Sonea concentrated hard with her senses as she sent her mind into the body of the patient in front of her through the hand she was resting on the old woman's arm. An ache in the chest was the first sensation she encountered, and it was difficult to mentally navigate her lungs. Try as Sonea might, she couldn't find the infection.
"I'm not sure if I can locate it, Lady Vinara," Sonea said quietly to the Head of Healers, who was standing next to her.
The stern woman placed a hand on the old woman's shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment. "You need to try and extend your senses without expecting it to look or feel any particular way, Sonea," she instructed. "Infections may present in a range of ways. If her lungs are clear, what else could you search for?"
Sonea frowned, thinking back on the reading she had done the night before. But thinking of last night brought up memories of what Akkarin had told her over dinner. She steadied her breathing and tried to focus on the task at hand. Closing her eyes to help her concentration, she sent her magical senses through the old woman's body, trying a less focused, searching approach. Just scanning with no particular thought as to what she expected to find…
There! Sonea's senses noticed an inflammation in the old woman's airway. "The throat…" she opened her eyes and saw Lady Vinara's satisfied nod.
"Now, scan the lungs," the Healer instructed.
Everything looked clear, but the irritation in the airway was in the early stages of moving down into the chest. "They are fine for now, but the infection is active and could spread throughout her lungs," Sonea replied.
"And how would you prevent that?"
Sonea scanned all of the patient's vital organs and noticed many were showing signs of age and weariness. "In a younger patient, I would not use magic – medicinal tea twice daily and bed rest would work. In this patient, however, I would aid the body in fighting the infection by containing it in the throat, and magically stimulate her immune response a low to medium amount," Sonea replied.
Lady Vinara gave a small smile. "Very good. Proceed."
Sonea sent out a gentle stream of magic to perform these tasks, then advised the patient to eat well and get plenty of rest. The old woman smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Lady Sonea," she said. As she stood up and walked towards the door, she turned around. "Your friend from Northside says hello, and hopes the batch of raka he delivered last week was to your liking."
Sonea blinked in surprise, then schooled her expression into a polite smile. Lady Vinara had raised an inquiring eyebrow at the message.
"Yes, it was. Please send him my regards," Sonea replied with a smile. The old woman nodded and left.
"Well done for today, Sonea," the Head of Healers said when they were alone. "The second approach worked well. When seeking the source of symptoms, it is best not to look for anything in particular when sending your mind into a body. A light touch can reveal unexpected, but vital, information to a Healer."
"Yes, my Lady. Thank you for today."
Vinara waved off Sonea's thanks; the stern woman was never comfortable with too many niceties, but she was an excellent teacher. "Read the chapter on childbirth for our next lesson. We will be working on how to safely aid a complicated pregnancy."
Sonea bowed to Lady Vinara, gathered her bag of books and headed out of the treatment room just as the gong rang to mark the end of the evening lesson.
She breathed in the cool, clear air appreciately as she left the University building and walked across the Guild grounds towards the High Lord's residence.
Sonea had been worried about the prospect of receiving private tutoring, even though she and Akkarin had agreed on the necessity of limiting her mental communication with others. She had been wondering how she would manage when the could not observe practical methods mind-to-mind, especially in Healing. But it hadn't proven to be a major barrier yet. Things took some more explaining from Lady Vinara, but not only was flying solo helping build her confidence, it was also giving her privileged access to the Head of Healers herself. Vinara was brusque with big groups, but Sonea was finding that she could be very generous with her decades of experience when working one-on-one.
And Cery's message was a welcome surprise, she thought, looking at the yellow lights in the windows of the grey building as it came into view. It had caught her off-guard, but she had quickly recognised the coded question. Cery wanted to visit her in the Guild grounds at the end of the week, which was tomorrow, a Freeday. Unless the code had changed, Sonea guessed that he would appear in the evening, around the time most dwells usually enjoyed a cup of raka after dinner.
I'm glad I've not gotten too rusty at deciphering Cery's messages, Sonea thought, smiling to herself. She had missed her friend. But then her smile wavered. Everything has changed since we last spoke. Would Cery suspect anything? She knew she couldn't be as open as she would have wished when they met tomorrow night. Cery would probably sense she was hiding things, but she could probably think up an excuse…
The door of the residence swung open at her touch, and Sonea entered a pitch dark, empty entrance room. Creating a globelight and hanging her bag by the door, she was just about to head upstairs to her room for a head start on tomorrow's reading when she noticed the glow of light coming from underneath the door of the underground room. An image that was seared into her mind rose up, as if from another time and another life.
