Never had Sonea seen the Guild grounds so quiet an hour before sunset. Usually, if winter, novices would be hurrying to their evening classes around now, and if summer, they would be enjoying the grounds after their meal in the dining hall. But two days on from the Ichani breaching the South Pass, it was deathly silent.

Novices had been allowed to join their families if they wished to evacuate the city with them. Akkarin had been reluctant to allow this, given every drop of power could help, but had eventually decided that all first to third-years, who tended to be between fourteen and seventeen years old, should be free to join their families if they wished. Fourth and fifth year novices had been instructed to stay and contribute to the Guild's preparations, unless they were the sole heirs of their families.

Those who remained were many, and it felt to Sonea like even the most immature of her fifth-year classmates had gained a solemnity and seriousness over the past few days. They hurried swiftly and silently between the University and the Novices Quarters, assisting Alchemists, Healers and Warriors as and when they were needed, with no time for or interest in taking their leisure on the grounds.

Just as well, Sonea thought as she hurried to keep up with Akkarin's long strides. Grateful for the empty grounds during the longer and more secluded route from the residence to the Arena, they skirted the edges of the forest in semi-darkness. Even though Akkarin had observed via Lorlen's blood ring that Balkan was currently in the Administrator's office, and his Warriors had been sent on a break, they couldn't risk binge seen drawing the Arena's power.

Akkarin's face was grim, but there was a spring in his step. Sonea knew that the vast power of the Arena was a crucial addition to their strength. She had noticed Akkarin's demeanour and words had shifted from a kind of resigned determination to one of cautious hope after Lorlen had agreed to both points in their plan. Of course there is hope, she reassured herself as the gentle glow of the Arena came into view. There are so many relying on us and so many much weaker than us who are about to risk their lives. Of all people, it's Akkarin and I who should be putting on a brave front. We're the only ones who have strengthened ourselves with black magic.

"Careful," Akkarin muttered as they got close to the Arena's rippling, opalescent barrier. He probed the surroundings with his magic to check no one was hiding and watching, then walked around to the small door that led to the inside of the structure.

"How are we going to do this?" Sonea asked nervously as they emerged onto the sandy floor of the inside of the Arena, the wall of fatal magic pulsating around them.

Akkarin's lips curled up into a half-smile. "We have time for one final lesson," he said, then bent down on the sandy floor. Sonea looked on in confusion but wordlessly followed suit.

"When I was imprisoned here overnight before my trial, I confirmed something I'd suspected for a while," Akkarin began, gently resting his right palm on the sandy floor. "Direct contact of anything but strikes with the Arena's wall will, as you know, encounter the full force of the barrier. Solid objects would shatter into dust, and a magician would receive what would feel like twenty strikes at once. It wouldn't be lethal to an adult, but it would be painful, and certainly not an ideal way to draw its power."

Sonea listened carefully, pressing her palm onto the sand like he was.

"As you already know, as black magicians we can also draw power from animals, plants and natural objects. They never have the amount that a human with magical strength does, of course, but it can be the difference between life and death. When Dakova used to drain me of power daily, I could barely move, let alone heal away my injuries from his beatings." Akkarin's eyes grew distant and his face grim. Sonea tried to listen to his painful memories without letting pity cloud her face – she knew it would only make Akkarin stop recounting what Sonea was so eager to know more about.

"But after I was taught black magic by an enemy of the Ichani – a Sachakan woman from a mountain community who are a law unto themselves – I could draw magic from plants, rocks and water. It wasn't much, since we were in the Wastelands, but on some days it helped me heal a broken rib or two," Akkarin continued.

Sonea bit back questions about who this magician was, knowing now was not the time, but her curiosity was piqued. There were Sachakan magicians who were neither Ichani or Ashaki? Interesting.

"Extend your senses into the sand, Sonea. Can you feel the slight trickle of magic in the tiny particles of rock?" Akkarin asked.

