Once again, Savara had occupied the main suite of rooms in the mansion she had commandeered as a base. This time the Master’s Room was where those wanting audience with or summoned by the queen were waiting. As people came and went, reporting on the Traitors’ progress in gaining control of the city, Lorkin and Tyvara sat to her left, keeping watch.
All of the houses around the parade had been searched now. A few Ashaki had been found hiding within to ambush Traitors and had been disposed of. Several free women and their children had been discovered, too. Their husbands, fathers and sons had been so confident that they would win that they hadn’t bothered to send their families somewhere safe. Some of the mansions were full of the bodies of slaves who had not been able to escape before their masters killed them for their magical strength.
A mansion had been chosen to house the healthy and uninjured free women and children until the Traitors decided what to do with them. Which will probably be the same as with the other families we encountered, Lorkin thought. They’ll have to find their place among the freed slaves, which probably means working for the first time in their lives.
“Some slaves attacked their former owner’s families before leaving the city,” Speaker Shaiya told the queen. “Some free women lashed out at slaves after they heard of the Ashaki’s defeat. We’ve sent all the injured to a mansion across the parade from here. A few slaves and one free woman have gone into childbirth, too. All of the Traitors with healing experience have been sent to treat them.”
“Are they enough?”
Shaiya shook her head. “We need more. When do the Kyralians arrive?”
“In a day or so.”
“I’ll go,” Lorkin offered.
“No.” Savara turned to look at him. “I need you here, for now.”
The Speaker looked down. “I know how you feel about Kalia, but…”
Savara scowled and shook her head. “I don’t trust her.”
“You don’t have to. Just let her do what she is trained to do.”
Lorkin held his breath as Savara regarded the Speaker. The queen could not reveal Kalia’s guilt to the Traitors without also revealing his ability to read surface thoughts. Then I guess I’d better brace myself for the consequences.
“Bring her here,” she said.
When Shaiya’s footsteps had faded out of hearing, Savara turned to him.
“This ability of yours could prove very useful to me, Lorkin. Are you willing to use it in the service of the Traitors?”
He blinked at her in surprise. “I… I guess so. Do you want me to use it on Kalia? I can’t promise I will be able to tell you much.”
Savara smiled. “Just tell me if you detect her lying. Don’t say how. Do not mention your ability to anyone unless I tell you to.”
The sound of Shaiya’s footsteps returned, along with another’s. As Kalia entered she looked up at Savara, then her gaze dropped to the floor. She placed a hand over her heart.
“Leave us, Shaiya.”
The Speaker paused, then nodded and left. Rising to her feet, Savara walked slowly over to stand in front of Kalia. The woman did not look up. Her eyes were wide and her breathing fast. Lorkin concentrated on her until he felt a familiar presence, and guilt.
“I know what you did,” Savara told her. She glanced at Lorkin and Tyvara. “ We know what you did.”
From Kalia came a surge of fear and shame.
“What I don’t understand is: why Halana?” Savara continued. Everyone loved her. She had no enemies.” She shook her head. “The experience and understanding of stone-making she had. The talent. Even if you hated her, how could you take that from us?”
“I didn’t hate her,” Kalia protested. “I…” She looked up, then quickly down again.
“You what? ”
“I didn’t intend for her to get killed.”
“Just us.” Savara moved back to her chair. “I have no proof of that, but I can prove you had something to do with Halana’s death. If you can convince me it was an accident I…” She sighed. “Much as I hate to say it, we need you Kalia. Convince me, and see to the injured, and I won’t distract and demoralise our people at this crucial time with accusations of attempted murder against one of their own.”
Kalia swallowed, then nodded. “When you were on the roof last night,” she began. “I saw you were alone with…” Her eyes flickered toward Lorkin and Tyvara. “Nobody else would be harmed if you were attacked. I just had to draw attention to you. So I slipped out of a slave entrance, found some Ashaki, and led them back. They saw you, but as I ran to the slave entrance Halana stepped out of another. I think she was setting shield stones. She… didn’t see them. She…” A sob escaped her. “I tried to warn her but it happened so fast. I didn’t mean for her to be killed.”
Savara glanced at him. He shook his head. Everything Kalia had said was true. The queen turned back to stare at Kalia She looked as if she had taken a bite of something especially vile. But it wasn’t just revulsion at Kalia’s actions. She wants to punish Kalia, but she won’t. If I was Savara, I’d have her locked up and send me to heal the injured. Kalia’s healing skills weren’t unique. Then he felt a bolt of realisation. But my mind-reading abilities are.
