Akkarin had always enjoyed summer break at the Guild. When he was a novice, he welcomed the reprieve from classes, and once he became a full magician, he enjoyed the quieter atmosphere that came when most of the novices travelled home. Sonea, of course, stayed at the University, and he opened up the Residence to her, knowing she had become much more comfortable there than most other places at the Guild except perhaps the library. In truth, he enjoyed having her—though she was a quiet guest, she had a presence that made the Residence feel much more welcoming. After some debate, he even agreed to let her make the trip from their usual classroom meeting spot to the Residence through the tunnels on her own, reasoning that the tunnels between those areas were in better shape than many others and she was powerful enough to protect herself should they collapse.

On one morning halfway through summer break, his meeting with the Inner Council happened to finish much earlier than he had expected, and he made his way quickly back to the Residence, hoping to catch Sonea there. He had not yet had a chance to practice Warrior Skills with her as he had promised, and it seemed an ideal time to do so. With fewer people at the Guild, there was virtually no chance that someone would stumble upon them at the remote spot he had selected for their duel.

Fortunately, he found her in his study, curled up in an armchair with a book in her lap. He was pleased to see it was a fiction book; she had spent the first three days of her break reading the books for her classes the following term until he had insisted she take a break from studying. She obviously heard him enter, for she looked up from her book, and his heart stuttered slightly when she gave him a wide smile. The effect she had on him still amazed him; in all his life, he had never met another woman who could dredge up such feelings, particularly with something as simple as a smile. "I didn't expect to see you," she remarked.

"My meetings for the morning were done early. Have you eaten?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry; I would have waited for you if I had known you'd be back."

He waved off her concerns. "My last meeting was actually a lunch meeting. But I thought that since we both have some free time this afternoon, it would be an ideal time to work on your Warrior Studies skills." Her eyes lit up at the prospect, and she quickly marked her place and set her book aside. He gave a small smile at her enthusiasm. "You seem rather eager to allow me to thrash you in a duel."

Her cheeks reddened slightly. "It's not necessarily that, it's just. . . you've been able to explain everything else that I've found difficult in a way that makes sense to me, so I figure if anyone can help with my problems in Warrior Skills, it's you. Lord Ykimo is good, and I think I am improving with his help, but I know yours will be more useful. You would have been a great teacher, you know." Akkarin could tell from her earnest expression that her compliment was genuine, a rarity among the Houses, and he gave her a half-smile in appreciation.

"I probably would have been if they hadn't elected me High Lord when they did. Lorlen always said it was good I never taught since I would not have had any mercy on my students."

Sonea laughed. "Maybe I shouldn't be so eager then."

"I'll go easy on you," Akkarin told her, holding out his hand which she took immediately. After a moment's pause, he added, "Today." Before she had a chance to respond, he led her out of the room and down the stairs to the tunnel entrance.

It took a little over half an hour to walk to the area where Akkarin had chosen to practice. It was a clearing surrounded on three sides by forest and on the fourth by a stream. The surrounding trees were densely packed, and there was no true path leading to the area, so he knew few people visited it. In all the time Akkarin had spent at the place, he had never seen anyone else. Once they both stood in the center of the clearing, he erected a quick shield around the area. It was nowhere near as strong as the one surrounding the Arena or the Dome, of course, but it would at least reduce the power of any stray strikes and hopefully prevent any destruction of the surrounding forest as well as keeping the sound of their battle contained. Next, he approached Sonea, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to give you an inner shield," he told her. She frowned.

"What about you?"

"I'm not a novice. Trust me, I don't need an inner shield."

"But you just used a bunch of power to make that shield over the area! And if you make a shield for me, too, won't that weaken you too much?" Akkarin studied her for a moment, hearing the tinge of panic in her voice. Her words confirmed what he had suspected after their earlier conversation about her struggles—she was too terrified of hurting someone to be truly effective in the Arena.

After a moment's consideration, he lowered the shield that he generally kept over his power, allowing her to feel its full effect for just a moment. She gasped and actually stepped away from him slightly. Satisfied that his demonstration had the desired effect, he put the shield back into place. "Trust me, I have plenty of power to protect myself and you and the area and likely at least half a dozen other magicians as well should the occasion call for it."

"I didn't realize it was possible to have that much power. How much. . . I mean, obviously some is from Takan and some from me, but. . ." She trailed off, obviously curious but unsure how he would react to the question on her mind.