Sonea concentrated her mind into her right palm, then nudged it along beyond her fingertips just like Akkarin had taught her when she had first cut Takan. Through and out of her body into another being… and gasped quietly. The sand, the entire floor, was suddenly like an infinite network of pulsating magic, dull but still alive. If she drew it, it would be no more than a trickle equal to drawing a person's power for just a few seconds. But it was unmistakably infused with life force.

"Now extend your senses through the sand, towards the wall of the Arena. Have you touched the magical barrier?" Akkarin asked.

"Yes!" Sonea exclaimed. It was remarkable – she was now mentally touching the Arena's wall of power, through the sand. She recognised it immediately because it was like moving from a candle-lit room to a room of blinding light and heat. She grasped a strand of it.

"Good. I'm there too. Start to draw its power into yourself at the steady pace of drawing from Takan. Not too much at once."

They drew power in silent concentration, side by side, for several minutes. It was an incredible feeling – Sonea had never felt anything like it before. The excess power infused every one of her limbs; it healed away her lack of sleep; several aches and pains she hadn't really noticed were now gone; and her mind felt rested, nourished and sharp. When her body finished using the extra new magic to self-heal completely, the remainder continued rushing towards her. Sonea had to strengthen the barrier at her skin three times to contain the new amounts.

"That's enough." Akkarin was watching her focused face with that half-smile of his that told Sonea he was pleased. You know, I meant what I said about you being an excellent guardian. You actually love teaching, don't you, Sonea thought at him, keeping eye contact with a small smile. She knew he'd read her thoughts. Akkarin raised an eyebrow.

"Only when I'm working with a fast learner," he replied with that half-smile of his. Was it just her or had his voice turned immensely seductive? Sonea couldn't tell if it was something to do with how all this extra power seemed to have induced a sense of elation in her – like she could suddenly do anything – or because it had healed away her exhaustion enough to allow her thoughts to wander towards other, less vital, bodily needs.

As they both stood up, Akkarin noticed the shift in Sonea's gaze and chuckled quietly. "Yes, it can be quite intense at first. You may feel elated, jittery, powerful and… well, aroused in every sense of the word."

Sonea smiled but looked away from him, a little embarrassed at the accurate description. She glanced up at the Arena's barrier, which looked more or less the same. "Do you think we should take more? It hardly seems changed," she asked.

"It's little more than a sphere of light, now," Akkarin said. "I made sure we stopped before its appearance would change enough to cause suspicion. But if you were to touch it now, it'd barely respond. We've drained all we can." He looked at her with seriousness. "How do you feel? I am at about tenfold my usual strength, I think."

Sonea sent her senses inward. If her mind could be blinded temporarily, that's exactly what seemed to happen. She felt dizzy for a moment, then Akkarin's strong grip held her, steadying her at the waist. "I dived in a little too fast, I think," she said with a grimace. "It's intense."

"Send your senses into your body slowly, cautiously – like dipping a finger into a bowl of water," Akkarin instructed, still gripping her.

Sonea tried again and this time it was much more pleasant. She was able to gauge the difference by sense. "I'm at just above tenfold, I think."

"Good. Given my natural powers are greater than yours, we're almost evenly matched now, then. And possibly, together, at the full strength of four Ichani – provided tomorrow's planned ambush in Coldbridge works. I can't predict what their powers will be, thought, if their slaves survive and manage to reach Imardin with them," Akkarin said, his tone going from warm to solemn at the chilling prospect.

"Let's hope not," Sonea replied quietly. The difference between victory and defeat could be the slightest extra margin of power on either side.

"I'll let Lorlen we're done so he doesn't keep Balkan any longer. We can't have him grow suspicious. I can tell he is already struggling to set aside his unease about by familiarity with the Ichani." Akkarin slowly let go of her waist and headed back out of the Arena, with Sonea following closely behind.

He strode fast but gracefully towards the University. They had both taken to eating with the Head of Disciplines and the Warriors in the communal hall, where Balkan, Vinara and Sarrin filled Akkarin in on the day's progress on war preparations. I wish we could have just one more night together, she couldn't help but think in longing as she watched the back of Akkarin's wide, black-robed shoulders.

Now is not the time, Sonea chastised herself mentally. Every hour counts. The Ichani are not going to wait upon your stupid desires, she thought sternly.

