“Time for me to face the rumor-mongers.”
Rothen smiled. “You’ll be fine, Dannyl. You’ve gained quite an air of competence since you left for Elyne.”
Dannyl looked at his mentor in surprise. Competence? “You mean I didn’t have one before I left?”
Rothen chuckled. “Of course you did, or you would not have been chosen for the position. It’s just stronger now. Or did you bring back some of that awful Elyne scent with you?”
Dannyl laughed. “If you thought scent might give me an air of competence, you should have suggested it earlier. Not that I would have taken your advice. There are some habits best left to the Elynes.”
The older magician nodded in agreement. “Well go on, then. Get yourself down there before they start without you.”
Dannyl rose and made his way to the end of the seats. As he moved to the front of the hall, he noted that Expatriate Administrator Kito was descending to the floor in preparation to lead the proceedings. The magician glanced to one side, where a row of men and women were entering with an escort of guards. Dannyl recognized Dem Marane’s group of friends and co-conspirators. Royend walked beside his wife. He looked up at Dannyl and narrowed his eyes.
Dannyl returned the man’s gaze steadily. The hatred in Royend’s eyes was new. The Dem had been angry on the night of the arrest, but during the journey to Kyralia and the wait for the Hearing that anger must have matured into something stronger.
I can understand his hatred, Dannyl thought. I tricked him. He doesn’t care that I was acting under Akkarin’s orders or that he was breaking the law. He just sees me as the man who ruined his dreams.
Farand stood on the other side of the room, beside two Alchemists. The young man looked nervous, but not frightened. A heavy clunk drew eyes to the rear of the hall, where one of the great doors was swinging open. Six Elynes strode down the aisle. Two were the magicians from the ships that had brought the rebels to Kyralia, Lords Barene and Hemend. The others were representatives of the Elyne King.
As Kito directed the newcomers to the seats at the front of the room, Dannyl considered where he should position himself. He decided to stand near Farand, knowing that this would be taken as a gesture of support for the young man. When all were settled, Lorlen rang a small gong, and the hall quickly fell silent. Kito glanced around and nodded.
“We have called this Hearing today to judge Farand of Darellas, Royend and Kaslie of Marane, and their co-conspirators…”
Catching a noise from an unexpected direction, Dannyl looked up to the topmost tier of the seats for the Higher Magicians. He blinked in surprise when he saw that one of the King’s Advisors was present.
But of course, he thought, our King would want to be sure that anyone from another land caught trying to start their own magicians’ guild was appropriately punished.
“…Farand of Darellas has been accused of learning magic outside of the Guild,” Kito continued. “These men and women have been accused of seeking to learn magic. The Dem Marane has also been accused of possessing knowledge of black magic.”
Kito paused to look around the room. “The evidence to support these accusations will be presented for us to judge. I call forth the first speaker, Second Guild Ambassador to Elyne, Dannyl.”
Dannyl drew in a deep breath and stepped forward to stand beside Kito.
“I swear that all I speak in this Hearing will be the truth.” He paused. “Seven weeks ago I received orders from the former High Lord to find and arrest a group of rebels who were seeking to learn magic outside the influence and guidance of the Guild.”
The audience was silent as Dannyl told his tale. He had considered for weeks how much he ought to reveal when it came to explaining how he had convinced the rebels to trust him. The entire Guild had probably heard of the Dem’s claims by now, so Dannyl didn’t need to go into great detail. But he couldn’t avoid that part of the story completely.
So he told them he had arranged for the Dem to learn of a “false secret” so the man thought he could blackmail Dannyl. He then went on to describe his meeting with Farand. The Elyne courtiers’ faces grew tense as he explained that Farand had been denied entrance into the Guild after he had learned something the Elyne King wanted concealed. Dannyl explained, for their benefit, that Farand had been in danger of losing control of his powers, and what the consequences would have been if that happened.