"Like with you, I generally only take power from Takan once or twice a week. He has less potential than you but still has a rather large reserve of power—more than your average novice. My natural strength is also quite high; I was the strongest magician anyone had seen in many years even while a novice, and by the time I got back from Sachaka, I likely could have taken on much of the Guild and still come out on top. I had not restarted my practice of black magic when they tested me for High Lord, and I was able to successfully defeat twenty of the Guild's best Warriors then." Her eyes widened at that.

"How did you get stronger in Sachaka?" she asked.

He was quiet for a moment, but the memories were not quite as painful as they once were. "Based on some accounts I have read, I believe that your power is like a muscle in that if you use it to exhaustion, it regenerates stronger than before."

"So when they took your magic in Sachaka, they were strengthening you in the long term?"

"Yes though they likely did not care since they had not anticipated I could escape."

Sonea thought for a moment. "So if you-"

"No," Akkarin told her firmly.

"You didn't even hear what I was going to ask!"

"But I know what it is, and the answer is no. You have no idea what it's like to be drained to exhaustion. You're not just tired; you are essentially non-functional. Anyone could take advantage of you."

"I trust you."

"The answer is still no." When she looked like she was about to object more, Akkarin grabbed her hands, squeezing. "Even if you trust me, the vulnerability in such a state is much too high. It's easy for disease to take over your body if you're exposed; I saw quite a few other prisoners die that way. And if I went just a bit too far or if your body decided to use some power unconsciously—to heal, for example—you could easily end up dead."

"What if you don't go all the way to exhaustion but just take most of someone's power?"

"Such a state happens all the time in the Arena, and I have never seen anyone grow noticeably stronger after it. Perhaps there is a very small change, but it's a drop in the bucket."

"Could you get near exhaustion but not quite all the way to see if that works? Maybe slowly get closer and closer without completely exhausting someone?"

"It's too risky. Sonea, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is an experiment I will not attempt. Besides, I thought we were here to work on Warrior Skills."

"Right." She dropped his hands and stepped away from him.

"Ready?" She nodded. "Begin!" Akkarin called, immediately forming a shield around his body. Instead of sending a strike right away, he waited, watching her. She sent a series of Forcestrikes his way, but they were all relatively weak and ineffective. He sensed that she was trying to find a weakness in his shield, but she would find none. After a few moments, he sent a powerful Heatstrike her way, a Forcestrike concealed right behind it. As the second one hit her shield, she actually reeled backwards, but she managed to stay upright, a look of grim determination on her face. Her next attack was stronger, a single Forcestrike that split into multiple ones as it neared his shield, scattering around the surface. It was not bad for a second-year novice, but it had no effect on him and likely would not have caused problems even for some of the novices in her class. "I said you did not need to hold back!" he called, raining Forcestrikes down on her from above while sending a Heatstrike up from the ground. At the last moment, she seemed to sense the Heatstrike coming, but instead of shielding against it, she dropped and rolled away. Akkarin had to admit—he was impressed with that, especially since she managed to end up on her feet with what looked like very little effort.

She frowned in concentration, and he sensed the strikes coming from the ground. Instead of rolling like she did, he created a disk of magic and levitated himself a few inches off the ground. Her attack grew more erratic, and he sensed she was growing more desperate. "You need to have a strategy, Sonea," he told her, still battering her with Forcestrikes. "You are the weaker magician, so you are not going to win by brute force alone. Find something else, a way to weaken me." Her frown deepened for a moment before he saw a glint in her eyes. The next second, the sticks and rocks and leaves on the ground inside his shield had lifted into the air, swirling around as if caught in a tornado. Instinctively, he shielded his eyes as he built a second shield at the layer of his skin. When he had done so, he dropped his arm to see that Sonea had disappeared. Automatically, he strengthened the back of his shield, whirling around in enough time to see her send an extremely powerful Forcestrike right at him. His shield absorbed the blow, and he retaliated with a volley of Forcestrikes, quickly finding the weakness in her shield. He exploited it immediately, sending a Forcestrike straight through it to the inner shield.

She was breathing heavily when he called a halt to their match. "I told you I was no good."

His smile was more gentle than usual. "I did mention that I bested twenty of the Guild's top Warriors when elected to my position, didn't I?"

