Let me out of here? I doubt that. Lilia sighed. That will only happen if I somehow forget how to use black magic.
Forcing herself to stop pacing, she sat down and picked up one of the books. Even though she had started to see why Welor liked it – the battle descriptions had obviously been written with relish – not even the most exciting tale could have held her attention for long. Not when the person she loved most in the world was missing. She put it down again.
A sound from the next room drew her eyes to the side door. She’d listened in as Sonea had talked to Lorandra. It had been an odd conversation, mostly one-sided since Lorandra wasn’t inclined to answer Sonea’s questions, and when she did speak she often changed the subject completely. Though both said nothing that could be considered impolite or threatening, the whole meeting gave Lilia an impression of antagonism. Lorandra did not want to cooperate. Lilia wasn’t surprised when Sonea gave up and left.
With nothing to listen in on, she wandered the room. A tap from the door made Lilia jump.
“Finished pacing now?” a muffled voice asked.
Lilia smiled wryly. If she had made a habit of listening to the other woman, then it was no surprise Lorandra was doing the same to her.
“For now,” she said, moving over to the door.
“You had some bad news?”
“Yes. My friend is missing.” Though Lilia had told Lorandra of Naki, she had only described them as close friends.
“Do you know where she is?”
“No.” Lorandra would have heard me say that … but I suppose she’d have to allow that I could have been lying to Sonea.
“I bet you wish you could go into the city and find her.”
“I do. Very much.” Lilia sighed. “But even if I wasn’t locked up here, I wouldn’t know where to look.”
“Do you think it’s more likely she’s been taken against her will, or gone into hiding?”
Lilia considered. “Why would she go into hiding? If she had learned black magic it would make sense, but Black Magician Sonea would have seen it in her mind. So it’s more likely she’s been taken against …” Lilia could not finish the sentence. She shuddered. And yet she felt a little bit better. This was, at least, an answer. Even if it wasn’t a good one.
“Who would want to do that?”
“I don’t know.”
“What does she have that others might want?”
“Money. She inherited her father’s fortune when he died.” Lilia’s heart skipped. “Maybe she found out who killed him!”
“If she did, she’s probably dead.”
Lilia felt her heart constrict. She didn’t want to think about that.
“What if she isn’t dead?” Lilia asked. “What if she’s being held captive? What if she’s being blackmailed?” What if someone is trying to force her into telling them the instructions in the book on black magic?
Lorandra was silent for several breaths. “I guess you won’t know unless the Guild finds out and bothers to tell you. Do you think they will?”
Lilia’s heart sank. “I don’t know.”
“It sounded like Sonea had her doubts.”
“Did it?” Lilia thought back. She couldn’t remember. Her mind had been caught up in shock and worry over Naki.
“Yes.” Lorandra tapped quietly on the door, as if drumming her fingers in thought. “Once, I would have been able to find out for you. I have contacts in the city. Many, many contacts. Most aren’t particularly respectable ones, but that’s partly why I’m in here. If I was free, I would help you find your friend, or find out what happened to her.”
Lilia smiled, though she knew the woman couldn’t see it. “Thanks. It’s nice to know you would, if you were able to.” How strange that this woman, who the Guild regards as a criminal, understands better than anyone else what I’m going through. Well, it’s said that loyalty is important to Thieves and people in the underworld.
“Your powers were blocked before they put you in here, weren’t they?”
“Of course.” Lilia frowned at the change of subject.
“Have you ever tried to break the block, or get past it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I … why bother? Black Magician Sonea put it there. I’m hardly going to break a block she made. I’d just give myself a headache trying.”
“So … it makes a difference how strong the magician is who makes a block? Or if that magician is a black magician?”
Lilia shook her head. “I don’t know. All I know is that it separates your will from your power, so it doesn’t matter how strong you are.”
“It can’t separate all control, though. Otherwise we’d be dead.”
“Of course.”
“How do they do that?”
“I don’t know.” Lilia winced. She’d been saying “I don’t know” a lot today.
“It seems to me that black magicians are not just stronger than normal magicians but have a different kind of magic. A different way of controlling it.”
“They’re not stronger unless they’ve taken power from other people,” Lilia corrected. “Though Sonea and Kallen were both stronger than most magicians before they learned black magic, they’re no stronger than that. They aren’t allowed to take power without permission, and it would only be given if the lands were under attack, or faced some other threat.”
“Really? Then I’m right. It’s a different kind of magic.”
Lorandra’s tone was that of someone who had just learned something, and was very pleased about it. If she didn’t know that … should I have told her? She’s right, though. I didn’t learn black magic by taking power; I learned it by trying out a different way of sensing it.
“So their powers are different,”
Lorandra pointed out. “They can do things other magicians can’t. Like read minds. They can get around someone’s defences, unlike ordinary magicians.”
“Yes.” That much was obvious.
Lorandra paused again, but not for as long.
