“Safe journey,” Watcher Orton said, as the carriage pulled away from the Fort. Above him, an array of small windows looked out from the Sachakan side of the building, some bright squares of light, some dark and near-invisible. Sonea gazed back at the building until it was swallowed by darkness.
Then she extinguished the small globe light she’d set hovering inside the carriage. The darkness in the cabin felt appropriate for discussing secrets, yet she hesitated. “It’s a relief to hear Lorkin has escaped the city,” Regin said.
“Yes,” Sonea replied, seizing the opportunity to delay. “Dannyl will be pleased, too. I don’t know how he arranged it, exactly, but it involved taking a big risk. Though… we have to trust that the message did come from the Traitors, and is true.”
“Do you think it might be a lie?”
Sonea shook her head. “Not if it came from the Traitors. I can’t help worrying that this whole thing is some elaborate ruse set up by King Amakira. Lorkin would have to have been deceived as well, as I detected no feeling of deceit from him when we spoke via the blood ring.” She frowned. In fact, I didn’t detect anything of his thoughts and feelings. That’s odd. The ring should have allowed me to do so. It’s as if… aah, of course. Lorkin’s thoughts were being protected somehow. Possibly the same way hers were protected by Naki’s ring. Was he carrying a similar gemstone? Did Naki’s ring originally come from the Traitors? If it had, how did it get to Kyralia? She said it had been passed down through the women in her family. Was one of them a Traitor?
“He has the ring now?”
She turned her thoughts back to the conversation. “Yes.”
“So that’s how you knew the messages were from the Traitors,” Regin said, more to himself than her.
She looked at him, or rather, what she could see of him in the dark. They had a couple of hours before they had to leave the carriage. She considered her hesitation to tell Regin what their other purpose was in Sachaka. The Traitors had assured her the pass was safe, though they’d recommended she travel at night and as quietly as possible. Once she told Regin, he would have questions. If she didn’t tell him until it was time to leave the carriage, she might not have time enough to answer them before they would be forced to stay silent. Yes, I think it has to be now.
“Lord Regin,” she began, and in the near-darkness she saw his head turn quickly toward her. “Freeing Lorkin isn’t the only task we are undertaking. There is another.”
He hesitated before answering. “I thought there must be. So. What is this other task?”
“We’re to meet with the Traitors. They want to discuss the possibility of an alliance and trade.”
Over the rattle of the carriage, she heard him exhale.
“Ah.”
“The driver will stop in an hour or two. We’ll get out and walk from there, north of the road. The Traitors left me instructions on where to go. In a few days they’ll meet us, and Lorkin will be with them.”
“You left this to the last moment to tell me.”
“Yes, and I would have waited longer if I could have. You couldn’t be told before now in case we were waylaid by King Amakira’s men and your mind was read.”
“And your mind?”
“Is protected.”
She waited for him to ask how, but the question never came. He did not speak at all. The silence in the cabin felt a little reproachful.
“It isn’t that we — the Guild — didn’t trust you with the information,” she began. “We-”
“I know,” he interrupted. “It doesn’t matter.” He sighed. “Well, one thing does. Do you trust me?”
She paused, not sure how to read the tone of his voice. It wasn’t accusing, but it did hold a hint of demand. To avoid answering could make matters unnecessarily strained between them.
“I do,” she told him, and felt the truth of it. At the same time she realised he had cornered her somewhat, and it was only fair to do the same in return. “Do you trust me?”
Again she heard him exhale, but slowly this time.
“Not completely,” he admitted. “Not because I regard you as untrustworthy, but… I know you do not like me.”
She felt her heart skip. “That’s not true,” she told him quickly, before old memories rose to argue their case and make saying it awkward. “I haven’t always. You know why. We don’t need to go over that again. It’s in the past.”
He was quiet for a short space of time. “I apologise. I should not have brought it up again. Sometimes I find it hard to believe you have forgiven me, or could even like me.”
“Well… I have. And I do. You are… a good person.”
“You made me that person.” His tone was warmer, now. “That day, during the invasion.”
Sonea caught her breath as a wave of sadness washed over her. And another good person died that day. Suddenly she could not speak, and dread rose — not for the first time — at the memories she knew would return when she walked in the darkness over the bare rock of the mountains. But with a different companion. A different man.
“What’s wrong?”