She scoffed, hugging herself. "You were obviously holding back with me."

He stepped forward, gently tugging her arms from around her body and taking both her hands in his. "Yes, I was but only because you would learn nothing if I simply pounded you into the ground with Forcestrikes. You had some good ideas as well—your roll to escape my strike was something I had not seen before but surprisingly effective, especially since you used no power."

"It's quite useful for escaping a knife."

Akkarin's eyebrows rose. "Indeed? Perhaps you should consider training with the sword." She looked intrigued by the idea, and he smiled, adding, "After you sort out some of your concerns with Warrior Skills."

"Will you teach me that as well?"

He laughed. "We'll see. Now, are you up for another round?" Her nod was more eager that time, and he quickly reset her inner shield before stepping away from her.

Regin of Winar was not accustomed to losing, especially to those he considered beneath him. After the Slum girl had gotten the best of him with her trick with the globelight, Regin considered for awhile how to get back at her. The answer came to him when he watched some of the girls in his year admiring some new piece of jewelery that one of them had bought. If he planted something of value in her room, given her background, Regin doubted anyone would question that she stole it. He just needed to find the perfect thing.

Two days later, he stood in front of Sonea's door during the lunch hour, a bracelet belonging to another girl in their class burning a hole in his pocket. After a furtive glance around to make sure he was alone, he grabbed the handle, but it would not turn. Frustrated, he tried harder, but nothing happened. Looking closer, he noted that there was a magical signature on it and sighed. He had heard about magical locks in class but had honestly not paid much attention to them, figuring there was more useful knowledge out there, but now he was wishing he had. Still, Regin was not the type of person to give up easily. Casting out his senses, he studied the lock carefully until he had the basic structure committed to memory. Once he had done so, he quickly left the area, hoping he would be able to return the bracelet to its owner without anyone learning he had taken it.

Four days later, he stood outside the door of one of his cousin's in the Magician's Quarters. Lord Waylen had graduated two years before in the Warrior Discipline. He, like Regin, liked being in charge which had led to a number of conflicts in their youth. Once Waylen had entered the University, he had turned his leadership ambitions to the novices in his own year, and he and Regin only crossed paths at a few family gatherings a year. However, Regin had learned through the grapevine that Waylen had a talent for magical locks, a talent that Regin himself could use.

Regin knocked, and the door opened a moment later. Waylen was sitting at a desk on one side of the living room, and his eyebrows rose when he saw his cousin. "Little Regin? To what do I owe this dubious pleasure?"

Regin swallowed his pride. "I have heard that you are one of the Guild's top experts in magical locks." Waylen's eyebrows rose before a slow smile spread over his face.

"Some might say the top though I've heard our esteemed High Lord is quite good as well. I have unfortunately never had the pleasure of examining one of his locks."

"Of course." Regin forced back his reaction at the smug tone in his cousin's voice. "That is why I was thinking you could help me. You see, I have entered into a competition of sorts with another novice, and my latest challenge is to break a magical lock."

"A competition? Are you allowed to request outside help?"

"There is no rule that prevents it."

"I see." Waylen narrowed his eyes at Regin, studying him carefully for a moment. At long last, he nodded. "I suppose that as long as it is not breaking the rules, I can help you with this lock. Where is it?"

"It is actually relatively far, but I studied it carefully so I can show it to you. I do not need you to break it, just point me in the right direction."

"If you are sure." Regin nodded, and Waylen stood and approached. Though Regin knew it was somewhat risky to allow his cousin into his mind given the true reason he wanted the lock opened, he had accepted it as a necessary risk. Even if Waylen did discover more about why he wanted the lock undone, it was unlikely that Waylen would do anything about that knowledge. Waylen had similar prejudices to Regin and, indeed, most of those in the Houses. While he might refuse to help out of fear of repercussions for himself, he was unlikely to do anything more than that.

Regin called to mind the picture of the lock and showed it to Waylen. Waylen's presence in Regin's mind studied it for a couple minutes before retreating. When both opened their eyes again, Waylen's expression was thoughtful. "You say this is a lock created by a novice?" he questioned. Regin nodded. "It is quite complex for a novice, far beyond the basic locking magic they teach. However, there are likely a few places you can look for weaknesses. I obviously cannot tell you exactly where given that you do not have the full details of the lock, but here is what I would try." Regin listened carefully, committing his cousin's words to memory before thanking him and leaving the room. He felt confident his next attempt to break into Sonea's room would be met with much more success.

