Akkarin stood in the shadows of the alcove, waiting for Cery to arrive for their regular meeting. He was beginning to grow restless though he was trying not to show it. There had not been a spy in the city for months, and Akkarin wondered if he had missed something. The others had not taken so long to arrive. On top of his worries about the spy, he was starting to worry that he should not have been so hasty to show the other Higher Magicians the chest. He had hoped it would start to slowly convince them of the necessity of teaching someone black magic, but all it seemed to have done was to terrify them of what a black magician might be capable of. Foreign Adminstrator Kito was still on a ship from Lan, so it would be quite some time before he would be able to reach the Guild, much less travel to Sachaka and back, which meant that there would be quite some time before Akkarin had any hope of convincing the Higher Magicians of the necessity of black magic. Akkarin was feeling uneasy for reasons that he could not quite explain, but something was telling him that they were currently experiencing the quiet before the storm.

In addition, the books which Akkarin had secretly hoped would help him determine ways to defeat a black magician without using black magic himself had not done so. They were full of uses of black magic that Akkarin had not known about, including a fair few that he would never consider using, but that was all. The secret weapon was just what Akkarin had suspected it was—though he had always hoped for something more—instructions on black magic. Even Balkan's tactics for fighting against a black magician were not very effective in practice. He had joined the first practice bout with the Warriors against Akkarin, leading the group of Warriors in an admittedly dazzling, but ultimately ineffective, attack. In the end, no amount of strategy from the Warriors seemed to let them prevail against a stronger magician. And though Akkarin knew the Court Magicians were not as well versed in strategy as he was, he suspected even they would eventually prevail over the Guild magicians if only through sheer strength.

Before Akkarin could continue too far down the path of worry, he heard soft footfalls in the distance, and a couple minutes later, a figure appeared around the corner. Akkarin waited until he was sure it was Cery before stepping out into the main walkway. "High Lord," Cery greeted with a quick bow. Akkarin suppressed a small smile. He was impressed with Sonea's choice. Cery had proven to be quite clever, having guessed his identity after their first meeting. Of course, Sonea had explained that Cery had been the one to hide her when the magicians were searching for her, an extremely difficult task that he had performed quite well all things considered. Akkarin supposed his cleverness had helped with that endeavor as well.

"Cery. Any news for me?"

"No. Though I don't know that it's a bad thing that there's not a magician offing Dwells."

"Unless he's doing so in such a way that we do not learn about it."

"You think he is?" Cery peered at Akkarin carefully.

"Do you think it is possible?"

Cery considered the question for almost a minute before shaking his head. "No, my people are too good. If there were murders, they would have heard about them and told me." Akkarin nodded. Cery canted his head to the side. "What makes you think there should've been?"

"It's been quite awhile since the last magician was in the city, almost a month longer than average. I cannot help but wonder why."

Cery shrugged. "Maybe you finally killed 'em all." Akkarin wished that was the case, but he knew that it was not possible. Once more, he had a strong feeling that something different was happening in Sachaka and the increased time between spies was only the beginning. "I'll keep my eyes and ears open and let you know as soon as I hear something."

"I would appreciate that." Akkarin started to turn to head back to the Guild, for he still had a meeting with the Higher Magicians as well as a report to prepare for the King and his advisors, but Cery stopped him.

"How's Sonea doing anyway?"

A small smile crossed Akkarin's lips at the thought of Sonea. "As well as can be expected. The other novices are still giving her some trouble, but she has been handling it admirably and is slowly growing more confident in her abilities to do so."

"Good. That's good to hear. Speaking of Sonea, I happened to run into her uncle the other day, and he asked about her. Wasn't sure exactly what to say, so I just said something about the Guild but didn't give any details. They asked about seeing her, and I told them I'd see what I could do. Didn't promise anything, but I thought I'd ask. Do you think she'd want to see them?"

Akkarin remembered how fondly Sonea always spoke of her aunt and uncle. "Yes, I definitely think she would appreciate that. Thank you for arranging it."

"No rub. I'll talk with them and let you know the details when we next meet."

Akkarin nodded. "Anything else?"

"No. I'll let you know through the usual channels if something comes up." They turned away from each other, Akkarin already dreading the upcoming meeting.