“Then swear you will never speak of it, to anyone, unless on my orders,” the queen said. “And swear you will never attempt to cause me, Tyvara and Lorkin harm again.”
Kalia bowed her head. “I swear.”
“Go. Shaiya will direct you to the mansion housing the injured.”
As the woman hurried away, Savara rubbed her hands on her knees as if wiping them clean.
“Well, at least we have something to use to keep her in line from now on.”
Footsteps hurried down the corridor, but this time Speaker Lanna entered the room.
“Are you ready to see the Kyralians yet?”
Savara drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly. “Am I?” she asked herself.
Lanna frowned. “There’s something I should tell you first.”
“Oh?”
The Speaker’s lips thinned into a forced smile. “When I found Black Magician Sonea she was fending off a pair of Ashaki. Tayvla and Call, the pair who found them, told me that the Ashaki had attacked them first. Sonea intervened, allowing them to get away.”
Lorkin turned to look at Savara and was puzzled to see she was frowning at this news. The queen glanced at him, then snorted softly.
“Well, that spoiled my plans.” She turned to Lorkin and uncrossed her arms. “Your mother disobeyed an order to stay where her escort left her. I was looking forward to raising that with her, and seeing if I could get something out of her by way of apology.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I doubt you’d succeed.”
“How do you suggest I go about persuading her to grant us a favour, then?”
“I am the last person who can tell you. She knows me far too well.”
“But you are her son. Perhaps I should use that.”
Lorkin winced. “Only if you’re feeling particularly brave. I, ah, advise you to learn more about her before you push her too far.”
Savara pursed her lips and considered him, then nodded. “You would like to see her, and your homeland, again one day.”
“Eventually. I’d like to take Tyvara with me, so it would be nice if Sachaka and the Allied Lands stayed on good terms.”
Savara turned back to Lanna. “Send in the Kyralians. And the Elyne, too.”
Lorkin felt his heart begin to beat a little faster. Mother and Dannyl and everyone else cannot have any doubts where my loyalties lie now. I guess I’m about to find out how they feel about that.
His mother led the others into the room. They lined up before Savara, then knelt. A silence followed, full of surprise and a tinge of embarrassment. Lorkin felt an odd little shiver go down his spine. To Kyralians and Elynes, this was the traditional genuflection made to a ruler, but to Traitors it was far more than was expected.
“Rise,” Savara said, her voice subdued. As the five foreigners stood, she smiled. “Later, Lorkin will tell you the Traitor way of greeting a leader.” Her gaze moved along the line. “I am Queen Savara and this is Tyvara and Lorkin. Please introduce yourselves.”
“I am, as you know from our previous meeting, Black Magician Sonea of the Magicians’ Guild of Kyralia,” his mother began. She then introduced the others according to status, beginning with Dannyl.
Dannyl looks… not uncomfortable but like he’s trying to conceal discomfort, thought Lorkin. Is he injured? No, it is something else. Perhaps merely the unease of having just seen these people kill a whole lot of people he… A heavy feeling dragged at his stomach as he realised that Dannyl, Tayend and Merria had formed friendships with the Sachakan elite. They’ve possibly just seen their friends killed.
As his mother spoke Regin’s name, Lorkin remembered Tyvara’s suggestion that he was more than Sonea’s source and assistant. Regin’s expression was solemn. His gaze shifted to Lorkin’s and he inclined his head slightly. Lorkin returned the nod. That didn’t tell me anything, he concluded.
“So,” Savara said, rising from her seat. She moved to stand before Dannyl. “Do you intend to stay in Sachaka, Ambassador Dannyl? I imagine we’ll need a Guild representative here, once the Healers arrive.”
Lorkin noticed his mother’s brows lower a fraction. As the figure of greatest authority, among the Guild magicians, she ought to have been asked the question. Perhaps, by posing the question to Dannyl, Savara was indicating that she preferred him as a representative of the Guild over Sonea.
“If the Guild allows it, and you approve, your majesty.” Dannyl replied.
Savara nodded. “You’ll do for now.” She moved to face Tayend. “And you, Ambassador Tayend — will you continue to represent Elyne?”
“I have already received instruction from my king to request my continuation in the role, your majesty,” Tayend replied. “In fact, he gave me a short message to memorise and deliver to you, to stand in for a later, longer missive.”
“He has? Then relay it.”