A cloaked figure. A dark room. "The fight has weakened me. I need your strength." The glint of a blade, and the fluttering in her ears at the black magic being performed…
Sonea pushed the memory aside. She had recently found out what it had meant, and she knew there was nothing frightening about it. But it still reminded her that the man she was now with was capable of things she had not yet witnessed. Hearing Akkarin's story last night had helped a lot of questions in her mind fall into place, but the thought of black magic still made Sonea uneasy. Especially after Akkarin had described the ruthless ways in which the Ichani used it.
Containing her curiosity, she tore her eyes away from the closed door of the underground room and made to head up the stairs.
"My Lady?"
Sonea jumped at Takan's voice. He had emerged from the underground room, leaving the door open slightly.
"Good evening, Takan. Will the High Lord be returning for dinner?" Sonea asked, composing herself.
"I'm here, Sonea," came Akkarin's smooth voice from somewhere in the underground room. Takan bowed and gestured with a hand to invite Sonea down the stairs. She hesitated a moment, then followed him.
Sonea walked in to see Akkarin was wiping his hands with a cloth. Takan bowed and left, shutting the door behind him.
Akkarin was wearing the lower half of his black robes, and the black vest she knew he usually wore under the top half. There was a rectangular table in the middle of the room. When Akkarin was finished with the cloth, he reached down to pick up his three rings – a gleaming silver one bearing the High Lord's incal, an old one featuring the insignia of family Delvon, and the gold band with the red gem – then slipped them back on his elegant fingers.
He reached for the top half of his black robes with his well-defined arms. Sonea couldn't help but watch appreciatively as he slipped it on, tied the sash with practiced hands, and retied his long black hair at the nape.
Akkarin noticed Sonea's gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Is my novice ogling at me?" He asked, the corner of his mouth curling up.
Sonea smiled and lowered her gaze. "Forgive me, High Lord. Never."
Akkarin chuckled and walked towards her. "Surely sometimes, I hope."
When his arm slipped around Sonea's waist, she looked up and wound her own arms around his neck, coming up onto the balls of her feet. He gave her a kiss that left Sonea aching for more.
"Call me by my name when we're alone, Sonea. Unless… I specifically instruct you otherwise," he breathed into her ear, leaving no doubt about the context in which the latter would happen. A shiver of pleasure went up Sonea's spine.
They had spent almost every night together for the past week, but it seemed to be fuelling their desire for one another rather than quenching it. The novelty of it, the risk of secrecy, and the uncertainty of whether and if this could continue for long made Sonea feel like every moment snatched with him had to be savoured as though it could be her last.
But when Akkarin pulled away, she noticed for the first time since walking into the room that his smile didn't entirely hide the exhaustion in his eyes. And there was no mistaking the slight depletion in his power Sonea had sensed once she had touched him.
"Akkarin…" She began tentatively. It felt strange to say out loud for the first time what she called him in her head. "Did something happen tonight? Are you alright?"
Akkarin turned around swiftly and began to pour himself a cup of sumi from the pot on the table, taking unnecessarily long. He is trying to hide it, but I know something drained his energy, Sonea thought.
"I was in the city. My contact had located one of Dakova's slaves. He grew suspicious at the last moment, and was prepared when I arrived," Akkarin said, his back still turned to Sonea. He leaned his weight a little too heavily on his arm upon the tabletop. "He got away, and I wasted a considerable amount of power to no avail."
He turned to face Sonea with a crooked smile. "Better exhausted than dead, though. My contact will track him down again soon, no doubt."
Sonea frowned in worry. She knew this was the only strategy he had at the moment – to secretly and single-handedly face off against these Sachakan spies. She had tried to think of alternatives ever since learning of the truth the previous night, but she could see how there was no other option, for now. But it still felt wrong for Akkarin to be facing this threat alone.
"Is there really no other magician who you can trust with this knowledge? Someone who can go with you? You told me you and Lorlen have always been closely matched in power, before you went to Sachaka," Sonea thought, looking into Akkarin's eyes intently. His face was tired, but those black depths glinted with alert intelligence as they listened to her.
"Lorlen's loyalty lies foremost with the Guild and this land," Akkarin replied quietly. "And I do not begrudge him that. I, too, have chosen Kyralia's safety over our friendship by holding him hostage." He sighed, taking another sip of sumi. "His power would have been a great help, but it won't come without the entire Guild knowing about the Ichani, judging me innocent, and deciding to officially help me."
"Would that be so bad?"
"Even if, by some miracle, that happened, it would take a long time to reach that consensus. Time that the slave could use to keep killing, if not actively spying on the Guild – and finding out in the process that black magic is forbidden and unknown to Guild magicians," Akkarin said, sitting down heavily on the wooden chair at the end of the table. "That would blow the one cover that I have been trying to sustain for years. The only thing making Dakova hesitate is his assumption that, if the Guild's High Lord uses black magic, it must be common practice here."
