She sighed again. A tour of the Alchemy rooms would probably come next. Against her will, she felt a twinge of curiosity. Of all the disciplines, Alchemy was the one she understood least.
She frowned at a knock on the main door. Tania had bid them goodnight hours ago and Rothen had not been gone long. Her heart skipped as a name raced through her mind.
Fergun.
He would want an answer, and she hadn’t decided yet. She reluctantly crossed the room, hoping the visitor was someone else.
“Who is it?”
“Fergun. Let me in, Sonea.”
Taking a deep breath, she grasped the handle. At once, the door swung inward. The red-robed magician slipped gracefully into the room and closed the door behind him.
“How can you open it?” she asked, frowning at the handle. “I thought it was locked.”
Fergun smiled. “It was, but it will open when the door handle is turned by someone inside at the same time as someone outside.”
“Is it meant to?”
Fergun nodded. “It’s a precaution. Rothen might not be around to open the door in an emergency. Someone else can if, for instance, you started a fire.”
She grimaced. “Hopefully that will never be a problem again.” She gestured to the chairs. “Have a seat, Fergun.”
He glided to the chairs and sat down. As she took the seat opposite, he leaned forward eagerly.
“So, are your Control lessons going well?”
“Yes ... I think.”
“Hmm, tell me what you did today.”
She smiled ruefully. “I had to lift a box off the floor. That wasn’t easy.”
Fergun drew in a sharp breath, his eyes widening, and Sonea felt her heart skip in response. “What he is teaching you is not a Control exercise. He is showing you how to use your magic. If he is doing that, you must already have Control.”
Sonea felt a thrill of excitement and hope. “He said he was testing my Control.”
Fergun shook his head gravely. “All magic is a test of Control. He wouldn’t be teaching you to lift objects unless your control was sufficiently established. You’re ready, Sonea.”
Leaning back in her chair, Sonea felt a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. At last! she thought. I can go home!
An unexpected twinge of regret followed the thought. Once gone, she might never see Rothen again ...
“So, are you satisfied that what I told you is true—that Rothen has kept information from you?”
She looked at Fergun and nodded. “Most of it. Administrator Lorlen explained the blocking of power to me.”
Fergun looked surprised. “Lorlen himself. Good.”
“He told me it would not be unpleasant, and that I’d never notice it after.”
“If it works properly. The Guild hasn’t needed to do it for many, many years.” He grimaced. “The last time they did, they messed it up a little—but you should not worry about that. Accept my help and you won’t have to take the risk.” He smiled. “Are we going to work together?”
She hesitated. Doubts ran through her mind.
Seeing her expression, he asked: “Have you decided to stay, then?”
“No.”
“Then are you still undecided?”
“I’m not sure about your plan,” she admitted. “Parts of it, anyway.”
“Which parts?”
She drew in a deep breath. “If I become a novice, I’ll have to make a vow that I know I’m going to break.”
He frowned. “And?”
“I’m not... happy about doing that.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re worried about breaking a vow?” He shook his head. “I am willing to break the King’s law for you, Sonea. Though I’m sure we can make it look as if you escaped on your own, there’s a chance my part in it will be discovered. I am willing to take that risk for your sake.” He leaned forward. “You must decide whether the King has the right to take your power from you. If he doesn’t, then what value is there in the vow?”
Sonea nodded slowly. He was right. Faren would agree, and so would Cery. The Houses had kept magic to themselves for too long—and then used it against the poor during the Purge. The dwells would not look down on her for breaking the Novices’ Vow. It was their opinion that mattered, not the King’s or the magicians’.
If she returned to the slums with her powers unfettered and taught herself magic, she could teach others too. She could start her own secret Guild.
It would mean relying on Faren to hide her from the Guild again. It would mean she could not return to her family. It would mean she might eventually use her powers to help and heal people—which might make the risks worth taking.
She looked at the magician sitting opposite her. Would Fergun be so keen to let her go if he knew what she was thinking? She frowned. If she became his novice, he might need to enter her mind to teach her. He might discover her plans and, not liking the consequences of helping her, change his mind.
Much of his proposal forced her to rely on him. She did not know him, had not seen into his mind.
If only she could leave—escape—without his help.
She felt a sudden thrill. Perhaps she could. She had achieved Control. Rothen didn’t know that she knew. He would have to admit it eventually, and once he did, he would be wary of her attempting to escape. But not now. Now was the perfect time to try.
What if she did not get the opportunity, or failed?
Then she would accept Fergun’s offer. For now, however, she had to delay him.
Looking at Fergun, she sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. Even if your plan does work, I’ll still have the Guild hunting for me.”
“They won’t be able to find you,” he assured her. “I will teach you how to hide your powers. They’ll find no clue to your location, and eventually give up. You’re not the only one who got tired of the hunt last time, Sonea. They won’t search forever.”
“There are some things you don’t know,” she told him. “If I return to the slums with magic, the Thieves will want me to work for them. I don’t want to be their tool.”
He smiled. “You’ll have magic, Sonea. They can’t make you do anything you don’t want to.”
She looked away and shook her head. “I have family, Fergun. The Thieves might not be able to hurt me, but they can hurt others. I ...” She rubbed her face, then looked at him apologetically. “I need more time to think.”
His smile vanished. “How long?”
She shrugged. “A few weeks, maybe?”
“I don’t have that long,” he told her, his expression darkening. “You don’t have that long.”
Sonea frowned. “Why not?”
Rising abruptly, he took something from within his robe and dropped it onto the table before her.
She sucked in a breath as she recognized the dagger. So many times, she had watched the blade being carefully and lovingly sharpened. She could remember the day, many years before, when the rough picture of a familiar rodent had been etched into the blade.
“You recognize it, I see.”
Fergun stood over her now, his eyes glittering.
“I have the owner of this knife locked in a dark little room that nobody here knows of.” His lips stretched into a nasty smile. “Just as well they don’t, since they might get a bit worried if they saw how big some of these rodents can grow.” Dropping into a crouch, he placed his hands on the arms of her chair. Sonea shrank back, appalled by his malicious stare.
“Do what I tell you, and I will release your friend. Give me any trouble, and I will leave him there forever.” His eyes narrowed. “Do you understand me?”
Stunned, unable to speak, Sonea could only nod.
“Listen carefully,” he said. “I’m going to tell you what you need to do. First, you’re going to tell Rothen that you’ve decided to stay. When you do he’ll announce that you’ve achieved Control, so he can get you into the Guild before you change your mind again. There’ll be a Meet in a week, and a Hearing to decide who will be your guardian will be held afterward.