“It seems to me that being able to do different things with your mind ought to mean any block in that mind would have to be different, too. Did Sonea put the usual kind of block in your mind? Don’t answer that,” she added. “I’m just thinking aloud. But answer this if you can: has anyone put a block on a black magician before?”
“Not that I know of. There’s nothing in the history lessons that mentions it.”
“I think you should try to get past the block. If nobody has put one on a black magician before, and black magic gets around normal restrictions, then how do they know they got it right?”
Lilia stared at the door. Her heart was beating a little faster. She wanted to point out that Sonea would simply replace the block. If she found out it was gone. So long as I never used magic when anyone was here nobody would know. But she was ignoring the obvious consequence of succeeding: Lorandra wouldn’t be content with remaining in the Lookout. She’ll want me to get us out.
Normally Lilia would have refused. She would have stayed put, knowing that Sonea and Kallen would chase her down, and the punishment for escaping would be worse than mere imprisonment.
They’d probably execute me.
But if she found Naki, perhaps it would be worth it. Reason told her that she did not know the city well enough to find Naki before the Guild caught her, but here was a woman who knew the city well. Who knew the underworld, where Naki was most likely imprisoned. Who wanted to help Lilia.
Lilia wanted more than anything to find Naki, but what did Lorandra want?
Well, she wants to exchange her help for me busting her out of this prison, Lilia thought. I should get her to agree to some conditions.
“How long will it take to find Naki, do you think?”
Lorandra chuckled. “You’re a quick one, Lady Lilia. I can’t tell you exactly. I’d have to locate my people, and if they don’t already know they’d have to spend some time finding out.”
“Do you
think we could slip away each night, then return by morning, without the guards knowing?” That would gain us more time than if we left and the Guild started hunting for us. We could spend weeks searching for Naki, if necessary. If they did find we’d been slipping out, they might forgive me given that we returned each time. We might even find Naki without the Guild knowing we’d ever left the Lookout.
“Possibly.” Lorandra’s tone was hard to read. “It depends on whether we can get in and out of here without anyone noticing. If I had access to my powers I could levitate …”
“I can do that,” Lilia said quickly. She did not want to be talked into unblocking Lorandra’s powers. It was bad enough letting the woman loose, but releasing her on the city in full control of her powers was another matter entirely. “So … if I get us out of here, do you promise to help me find Naki?”
“Yes.”
“And we’ll try to slip away and back without anyone noticing?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll do it. If I can undo the block.”
“If you learned black magic in the first attempt, I suspect it’ll be the same for this. Either you’ll be able to do it, or you won’t.”
“I hope so. While I’m trying, you think about how to get us out of here.”
“I will. Good luck.”
Lilia stepped away from the door. She cast about, then moved to the chair by the window and sat down. Closing her eyes, she started a breathing exercise to calm and focus her mind.
When she felt ready, she sent her attention within. At once she was aware of the block. All other times she had done this, she had found the ball of energy within herself straightaway. Now there was something in the way. It was like a magical shield or barrier, and yet it wasn’t one.
She prodded it gently. It resisted. She pushed against it, but it was like a hard, cold wall. I need to try harder. It’s going to hurt. I need to be ready for that. She tried to brace herself for pain, but she had no idea how to do that mentally. It wasn’t as though she had muscles in her mind to tense.
Gathering her determination, she threw her will against the wall. At once a sharp pain exploded in her mind. She gasped, opened her eyes and grabbed at her head, which was now throbbing worse than any headache she’d suffered before.
Oh. That was bad. Rocking in the chair, she concentrated on her breathing and waited as the pain slowly faded away. Closing her eyes again, she considered the block. A powerful reluctance came over her to extend her senses anywhere near it again.
I love Naki. I have to help her. I have to find a way through this.
She pondered the block. How strong is it? It didn’t have a sense of strength. It was just there.
She thought about what Lorandra had said about black magic being a different sort of magic. She remembered the instructions in the book.
“In early training, an apprentice is taught to imagine his magic as a vessel – perhaps a box or a bottle. As he learns more he comes to understand what his senses tell him: that his body is the vessel, and that the natural barrier of magic at the skin contains his power within.”
My body is the vessel, she told herself, then she sought that expanding of awareness that she had experienced before. It came back to her instantly, and she felt a rush of excitement. She sought the block. It was still there.
But now it was irrelevant. The block protected the place she had been taught to reach for magic, but her whole body was full of magic. She could tap into it from anywhere …
Lilia opened her eyes. She reached for magic and felt it respond. She channelled it out and used it to lift Welor’s books from the table. A rush of triumph went through her.
I did it!
She jumped out of the chair and hurried to the door.
“I did it!” she exclaimed. “You were right!”
“Well done. Now get away from the door and be quiet,” Lorandra said in a low voice. “I can hear someone coming.”
Lilia’s heart skipped a beat. She backed away from the door and listened. Sure enough, the faint sound of a single set of footsteps could be heard.
“Dinner,” she said. “I’ll come talk to you afterwards.”
“Good girl.”