Tayend bent in a courtly bow. “King Lerend of Elyne congratulates you on the successful conquest of Sachaka. He hopes he will have an opportunity to meet you and discuss the many ways our lands may engage in mutually beneficial relations. May a peaceful and prosperous future await you.”
Savara smiled. “Convey my appreciation of his good wishes next time you communicate. I look forward to his longer missive. I see no reason you should not stay on as ambassador.” She moved past Merria and Regin, and stopped.
Lorkin watched his mother’s face as the queen turned to face her. He saw the familiar shift in her expression, from the usual slightly pained, thoughtful look she wore most of the time to the still, all-knowing stare that he’d never been able to hold for long.
“Black Magician Sonea,” Savara said, her tone no longer friendly, but not cold either. “You disobeyed my order to stay in the house where your escort left you.”
“I did, your majesty.”
“I was not pleased to learn that.”
“I did not expect you to be.”
“Why did you disobey?”
“Ambassadors Dannyl and Tayend, and Lady Merria believed themselves to be in some danger. Saral and Temi had left, so I could not seek permission to go to the aid of my colleagues, or request that they be protected. I kept to your earlier condition that I would not side with the Ashaki, and to the Allied Lands’ wishes that we should not intervene in the battle.”
“Yet you did intervene, later.”
Sonea’s eyebrows rose. “Should I have not?”
Savara’s head tilted a little to one side. “How do the Allied Lands regard it?”
“I haven’t had the opportunity to ask them, yet. They know some decisions must be made quickly. The battle was already won and they do want to be sure our Healers will be safe here.”
“They will be.” Savara took a step backwards, and returned to her seat. “The Healers are a full day’s ride away, however. In the meantime, would you and the other Guild magicians here tend the worst injuries?”
Sonea’s chin rose and a light entered her eyes that Lorkin knew only too well. He caught his breath, then let it out in a quiet sigh.
“Of course,” she replied.
Savara nodded. “Lorkin will escort you to the mansion where the sick and injured are being housed, after I speak with him privately. You may go.”
Lorkin watched his mother, former colleagues and friends leave. As they disappeared into the corridor, Savara turned to him.
“Was asking them to Heal unwise?”
So she’d heard his reaction. He shrugged. “Mother set up the hospices in Imardin. Give her this work to do and she may never go home.”
Savara frowned. “And I thought you would be the reason she’d try to stay. I did not mean to make your task more difficult.”
“My task?”
“To persuade or arrange for your mother to go home. It’s nothing personal, and I don’t think ill of her, but I suspect she is someone I will not like having around.”
“No,” he agreed. He paused to think. “The way to get Mother to go home is to have Dannyl recommend it to the Guild. He may agree to do so if I can convince him it is a good idea, or perhaps as a favour to me. But I suspect just trying will make him suspect my motives. Though
… there’s something else we can offer him to prove our intentions are peaceful, if you’ll agree to it.”
Savara leaned forward. “And what is that?”
As Lorkin led them out of the mansion, Sonea examined him critically. He looked thinner, though it might only be the Traitor style of clothing that gave the impression. Magician robes tended to conceal a lot, emphasising the shoulders and waist but hiding the rest. The close-fitting Traitor vest hugged his body. The fabric of his tunic and pants was rustic and undyed. In contrast to this humble garb, his fingers were clustered with rings, which would normally have given the impression of indulgence and wealth if she hadn’t guessed the stones were magical.
He started out towards the other side of the parade. His walk was relaxed and confident, she noted, but he was also constantly alert, his gaze roving over their surroundings. He feels secure in his place among the Traitors and has nothing to fear from the Guild except, perhaps, disapproval, but he knows the city isn’t completely safe yet.
Glancing back at her, he slowed until he was walking beside her.
“I wanted to contact you before the battle,” he said. “But everything happened so fast. We were making plans one moment and rushing out to meet the Ashaki the next.”
“What did you do with my blood ring?”
He grimaced in apology. “I have it with me. I should have hid it, but-”
“No, I would rather you had it with you to use if you needed.”
“Well… I suppose there’s a chance that if I’d been killed it would have been destroyed too.”
A chill ran down her spine. “Let’s not talk about you being killed.”
He grinned. “Fine with me.”
“So what will you do next?”
Lorkin’s expression became serious. “That depends on Savara. And Tyvara. It’s clear Savara has plans for Tyvara and, since Traitor women have all the responsibility and power and their men are expected to go along with it, I’ll end up going wherever she goes.”
“Will you be happy about that?”