Four days later, Regin again stood outside of Sonea's room, this time just after midnight. He did not have anything to plant in her room on this particular occasion, for he felt it too risky in case his plans to break the lock did not work. If he could break Sonea's lock, he would return later with something appropriate. For the time being, he was content to test the information Waylen had given him.

It took nearly an hour with Regin's eyes continuing to dart around to check if anyone was coming, but he finally managed to unravel the lock. With a smile of satisfaction, he quietly turned the knob, thinking he would just check and make sure there were no other barriers before retiring to his own room for the night. As he pushed open the door, he frowned suddenly at seeing no one in the room. Where could Sonea possibly be? It was long past curfew, so she should have been fast asleep. For a wild moment, he wondered if the rumors he had started about her and her Guardian were true, but he soon dismissed that thought as ridiculous. He had seen no indication of any sort of inappropriate relationship, and after years witnessing such things in his own House, he was able to spot them quite readily. But then where was Sonea sleeping?

Deciding to puzzle over that question at a later point, Regin backed carefully out of the room and shut the door again. He started to leave, pausing at the last moment as he realized Sonea would certainly become suspicious if she returned to find her magical lock gone. Regin grimaced. If she knew someone had broken her first lock, she might build a stronger one next time and Regin's plan would be ineffective. However, though Regin had studied the lock closely, he was not quite sure how to reproduce it exactly, for he had been too excited by the chance of success to consider such a thing.

Focusing his will on the door, Regin recalled what the lock had looked like and slowly began to weave it together. Twenty minutes later, he had created a passable magical lock that did stop the doorknob from turning, but he doubted it would fool Sonea if she looked too closely. He would simply have to hope that she would not do so or, if she did, that at least his actions would frighten her even if he could not carry out his original plan. And maybe he did not need to carry out his original plan anyway. Sonea had to be somewhere after curfew, and every other place at the Guild was off limits to novices at that time. If Regin could simply figure out where she was, he would be able to get her into trouble without the risk of stealing something himself.

Backing away from the door, he made his way swiftly back to his own room, his mind already working through the details of his plan.

"Someone broke into my room last night," Sonea explained to Akkarin as they ate dinner. His eyebrows rose, and she added, "I went this morning to grab a couple things from my room, and the lock was different."

"Did you leave the new lock in place?"

"Yes. I didn't have time to try and figure out how to open it, and there were a couple other novices around, so I thought it would be suspicious if I spent too long working on it. I thought I would go back tonight when things are quieter."

"If you'd like, I can come with you. There are ways to find the magical signature of a spell, particularly a spell with as much of a personal touch as a locking one."

"Won't it be suspicious if you're in the Novice Quarters?"

The corners of his mouth twitched. "I don't intend to be recognized."

Sonea snorted. "I feel as if you like disguising yourself far more than is healthy." He chuckled. "If you're sure that it won't cause you trouble."

"I am."

"Then I would welcome your help. I have an idea who broke in, but I'd like to confirm it."

Four hours later, they stood outside Sonea's door, the only light in the area a very dim globelight that Akkarin had set over her doorknob. He grabbed one of her hands in his and then placed it on the doorknob. Reach out and find the locking spell, he instructed mind-to-mind. Sonea did as he suggested. Good. Now, here's how to get an idea of the signature. He sent her some instructions that would have been quite complicated if he tried to explain them verbally, but they made a good deal of sense mind-to-mind. Sonea followed his instructions, and she saw the pulsing of the magical energy in front of her change slightly. With a frown, she focused on it, trying to discern any unique features of it.

Suddenly, the magic disappeared, and she sensed the lock unraveling rapidly. I almost had it, she sent.

There's someone coming, Akkarin responded as he undid the last of the pieces of the lock, turned the doorknob, and pushed her inside. Immediately, he turned to the doorknob, and Sonea sensed his magic encircling the doorknob as he put his own lock on it.

Did they recognize you?

I doubt it but I suppose we will find out soon enough. Sonea heard footsteps outside the door then, and a moment later, the doorknob rattled. Sonea's heart beat faster, but Akkarin's lock held. The rattling stopped for a few tense seconds, and Sonea guessed whoever was on the other side was examining the lock. After a few moments, the person spoke.