An hour into his meeting, Akkarin felt a familiar feeling of love wash over him just as an image popped up of the study at his Residence. Cursing internally, Akkarin glanced at the clock and noted that it was a few minutes past his normal time for meeting Sonea for dinner. Focusing on his own feelings for her, he managed to send her a picture of the room in which he sat. He wished they were able to send communication across their unique connection as well so he could tell her not to wait on dinner for him, but so far, they had only managed pictures and feelings, and even those tended to be fleeting unless they focused especially hard. Fortunately, like Cery, Sonea was quite clever. A minute later, Sonea sent a new picture, this one of a laden dinner table, and Akkarin did his best to send his assent. Just in case, he focused on his blood gem connection with Takan and instructed his servant to serve dinner without him.

By the time Akkarin finally made it back to his Residence, it was long past dinner time. He found Sonea curled up in her favorite chair in his study, and he leaned against the doorframe for a moment, a slight smile curling up his lips at the picture she made. After a few moments, she seemed to sense his gaze and looked up, quickly setting aside the book. "You're back!" she said, excitement coloring her tone. She stood and approached. "Should I have Takan warm up some dinner for you?"

Akkarin shook his head. "I'm not that hungry, and I still have some work to do before I can go to bed tonight." He reached for her, but she evaded his grasp, frowning at him.

"Aren't you the one always telling me how bad it is to skip meals?"

He gave her a gentle smile. "I promise to eat an extra large breakfast tomorrow." The second time, she allowed him to pull her closer, and he pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. When he finally pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers with a sigh. "Unfortunately, I was not lying about that work."

"Anything I can help with?" He looked at her, an eyebrow raised in confusion, for she had never asked about helping with his work before. She colored, looking slightly sheepish. "I just thought maybe I could read something for you and summarize it or organize your notes or. . . never mind, it was a silly thought."

Akkarin kissed her quickly. "No, it's not a silly thought, and I may take you up on that offer later. For today, however, I need to write a report with information that is mostly in my head. You can go to bed if you are tired. I promise to join you as soon as I finish here."

"I would rather stay up with you. I still have plenty of work to finish."

"Okay. But please do not lose sleep on my account."

Sonea shrugged. "Truthfully, I sleep better with you than I have in a long time. I shared a bed with my aunt and uncle when I was little, mostly for convenience—it was warmer for everyone that way, and we did not need two beds. I obviously got my own bed as I got older, but I never really slept as well alone."

"Speaking of your aunt and uncle, it sounds as if they would like to see you."

"How would you—you talked to Cery!"

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "You were still in class when we met. But he offered to set up a meeting with your aunt and uncle if it's something you're interested in."

"Of course. I have been meaning to go see them, but I've been quite busy, and I was not sure if it was something I should be doing."

"The Guild is not a prison, Sonea. You are allowed to leave."

"I know, but with everything you told me, going to the Slums seemed. . . inadvisable."

He acknowledged the truth of her words with an incline of his head. "I suppose I will just have to go with you then."

She rolled her eyes at him. "This is another chance for you to disguise yourself, isn't it?"

"I have to admit the idea has a certain appeal." She rolled her eyes again, and he chuckled at her before placing a kiss on her lips and heading to his desk to finish his work. She settled in the armchair once more, and as he picked up his pen to begin writing, he glanced over at her, his smile widening when he saw that she had caught her lip between her teeth as she often did when concentrating hard. Somehow, she seemed to brighten his mood no matter what was happening, and he would be forever grateful that she had come into his life. He also vowed to do anything in his power to keep her in it.

Jonna heard the knock at the door and frowned, wondering who might be calling just before dinnertime. She certainly was not expecting someone, and in her experience, evening, unannounced visitors rarely brought good news. Part of her hoped that someone might have finally come with news of her niece, but the rational side of her brain dismissed that thought immediately. It had been much too long since Sonea had disappeared, and the rumors Jonna had heard—rumors that she was taken by the Magician's Guild of all places!-were quite persistent. Sonea's old friend Ceryini had confirmed that she was in the Guild though he had assured Ranel she was perfectly safe there. Jonna had no choice but to trust him.

Jonna opened the door only a crack, relaxing slightly when she saw a small, familiar figure in the moonlight. "Cery," she greeted, still a bit wary as to what errand might have brought him to her doorstep so late at night. "How are you?" Cery stepped a bit closer, a smile on his face as he held something up in the light.