Dannyl then described the book that Tayend had borrowed from the Dem. He told how the contents had convinced him to arrest the rebels immediately, rather than continuing to visit the Dem in the hope of identifying more of them. Finally, he finished with a warning that he may not have found all of the members of the group.
Kito turned to Lord Sarrin for a confirmation of the book’s contents, then asked for Farand to be brought forward. The young man was ushered to the front.
“Farand of Darellas, do you swear that you will speak the truth during this Hearing?” Kito asked.
“I swear.”
“Is Ambassador Dannyl’s story true in regard to your part in it?”
The young man nodded. “Yes.”
“How did you come to be a part of Dem Marane’s rebel group?”
“My sister is his wife. He thought it was a waste that I wasn’t able to become a magician. He encouraged me to listen into mind conversations again.”
“And this, I understand, is how you learned to release your magic.”
“Yes. I overheard a discussion about it.”
“Did you hesitate before trying what they said?”
“Yes. My sister didn’t want me to learn magic. Well, she did at first, but then she started to worry that we didn’t know enough and it might be dangerous.”
“So what overcame your hesitation?”
“Royend said, once I started, it would get easier.”
“How long have the Dem and his accomplices been meeting with the intention of learning magic?”
“I don’t know. Longer than I’ve known him.”
“How long have you known him?”
“Five years. Since my sister was engaged to him.”
“Are there any other members of the group who are missing today?”
“There are more, but I don’t know who they are.”
“Do you believe Dem Marane sought to learn magic himself?”
Farand hesitated, then his shoulders drooped. “Yes.”
Dannyl felt a pang of sympathy for the young man. He had chosen to help, knowing that the Dem and his friends would be punished regardless, but it must not be easy.
“And the others in the group?”
“I’m not sure. Some probably did. Some came along just for the excitement, I think. My sister was there because of Royend, and me.”
“Is there anything else you wish to add?”
Farand shook his head.
Kito nodded, then turned to face the hall. “I wish to add that I have truth-read Farand, and can confirm that all he has revealed is true.”
A low murmur followed. Dannyl looked at Farand in surprise. Allowing a truth-read was an indication of how willing Farand was to cooperate.
Kito turned to regard the Higher Magicians. “Any comments or questions?” Heads were shaken. “Return to your place, Farand of Darellas. I now call on Royend of Marane to be questioned.”
The Dem walked forward.
“Royend of Marane, do you swear to speak the truth during this Hearing?”
“I do.”
“Is Ambassador Dannyl’s story true in regard to your part in it?”
“No.”
Dannyl suppressed a sigh and braced himself for the inevitable.
“In which way is it incorrect?”
“He says he made up this story about his secret affair with his assistant. I believe it to be true. Anyone who has seen the two together would know there was more to it than just…just a trick. No one pretends that well.”
“Is this the only part of his story that is incorrect?”
<
br /> The Dem stared at Dannyl. “Even Dem Tremmelin, Tayend of Tremmelin’s father, believes it to be true.”
“Dem Marane, please answer the question.”
The Dem ignored him. “Why don’t you ask him if he’s a lad. He swore that he’d tell the truth. I want to hear him deny it.”
Kito’s eyes narrowed. “This Hearing has been called to judge whether the law against the learning of magic outside the restrictions of the Guild has been broken, not whether Ambassador Dannyl has been involved in dishonorable and perverse practices. Please answer the question, Dem Marane.”
Dannyl just managed to stop himself wincing. Dishonorable and perverse. No doubt the Guild’s opinion of him—and his story—would change completely if they knew the truth. And the Dem knew it.
“If he’s lied about that, then he could have lied about everything,” the Dem spat. “Remember that, after you’ve put me in my grave. I will not answer your questions.”
“Very well,” Kito said. “Return to your place. I call Kaslie of Marane to be questioned.”