He grinned. “Mostly. I love Tyvara, Mother. I love how being in charge is natural and normal to her, even though it can be frustrating at times. I also enjoy being the one who challenges that.”
Sonea resisted a sigh. “So you’re not coming home.”
He shook his head. “Not any time soon, I expect. Savara knows I’d like to be able to visit you, and the Guild. I’d still like to pass on the basic knowledge of stone-making, as Queen Zarala wished. Perhaps the Guild can do something else with it. Perhaps stone-producing caves will be found in the Allied Lands. If they do exist, the most likely place is the northern part of the Elyne mountains, where…”
A whoop came from a group of people entering the parade from a side street nearby. Lorkin stopped, placing himself between the newcomers and Sonea, then turned back to her and smiled. “Looks like there will be some celebrating tonight.”
Sonea looked beyond him to see that the men and women were carrying furniture. They weren’t dressed in Traitor garb, so she guessed they were freed slaves. Looking around, she realised there were several more groups of ex-slaves gathering along the road. Further away, a fire was burning. She heard Dannyl mutter a curse as they tossed the furniture on the ground and began to break it up. As two of the ex-slaves headed back to a nearby house, one called after them.
“Get some tinder!”
“And the wine!”
Lorkin ignored them and continued across the parade.
“They’re going to ransack the houses, aren’t they?” Dannyl asked, to nobody in particular.
“Probably,” Merria replied.
Dannyl sighed. “I should have locked the library,” he muttered.
The mansion Lorkin led them to was larger than most. A pair of Traitors stood by the door. They stared at the foreigners, but did not object as Lorkin led them through. Inside, they were confronted by chaos and noise. The usual short corridor was lined with people, and the Master’s Room was crowded with more. Some lay on the floor, injuries poorly bandaged or not at all. Others hovered over them, clearly not injured, sometimes four for every patient. Traitors hurried from the corridor on one side to the one on the other, tripping on limbs and all manner of objects from baskets of food to bottles of wine. One of the injured was clutching a large gold box even as the wound in her leg bled freely. From somewhere beyond the room came muffled screams and shouting.
“This is a mess!” Sonea exclaimed. “Isn’t anybody in charge here?”
The noise in the room diminished slightly. Heads had turned toward her. A Traitor who had just stepped into the room stopped and glared at her. Sonea cursed inwardly. She hadn’t meant to speak so loudly.
“Where’s Kalia?” Lorkin asked the Traitor.
“Treating someone,” the woman said.
“Who is checking the new patients?”
The woman shrugged and looked around. “Someone…”
Lorkin waved her on. “Go do whatever you were doing. I’ll sort this out.”
The woman hurried way. Lorkin looked down at his rings and pressed the stone of one of them. His gaze shifted to the distance and he was still for a long moment, then he nodded and straightened. He turned to Sonea.
“Savara is sending a Speaker over. She’ll make sure everyone here follows your orders. Kalia used to be in charge of the treatment of the sick in Sanctuary, but she broke a few laws and… well, she’s not herself at the moment. She’s only here because we need her expertise.” His dislike was obvious. “She knows a little Healing. The best way to handle her, I think, will be to give her patients to treat but not decisions to make.”
Sonea raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “Savara is putting me in charge?”
“For tonight.” He grimaced. “It took a lot of persuading. We thought we could rely on Kalia but…” He shrugged. “I can’t tell you the details but she made a bad decision and it has shattered her confidence. She is a good Healer. Dedicated. You can trust her to do her job well.” He took a step toward the entrance. “Speaker Yvali will be here in a moment. I have to go. Ambassador Dannyl is to come back with me.”
Dannyl’s eyebrows rose, but he did not appear concerned as he followed Lorkin out. Sonea looked at Merria, who was staring around the room and shaking her head.
“It won’t take long to sort this out,” Sonea assured her. “So long as people do as we say.”
Merria nodded eagerly. “I’ve always wanted to set up a hospice. After I’d explored the world.”
Sonea regarded the young woman with new interest. Where were you hiding this one, Vinara? she thought. She had often suspected the Head of Healers was keeping the best of the new Healers for herself. Not that I wouldn’t do it, too, if I was in her position. But it looks like she let this one slip through her fingers. Maybe one day, after Merria has satisfied her wanderlust, she’ll come back to work with me.
A Traitor woman stepped out of the shadows of the crowded entrance corridor and met Sonea’s gaze. Sonea straightened and smiled. Putting all plans for Merria’s future aside, she stepped forward and began to explain what she and the sick and injured of Arvice needed.