She blinked in surprise. How had he even known she was upset? Then she realised that the rock wall on one side of the carriage was gone and the faint light of a crescent moon filtered into the cabin. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, gathering all her self-control.
“We both changed that day. You for the better, me for the worse.”
“Only a fool would think that of you,” he told her, misunderstanding her meaning. “You saved us and the Guild. I have admired you ever since.”
She looked at him, but his face was mostly in shadow. How could he understand the bitterness and self-loathing that had come after Akkarin’s death? No matter how much my mind knows it wasn’t my fault, my heart never quite believes it.
The moonlight reached his face and revealed an expression she had rarely seen before. There had been a hint of a smile in his voice, she realised. What had he said? ‘ I have admired you ever since.’
She looked away. All his rivalry and hatred of her and what she represented had changed to something almost completely opposite. And just as undeserved. But it would be unkind and ungrateful to say so. I’ll take admiration over distrust and contempt any day.
Admiration and friendship were very different. As different as friendship and love. I’ve seen novices who hated each other become friends after graduation. That didn’t happen with us. I’ve also seen people who hate each other skip the friendship bit in the middle and fall in love. Her heart skipped a beat. Wait… Surely not. No, he doesn’t mean that sort of admiration.
Glancing at him again, she did not have a chance to search his expression. Regin’s attention had fixed somewhere outside the carriage. He shifted across his seat and leaned forward.
“So that’s the wasteland,” he said in a hushed voice.
She peered out the window. The faint moonlight touched the edges of the landscape below, the ridges of many, many dunes creating eerie patterns.
“Yes,” she explained. “It goes all the way to the horizon.”
“So far. How did we do it?” Regin wondered. “Where has that knowledge gone?”
“Ambassador Dannyl has unearthed some interesting records, from what Osen had told me.”
“Any ideas on how to restore the land?”
She shook her head. “If a magician ever manages to return this to fertile land, it will be the greatest act of healing anyone has ever achieved.”
Regin gazed a little longer at the view, then leaned back in his seat again. “A few hours, you say?”
“Yes. The driver knows the landmark to look for. He’ll drop us there, then continue on to Arvice and the Guild House with the mail and supplies. I told him we didn’t need to go to Sachaka now that Lorkin was free, but we wanted to see the sun rise over the wasteland and would walk back to the Fort.”
“Brave man, travelling without magicians on board,” Regin said. “I suppose none of us would be safe if the Sachakan king decided to attack us. Or the Ichani. Or the Traitors.”
“No, but we have to hope that the Traitors are on our side. They’ve assured us they’ll keep the Ichani and the king’s spies out of our way.”
“Really? I’m looking forward to meeting them.”
She nodded. I am, too. Not only because I’ll finally get to see Lorkin, and ensure he gets home safely, but I want to meet these people who impressed him so much that he agreed to go to their secret city, despite knowing he might never leave it again.
With Anyi and Lilia gone, the underground room was silent but for the sound of breathing. Gol was sitting on one of the mattresses he’d made, his back to the wall. Cery remained on one of the stolen chairs. He considered what Lilia had told him about Kallen and the Guild’s reason for seeking roet seeds.
“He said he would get rid of Skellin after they had seeds, and that they might accept your help then, if you’re still prepared to give it,” she’d told him.
“Can we trust them?” Cery asked aloud.
Gol grunted. “I should ask you that. You’re the expert on the Guild. What do you think?”
Cery drew in a deep breath and sighed. “They’ll look after themselves and the Houses first, and their notion of ‘the Kyralian people’ second.”
“Which doesn’t include Thieves and criminal types.”
“Not unless those Thieves have helped them, and then only in ways the public doesn’t get to hear about.”
“They’ll feel obliged to help us.” The bodyguard looked at Cery. “Even though we aren’t helping them now, and Sonea’s gone. Because we helped them in the past.”
“I hope so.” Cery sighed. “The sooner Sonea gets back, the better,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “I don’t like having to trust Kallen if he’s as addicted to roet as Lilia says.”
“Hmm,” Gol nodded. “If he wanted to sell us out to Skellin he’d have agreed to your plan and said nothing about waiting. He’d have arranged a meeting and Skellin would have arrived instead.”
“That’s true. Even so, I’d rather be here, where we can leave if we have to, than stuck in a room in the Guild.”
God nodded. “At least we can keep an eye on that cellar so we know when they’ve got roet seeds. We should wait until the plants get to the same size as the ones we saw, which was big enough for the magicians to tell they weren’t roet.”
