When Akkarin next became aware of his surroundings, he still felt considerable pain, but it had lessened somewhat. A quick check of his power source told him that it was not nearly fully regenerated, but it had regenerated somewhat. A steady trickle was slowly Healing the broken blood vessels and muscle damage from the knife, but the worst of the damage was already repaired. Akkarin was not sure if his own body had done that work or if one of the Healers had Healed him, but he could breathe with only minimal discomfort for which he was grateful.

He blinked, clearing his vision as he tried to determine where he was. His eyes began to roam the area as soon as he could see, searching for a familiar face. Though they did finally land on one, it was not the one he sought. "Lord Balkan," he greeted gruffly, starting to push himself into a seated position, but Balkan held up a hand to stop him.

"The Healers tell me that there is still a good deal of damage your body needs to repair. You should remain lying down until you're stronger." It seemed the Healers had worked on his broken body after all. Given that, Akkarin assumed he was in the hospital; it certainly tracked with the rather plain walls around him. Though he would have preferred to be sitting for what he was sure would be a difficult conversation, for such a position would have made him feel less like an invalid, he realized that the Healers were correct—he did not have the strength to move into a sitting position just yet.

"Where is Sonea?" he questioned. Balkan seemed a bit surprised by the question, and it took him a moment to answer.

"She's fine."

"While that is good to know, I did not ask how she was but where."

Balkan's eyes flashed at the challenge he heard in Akkarin's tone. "Like you, she is back in the Guild though I seem to recall that we exiled both of you from there."

It was Akkarin's turn to be surprised, but he was able to hide it from his expression. He would have assumed their reasons for returning would be obvious. "Lorlen asked us back."

"A request you did not answer."

"The Ichani would have read of our return from the mind of the first Guild magician they captured. We could be more effective if they did not know we were in the city."

Balkan stared at Akkarin for a moment before settling into the seat beside his bed. "So what I am hearing is that you acted independently without trusting the judgment of the Guild leadership." Akkarin's eyes narrowed, but he did not respond. He could tell from Balkan's tone that the older man was baiting him, and while the obvious distrust frustrated him, it would do him no good to react. Balkan seemed to realize he was not going to get a response from Akkarin, and he continued. "When you were elected High Lord, many felt that you were much too young. It was only the assurance that major issues would go to a vote among the Higher Magicians that swayed many to vote for you." Akkarin raised a single eyebrow. He knew there were far more reasons than that, but it was not the time to bring those up. "With your recent actions, you have shown that that assurance was false, that you are perfectly willing to act alone if it suits your purposes. Many feel that you have betrayed the trust the Guild placed in you. They think you should be exiled once more." Akkarin suspected from Balkan's tone that "many" included mostly Balkan himself and a few other Warriors who were close to him.

"So you plan to exile us again?"

"Given that it did not work well last time, some have suggested that perhaps we should have used the official punishment for using black magic—execution."

This time, Akkarin could not resist the temptation to fight back. "You are no more capable of executing me now than you were after the trial." At Balkan's sharp look, Akkarin let a small smirk spread across his lips. "I assume that was the reason you chose exile over execution—you hoped that Sachaka would do the dirty work for you." Balkan huffed, breaking his gaze from Akkarin's, and Akkarin knew he had deduced correctly. "I would hope that recent events have shown why it is rather short-sighted of the Guild to not have a black magician among its ranks."

"Recent events have shown just why the Guild banned black magic in the first place."

"And yet there are still black magicians out there who would not hesitate to exploit the Guild's weaknesses. Black magicians who are far stronger than Kariko and his allies. They were outcasts in Sachaka."

Balkan's lips thinned so far that they were almost invisible. "Which is why we are offering a third option. You and Sonea may stay at the Guild as its black magicians, ensuring its protection against future threats. Of course, there would be many restrictions—you would not be allowed to take power without permission from all the Higher Magicians and then only if Kyralia is in imminent danger. You would not be able to teach. You would not be able to do further research into black magic. You would not be able to leave Guild grounds, and while on the grounds, you would have an escort of two Warriors at all times. Black magicians would be prevented from having close contact with one another. You would-"

"No," Akkarin said simply before Balkan could continue with the litany of prohibitions.