Celebratory bonfires were not confined to the parade, Dannyl discovered, as he, Tayend, Lorkin and Achati’s former slaves made their way to the Guild House. They were being lit all over Arvice, and the thought of all the beautiful and precious things being used to fuel them made him feel a bit ill.
They’re just objects, he told himself. But it still saddened him, and he could not delude himself that precious knowledge wasn’t being destroyed along with the merely beautiful. How could ex-slaves, most of whom did not know how to read, realise that they might be burning something that could benefit them and their descendants? Maybe the two following them would. They had been hiding in Achati’s library, after all. Is Achati’s library being burned right now? If it isn’t, can I persuade the Traitors to protect it?
He looked at the young man walking beside him. Lorkin would understand. He might not be able to do anything, but Dannyl at least had to ask, in case there was a chance that he could.
What had kept him from trying was the memory of Lorkin fighting alongside the Traitors. Of the Ashaki falling before their strikes. Of the thought that Lorkin might have been the one who killed Achati.
From the awkward silence between them, Dannyl guessed Lorkin was at least aware that fighting with the Traitors had strained his relationship with Dannyl and the Guild. But he can’t know why, in my case. Only Tayend knew that Achati and I were more than friends. And Tayend wasn’t saying anything.
“Have you made any progress on your book?” Lorkin asked.
“Not for some time,” Dannyl replied.
“Did the copies you made reach the Guild?”
“Not yet.”
They continued on without speaking for several minutes, dodging another group of revellers. Finally they rounded a corner and came in sight of the gates of the Guild House. No bonfires, thankfully, but, as a result, the street was dark. As they drew closer Dannyl heard Tayend draw in a quick breath. At the same time, he saw that the gates were hanging oddly. Someone had broken through them.
Lorkin reached into his vest and drew out something. He held it between two fingers, at the level of his chest, as he approached the gates. Bending to examine the twisted metal, he made a low noise.
“Only magic could have done this,” he murmured. He straightened and frowned at the building beyond. “The door is open.”
They stood, unmoving, as Lorkin stared at the open door, frowning. “I think we should go back and get-”
“I’ll go in and check,” Lak said, striding forward, followed by Vata.
“Wait, you don’t-” Lorkin began, but the former slaves ignored him, walking silently across the courtyard and into the building. Lorkin sighed and looked at Dannyl. “They must like you.”
Dannyl met his gaze. “They were Achati’s slaves.”
Lorkin blinked, then his expression became pained. “He didn’t survive, did he?”
“Of course not. He was one of the king’s closest advisers.”
“A fine way to pay him back for getting me out of Arvice.” Lorkin’s tone was heavy with regret.
“He’d have just as easily turned you over to the king, if he had thought it would benefit Sachaka,” Tayend said.
Dannyl looked at Tayend sharply. The Elyne stared back at him. Daring me to deny it, thought Dannyl, ruefully. I can’t. Though I’d like to think Achati would have felt bad about it, if he’d turned Lorkin over.
Lorkin looked down at the object he was holding and shook his head. Looking closer, Dannyl saw light reflect off something in the centre.
“It’s not right they take such a risk for us. Stay here. Out of sight.” He started toward the door. Dannyl looked at Tayend, and they both hurried after Lorkin. As Lorkin noticed this he sighed. “Stay close, then. Inside my shield.”
As they entered the building Dannyl felt the vibration of a shield surround them. It was dark inside. Lorkin created a globe light and sent it floating before them. They emerged into an empty Master’s Room. Lorkin chose the right-hand corridor. If the invaders were after magic or valuables to steal, they’d head for the suite of the highest-status person in the house. Reaching Dannyl’s rooms, Lorkin stepped inside. The rooms were empty, but someone had gone through the chests and cupboards, tossing most of the contents aside from the look of it. They turned to go, only to be met by Lak, holding a lamp.
“Nobody in the house,” the slave reported. “Vata is checking the stables and slave quarters. Don’t think any Ashaki would hide there, though.”
Lorkin let out a sigh of relief. He turned to Tayend. “Would you like me to come with you while you fetch the blood ring?”
Tayend shook his head. “I’ll be right back.” He beckoned to Lak, and the pair disappeared into the corridor.