“Do you know what roet plants look like?”
Gol frowned and shook his head. “Anyi might. Didn’t her boyfriend smoke it?”
“Or girlfriend. She never did say.”
The bodyguard’s face darkened in the dim light and he looked away. Is he blushing? Cery couldn’t help smiling.
“They might try other ways to find Skellin before they consider our plan.” Gol drummed his fingers on the sides of the chair. “If they’re reluctant to work with a Thief.”
“If they don’t like working with a Thief, I doubt they’ll be reluctant to use a Thief as bait,” Cery pointed out.
Gol chuckled. “True.”
“If they do want to try our plan…” Cery considered. “I guess we ought to make sure we’re ready for them. We should have a trap all set up, ready to go.”
“It’ll be a waste of effort if they decide not to work with us?”
“What else are we going to do?” Cery sighed. “We’re right underneath the Guild. Surely that’s to our advantage. I wish… I wish there was a way to trick Skellin into walking right into their hands, whether the Guild wants it or not.”
“A trap that’s as much for them as for Skellin.”
“A trap that will get their attention when — and only when — Skellin comes snooping.”
The bodyguard’s eyes brightened. “I know just the thing. It’ll get the magicians’ attention for sure.” He looked thoughtful. “I’ll have to go into the city to get supplies. And we’ll have to set it up somewhere strong, so we don’t accidentally bury ourselves. What’s the sturdiest area down here?”
“I think I know just the place.” Cery picked up a lamp. “Come with me.”
Getting to his feet without even a grunt of effort, Gol followed Cery out of the room. Good to see he’s healed up so well, Cery thought. Between him and Anyi, I feel twice as old as I am. If I ever get my former life back I’m going to keep some grizzled old men around to make me feel younger.
He led Gol out of the room. Soon they arrived at the cluster of rooms where Cery had run into Lilia and Anyi. Gol took the lamp from him and entered the first one, lifting it to illuminate the sturdy brick walls and vaulted ceiling.
“This is in much better shape than the room we’re living in,” the bodyguard said. “Why haven’t we been staying here?”
“Anyi only found the rooms recently.” And there was something about this one that bothered Cery. It set his heart beating a little too fast. As Gol lowered the lamp, a dusty, broken plate caught the light. Cery picked up one of the pieces. A Guild symbol marked the glaze. He shivered as memories wafted up like smoke. Is this the room Fergun locked me in all those years ago? I didn’t get to see it much. I was stuck in the dark for days.
“This is closer to the Guild buildings. A shorter run to escape, if we need to, and not so far for Lilia to travel to see us. Let’s move our stuff in here,” Gol said.
Sighing, Cery pushed away the memories and his discomfort and nodded. “Yes, but let’s choose another room. This is the first one anyone comes to. We’ll want a little bit more warning when someone is approaching.”
As the last of the food-bearing slaves left the Master’s Room, Tayend looked at Dannyl.
“Now that Lorkin is safely away, what are you going to do with our unwanted guest?”
Dannyl looked at his meal and sighed as his appetite faltered. He drew magic and surrounded himself, Merria and Tayend with a shield to prevent anyone overhearing their conversation.
“What do you suggest?” he asked in reply.
A whole day had passed since the failed abduction. Savi was keeping the spy regularly drained of strength. Since she was the head kitchen slave, none of the other slaves thought it odd that she was the only one allowed to see something in one of the kitchen storerooms.
“I can see only two choices: either he dies or Savi leaves.”
The last of Dannyl’s appetite vanished. “Since the latter isn’t possible, that leaves us only one choice.”
Merria frowned. “But whether the king pretends his spy is a slave or admits he’s not, you’ll be breaking a law.”
Tayend nodded. “Better to be charged for destruction of the king’s property than murder. Perhaps you could make it look like an accident.”
Why must I be the one to do it? Dannyl thought. Because I’m the highest-ranking person in the house. Then he felt a traitorous hope. Does Tayend outrank me, as an Ambassador to a country rather than just the Guild?
“If Savi kills the man using black magic it’ll be clear none of us did it,” Merria suggested.
“But it’ll also be clear there’s a Traitor here somewhere,” Tayend pointed out.
“She can block a mind-read, can’t she?”
“If the king knows no slave has entered or left the House, and is determined to find which is the Traitor, he could have them tortured.”