"I know you're in there with whatever low-born piece of filth you're consorting with. And I know you've been sneaking out to meet him at night, too. This lock is not going to defeat me. I already figured out your first one."

Regin, Sonea sent. They stood in silence for awhile, both staring at the door. After a few long, tense minutes, Akkarin relaxed beside her.

"He's gone," he muttered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. His magical presence has disappeared."

Sonea relaxed as well and turned to him. "I'm sorry. I should never have asked you to come. It wasn't that important to figure out who put the lock on the door, and if we had been caught-"

"Shhh." Akkarin stopped her with a finger to her lips. "I suggested this. It is in no way your fault."

"We should probably get back though before someone else comes."

"Give it a few minutes to make sure he doesn't return." Sonea nodded, trusting him. He glanced around the room, and a small smile played at his lips.

"What?"

"It's been a long time since I was in a novice room." He looked down at her then, the smile a bit wider. "And never in one of a beautiful woman."

Sonea arched an eyebrow at him. "I find that hard to believe."

"Would I lie to you?" He leaned forward then, his lips almost touching hers.

"In a heartbeat if it suited your purposes."

"Then I suppose I should add that they came to mine." With that, he pressed his lips to hers. She stumbled immediately, and he placed a hand on her hip to steady her and pull her against him. His tongue traced her lips, and she parted them to allow him entrance. She felt evidence of his desire pressing against her stomach, and the realization of how much he wanted her emboldened her. Reaching out, she pushed the cloak he had worn to cover his robes from his shoulders before moving backwards, and he followed without removing his lips from hers. Her knees hit the bed, and she let her momentum carry her backwards. As she lay back on the bed, he hovered over her, one hand supporting his weight as the other slipped beneath her robe. His lips moved from hers, kissing the side of her mouth and then dropping to her chin and neck. His hand pushed itself further beneath her robes, and she lifted her torso so he could remove the top part of them, revealing the simple tunic she wore beneath them.

"So beautiful," he muttered, his hand dancing down to the bottom of her tunic and lifting it slightly so he could caress the bare skin of her stomach. She gave a soft moan of pleasure at the tingling sensation that spread throughout her body with his actions. Reaching up, she untied the sash that held his robes together, pushing them to the side to reveal the vest he wore beneath. His hand moved up further, dancing over her ribcage before he cupped her breast. Her moan was louder as the desire roared to life in her body. Her hips rose of their own accord, pressing into his, and he responded in kind.

Just as he lifted her tunic over her head, she heard a knock on the door that caused them both to freeze. "Who is it?" Sonea called, trying to modulate her voice.

"Lord Ahrind. I have reports that you aren't alone in there. As I'm sure you are well aware, you are strictly forbidden to have visitors after curfew."

"Of course," Sonea said as Akkarin pushed himself off of her, pulling her up into a sitting position. She glanced at him, slightly panicked, but he simply raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth quirking up. Sonea had the impression he was amused by the situation. She narrowed her eyes at him, but his slight smile simply became more pronounced.

"I am going to have to ask you to open the door so I can ensure that you are not breaking the rules." Sonea's panic grew, and she pushed against Akkarin's chest to force him to move. He swiftly stood, grabbing his cloak and glancing around the room.

Grabbing his hand, she sent, Wardrobe!

I feel like a disobedient novice, he remarked in return as he moved toward the wardrobe. As he slipped inside, Sonea grabbed a nightgown from it, pulling it over her head.

"Are you opening this door?"

"Just putting something on!" Sonea pushed the door to the wardrobe closed, giving it a quick glance to make sure Akkarin was completely hidden before heading to the door of the room. She opened it, revealing Ahrind as well as Regin. The latter was smirking, craning his neck to see over the magician's shoulder and into her room. "I was just preparing for bed. As you can see, there is no one here," Sonea said, gesturing to the empty room.

"Hmm, well I would like to double check just in case." Ahrind stepped forward, forcing Sonea to step out of the doorway and let him into the room. Regin, unsurprisingly, followed. Sonea focused her attention on her fellow novice, narrowing her eyes at him to show her displeasure, but his smirk simply widened. Ahrind looked carefully around the room before, much to Sonea's surprise, crouching down to check under the bed. He straightened after finding nothing there, his scowl deepening. He looked around once more, and Sonea's heart skipped a beat as his eyes focused on the wardrobe. With a smile of triumph, he started towards it.