Balkan's eyebrows skyrocketed. "No?"

"No. I could not adequately protect the Guild with the prohibitions laid out. I will not be a trained limek the Guild keeps locked up to loose on her enemies."

"If you want to stay at the Guild, then you will need to agree to the prohibitions."

"Then I suppose I will not be staying at the Guild." Balkan's eyes widened almost comically. Akkarin knew he was making a bit of a gamble, but he felt it was his best option under the circumstances. Many of the prohibitions, particularly those against research and taking power, would tie his hands and prevent him from doing what was necessary to stop a future attack—and something told him there would be one. If the Guild refused to work with him, then he would simply have to work outside the Guild. It was not ideal, but he had already suspected there might be a push to send both Sonea and him into exile once more, and as he prepared for battle, he had Takan prepare for such an eventuality. He would be a more effective protector away from the Guild and without restrictions than he would be in the Guild under lock and key though he doubted most other magicians would see such a thing. He had betrayed their trust, and while he understood to some extent why they were unwilling to give it back to him, he wished they would not be so myopic.

"We plan to block your powers this time," Balkan remarked. Akkarin stared at him unblinkingly.

"At least they will still be there for you to unblock when you need my help again." In truth, Akkarin suspected he would be able to get around the blocks the Higher Magicians placed on him, but he certainly did not plan to confess that to Balkan.

Balkan scoffed. "We will not need the help of an exiled black magician. You are not the only Kyralian black magician."

"Sonea? She will never agree to the conditions you laid forth." In particular, Akkarin was sure she would balk at the last two—she would never confine herself to Guild grounds when her family and most of her friends still lived in the city, and he doubted she would be willing to agree to avoid close contact with him. He certainly would not agree to avoiding her; in fact, the thought of being able to have a relationship with her outside of the confines of the Guild and all the ridiculous rules and scrutiny it would inevitably place on them added an appeal to exile he was sure Balkan had not intended.

"She already has."

Akkarin did not even reach for Balkan's surface thoughts, for he could see on the other man's face that he was not being truthful. "You're lying."

Balkan looked slightly uncomfortable at Akkarin's confidence. "I am sure that you would like to think so."

"Just as you would like to have a black magician you feel you can control instead of one who has already defied you," Akkarin told him calmly. His lips twitched as he added, "But you have once more misjudged the situation. You can no more control Sonea than you can control me."

Balkan was not as good as Akkarin at hiding emotions, and his face clearly showed his anger. "You presume to know a good deal about Sonea."

"She was my novice for almost two years, and I am an excellent judge of character. It is how I know that she has so far refused to choose from the options you set forth before her. Let me talk to her, and I can make sure she gives you an answer."

Balkan stood, his face clouded with anger. "We will get an answer on our own. And I feel that I should let you know there are Warriors posted outside your door at all times should you think about leaving."

"Of course." With that, Balkan stalked from the room. As soon as the door shut behind him, Akkarin let the frustration show on his face. While he had known that the Guild would not exactly accept him and Sonea back with open arms, he had hoped for a bit more understanding, particularly from Balkan who had always been level-headed in the past. It was Balkan, in fact, who had first proposed Akkarin's name for High Lord and though the two strong-willed men had butted heads on various issues, they had always been able to resolve their differences. Something had changed, however. And perhaps he was reading too much into the situation, but Akkarin could not help but feel that the hostility between Balkan and himself was representative of larger divisions in the Guild, divisions that had likely been building for years. Akkarin had been so focused on the Sachakan threat, he had not looked internally enough, and he regretted that decision now. One more regret to add to the list, he supposed.

The door to the room swung open again less than an hour later, much to Akkarin's surprise. He had expected Balkan to keep him waiting far longer. However, it was not Balkan who first stepped through the door but Vinara, followed closely by the person Akkarin most wanted to see. He did a quick scan of Sonea's figure as Vinara closed the door with a thought. She seemed unharmed though he could clearly see the frustration on her face.

As Vinara stepped to his bed, her eyes lost focus for a moment, and Akkarin felt a sound shield go up around them. "You have two minutes," she said shortly.