"Great. I brought something for you." Jonna's eyes widened as she noted that it was a bottle of wine, and from her admittedly limited knowledge, a good bottle of wine. It must have cost a pretty penny. Looking closer, she noted that Cery's clothes were made of a much nicer fabric as well. It seemed that Cery had made his way up in the world. Though she was happy for him, knowing from Sonea that he had always wanted such a thing, she also found herself glad that Sonea was no longer running with him.

"That's some kind of gift, Cery," Ranel said, whistling as he hobbled up behind Jonna.

"Probably not as good as this one," Cery said, stepping aside. Jonna first noticed a tall man behind him, his features shadowed by the hood of the cloak he wore. Jonna frowned, trying to place his face, but she did not think she had ever seen him before. Though he wore tattered clothes typical of the Slumdwellers, his bearing did not seem to be that of a Slumdweller. A second figure stood beside him, dwarfed by him, and this one, Jonna recognized immediately.

"Sonea!" she called happily, and her niece immediately rushed forward and gave her a tight hug. A noise from the floor directed their attention downward, and Sonea smiled.

"I take it this is my new cousin?"

"This is Kerrel. Sonea, what are you doing here? I heard the craziest story about the Magicians' Guild coming and taking you away."

Sonea grimaced. "Perhaps we should sit down for this." Jonna nodded, gesturing for them all to enter. Sonea greeted Ranel warmly as well before taking a seat on the shabby sofa. Cery moved a hard-backed dining chair over to sit beside her, Ranel took his usual rocking chair, and Jonna grabbed a second dining chair. The mysterious man—who Jonna realized had still not introduced himself—took the seat beside Sonea. She noted that his posture was impeccable, and something told her that despite his outward appearance, he had been raised in the upper class. He sat close to Sonea, but the sofa was small, so Jonna did not want to make too much of their positions. However, it did seem odd that he had come with her.

"I'm sorry, I did not get your name."

Two grey eyes studied her carefully beneath an impassive facade. "Akkarin," he finally answered. Beside him, Sonea tensed, and Jonna turned to see that Sonea was watching her carefully. Jonna wondered why.

"Pleasure to meet you, Akkarin," Ranel said, holding out a hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," he said, relaxing his posture slightly as he took Ranel's hand. Jonna greeted him as well before turning back to her niece.

"I believe you owe me an explanation," she said, fixing Sonea with a stern look. She may have been in the Magicians' Guild now, but that did not mean she had a right to disobey.

Sonea did look contrite. She took a deep breath before beginning her story. The story seemed so fantastical that if anyone other than Sonea had told it, Jonna would have expected that person of embellishing. However, Sonea had always been truthful, and Jonna sensed that had not changed. It was simply going to take some time to accept the story.

When Sonea finished her story, they all sat in silence for a few moments. With a start, Jonna realized that she had not checked on Kerrel recently. Though there were not many dangerous things in the house, the boy had an uncanny ability of finding the few that were there no matter how well Jonna concealed them. Quickly, she scanned the room, her panic rising when she did not see her son. Before she could stand to begin looking, however, she heard his happy giggle and glanced to the sofa to see that Kerrel had climbed onto Akkarin's lap at some point during Sonea's story. That was unusual, for Kerrel generally did not like strangers, but Akkarin fortunately did not seem to mind. In fact, he had focused his full attention on Kerrel, his knee bouncing the boy slightly as Kerrel stared at a floating ball of color in front of him. As Jonna watched, the ball began to change colors rapidly before flames engulfed it. She jumped, but Kerrel clapped happily.

"You're a magician, too?" Jonna questioned suspiciously. The man looked up from his play, leaving a number of brightly colored shapes floating in the air just above Kerrel's head.

"I wouldn't have brought him here if I didn't trust him," Sonea defended.

"I promise I have no ill intentions toward your family; I just prefer Sonea not walk through the Slums alone, particularly late at night."

"That is sensible," Jonna agreed.

Sonea scoffed. "You're both paranoid." He turned to her, raising a single eyebrow.

"I am also still alive."

Sonea looked like she was about to argue further, but Jonna cut her off, knowing that her niece could easily argue for the rest of the night if allowed. "I don't mind, especially since this is the most quiet I've seen Kerrel since he learned how to talk."

