“Today they’ve been acting strangely. More came into the slums than usually do, and they wore cloaks over their robes. They took positions all around the slums and seemed to be waiting for something. I don’t know what, but they kept moving to new positions. Each time they did, they came closer to this place. Then, just now, Ceryni told me that he thought the magicians were tracking you. He said they must be able to sense you using magic. I didn’t believe it until...”
Faren paused, then the sliver of light from the lamp suddenly vanished and darkness filled the passage. Sonea heard him move to the wall. She crept forward and put her eye to one of the little holes.
The entrance to the room stood open, a rectangle of darkness. At first Sonea thought the hideout was empty, then a figure suddenly strode into sight from one of the side rooms, his green robes swaying as he stopped.
“My people managed to stop them by caving in the passage,” Faren whispered, “but one got through. Don’t be alarmed. No one can get through this door. It’s ...” He sucked in a quiet breath. “Interesting.”
Sonea put her eye back to the hole and felt her heart skip. The magician appeared to be staring right at her.
“Can he hear us?” Faren murmured. “I tested the walls many times.”
“Perhaps he can see the door,” Sonea suggested.
“No, he’d have to look very closely. Even if he did start looking for doors, there are five exits leading from this room. Why would he choose this one?”
The magician walked toward them and stopped. He stared at the wood, then closed his eyes. Sonea felt an all-too-familiar sensation pass over her. When the magician opened his eyes again, his frown was gone and he was staring directly at Faren.
“How does he know?” Faren hissed. “Are you doing magic right now?”
“No,” Sonea replied, surprised at the confidence in her own voice. “I can hide myself from him. It’s you. He’s sensing you.”
“Me?” Faren turned his head from the hole and stared at her.
Sonea shrugged. “Don’t ask me why.”
“Can you hide me?” Faren’s voice was strained. “Can you hide us both?”
Sonea drew away from the hole. Could she? She couldn’t hide what the magician was sensing without detecting it herself. She looked at Faren, then she looked at Faren. It was as if she had extended her senses—no, another sense that wasn’t sight or hearing—and could feel a person there.
Faren uttered an oath.
“Stop whatever you’re doing!” he gasped. Something brushed against the wall. Faren backed away.
“He’s trying to open it,” he told her. “I was afraid he’d try to blast it down. That gives us some time.” He opened the lamp’s shutter and gestured for her to follow him.
They had only taken a few steps when the sound of a bolt sliding across wood halted them. Faren turned and swore. He raised the lamp until its light illuminated the wall.
One by one the bolts were sliding back, apparently on their own. Sonea saw the cogs of the door mechanism begin to turn, then the passage plunged into darkness as the lamp clattered to the floor.
“Run!” Faren hissed. “Follow me!”
Throwing out a hand to the passage wall, Sonea chased the rapping of Faren’s shoes on the ground. She had run no more than twenty paces when a wedge of light leapt past her, throwing her shadow across the floor. The sound of booted footsteps echoed down the passage behind her.
Bright light suddenly filled the passage and her shadow began to shrink rapidly. Heat flashed against her ear and she shied as a bright ball of light overtook her. It shot past Faren and flashed outward to form a glowing barrier.
Skidding to a halt, Faren span about to face their pursuer, his face pale in the white light. Reaching his side, Sonea turned. A robed figure strode toward them. Heart pounding, Sonea backed away until she could feel the vibration and heat of the barrier behind her.
Faren made a growling noise deep in his throat, then clenched his fists and started back down the passage toward the magician. Surprised, Sonea could only stare at him with amazement.
“You!” Faren pointed at the magician. “Who do you think you are? This is my domain. You’re trespassing!”
His voice echoed in the passage. The magician slowed and regarded the Thief with wary eyes.
“The law says we may go where we must,” the magician told him.
“The law also says you may not harm people or their property,” Faren retorted. “I’d say you’ve done enough of both in the last few weeks.”
The magician stopped and raised his hands in a placating gesture.
“We did not mean to kill that boy. It was a mistake.” The magician looked at Sonea and she felt a chill run down her spine. “There is much we must explain to you. You must be taught how to control your powers—”
“Don’t you understand?” Faren hissed. “She doesn’t want to become a magician. She doesn’t want anything to do with you. Just leave her alone.”
“I can’t do that,” the magician shook his head. “She must come with us—”
“No!” Faren shouted.
The magician’s eyes turned cold, sending a chill through Sonea.
“Don’t, Faren!” she called. “He’ll kill you.”
Ignoring her, Faren braced his legs and placed his hands on the walls on either side of the passage.
“If you want her,” he growled, “you’ll have to come through me.”
The magician hesitated, then took a step forward, his palms turning toward Faren. A metallic clang filled the passage.
The magician threw out his arms and vanished.
Baffled, Sonea stared at the floor where the magician had been standing. A dark square had appeared.
Dropping his arms, Faren threw back his head and began to laugh. Heart still pounding, Sonea crept forward until she stood beside him. Looking down, she saw that the square of darkness was a large hole in the floor.
“Wh-what happened?”
Faren’s laughter subsided to a chuckle. He reached up and swivelled out a brick in the wall. Reaching into the gap beyond, he grasped something and, with a grunt of effort, pulled it forward. A trapdoor slowly swivelled up and clicked into place, covering the hole. Faren kicked some of the dust on the floor over it.
“That was far too easy,” he said, wiping his hands on a nosecloth. He grinned at Sonea, and sketched a quick bow. “Did you like my performance?”
Sonea felt a smile starting to pull at her lips. “I’m still awake, I guess.”
“Ha!” Faren’s brows rose. “You seemed to think it was convincing. ‘Don’t, Faren! He’ll kill you!’ ” he said in a high-pitched voice. He placed a hand over his heart and smiled. “I’m so touched at your concern for my safety.”
“Enjoy it,” she told him. “It might not last.” She touched the trapdoor with her toe. “Where does it go?”
He shrugged. “Oh, straight down into a pit filled with iron spikes.”
Sonea stared at him. “You mean ... he’s dead?”
“Very.” Faren’s eyes flashed.
Sonea looked down at the trapdoor. Surely not ... but if Faren said... though the magician might have managed to...
Suddenly she felt sick and cold. She had never considered that any of the magicians might be killed. Injured, perhaps, but not killed. What would the Guild do when they learned that one of their magicians was dead?
“Sonea.” Faren placed a hand on her shoulder. “He’s not dead. The trap leads to a sewage pool. It’s meant as an escape route. He’ll wade out of there smelling worse than the Tarali River, but he’ll be alive.”
Sonea nodded, relieved.
“But consider what he would have done to you, Sonea. One day you may have to kill for your freedom.” Faren lifted an eyebrow. “Have you thought about that?”
Without waiting for an answer, he turned and regarded the barrier of light and heat that still blocked the passage. He shook his head and began to walk back down the passage toward the hideout. Sonea stepped nervously across the trapdoor and followed him.