"It's just some extra robes and clothes," Sonea said.

Ahrind looked back at her before turning his attention to the wardrobe. "Well, we shall just see." With that, he pulled open the doors, and Sonea opened her mouth, trying desperately to think of an explanation. Nothing came to mind, and she looked to the wardrobe, hoping Akkarin might be able to think of something. Her eyes widened when she saw nothing in the wardrobe, but she quickly schooled her features, hoping no one noticed her surprise.

"Like I said, just some robes and other clothes."

"Hmm." Ahrind closed the door again and turned back to her. "I don't know how you did it, but I will remind you that if I catch you with anyone in your room after curfew, there will be serious consequences." Sonea nodded. Ahrind gave her one last, piercing glare before striding out of the room. With a confused look around, Regin followed. After a minute, Sonea crossed to the wardrobe and opened it to find Akkarin standing inside, arms crossed over his chest.

"How did you-"

"Illusion," he said shortly.

"Something else you picked up as a novice?" She could not help but tease him.

His smiled slightly. "Surprisingly, I have never had to use such an action before today." His expression grew serious once more. "I am sorry. I should not have let us get so carried away; I should have anticipated something like this once I sensed someone nearby."

"I didn't mind what happened before Regin showed up," she told him. "Just maybe not here next time."

He studied her carefully for a moment before nodding. "Certainly not here."

"Though it would be amusing to see Lord Ahrind's face if he caught you hiding in my wardrobe."

"Let us not test the theory. Ahrind was in charge of the Novice's Quarters when I was a novice, and I fear that he often still thinks of me as such."

The following day, Sonea met Rothen's son, Dorrien, for the tutoring he had promised. Though she did not truly need the help, she nevertheless went through her class notes to come up with a few topics that she did not fully understand. Dorrien smiled when he saw her sitting in the library with her notes spread in front of her. "That looks like quite a lot of work considering you have only been back in classes for a couple weeks."

Sonea blushed slightly. "I had some time earlier this week, so I looked ahead a bit to see what might give me trouble." Akkarin had been even busier than usual, saying something about curriculum changes that a couple of the Higher Mages had wanted to put into place. The previous night was actually the first night she had been able to eat dinner with him in four days, and she wondered if their lack of contact in recent days could partly explain why they had gotten so carried away in her room the previous night though Akkarin was generally careful to keep their physical relationship limited to kissing.

"My father was not exaggerating when he said how dedicated you were," Dorrien muttered, glancing at her notes. He frowned slightly, and Sonea's blush deepened. She knew her handwriting was not like that of most of the nobles, and a number of other novices had made fun of her for the messy letters in the past. However, Dorrien made no comment on her handwriting; instead, he simply remarked, "Some of this looks like third year material. I thought you just started second year?" Sonea shrugged.

"Most of the second year material seems relatively straightforward, so I thought I should use the opportunity to get some help on the more difficult material."

"Well, let us get started then."

Dorrien proved to be a patient teacher, and Sonea found herself more comfortable with him than she had expected. Of course, she supposed it was not too surprising given who his father was. He seemed unconcerned with her origins, a pleasant change after a day in classes where that seemed to be all anyone thought about when they saw her. After working for a couple hours, he suggested they go to the Foodhall together, and she agreed easily, for Akkarin had said he would be working late again that night. For once, Sonea did not dread entering the Foodhall, and they passed a pleasant meal talking about their respective childhoods. It was certainly different than eating with Akkarin—even though Akkarin had begun to let his guard down somewhat with Sonea, he retained many vestiges of the aloof and powerful High Lord he was, and their conversation was often focused on the most important topics. Dorrien, however, had an easygoing manner and spent much of the meal teasing her and joking with her, not even mentioning their studies once.

Dorrien offered to return to the library with her after they ate, and she agreed easily. They began talking through some of the more complicated questions she had, but after a few minutes, Sonea realized Dorrien was no longer paying attention to what she was saying. She paused, glancing over to see that he was watching her with an expression on his face she could not quite read. "Dorrien, what-" she began, but he cut her off.

"Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are, particularly when you're focused."