Sonea considered his words. He is right, but surely there must be a better set up that the dangerous, one-man mission this is. She floated over the second wooden chair with magic and placed it in front of Akkarin. She sat down and hesitantly placed the palm of her hand on top of his.
He looked up at her intently, his expression inscrutable. Guarded, but with a flicker of tenderness – unless she had imagined it. Sonea sent out her senses into his body lightly through their hand-to-hand contact, just enough to gauge his vitals. She almost gasped at how diminished his power was. But he was fine otherwise.
"A Healer's touch," Akkarin said approvingly, breaking the tension. They exchanged small smiles.
Then a thoughtful look entered his eyes. "Sonea… do you remember the morning after we were first together? When you told me you had visualised your power for a moment?"
"Yes… I think so," Sonea replied, puzzled. She remembered that morning's conversation perfectly; it was a turning point she would never forget, when Akkarin had acknowledged what they had done and expressed his desire to continue. But she had to think hard to remember what had happened beyond the words, touches and looks exchanged. "I was imagining my power spreading throughout my body. You then asked me if I had done something."
"Exactly," Akkarin's gaze grew intense. "Of your own accord, you grew aware of how our power truly exists – not in the form of a globe of light inside a room in our minds, as we are taught to visualise it as novices. It courses through us, much of it contained by our skin. But the more powerful among us, or those who have strengthened themselves through hi- black magic, let slip some of it through this natural barrier."
Sonea thought back to how she had felt, considering Akkarin's description. It fit the sensation she had experienced. "Sensing it throughout myself did make me feel… like something had shifted. I'm not sure how to explain it. Like I didn't even need to find and reach for it consciously. It was me already. It took shape almost as soon as I willed something."
Akkarin's smile widened, and some dynamism seemed to return to his face and posture. "You are a natural. It seems, then, that you have already realised something I was considering teaching you tonight."
Sonea felt her face warm slightly at the compliment. Even though knowing his story had humanised him more in her eyes, it was hard to shake of the feeling of pleasure at the thought of the powerful High Lord of the Magician's Guild being impressed with her magical abilities.
"Is there something special about experiencing my power in this way?" Sonea asked, looking down at her own palms thoughtfully.
"It is necessary to sense your power holistically, as you did that morning, to be able to draw and give of your power in a controlled way," Akkarin replied carefully.
Sonea's brows drew together. "Draw?" This sounds a little too much like black magic.
Akkarin's expression grew sombre, and he looked her unblinkingly. "I will not teach you anything that could jeopardise your safety and your place in the Guild, Sonea," he replied softly, making Sonea suspect he had read her surface thoughts again. "But I hope you may be willing to help me in another way."
Sonea straightened, her heart starting to pound faster. Is there a way I could help Akkarin fight these slaves without black magic? Will he ask me to come with him next time?
"Would you allow me to draw and store some power from you every evening, in preparation for the next confrontation? I would only draw an amount that your body would naturally regenerate by the next day," Akkarin asked. He wasn't quick enough to hide that glint of hunger Sonea had seen in his eyes previously during her duel with Regin.
"Yes, you should," Sonea replied confidently, but she felt a slight disappointment. "But is that all I can do? I know the slums better than you do… I could be of more help by your side at the next confrontation. I could shield, or find us quick getaways…"
Akkarin squeezed her hand. "Thank you Sonea, but that is more than enough for now. My contacts in the city tip me off and arrange exit routes already. I can't tell you more for now, but… let's just say you would know I'm in good hands if I could reveal their identities," he smiled slyly.
Sonea wasn't entirely satisfied, but she pushed aside her questions for now. This is already big, she told herself. Two days ago I knew nothing of the threat to Kyralia, or Akkarin's reasons for practicing black magic. Now, I will be able to help in some small way. And maybe more, in time.
"Will you take my power now?" Sonea asked, holding out her hands towards Akkarin.
The tiredness seem to have slowly left Akkarin's face and posture throughout their conversation, and now he was looking at Sonea with a gaze that she had grown to anticipate and savour all week – his dark eyes would narrow, and glint with desire.
Akkarin rose gracefully in a swish of black robes, every inch re-inhabiting the role of High Lord. He reached down to stroke Sonea's cheek. "I could," he murmured, "but there is… a much more pleasurable way of drawing power that I have been looking forward to trying." His deep voice was edged with an enticing promise.
Sonea rose, her eyes locked on his, her breathing growing shallow. He led them out of the underground room and up to his bedroom.