“Or kill them all,” Tayend added.
A slave appeared. Dannyl realised it was Tav, the door slave. The man dropped to the floor.
“Mind what you say,” Dannyl warned, then let the shield fall.
“What is it, Tav?”
“Someone at the door,” the man gasped.
“Go find out who it is.”
The slave hurried away. The Master’s Room was quiet as they waited for him to return. The rapid, soft thud of footsteps growing louder preceded the slave’s return.
“A message,” he said.
“Bring it here,” Dannyl ordered before the man could abase himself again. The slave quickly padded forward, a scroll held out in both hands. Dannyl took it and waved a hand. “Leave us.”
He unrolled the message. Tayend and Merria leaned in on either side to read it.
“A summons to the palace,” Merria murmured.
“‘Immediately’,” Tayend read.
Dannyl let the scroll snap back into a roll. “Whatever we do, we have to do it now. Kai!”
His personal slave appeared in the corridor.
“Fetch Savi.” As the man disappeared, Dannyl spoke quietly, “Only reasonable to ask her what she’d prefer us to do.”
They did not wait long. The woman entered and threw herself onto the floor as quickly and unselfconsciously as any ordinary slave.
“Is the meal not to your liking, master?” she asked.
Dannyl glanced at the plate in his hands, the food barely touched. He sighed and raised the barrier of silence again.
“I’ve been summoned to the palace,” he told her. “We have to come to a decision about the fate of the king’s spy. What would you have us do?”
She grimaced. “Well… swapping clothes is definitely not going to work this time.”
Tayend straightened abruptly. “Ah!”
All eyes turned to him. “What?” Dannyl asked.
The Elyne raised a hand, palm-outward. “Wait. Give me a moment. I have an idea…” He closed his eyes and his lips moved, then he nodded. He looked around at them, then at Savi. “Tell me if this will work: could you get away with being one of the carriage slaves, despite it not being your usual work, and that you’re a woman?”
She frowned. “If it worked for Ashaki Achati, it might for me.”
“Is there a safe place on the way to the palace that Dannyl could drop you off?”
Her eyes brightened. “Yes.”
Tayend looked at Dannyl. “I think this is our best option. If we can get Savi out of harm’s way, there’s no need to kill the abductor.”
Dannyl nodded, his heart lightening with relief until he remembered that a live abductor was also going to reveal more than that Savi was a Traitor. The king isn’t going to admit publicly the man was his spy, though. Which will be very, very annoying after all we’ve been through. Unless…
“We’ll take him with us,” he decided.
Merria’s eyes widened, but Tayend only chuckled. “You’re going to tell the king everything.”
“Except how Lorkin got away.”
“Then I’m coming too. I have to see this.”
“Tayend-”
“No, Dannyl. I have to see this. My king would be most disappointed if I didn’t.”
Dannyl could not argue against that. It will be better if there are witnesses other than myself, Osen and the Sachakan court, too. He dropped the barrier of silence.
“Merria, go with Savi and fetch the spy. Kai!” The man dashed into the room. “Have the carriage brought to the front.”
As Savi and Merria hurried away and Kai disappeared, Dannyl restored the shield again. Tayend rubbed his hands together. Then he stopped and his grin faded. “I hope Achati’s involvement won’t be discovered.”
Something inside Dannyl swooped downwards. He sighed and set his plate on the floor. The previous night he’d lain awake, either worrying that Achati would turn Lorkin over or anxious at the risk Achati was taking by helping Lorkin escape.
Tayend’s spoke in low tones, despite the barrier of silence. “It occurred to me last night… What if the king orders Achati to wear one of his blood rings? They allow the creator to read the thoughts of the wearer, right? I’m sure Achati was communicating with the king during their journey to Duna. I doubt the king would wear anyone else’s blood ring and risk them reading his mind, so Achati must have been wearing one of his. Will Achati now refuse to wear a ring?”
“I don’t know.” Dannyl shook his head. “Achati knew what he was doing.”
“Well… I hope it wasn’t sacrificing himself for us. He turned out better than I expected. I like him.”
Dannyl looked at Tayend in surprise and gratitude. Tayend liking Achati makes me like Tayend better, he realised. Tayend’s good opinion also makes me like Achati better, too. All because Achati had helped Lorkin. But at what cost?
Footsteps heralded the return of Savi. She was pushing the spy, bound and gagged, before her. The man was staggering as if exhausted, Dannyl noted. No doubt she’d drained his power again.