A small smile crossed Akkarin's lips. "My sister has three children, and I have been coerced into watching them a few times. I have quickly found that everything becomes easier with magic—including entertaining children."

"I didn't know that," Sonea remarked.

Akkarin gave her a piercing stare. "I do not let you in on all my secrets." Jonna became more convinced than ever that there was something between the two people sitting in front of her. She considered how she felt about that for a moment. The man's exact age was hard to place, but she guessed he was around a decade older than her niece. It was certainly not the largest age gap Jonna had ever heard of, but it was definitely more than average, at least among the Dwells. Jonna also never wanted her niece to be seeing a magician, but she supposed that if Sonea was a magician now, it made sense. In the end, however, from what Jonna had seen, he was a man who could handle her stubborn niece and make her see sense, an important trait. In addition, Jonna had seen how Sonea had looked at him—even if they were not officially together, she was certainly smitten. One thing Jonna knew for sure—she only wanted what was best for her niece, and if the man in front of her was what she wanted, Jonna would support her.

"Only the unimportant ones?" Sonea asked, eyebrow raised.

Akkarin's lips twitched. "Something like that." Jonna had the sense it was a private joke but decided not to ask.

"Paranoid or not, he is right about walking alone at night in this area," Ranel remarked, entering the conversation for the first time in awhile. "Especially after what happened the other night."

Both Akkarin and Sonea suddenly stiffened and looked to Ranel. "What happened the other night?" Akkarin questioned, an edge to his voice that had not been there before.

Ranel seemed slightly uneasy at the change in the other man, and Jonna could not blame him. She had sensed before that Akkarin was a powerful man, but in that moment, she realized he was also dangerous. She began to have doubts about the wisdom of letting Sonea pursue a relationship with him. "There was another murder a few blocks over. Similar to the ones a few months ago where there weren't any signs of what killed him."

Akkarin turned a dark gaze to Cery who squirmed under his scrutiny. "I only just heard about it, too," he defended. "I was gonna tell you on the way back, I promise. I just thought you'd prefer to have a nice visit before worrying about that."

"Wait, are you involved in these murders?" Jonna asked suspiciously. Cery glanced nervously at Akkarin, seeming to wait for him to say something. He stared hard at the younger man for a few moments before finally turning back to the others in the room. Jonna could read nothing from his face, but she noted that he had not stopped bouncing Kerrel who, fortunately, was still oblivious to the tension in the room, too focused on the floating shapes above him.

"Not directly, but I like to stay apprised of happenings in the city," Akkarin finally answered.

"Why would a magician care what happens in the Slums?" Jonna questioned.

This time, Akkarin looked to Sonea, and his features softened noticeably. She gave him a small smile before looking down, blushing slightly. "I feel that other magicians are far too short-sighted when it comes to the Slums," Akkarin answered. "They are missing out on many things because of that." Jonna had the distinct impression he was no longer speaking just of the murders, an impression strengthened when her niece's blush deepened. Seeing movement, she glanced down to see that Akkarin had reached out to take her niece's hand, interlacing their fingers and confirming Jonna's earlier suspicions.

They were silent for a few moments before Jonna announced, "It is past dinnertime already; Sonea, why don't you help me prepare something quickly so we can all eat."

"Oh, we should get going; no need to go to the trouble on our account," Sonea said quickly.

"Nonsense. It has been far too long since we've had a chance to have a meal together. Come." Jonna beckoned Sonea forward, and, after a quick glance at Akkarin, Sonea released his hand and stood as well. They walked together to the small kitchen, and Jonna began pulling items out of the cupboards to make a simple meal. "How long have you been seeing him?" she questioned, knowing with her niece that it was best to ask direct questions.

"Just a few months."

"And he treats you well?"

"Yes."

"Good, that's the most important thing. Is it serious?" Sonea shrugged, beginning to chop a couple vegetables that Jonna set before her. Jonna tried a different tactic. "Do you think you'll get married?"

Sonea did not protest immediately which told Jonna much of what she needed to know. Instead, Jonna's niece sighed. "It's. . . complicated. The Guild tends to frown on relationships between magicians and novices, so we've been keeping things quiet while I am still at the University."