Turning away from the door, she moved toward the little table where she ate her meals and waited for Welor to enter, one moment exhilarated by her achievement, the next pushing away guilt over what she was intending to do.
I’m doing it for Naki, she told herself. It doesn’t matter what happens to me afterwards, so long as she’s safe.
It seemed like Lorkin had been waiting for someone to kill him for days now, never knowing if he had minutes or hours to live. Though he successfully fought the panic that constantly threatened to overwhelm him, nausea was relentless. Each time the prick of a blade on his skin heralded the draining of his recovering powers, he wondered if this time he would be dragged past exhaustion to oblivion. Each time the draining stopped, he felt a bitter relief.
I doubt the guards will be the ones to finish me off, he told himself. Kalia will want to do it herself.
Or would she? It was probably safer if some lesser magician dispatched him. Then she could argue that she hadn’t been the one to kill him, if his death was found to be suspicious. If her mind was read, however, he could not see how she could hide the fact that she’d given the order to kill him.
A new sound sent his heart pounding: that of the door opening and closing. Then came the sound that sent shivers of terror down his spine: Kalia’s voice.
“Is it time?” a guard asked.
“Not yet. I want to be sure I have everything I need.”
Lorkin’s stomach sank. He heard footsteps draw closer and wasn’t surprised when a force pinned him to the floor. Hearing the grunt of effort as Kalia crouched gave him a small sense of satisfaction. Cold fingers touched his forehead and he shuddered as her vile presence filled his mind.
At once he sensed that she was in a hurry. She probed his memories hastily, grasping those of Healing as soon as they rose, then she seemed to force herself to take more time, examining what she had learned the day before. He knew that she could see that the application of the knowledge had to be shaped and refined according to the illness or condition, but she didn’t have time to draw the details out of him. She would have to learn the rest by trial and error. Right now she only wanted to know how best to avoid doing harm.
“Speaker …”
The guard’s voice sounded distant, as if spoken from the other side of a wall or door. Kalia paused, then reluctantly released Lorkin’s mind and vanished from his senses.
He felt a tired, simmering anger. If you ever find out the truth, Tyvara, he thought, make sure she gets what she deserves.
“There’s no other way ou—”
“Be quiet,” Kalia snapped. She sounded close, as if she was still leaning over him.
Then he heard what they were listening to. Footsteps. Voices.
Kalia cursed.
The sound of the door opening reached him. Someone drew in a breath in shock.
“Get OFF him!”
“No, Tyvara,” another voice commanded.
Tyvara! Lorkin’s heart leapt. The force holding him down vanished. He struggled up into a sitting position and tried to rub the blindfold off against the rough wall behind him. Suddenly there were fingers roaming over his face again, only this time they were warm.
“Wait. Let me get this off,” Tyvara’s voice murmured. The blindfold slid upwards, releasing him reluctantly. He blinked in the brightness, then grinned as he saw Tyvara crouching in front of him, her face full of concern.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. Not now you’re here.” He couldn’t stop smiling. “Are you going to get into trouble for talking to me?”
“Don’t be silly. Turn around.”
He obeyed, and felt the bindings around his wrists fall away. At the same time he felt a little part of his mind freed from a constraint he’d
been barely aware of. Looking down at the bindings, he saw a pale yellow gemstone among a pile of bandages.
They tied me up with bandages. That they’d used materials meant for healing as restraints made him despise them even more. Did the stone stop me from calling out mentally? I suppose they’d need to create something like that, in case they had to stop a prisoner revealing their location.
Tyvara rose and helped him get to his feet. He felt giddy. Relief at no longer having to worry what would happen swept over him. He resisted a sudden urge to kiss her. She had turned to face the room, and he reluctantly dragged his eyes away from her to look at the other Traitors in the room.
Two Speakers faced Kalia. One was Savara. The other was Halana. More Traitor magicians stood in the corridor behind them.
“Did you learn how to Heal with magic from him?” Savara asked.
Kalia shrugged. “I might have.”
Savara looked at Lorkin. “Did she?”
He nodded, then shivered as he remembered the mind looking through his memories. The relief and elation at his rescue faded. That’s something I’m never going to forget, he thought. It would come back to him in nightmares.
“You have broken our law,” Savara told Kalia. “You will be judged.”
“Of course,” Kalia replied. “Let’s get on with it, then.” With chin held high, she walked out of the room. Halana followed.
Savara glanced back once, to look at the two guards. “Take them as well,” she ordered. The waiting magicians entered the room and ushered the pair out.
Tyvara did not move to follow. Lorkin looked at her. She was staring at him with a strange expression on her face.
“What?”
She smiled. Then she took his head in both hands and kissed him.
Desire rushed through him, followed by dizziness. He took hold of her as much to pull her closer as to stop himself falling over. She chuckled and pulled away a little.
“You’re not completely unhurt, are you?” she asked. “They’ll have been keeping you drained. Did they even feed you?”
“Um,” he replied, then forced himself to think about her questions. “Yes, yes and no.”