A grim silence fell between them all as they filed down the corridor to the front entrance. The carriage was not waiting, but before long the doors to the stable swung open and the horses and vehicle emerged. Dannyl ordered Savi to climb up onto the back to cling on beside the usual carriage slave, then hauled the spy up into the cabin. He climbed in after, and Tayend followed.
“Good luck,” Merria said quietly, then pushed the door closed.
At Dannyl’s order, the carriage left the Guild House. He did not speak and Tayend stayed silent. They couldn’t discuss what they were planning to do in front of the spy, and it was hardly a situation for small talk. The spy huddled opposite Tayend and Dannyl, his frightened gaze flickering from one to the other, which was disconcerting enough. When the driver suddenly shouted they all jumped.
The carriage began to slow. Dannyl opened the window and leaned out.
“What is it?”
“The slave, master. She jumped off and ran.”
Dannyl paused and looked behind, but Savi had already disappeared.
“We can’t stop,” he told the man. “Continue to the palace.”
Perhaps it was the mention of the palace, but the abductor had stopped staring at them. Relieved, Dannyl spent the rest of the journey considering and refining his plan, and gathering his courage. When they arrived, he dragged the man out after him. Leaving Tayend to hurry after, he forced the spy before him and marched into the palace.
The guards watched intently, but didn’t stop him. Once in the hall, Dannyl was pleased to see the king had arranged for a large audience of Ashaki to watch the meeting, including a few who, Merria had learned, disagreed with Lorkin’s treatment. Perfect. Achati stood near the throne, to Dannyl’s relief looking unconcerned.
The monarch’s eyebrows rose as Dannyl pushed the spy to the floor. Following protocol, Dannyl knelt and Tayend, hurrying up beside him, bowed.
“Rise Ambassador Dannyl.” The king looked at the spy. “What is this?”
“Just returning what I am told is your spy, your majesty,” Dannyl replied as he straightened.
The king’s gaze snapped to his. “ My spy.”
“Yes, your majesty. Last night this man tried to abduct my former assistant, Lord Lorkin. A Traitor prevented it. She also read his mind and learned that the man was hired by you.” Dannyl looked around at the Ashaki, who looked amused but not shocked. “I request that someone here read his mind to confirm it.”
Heads turned back and forth. Glances were exchanged. A few words were muttered. The king ignored everyone and continued to regard Dannyl.
“Very well. Ashaki Rokaro, would you grant Ambassador Dannyl’s request and tell us if this accusation is true.”
No protest came from the gathering as a man with grey in his hair stepped forward. All watched as the spy’s mind was read. The Ashaki appeared to be doing a thorough and careful mind-read, as it was taking longer than Dannyl had seen one take before. When he let the spy go, the man sagged to the floor again, reaching out to the king like a slave pleading for forgiveness.
“Well, Ashaki Rokaro?” the king prompted.
The Ashaki looked from the spy, to Dannyl, then to the assembled Ashaki.
“It is true,” he said.
Dannyl felt a mild surprise. He’d expected the Ashaki to deny it, or say that the man believed it but had no proof his orders had come from the king. Looking up at the king, Dannyl saw no concern or guilt and felt his stomach sink.
“You say a Traitor helped you,” the king asked.
Dannyl hesitated, a warning chill going through him. “We could hardly refuse.”
“Where is she now?”
“I don’t know. Not in the Guild House.”
“And Lorkin?”
“Gone.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. With the Traitors, I imagine.”
“They seem to be his preferred companions these days.” He turned and smiled at Achati with obvious approval. “But at least we have gained what we all desired: freedom for Lorkin in exchange for information.”
Information? Abruptly Dannyl remembered Lorkin’s promise to Achati. “ I will answer the question your king most wants to ask me. I will tell you where the Traitors’ home is.”
Dannyl had not believed Lorkin would carry out his promise. He’d assumed Lorkin had some deception in mind. But what if he had given Achati the location of Sanctuary? What if Achati had turned Lorkin over to the king, not helped him escape? Were the Traitors lying about rescuing him in order to take revenge for Lorkin revealing their home? Or did they not know what Lorkin had done yet?
The king glanced at the spy. “I guess I should thank you for returning my spy to me, though he has hardly earned the title.” The king looked up at Dannyl and Tayend. “You may return to the Guild House, Ambassadors.”