Sonea blushed bright red, her eyes dropping to the notes in front of her. Akkarin had, in fact, said something similar a couple weeks before, following his words up with actions to suit them. She had never expected to hear such a compliment from someone else, however, and it startled her so much that she did not know how to respond. Before she could figure that out, however, she felt Dorrien leaning closer, and she quickly scrambled away from him. "Don't."

His brow crumpled in puzzlement. "I thought. . ."

"You thought wrong."

"Oh." Mercifully, he sat back in his chair. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Is there someone else?" Sonea glanced down at her hands, unsure of how to respond. She liked Dorrien, but the truth was that she had only known him a few weeks and had not even talked with him much in that time. She did not know that she could trust him. "I see. I suppose that is answer enough."

"Please don't tell anyone else. It's still relatively new, and we are just getting used to it ourselves."

"Your secret is safe with me. Though in my experience, secret relationships rarely end well."

Though Sonea agreed with him, she did not feel like discussing her doubts with anyone, particularly someone she did not know well. "I didn't mean to lead you on."

"No, it's fine. Just. . . tell me he knows what he has."

Sonea could not stop a startled chuckle. "Trust me, he does." Dorrien gave her a small smile before dropping his attention back to the notes in front of them and clearing his throat.

Sonea did not leave the library until it had closed, and then she had to walk all the way to the Novice's Quarters to allay Dorrien's suspicion before doubling back to sneak into the University and make her way into the classroom from where she could enter the tunnels. By the time she reached the High Lord's Residence, it was nearing midnight. She found Akkarin waiting in the guest room when she climbed up the stairs from the underground room, an untouched glass of wine in his hand. He turned as she walked into the room, setting his glass to the side and striding over to sweep her into his arms. "I was worried when I came home and did not find you, especially since Takan said you did not eat dinner here," he muttered into her hair, squeezing her so tightly that she could barely breathe.

"I knew you would be late, so I had dinner in the Foodhall with Dorrien."

Akkarin pulled away, frowning slightly. "Dorrien?"

"Rothen's son. He was there when I asked about Warrior training and offered to tutor me."

Akkarin's frown deepened. "I don't remember Rothen's son becoming a Warrior."

"He's a Healer. He was tutoring me in Healing Arts."

"I thought your knowledge in that area was well above your year."

"It is, but I thought it would be too suspicious to refuse." Akkarin was still frowning, the slight creases at the corners of his eyes more pronounced than usual. "What is it?" she questioned, reaching out to cup his cheek. A wave of feeling suddenly washed over her, so intense that she almost stumbled backwards but managed to stop herself at the last moment. The sudden onset confused her so much that it took her a few moments to identify the feeling for what it was—jealousy. However, she knew that jealousy was not coming from her. She looked up at Akkarin whose dark eyes had widened, and she watched him grimace as he ruthlessly brought his jealousy back under control.

"I apologize," he said stiffly, pulling away from her touch.

"Akkarin, there is nothing between Dorrien and I. I barely know him—we've only spoken a couple times in passing before today and all with Rothen present."

"I know." He gave her a half smile, reaching out to run the back of his hand gently down her cheek. "It seems that I can be quite irrational when it comes to you."

Her eyebrows rose. "I find that difficult to believe."

Leaning forward, he kissed her gently. "It's late, and you have classes in the morning. You should get some rest."

Sonea nodded, catching her lip between her teeth. "We're okay, right?" she questioned. Having never had a serious relationship before, she was not quite sure what to expect. Her experience in the Slums had shown her that most men did not appreciate when their significant others paid too much attention to other men. She had heard many an argument about such things and had seen many relationships end because of jealousy.

"Of course. I know my feelings are irrational. I certainly do not control you—you are welcome to talk with whomever you want, male or female."

Remembering some of what they had talked about, however, Sonea felt guilt despite his words. She blushed, glancing down at his boots. "Dorrien did make a pass at me."

"An intelligent man." Sonea looked up in confusion to see Akkarin smiling softly at her. He chuckled at her expression. "I am not a hotheaded youth who sees a rival at every turn," Akkarin told her, his thumb caressing her cheekbone. "I trust you. I know that whatever happened was one-sided and does not change anything about our relationship."

Sonea nodded, feeling relief accompanied by something much stronger, a feeling she had first acknowledged a couple weeks before but which had grown deeper since that time. The words came unbidden to the tip of her tongue, and she simply could not suppress them. "I love you."

His smile broadened. "I love you, too."