The Dem’s wife was nervous but cooperative. She revealed that the rebels had been meeting for ten years, but assured the Guild that their interest had been purely academic. As the other rebels were questioned, only small details about the group were revealed. They all claimed they had not intended to learn magic, only learn about it.
A short discussion followed in which Farand’s poisoning was considered. Dannyl was not surprised to learn that the Elyne magicians’ investigations had not revealed the poisoner. From the look on Lady Vinara’s face, Dannyl guessed the matter would not end there.
Kito asked for the accused to be enclosed in a barrier of silence as the Guild discussed their punishment. The hall filled with voices. After a long break, Kito called for all magicians to return to their places and for the barrier of silence to be removed.
“It is time to make our judgment,” he declared. He held out a hand and a globe light appeared above it, then floated upward. Dannyl created his own, and sent it up to join those from the rest of the Guild.
“Do you judge that Farand of Darellas is undoubtedly guilty of learning magic outside of the Guild?”
All of the globe lights turned red. Kito nodded.
“Traditionally, punishment for this crime is execution,” he said, “but the Higher Magicians feel that, under the circumstances, an alternative ought to be offered. Farand of Darellas is a victim of circumstances and the manipulations of others. He has been helpful at all times and has submitted to a truth-read. I recommend he be offered a place in the Guild with the condition that he remains within the grounds for the rest of his life. Please change your lights to white if you agree with my recommendation.”
Slowly the lights shifted to white. Only a few remained red. Dannyl breathed a sigh of relief.
“Farand of Darellas will be offered a place in the Guild,” Kito announced.
Looking at Farand, he saw that the young man was grinning with relief and excitement. But as Kito continued, the smile vanished.
“Next: do you judge that Royend of Marane is undoubtedly guilty of seeking to learn magic, and of possessing knowledge of black magic, outside of the Guild?”
The Guildhall filled with an eerie glow as the globe lights all turned red.
“Again, the Higher Magicians feel they must offer an alternative to execution,” Kito said. “The crime is a serious one, however, and we believe nothing less than imprisonment for life would be appropriate. Please change your lights to white, if you wish to reduce the punishment to imprisonment.”
Dannyl changed his globe light to white, but felt a chill as he realized that fewer than half the magicians had done the same. It must be years since the Guild has elected to execute someone, he thought.
“Royend of Marane will be executed,” Kito announced heavily.
A gasp came from the rebels. Dannyl felt a stab of guilt and forced himself to look at the group. The Dem’s face was white. His wife gripped his arm tightly. The rest of the rebels looked pale and uneasy.
Kito glanced at the Higher Magicians, then turned back to face the hall and spoke another rebel’s name. The rest were granted the lesser punishment of imprisonment. Clearly, the Guild saw Dem Marane as the leader of the group and wanted to make an example of him. His refusal to cooperate had done him no favors either, thought Dannyl.
When it was Kaslie’s turn, Kito surprised Dannyl by speaking out in her defense. He urged the Guild to consider her two children. His words must have sufficiently moved the magicians, because they granted the Dem’s wife a pardon, allowing her to return to her home.
The Elyne magicians then asked if they could mentally communicate the judgments to the Elyne King. Lorlen agreed, on the condition that no other information was communicated. He then announced the Hearing concluded.
Released from his role at last, Dannyl felt an overwhelming relief. He looked for Rothen in the crowd of magicians descending from the seats, but before he had located his friend, a voice spoke his name. He turned to find Administrator Kito approaching.
“Administrator,” Dannyl replied.
“Are you satisfied with the result?” Kito asked.
Dannyl shrugged. “Mostly. I have to admit, I did not think the Dem deserved his punishment. He is an ambitious man, but I doubt he would ever succeed in learning magic in a prison.”
“No,” Kito replied, “but I think the Guild resented his attack on your honor.”
Dannyl stared at the magician. Surely that was not the sole reason for the Guild choosing execution?
“You find this disturbing?” Kito asked.
“Of course.”