Two steps ahead of her, Akkarin paused and turned around. The sun had set by now, and his pale face was getting difficult to see in the dark purple light of dusk, but Sonea thought she read a fire in his black eyes and a touch of concern in the line between his eyebrows. She stopped too, looking up at him questioningly.

Akkarin gave their surroundings a quick and discerning look to check they were still alone, then stepped close, drawing his arms around Sonea's waist. She tilted her face up as he gave her a long, lingering kiss. "Your desires are not stupid, Sonea," he breathed. "They are mine, too."

Sonea wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him in closer. A cold night breeze had begun to pick up. They sprang apart at the sound of a group of Alchemists coming down the steps of the Magician's Quarters, deep in conversation as they headed towards the dining hall.

When they were sure they hadn't been seen, Akkarin gave Sonea a thoughtful look that sped up her heartbeat. She now knew what he was thinking whenever he gave her that look; a realisation that had been as surprising as it was titillating, because she had seen him watching her with that expression even since her duel with Regin. It felt ages ago.

The High Lord gave her a small smile and took her hand to communicate mentally without being overhead.

– I doubt I will be able to sleep tonight, he sent.

– Neither will I. The ambush in Coldbridge is planned for dawn, isn't it? Sonea asked

– It is. Though there's more than that keeping me up at night, Akkarin replied, his mental voice tinged with something Sonea had never before sensed in their mind-to-mind communication: a fearful kind of longing. She sent out her senses to him via their skin contact and touched the edge of his surface thoughts; a face flashed into her mind's eye. She had Takan's golden-red skin, almond-shaped eyes, a sad smile and long, raven black hair. An overwhelming sense of loss accompanied the image in Akkarin's thoughts.

Akkarin tried to step away from her but Sonea held on tight.

I'm so sorry, she whispered while trying to send out to him a sense of love and reassurance. She could feel his breathing slowly relax as his dark eyes locked onto Sonea's in the semi-darkness of dusk. He is as afraid of losing me as I am him, she thought. There was no mistaking the heartache she had sensed, and the fear of the possibility of losing Sonea like he had this Sachakan girl.

Sonea reached out tentatively for his face, stroking her hand lightly across his cheek. A fiery glint re-entered the depths of his black eyes as he reached up a hand to hold hers to his face for a moment longer, then taking it to his lips and giving her palm a kiss. Despite the magically warmed air around them, the sensation made Sonea shiver.

– If I could send you far away, I would, he said, putting a hand to Sonea's waist and pulling her in for another kiss.

– I'm needed here as much as you are, Black Magician, Sonea replied, her lips against his stretching into a small smile.

Akkarin's low chuckle against her mouth filled her body with an aching longing, but larger and larger groups of magicians were starting to emerge onto the grounds, done with their various tasks for now and heading to the dining room.

Sonea hastily made to unwrap her arms from Akkarin's neck and take a step back, but he gripped her waist tightly. "We have a sight shield," he murmured, which explained why he hadn't pulled away.

They shared another long kiss until Sonea stepped away, breathless, when the gong rang in the distance indicating the dining hall was open. "Will – will you spend the night with the Warrior contingent bound for Coldbridge in the morning?" She asked, her actual question, unspoken, hanging in the air: will we have one last night together in the residence before the Ichani arrive?

Akkarin, as always, read what she was really asking from her surface thoughts. "Beyond reviewing their plan and answering any questions over dinner, there isn't much else I can do. Lord Harkin will be leading the contingent out of the city and then we will have no mental communication until the ambush begins." He raised a hand to move a stray black curl away from Sonea's eyes. "I will come back home with you. Even if we only have a few hours…" his voice trailed away as that line returned to his forehead between his eyebrows.

Sonea stood up on the balls of her feet and kissed him again. "Please do. I- I need you," she whispered shakily.

Her words made Akkarin's dark eyes flash with desire. "Let's go. The sooner we finish this meeting, the sooner we can leave."

He dropped the sight shield and they strode on towards the majestic doors of the University just as the final hint of purple in the sky drained away and the first stars began to appear.