"Akkarin!" Sonea exclaimed, starting toward him, but he held her off with a quick shake of his head, letting his eyes dart over to Vinara who was fortunately staring at the door instead of the two magicians in the room. Sonea seemed to realize what he was saying, and she stopped before touching him, adopting a formal tone. "I was glad to hear you will make a full recovery."

"I assume they have presented you with the options?"

"Yes. I told them I would not answer without speaking with you." Akkarin suppressed a smile. He suspected Balkan was quite frustrated both with Sonea for not answering and with Akkarin for knowing that she refused to answer. "Have you decided what to do?"

"Exile."

"They said they would block our powers this time," Sonea said with a frown.

"They did, but I doubt they would stay that way for long." Akkarin gave Sonea a long, meaningful look, waiting for her eyes to widen before adding, "Eventually, they will realize the necessity of black magicians in the Guild and call us to return." He glanced at Vinara who had turned to him, her lips pursed.

"There is no guarantee that would happen," Vinara remarked.

"There are few guarantees in life."

Vinara glanced back at the doorway, her spine suddenly stiffening. "You have had your conversation now. It is time to leave," she said, beckoning Sonea forward. Once more, Akkarin had the distinct impression that fractures were forming in the Guild, perhaps irreparable ones. A part of him, the part still fiercely loyal to the Guild that had been his first true home, longed to stay and repair them, but the logical side of his brain quickly pointed out that his presence was just as likely to deepen them.

Sonea gave him one final, searching look as Vinara led her from the room. He responded with a short nod, hoping she understood his unspoken words.

Akkarin was not sure how much time had passed, but he had eaten four bland meals a Warrior brought, slept once, and had a long mental conversation with Takan to give final instructions when Balkan entered the room again. He tossed a bundle to Akkarin. "The Healers assure me that you are well enough to move around now. Change, and then we will go see the other Higher Magicians." Akkarin unfolded the clothes Balkan had brought and quickly slipped them on. He then joined Balkan by the door. Though a bit slow, he was steady on his feet, for he had been pacing his room quite often in the past twenty-four hours, due both to boredom and a suspicion that he would not have much of a chance to recover, a suspicion Balkan had just proven correct.

They walked together out of the hospital, four Warriors falling into step behind them. They met the other four Higher Magicians just outside along with Sonea who wore a worried frown. Akkarin met her eye and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before stepping up to the other Higher Magicians and holding out his hands. With only a slight hesitation on the part of Peakin and Osen, they all linked hands, and their eyes slid shut. Akkarin felt their familiar presences in his mind, and it did not take long for them to find the door to his power and lock it tightly. Once they completed that, he opened his eyes to see them all watching him closely. "Now that that's complete, I assume you want us to be on our way?"

Balkan scowled. "Lord Garrel will be leading your escort. There are horses waiting for you at the stable." Akkarin nodded, turning to the stable. After a moment's hesitation, Lord Garrel, Sonea, and the Warriors fell into step behind him.

As they made their way through the winding streets of Imardin, Akkarin could not help but remember the last time he had made the journey, less than a month before. This time, however, there were no crowds waiting to jeer at them. Given the amount of light in the sky, Akkarin suspected it was still quite early in the morning, and he knew the time had been chose purposefully to avoid crowds. He wondered why the Higher Magicians were so keen to avoid them.

Akkarin did not have to wonder long, for as they crossed into a new neighborhood, he suddenly heard a cacophony of voices ahead of him. "Hey, magicians!" a familiar voice called, and Akkarin glanced over to see Cery standing near the front of a crowd of Slumdwellers. As the Warriors turned as well, everyone in the crowd suddenly tossed something in their direction, and a cloud of rocks, refuse, and rotting food flew toward the small group of magicians. Akkarin braced himself for the impact, but it never came. Glancing behind him, he noted that Sonea, who rode a half a pace behind him, had also emerged from the attack unscathed but the same could not be said of their escort who rode further back. Though all five Warriors had now erected shields, they had apparently not done so at first given the mess that covered them and their horses. It took considerable effort for Akkarin to suppress a smile. Sonea was not as successful; he heard her snort in laughter beside him and met her eye. Though they did not exchange words, it was clear both were thinking about how different this ride through the city was than the one during their first exile. Glancing back at the crowd, which was now scattering as Garrel tried to group the escort together to retaliate, Akkarin caught Cery's eye. The young Thief winked at him before disappearing into a side alley with a number of others. "Let them go," Garrel finally ordered, sounding quite reluctant to do so. "We have a more important task." There was some grumbling among the Warriors, but they moved back into formation behind Akkarin and Sonea, continuing the ride out of the city.