Kito’s gaze was unwavering. “It would be particularly disturbing, if his claims were true.”
“Yes, it would be,” Dannyl replied. He narrowed his eyes at the man. Was Kito baiting him?
Kito grimaced apologetically. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to insinuate that they were. Will you be returning to Elyne soon?”
“Unless Lorlen decides otherwise, I will stay here until we are sure there is no threat from Sachaka.”
Kito nodded, then glanced away as his name was called. “I will speak to you again soon, Ambassador.”
“Administrator.”
Dannyl watched the man move away. Was what Kito had suggested true? Had the Guild voted for execution out of anger at Dem Marane’s accusation?
No, he thought. The Dem’s defiance had swayed the vote. He had dared to seek what the Guild felt it has the sole right to, and he obviously felt no respect for laws or authority.
All the same, Dannyl could not find it in himself to agree with the Guild’s vote. The Dem did not deserve to die. But there was nothing Dannyl could do about that now.
Walking back through the underground passages of the Thieves’ Road, Cery considered his latest conversation with Takan. Akkarin’s former servant was difficult to read, but his mannerisms had betrayed both boredom and anxiety. Unfortunately, Cery could do little about the former, and nothing about the latter.
Cery knew that being cooped up in a hidden underground house, no matter how luxurious, was bound to become tedious and frustrating. Sonea had lived in a similar place when Faren had first agreed to hide her from the Guild. She had grown restless after a week. For Takan it was even more frustrating because he knew his master was facing dangers elsewhere and there was nothing he could do about it.
Cery also remembered how solitude and being unable to help someone he cared for had once made his every moment a torture. He still dreamed, though now only occasionally, about the weeks he had spent imprisoned under the University by Fergun. When he remembered that Akkarin had found and freed him, he was even more determined to help Takan in any way he could.
He had offered to provide any sort of entertainment Takan might crave—from whores to books—but the man had politely declined. Cery asked the guards to chat with his guest now and then, and he tried to visit every day, as Faren had once done for Sonea
. Takan was not a talkative man, however. He avoided discussing his life before becoming Akkarin’s servant, and spoke little of the years after. Cery eventually drew out some humorous stories that servants liked to tell about the magicians. It seemed even Takan didn’t mind indulging in a little gossip.
Akkarin had only communicated with Takan a few times in the last eight days. When he did, Takan always reassured Cery that Sonea was alive and unharmed. Cery was both amused by and grateful for these updates on Sonea’s welfare. Obviously the servant had learned from Akkarin about Cery’s former interest in Sonea.
That’s in the past, Cery thought wryly. Now I have Savara to mope about. Had Savara to mope about, he corrected. He was determined there would be no pining, this time. We are both sensible adults, he told himself, with responsibilities that can’t be neglected.
They reached the beginning of the maze of passages around his own rooms. Bricks whispered against bricks as Gol opened the first hidden door. Cery nodded at the guards as he strolled through.
She said she might come back, Cery reminded himself. To “visit.” He smiled. That sort of arrangement has its advantages. No expectations. No compromises…
And he had bigger concerns. Imardin faced a probable invasion by foreign magicians. Cery had to consider what he would do about them—if he could do anything about them. After all, if the Guild was too weak to face these Ichani, what hope did non-magicians have?
Not a lot, he thought. But that’s better than nothing. There must be ways ordinary people can kill a magician.
He thought back to a conversation he’d had with Sonea over a year and a half ago. They had jokingly discussed how to get rid of a novice who was bothering her. He was still thinking about it when one of his messenger boys informed him that a visitor was waiting to meet him.
Entering his office, Cery sat down, checked his yerim were still in his drawer, then sent Gol out to meet the visitor. When the door opened again, Cery looked up and felt his heart skip. He rose from the chair.
“Savara!”
She smiled and sauntered to his desk. “I have surprised you this time, Ceryni.”
He dropped down into his seat again. “I thought you left.”