will inform Director Jerrick that you were all fighting in the corridor with dangerous substances and let him take appropriate action. Sonea, if you could release your shield, I will take possession of the vial." Sonea immediately released her shield, and Lorlen carefully pulled the vial out of the air. "Now, Sonea, I would like to see you in my office for a few minutes. The rest of you can return to your quarters, and I will have Director Jerrick inform you of your punishment tomorrow." The other novices glared at Sonea for another moment before realizing they could do nothing else and shuffling away. Lorlen watched them go until they rounded the corner and then beckoned Sonea toward his office. She followed him in silence.
The first thing Sonea noted upon entering his office was his desk which was covered in papers. She heard Lorlen close and silence the door. "Akkarin was right; you do work too much," she remarked without thinking. He turned to her, eyebrows raised, and she blushed slightly. "Sorry, I should think more before speaking."
He gave her a small smile. "It's true enough, I suppose, and I must admit that I find it amusing to hear my best friend's words from a different source. But I did not bring you here to allow Akkarin to chastise me through you. I wanted to talk about what happened in the corridor."
"Why?"
"Someone could have been seriously injured, Sonea. I do not know exactly what this is, but I imagine it is quite harmful," he said, holding up the vial.
"I don't know what it is either, but I would agree with your assessment. I was trying to keep it from hitting anyone."
"I know. But why not tell the truth about what happened?"
"I don't want to accuse Regin."
"I could do the Truth Reading, and I promise I would not expose your relationship with Akkarin should it come up during the process."
"It probably would," Sonea muttered, thinking of how often Akkarin had been on her mind lately.
"You can trust me, Sonea."
"I know. I just don't want any trouble. I would prefer they all leave me alone."
"And if they don't?"
"I'm working on that."
Lorlen gave her a small smile. "Well, I will think about options as well. For tonight, however, I'll walk you back to the Novice's Quarters so you do not have any other unexpected encounters."
"No need to trouble yourself. I can make my own way back."
"I am sure you can, but I cannot guarantee that your attackers are not waiting for you somewhere. I would feel better if I walked you back. I am sure Akkarin would as well."
Sonea considered letting him walk her back and then doubling back to make her way to the tunnels, but she knew he was probably correct that Regin and his gang were waiting for her somewhere. She would not want to run into them on her way back to the University. "I just need to go a couple corridors over and one floor down. It will not take long, and I doubt they will ambush me on that route."
Lorlen stared at her for a few seconds before chuckling. "I probably do not want to know, do I?"
"No, it is probably best that you do not."
"Tell Akkarin that he still needs to stop by my office tomorrow morning to sign some papers."
"Of course. Goodnight, Adminsitrator." Sonea started to turn, but something held her back. She looked at Lorlen, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the way his blue robes were wrinkled at the shoulders as if he had spent a good deal of time hunched over his desk. He truly did need to work less. "Takan always makes extra food. I am sure Akkarin would love to have his best friend over for dinner more often."
Lorlen's smile broadened. "I will have to consider that. Take care, Sonea, and goodnight." With a final nod, Sonea slipped out of the room and made her way quickly to the tunnels.