“Yes, Administrator Osen,” Naki replied calmly, and a little coldly. She was standing with her back straight and her head high. Dark circles shadowed her red eyes. She looks strong, but also like she might crumble any moment, Lilia thought. What do I look like, all stooped and unable to look at anyone? I must look as guilty as she thinks I am.
Naki told her story. At every word, Lilia felt a little colder, until she was chilled to the core. But she was the one who wanted to read the book and try black magic! It was all her idea! As Naki described finding her father’s body, she turned and glared at Lilia.
“She killed him. Who else could it have been? She must have learned from the book. Maybe she already knew it.” Naki’s face crumpled and she covered her face with her hands. “Why? Why did you do it?”
Lilia’s heart twisted in sympathy. “I didn’t, Naki. I …” Lilia began, but Osen frowned at her and she choked back the words.
After a pause while Naki recovered her composure, the Higher Magicians questioned her, but it seemed to Lilia that they expected to learn nothing more than they had already been told. Osen turned to face Lilia, and she drew in a deep breath and hoped her voice would remain steady.
“Lady Lilia,” he began. “Tell us what happened the night you stayed at Lady Naki’s home.”
She tried to explain, but every time she described something differently to Naki the girl made a small noise of disgust or protest, and she found herself hurrying. Only when she had moved on from the subject of the book did Lilia realise she should have mentioned that Naki had shown it to her before, but by then it didn’t seem worth going back to add that detail. When Osen asked her about the blood on her hands, she suddenly remembered that she’d sensed Naki taking power, but when she tried to tell Osen he took it as an attempt to divert attention from questions about the blood. Finally, his questions became more direct.
“Did you attempt to learn black magic?”
“Yes,” she replied, feeling her face heat.
“Did you succeed?”
“Yes,” she forced out. “At least, Black Magician Sonea says I did.”
“Did you kill Lord Leiden?”
“No.”
He nodded and looked at the Higher Magicians, and Lilia braced herself for their questions. They had more for her than for Naki. When the torture was over, and Osen’s attention finally moved from her to the rest of the hall, she felt an immense relief.
“There is not enough evidence to accuse anyone of Lord Leiden’s murder,” he said. “Though investigations are far from over. Two crimes have been confessed to, however: the attempt to learn, and the learning of black magic. The Higher Magicians have decided upon appropriate punishment for these crimes, taking into account the age of the accused, and the intent behind their actions.”
He paused. “The punishment for Lady Naki, who admits that she attempted to learn black magic but did not succeed, is a three-year expulsion from the University, with her powers blocked, after which her conduct will be reviewed and, if deemed satisfactory, she may return.”
A faint sigh rose from the watching magicians and novices, followed by a low rumble of discussion, but the sounds quietened as Osen spoke again.
“The punishment for Lady Lilia, who admits that she attempted to learn black magic and succeeded, is expulsion from the Guild. Her powers will be blocked and she will be required to abide within an appropriately secure place. We will review her punishment in ten years.”
No sigh came from the watching magicians and novices. Instead the murmuring began immediately and rose in volume. Osen frowned, hearing the tone of dissatisfaction. Lilia felt her stomach sink.
They don’t think it’s tough enough. They think I should be executed. They—
“Favouritism!” someone behind her said loudly.
“Naki made her do it!” another voice declared.
“No! You lowies have always been a bad influence,” came the retort.
“Please escort Lady Naki and Lady Lilia out of the Guildhall,” Osen said, his magically amplified voice cutting across the arguments. The room quietened a little, then the two magicians who had accompanied Lilia and Sonea earlier stepped forward and gestured to indicate she should go toward a side door nearby.
“We’re on your side, Lilia!” someone called out.
She felt the briefest lightening of her heart, then someone shouted “Murderer!” and it shrivelled again. I’m going to be locked away. For ten years. And more, because no matter how well behaved I am, I’ll still know how to use black magic, and that means I’ll still be a criminal. Oh, how I wish they could block my memories as well as my powers. Why did I let Naki talk me into trying to learn black magic?
Because she loved Naki. Because neither of them had thought it would work. But it had, which explained why reading about black magic was banned. The Guild wouldn’t have wanted to admit that it was possible, because then someone with bad intentions would get hold of a book and try it. I should have realised that.
Then she realised what she and Naki had done. Everyone knows you can learn black magic from books now. We’ve uncovered a secret that should have remained hidden. And like black magic, it’s a secret that can’t be unlearned.
It had been a long day for Lorkin. Not only because Kalia had taken out her anger at him for slipping away from the Care Room, but because he had watched the sick child’s health diminishing, all the while wondering how he was going to Heal her without Kalia seeing and stopping him.
His dilemma had resolved itself in a surprising way, however. Some time in the late evening the girl’s parents had decided that they did not want their child dying in the very public, often noisy Care Room, but at home with her family. Kalia had tried to talk them out of it, but they had made up their mind.
This had unsettled Kalia, and she had been absent-minded for the rest of the day. No doubt preoccupied with trying to figure out if she could gain anything from the situation without making herself look bad.
Two more patients were suffering badly from the chill fever: an old woman and a teenage boy who already had other health troubles. Kalia did not leave the room to visit the sick girl, perhaps because she hadn’t been asked to, perhaps because she was afraid Lorkin would Heal the other dangerously ill patients while she was gone. She kept Lorkin working until late in the night, then finally dismissed him when a high-ranking magician dropped by with her sick husband, and questioned the wisdom of Kalia working so late and exhausting herself, when magicians had volunteered to watch over the patients at night to avoid that.
As he left, Kalia called out his name. He turned.
“You may go,” she said. “Don’t visit Velyla without me.”
He nodded to show he understood. As he headed toward the sick girl’s room he wondered what his disobedience would cost him.
He did not reach it.
A woman stepped out of a side room and beckoned. He knew her as one of Savara’s supporters, but even so he hesitated before following her into the room. When he saw the four people waiting there his doubts evaporated.
The room was a large, half-empty food store. On a makeshift bed lay Velyla, unconscious. Her parents hovered over her. Beside them stood Savara.
“Lorkin.” Savara smiled. “I thought she’d never let you leave,” she said.
He grimaced. “I think she was hoping …” He caught himself and looked at the parents. Hoping that the girl would die before I had the chance to Heal her. I can’t say that in front of them. He walked over to the makeshift bed, then looked up at the couple. “I will try to Heal her with magic, but I can’t promise that I will be able to save her. Magical Healing does not always succeed, though I’ve never known it to do any harm. I will only try if you give me permission to do so.”