"But once you graduate?"

"It's still more than three years away."

"But you want to marry him?" After a brief hesitation, Sonea nodded. "And he wants to marry you?" Sonea gave another nod. "Well, I will expect a wedding invitation in three years then. In the meantime, I assume you are being careful?" Sonea's eyes widened, and the knife stilled. Her face was completely red now.

"There are ways for magicians to prevent such things," she finally admitted slowly.

"And if they don't work?" Jonna questioned, having learned many times in her life not to take anything for granted. Sonea looked up at her aunt, eyes wide.

"The spell is quite effective."

"How effective?"

"Um. . . I don't. . ."

"There has never been a documented instance where it did not work," a new voice suddenly remarked, and both women turned to see Akkarin standing in the doorway, Kerrel still in his arms. "And if Sonea happens to be the first case where it does not, rest assured that I would take full responsibility."

Jonna narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm guessing your family wouldn't like that much."

A small smile played on his lips. "Fortunately, I am a Guild magician, so they have no say in my personal life. I came to see if there was anything I could feed him. He seems to be growing rather hungry," Akkarin remarked, nodding to Kerrel.

"Of course." Jonna took a couple biscuits from a container and passed them to her son who grabbed them greedily. As Akkarin left the room, Jonna turned to her niece, grinning. Akkarin's words had helped reassure her quite a bit—she had seen too many girls ruin their lives with an unplanned pregnancy from a man who left before he could take responsibility and did not want that for her niece. Sonea turned back to the vegetables, clearly embarrassed, but Jonna could not resist one final comment.

"When you do finally get around to it, he will make a wonderful father." Sonea looked up, her eyes wide at the thought, and Jonna laughed loudly.

As they walked back to the Guild, Cery told them more about the murdered man Ranel had mentioned. "Truthfully, I do not know much more than Ranel. I only heard about the murder a couple hours before I went to meet you."

"But you know where the murder occurred?"

"I know where the body was found at least."

"Is there someone who could take Sonea back to the Guild while you take me there?"

"I could come with you," Sonea suggested.

Akkarin shook his head. "We talked about this, Sonea. It's too dangerous."

"I thought you were just going to look at where the body was found."

"A body that means there is a spy in the Slums. That means just being here is dangerous, and being near the location of his last victim is doubly so. I will not budge on this, Sonea." He stared at her fiercely, and after a moment, she sighed, unwilling to have an argument, particularly one she was likely to lose, in front of Cery.

"Fine. But I expect you not to take foolish chances either."

The corners of his lips twitched. "Of course not."

By the time Akkarin returned that night, Sonea was already in bed but unable to sleep. She sat up slightly when he entered the room, watching as he stripped off the rough clothing he wore in the Slums. "What happened?" she questioned. He startled slightly, turning to face her.

"I thought you would have been asleep."

"I was too wired. I expected you back awhile ago."

He crawled into bed, kissing her. "I apologize for that. I sensed magic where they had found the body, and it was relatively fresh, so I spent awhile roaming the area to see if I could sense the spy's presence. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful."

"So what's next?"

"A number of late nights, unfortunately. In the past, I spent most of the night wandering the areas where the bodies were found, searching for a magical presence. I am hopeful Cery's help will shorten the process, but it will likely still take a few days."

"I could help, too, to shorten it more."

"Out of the question."

"Why? I grew up with Cery, and we have many of the same skills."

"You also have a very strong magical presence than anyone with a lot of power—which includes all black magicians—can easily sense. You would be a prime target for the spy."

"That should make him easier to find."

"The answer is no, Sonea. I will not use you as bait, and I would prefer you not ask again." Sonea felt her frustration growing at the command in his tone, but she forced herself not to react too harshly, reminding herself that he was merely thinking of her safety.

"It's late," she said, mostly managing to keep the anger from her tone. "We should get some sleep, especially if you're going to be roaming the Slums the next few nights."

He nodded, rolling to his side so he could pull her into his arms. "I do love you, you know. Even if you can be quite stubborn."

She snorted. "Look who's talking." He raised an eyebrow, and she grinned at him. "I love you, too." He leaned forward, and their lips met in a sensual kiss. She felt his tongue pressing against her lips almost immediately, and she parted them automatically, letting their tongues dance together until she needed to pull away to breathe. "Don't you need sleep?"