The rest of the ride through the city was uneventful, but Garrel surprised Akkarin when he turned northeast once out of Imardin. There was not a good passage into Sachaka in the direction they were now traveling, and Akkarin worried that perhaps he had misjudged the situation. He had assumed they would exile Sonea and him into Sachaka again and then guard the passes to ensure they did not return. However, there were plenty of ways for a person or two to cross the mountains other than the passes, and Akkarin knew of a couple. Given that Kariko and his allies had been recently defeated, the wastelands near the border should have been clear which would have given Akkarin and Sonea ample time to make their way back over the mountains and into Kyralia where they could settle in a border town somewhere.

There was nothing to the northeast, however, except the sea. Akkarin had heard of other continents across the sea and that some merchants braved the perilous journey, but he had never personally met anyone who had traveled there. Immediately, Akkarin began to make contingency plans for what to do if Garrel tried to force them onto a ship. He suspected there was likely some way to bribe the sailors to leave him in Kyralia, but he would need money for that, and all his money was currently with Takan who was heading to the Sachakan border.

Before Akkarin's thoughts could spiral too far out of control, he forced them to settle. They still had three to four days until they reached the sea, even if they rode hard, so he had time to plan. With that thought in mind, he performed some of the relaxation exercises one of his Warrior Arts teachers had taught him, focusing his attention back on the ride.

Garrel called a halt just as the sun was beginning to set. Though it was earlier than Akkarin had expected, he did not object, for even he was beginning to feel the effects of long hours in the saddle, and he knew Sonea was feeling far worse. He dismounted before helping her down as well, wishing he was able to send her some Healing energy when he saw her grimace of pain. Promising himself that he would somehow find a way to repay her for everything he had put her through in the past few weeks—though he could not even imagine how he might begin to do so—he turned to Garrel to hear his instructions. However, Garrel and the other four Warriors still sat in their saddles. "Are we not camping here?" Akkarin questioned.

"We are not. You can do so if you wish."

"I don't understand," Sonea said, stepping closer to Garrel, but Akkarin was beginning to realize the plan, and he almost laughed in relief.

"We were told to bring you as far from Imardin as we could in a day and then return so we can help with the city's defenses. We would not want anyone unsavory making their way into Imardin," Garrel explained, staring at Akkarin in such a way that it was quite clear he was referring to him. "So here you are. I suggest you do not follow us back, for you will not like the results. I am sure you will eventually find something if you continue north. Hopefully before your provisions run out." With that, he turned his horse around, and he and the other Warriors galloped back the way they had come.

"Come, let's find somewhere out of the wind to set up camp for the night and see what provisions they actually left us," Akkarin told Sonea. He was not expecting much given the lightness of his saddle bags, but he still felt freer than he had in quite awhile. It was not difficult to figure out why either—for the first time in a long time, his concerns were the relatively simple ones of finding food and shelter. There was no longer a country relying on him for protection nor a dark secret that someone could discover at any moment nor even powerful magicians hunting him. And while food and shelter were obviously important concerns, he had faith that he and Sonea could solve those problems together.

"They left us more than they think," Sonea remarked with a twinkle in her eye. Akkarin looked over at her, and she held up a large sack, smiling. "While Garrel was mouthing off to you, I took the liberty of relieving him of some of the items in his saddle bag." Akkarin let out a long, carefree laugh, feeling his burden lift even further. Reaching out, he wrapped Sonea in his embrace and pulled her close, kissing her soundly.

A/N: After reading Lord Thibault's excellent stories Exile and Recall, I really liked the idea of letting Akkarin and Sonea's relationship develop outside of the Guild. I do want to give a shout out here since it was partly my inspiration for this story though I plan to develop things in a very different way so I should hopefully not step on any toes. But if you haven't read them yet, I do recommend them.