As the door closed, Cery lay on his back and groaned. Had he really expected to be able to murder a magician with a skewer? He carefully prodded his arm with his fingertips. A mild tenderness was all that remained.
In the darkness the smell of fresh bread was strong and brought a growl from his stomach. Thinking of the spilled food, he sighed. His only indication of the time passing was hunger, and he had estimated that the magician’s visits came every two days or more. If he didn’t eat, he would grow weak. Even worse was the thought of the crawling things the food would attract from the corner he used for other bodily functions.
Pushing himself onto his knees, he crawled forward, hands searching the dusty floor.
Sonea caught her breath as the blue-robed magician stepped into the room. Tall, slim, with his dark hair tied at the nape of his neck, he could have been the assassin she had seen under the High Lord’s house. Then the man turned to face her and she saw that his features were not as harsh as those of the man she remembered.
“This is Administrator Lorlen,” Rothen told her.
She nodded at the magician. “Honored to meet you.”
“I am honored to meet you, Sonea,” the man replied.
“Please, sit down,” Rothen said, waving toward the chairs.
As they settled into chairs, Tania served the bitter drink the magicians seemed to prefer. Accepting a glass of water, Sonea watched the Administrator sip from his cup. He smiled appreciatively, but as he looked at her his expression became sober.
“Rothen was concerned that you would be frightened if I was to approach you when you first came here,” he told her. “So you must forgive me for not coming sooner. As Administrator of the Guild, I wish to offer a formal apology for the trouble and distress we have caused you. Do you now understand why we had to find you?”
Sonea felt her cheeks warm. “Yes.”
“That is a great relief to me,” he told her, smiling. “I have some questions, and if you have any, please don’t hesitate to ask. Are your Control lessons going well?”
Sonea glanced at Rothen and received a nod of encouragement.
“I think I’m improving,” she replied. “The tests are getting easier.”
The Administrator considered this, nodding slowly. “It’s a bit like learning to walk,” he said. “You have to think about it at first, but once you have done it for a while, you don’t need to think about it at all.”
“Except that you don’t walk in your sleep,” she added.
“Not usually.” The Administrator laughed, then his gaze became keen. “Rothen has told me you don’t wish to stay with us. Is that true?”
Sonea nodded.
“May I ask why not?”
“I want to go home,” she told him.
He leaned forward. “We will not stop you seeing your family and friends. You could visit them on Freedays.”
She shook her head. “I know, but I don’t want to stay here.”
Nodding, he relaxed against the back of his chair. “We will regret losing someone of such potential,” he told her. “Are you sure you want to give up your powers?”
Remembering Fergun’s words, her heart skipped. “Give up my powers?” she repeated slowly, glancing at Rothen. “That is not how Rothen described it.”
The Administrator’s eyebrows rose. “What has he told you?”
“That I won’t be able to use them because I won’t know how.”
“Do you believe you could teach yourself?”
She paused. “Could I?”
“No.” The Administrator smiled. “What Rothen has told you is true,” he said. “But knowing how the success of your lessons depended on maintaining trust between you, he has left it to me to explain the laws regarding the release of magicians from the Guild.”
As she realized he was about to confirm whether Fergun had spoken the truth, Sonea’s heartbeat quickened.
“The law states that every man and woman whose powers are active must either join the Guild or have his or her powers blocked,” he told her. “Blocking can’t be done until full Control is established but once in place, it effectively prevents a magician from using magic in any way.”
In the silence that followed the two magicians watched her closely. She looked away, avoiding their eyes.
So Rothen had been keeping something from her.
Yet she understood why he had. The knowledge that magicians were going to meddle with her mind would not have made it easy for her to trust him.
Fergun had been right, though ...
“Do you have any questions, Sonea?” Lorlen asked.
She hesitated, remembering something else that Fergun had said. “This blocking isn’t... uncomfortable?”
He shook his head. “You won’t feel anything. There is a sensation of resistance if you try to perform magic, but it is not painful. Since you are not used to using magic, I doubt you’ll ever notice the block at all.”
Sonea nodded slowly. The Administrator regarded her silently, then smiled. “I’m not going to try and talk you into staying,” he said. “I only wish you to know there is a place here for you if you want it. Do you have any other questions?”
Sonea shook her head. “No. Thank you, Administrator.”
He stood, his robes rustling. “I must return to my duties now. I will visit you again, Sonea. Perhaps we can have a longer talk.”
She nodded and watched Rothen usher the Administrator from the room. As the door closed, Rothen turned to regard her.
“What do you think of Lorlen, then?”
She considered. “He seems nice, but he’s very formal.”
Rothen chuckled. “Yes, he can be.”
He moved into his bedroom, then returned wearing a cloak. Surprised, Sonea watched him stride toward her. Another cloak was draped over his arm.
“Stand up,” he said. “I want to see if this will fit you.”
Rising, she stood still as he draped the cloak over her shoulders. It fell almost to the floor.
“A bit long. I’ll have it shortened. For now, you’ll have to take care not to trip.”
“This is for me?”
“Yes. To replace your old one.” He smiled. “You’ll need it. It’s quite cold outside.”
She looked at him sharply. “Outside?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I thought we’d take a walk. Would you like that?”
Nodding, she looked away, not wanting him to see her face. The thought of getting out had filled her with an intense longing. She had been inside his rooms for less than three weeks but she felt as if months had passed.
“We’re meeting Dannyl downstairs,” he told her, moving toward the door.
“Now?”
He nodded and beckoned. Taking a deep breath, she approached the door.
Unlike the previous time, the corridor was not empty. A pair of magicians stood several paces to the right, and a woman in ordinary dress walked to the left, flanked by two small children. All stared at Sonea in surprise and curiosity.
Rothen nodded to the watchers and started toward the stairs. Following, Sonea resisted the temptation to glance behind. No floating magicians appeared in the center of the staircase as they descended. Instead, a familiar tall magician waited at the bottom.
“Good evening, Sonea,” Dannyl said, smiling.
“Good evening,” she replied.
Turning, Dannyl gestured grandly at a pair of large doors at the end of the lower-floor corridor. They slowly swung open, letting in a gust of cold air.
Beyond them was the courtyard she remembered seeing when she had explored the Guild with Cery. It had been night then. Now a murky twilight was growing, making everything seem muted and unreal.
Following Rothen through the doors, Sonea felt the bite of cold air. Though it set her shivering, she welcomed it. Outside ...
Warmth slid over her skin, and she sensed a vibration in the air around her. Surprised, she cast about, but could see nothing to mark the change. Rothen was watching her.
“A simple trick,” he told her. “It’s a magical shield that holds in warmth. You can walk in and out of it. Give it a try.”