"Sleep is not the most important thing I will be missing the next few days," he muttered against her lips, rolling them over so that he hovered over her. His lips began to travel down her chin and neck, and she soon lost herself to the sensation.

As Akkarin had warned her, he spent the next three nights in the city. He would eat dinner at the Residence with Sonea before dressing in his tattered clothing and leaving through the tunnel that connected to the underground room. Sonea was not sure exactly what time he returned, for she was asleep long before he did. He still woke at his usual hour, and she saw the dark circles beginning to form under his eyes. On Free Day, he nearly nodded off over breakfast, and she raised an eyebrow at him. "You look worse than Lorlen," she remarked.

He grimaced. "I do not think that he would appreciate being your basis of comparison."

"You should be in bed. Surely you do not have meetings this morning."

"I actually am meeting with the king and a few select members of Court in a couple hours."

"Then that gives you at least an hour to sleep." They stared at each other for a few seconds before he sighed.

"I do not really have a choice, do I?"

"No." They both stood from the table, and he canted his head in question.

"You don't have classes today, do you?"

"No, but I intend to make sure you actually sleep."

"Sleep is less likely if you go to bed with me," he informed her, smirking.

"You need to sleep first to have enough energy for what you're thinking about."

"I will take that as a promise."

Akkarin not only slept for the promised hour that morning but also took a two-hour nap after lunch before proceeding to show Sonea just how much energy the sleep had provided him. By mutual agreement, they took the afternoon off, and he showed her how to play a strategy game called Tyrola. Though he beat her both times they played, Sonea felt that she had improved at least a bit by the second game. Before he left that night, he kissed her for far longer than usual, so long that they almost retired to the bedroom again until he finally wrenched himself away. As he left, Sonea could not help feeling that something was different about the current night than the previous three though she did not know what. Given the intensity of his kiss, she suspected he felt it, too, but neither acknowledged it aloud.

Sonea tried to study for awhile, but her thoughts continued to return to Akkarin even though it was far too early for him to return. Eventually, she gave up on her schoolwork and scanned the shelves of Akkarin's library until she found a fiction book that looked intriguing, but even it could not hold her interest. After re-reading the first three chapters twice, Sonea finally set it aside and spent a few minutes contemplating what to do next. She was just considering going to bed early when she felt a wave of fear wash over her, and her vision blurred. Immediately, she focused on the image she was receiving from Akkarin. She saw a dark-skinned man kneeling in front of him, his head hung low and hands magically bound behind his back. Despite his dire situation, however, the man wore a smirk on his face. He said something in Sachakan that Sonea could not understand, but she felt Akkarin's horror and knew something dreadful had occurred.

Sonea scanned the surroundings for a clue as to where Akkarin might be, but it looked just like any alley in the Slums. Deciding she had no time to waste, Sonea sprang to her feet and practically ran from the Residence, for once uncaring if anyone saw her emerging from it. She had briefly considered taking the tunnels, but she simply did not know them well enough to reach the Slums at the speed she wished. She would be better off aboveground.

She slowed her steps when she reached the gates to avoid suspicion, nodding at the Guards. They did not stop her, but she supposed that they were there more to keep people out of the Guild than to keep magicians in. As soon as she was out of sight, she broke into a run again, making her way as quickly as possible through the Inner Circle and to the Slums. Once there, she scanned the area, searching for the ubiquitous watchers. It felt like it took hours to find one, but Sonea knew it was only a matter of minutes. Just as she signaled to a watcher, she once again felt Akkarin's fear wash over her, and she saw the same Sachakan man now laughing cruelly. Akkarin was on the ground in front of him, his hands against his head. The feelings he projected were a jumbled mess; it almost seemed as if Sonea was receiving the feelings of two different people, but that did not make much sense. She still saw no clue of where they were.

Blocking the vision from her mind, she turned to the watcher. "I need to see Cery."

The boy seemed suspicious. "He's been busy these last few days, and he don't much like being interrupted when he's busy."

"Just take me to him!" The boy's eyes widened at her desperation, and he nodded, beckoning her forward. She followed him through the maze of streets for about a quarter of an hour, hoping that she was not too late. Finally, the boy stopped, and Sonea knew they had reached the correct location due to the lack of people around.