The house was very quiet. Dannyl inspected the room. Very little has been taken. Why would anyone want Guild robes or old books? Should I take my research materials back with me? Where would I put them? There’s nowhere safe. But maybe I can do something about that. He looked at Lorkin, then reached into his robe for Achati’s letter and held it out. Lorkin took it, unfolded and read it. He winced and then handed it back.
“Will the Traitors let me have Achati’s library?” Dannyl asked. “If it isn’t ransacked.”
Lorkin frowned, then toyed with his rings as he considered.
“Savara says you may have access to them,” Lorkin replied. “If you let her know where it is, she’ll send someone over to guard it.”
Savara says? Dannyl looked at the rings and saw that Lorkin was touching one of the stones. Interesting.
Lorkin dropped his hands to his sides again. “Can you do me a favour in return?”
Dannyl shrugged. “Depends on the favour.”
“Get my mother to go home as soon as possible.” Lorkin grimaced. “She won’t deliberately interfere, but she will cause problems just by being here. I’m not talking about for me, but for the Traitors. They need to be the ones taking charge here.”
“Of the Guild’s Healers as well?”
“Did they put her in charge?”
“No, actually.” Dannyl shrugged. “They will report to their own leader, and then to me.”
Lorkin looked relieved. “So there’s no other reason for her to be here?”
“Other than to make sure you, me and Merria are safe… no. But Savara has put her in charge of the hospice.”
“It’s only for the night,” Lorkin said firmly. He massaged his temples and sighed. “Can you suggest to Osen that having her here will put a strain on relations between Sachaka and the Allied Lands?”
“I can convey your concerns and the queen’s wishes.”
Lorkin shook his head. “If Mother gets the slightest hint that it came from me she’ll be more determined to stay. It has to come from you, Dannyl. And… well… I’m not a Guild magician any more.”
Dannyl paused to consider the young magician he’d brought to Sachaka as an assistant. He really means to stay with the Traitors. He gave up everything for them. And for love, too, I suspect. I don’t think I could have done that. Not even for Achati. Would I have done it for Tayend, back when we were young and so dedicated to each other? He felt an echo of that feeling. Yes, I think I would have.
Lorkin looked down at his hands again. He took one of the rings and slipped it off his finger, then held it out to Dannyl.
“This is why you should have my mother sent home. This is why the Allied Lands should establish good relations with Sachaka.”
Taking the ring, Dannyl examined it. The setting was silver, and the stone within it was clear. “What is it?”
“A storestone.”
Dannyl’s breath caught in his throat. He remembered what Achati had said: “ If one should still exist, or was created, it could be terrible for all countries.”
“It contains the strength of only a few magicians. The trouble with storestones is that you can’t know how much power they can hold. Too much and they will shatter, releasing all their power. It would be safer to have several storestones holding a little power than a few holding a lot. But even then, it could be the solution to defending the Allied Lands without resorting to black magic.”
“So the Traitors lied. They did know how to make them,” Dannyl breathed.
“No, though they have stones that are very similar. I’m afraid I — we — gave them the idea to try. They have made only a few so far, but I can see no reason why they couldn’t make more, or improve the method.” Lorkin looked at the ring, then back at Dannyl. “Savara said you can keep it.”
Dannyl frowned. “A bribe?”
“The first payment for the Healers’ services.”
“How do I use it?”
“Touch it. Draw power as if you were taking it from another magician. You’ll have to use it straightaway, since you don’t know how to store magic. Strengthening it is the same. Just send it power as if you were sending it to another.”
“And don’t store too much power in it.”
“No.”
Dannyl let his hand and the ring drop to his side. He looked at Lorkin, weighing up all that his former assistant had said. Then he nodded.
“This will definitely persuade the Guild to order your mother home.”
Lorkin smiled. “Thanks. Though I’ll make sure I get the chance to spend some time with her before she goes. I do miss her. And my friends. And Rothen. Ah. And there’s something I wanted to ask you about Lord Regin. Are he and…?” He stopped and turned toward the door. “Ambassador. Did you find it?”
Tayend had stepped into the room with Lak and Vata. He held up a small ring, his connection to the Elyne king. “Exactly where I left it.”
“Good,” Lorkin said. “Now, do you want to stay here, or come back with me?” He looked at Dannyl. “By the time we get back we’ll know if Achati’s library is intact. The best way to prevent it being ransacked would be to occupy the building, and I think Savara will approve of her main links to the Guild and Allied Lands staying close by.”
Dannyl sighed with relief and saw Tayend’s eyes brighten with hope. “I’ll just grab a few things, then we’ll gladly take up your offer of accommodation.”