"Cery had this area cleared 'bout three hours ago," the boy explained. Sonea thanked him and rushed forward, glancing down each alley she passed. It did not take her long to find Akkarin and the spy, and she breathed a sigh of relief when Akkarin turned to look at her. However, her relief quickly vanished when she noticed that his eyes were so dark she could no longer see the pupils, and his face had contorted in pain.

"Sonea, what are you doing here?" he questioned. Even his voice seemed different, as if it had lost all of its warmth.

"What happened?" Sonea glanced over at the Sachakan who was still bound but watched Akkarin with unmistakable glee on his face.

"Get out of here. Now!"

"No, I'm not leaving you!" The spy seemed delighted by her appearance and said something to Akkarin in Sachakan. Akkarin responded harshly, lunging forward, but the spy simply shook his head, saying something else that caused Akkarin to growl as he moved away again. He clutched at his head suddenly, and the pain etched onto his face deepened. Sonea moved closer to help him.

"No! Stop!" he said, breathing heavily.

"Let me help, Akkarin."

"You can't help."

"We won't know unless we try." Akkarin stopped moving away as his back hit the brick wall of the building behind him. Sonea took advantage immediately, reaching out and grasping one of his hands. It was surprisingly easy to slip into his mind, but once she did so, she nearly fell back out of it again. Akkarin's mind was in complete turmoil. There was no room or any other visualization; instead, it appeared to be a dark space through which various objects swirled so quickly that Sonea could not see what they were. She forced herself to ignore the objects, sensing they were not important. Instead, she pushed forward, following an instinct that she did not fully understand. The number of objects lessened until they disappeared completely. A door stood ajar in front of Sonea, and she gasped in recognition. It was the door that had previously held whatever thing had taken over Akkarin's mind in Sachaka. Sonea took a quick peek in the room to confirm her suspicion—it was empty.

She continued to move forward, and the sounds of a fight suddenly reached her ears. Following the noise, she discovered Akkarin's mind projection locked in physical combat with. . . something. Sonea could not even tell what the thing was, for it seemed to change shape every time she tried to focus on it as if it was made of smoke or something equally insubstantial. Its lack of substance was definitely affecting Akkarin's ability to fight it; every time it seemed that he had a grip on it, it would somehow shift to be somewhere else. Sonea, get out of here! Akkarin's projection shouted at her. I don't know how much I can hold him off, and you need to be as far away from me as possible when I lose.

No! I can help you.

No, you can't. He's too strong.

Then fight him with magic.

I can't; he's blocked the door to my power. Glancing behind the thing, Sonea could see the pulsing light of Akkarin's power.

Then I will fight him with magic.

You can't use your power in my mind.

Then I'll use yours!

It doesn't- Before he could finish the sentence, the thing knocked him to the ground, and he went still. It apparently had enough substance to affect his mind projection which did not bode well for either of them. For a moment, Sonea wanted to rush toward Akkarin, but she forced herself to move instead toward his power stores. The thing was fortunately still too focused on Akkarin to pay her any attention, and she managed to rush past it and reach into his power. It pulsed around her, warming her from the inside. Though undeniably different than the feel of her own power, there was something immensely comforting about Akkarin's power, and it seemed to flow toward her projection naturally as soon as she touched it. With very little concentration, she formed it into a Forcestrike, aiming at the shadowy thing which still hovered over Akkarin's form. It shrieked when the Forcestrike hit it, swirling nearer to Sonea, but she had already formed a Firestrike which hit it directly in what she guessed was its closest approximation to a face. This time, it shrank back from her, and Sonea continued to send strikes at it, using them and a couple well-placed shields to move it toward the open door. As soon as it slipped through the door, Sonea slammed it shut with a thought and immediately wove the strongest locking spell she could around it. Once she had completed that, she rushed to Akkarin's projection, collapsing to her knees beside it. She was not sure exactly how his projection related to his physical form, but she again let instinct drive her actions as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Come back with me, she instructed, grabbing his hand. Holding tight, she pulled her consciousness back into her own body, opening her eyes. Next to her, Akkarin's eyes snapped open as well, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw they had returned to their normal steely gray. He stared at her in astonishment for a moment before he reached out, pulling her close and pressing a desperate kiss to her lips, heedless of their surroundings.