Judging from the unceasing chatter that had poured out of Dannyl’s new assistant that morning, he suspected that the Healer, stuck in the Guild House with little work and no company, had been very bored and lonely since Dannyl had left. Though she had, at least, made some friends among the Sachakan women, she hadn’t been able to leave the Guild House while Dannyl was absent.
He had to admit, though, it was nice to talk to other Guild magicians after all this time. It would be good to get more detailed news about the goings on in Imardin. And to find out how far Dannyl’s research had progressed since Lorkin had left – especially on the subject of the storestone.
CHAPTER 30
THE CHOICE
Slumping in the chair, Lilia looked down at the pile of books and paper on the desk and sighed. She’d met with University Director Jerrik that morning, before her first class since she’d learned black magic. He’d told her that he’d questioned her teachers, and gathered together a collection of exercises, practical assignments and essays that would bring her up to the same level as her fellow novices. Since she had missed the winter exams, she would have to study for those as well. It seemed like a lot of work for only a month or two of absence from the University, especially as she had to do not only that but also the work from her daily classes. The next few weeks were going to be very busy.
At least she could do the extra study in her room adjoining Sonea’s guest room, where it was quiet and the antics of her fellow novices wouldn’t distract her. After today’s classes, she suspected she would be doubly grateful for that. The other novices had ignored her, when they weren’t giving her dark, suspicious looks. Her old friends had made it clear they did not want anything to do with her now. Would they eventually forget what she had done, or would they continue to show their disapproval and fear, perhaps in other, nastier ways?
A muffled thump from the guest room made her jump. She got up, heart racing, and moved to the bedroom door. Putting her ear to it, she listened carefully.
And winced as someone knocked loudly on the door.
“Lilia? You there?”
At the familiar voice, Lilia’s heart lifted. She opened the door.
“Anyi!”
The tall girl grinned down at her, then stepped back and turned around, arms held out at her sides. Lilia smiled as she recognised the long, black hide-skin coat she’d sent as a thank you gift. To her relief, it fitted perfectly. In fact, Anyi looked even more striking than before.
“I love it,” Anyi said.
“It suits you,” Lilia told her.
“I know,” Anyi agreed, stroking the sleeves. Lilia laughed at the woman’s gleeful vanity. “Cery says thanks for the knives.”
“Sonea helped me choose them.”
Anyi chuckled. “Yes, she’d know exactly what his tastes were.” She looked at Lilia thoughtfully. “You know that Sonea and Cery were childhood friends, don’t you?”
Lilia shook her head. “No. I knew she was from the old slums, and had worked with the Thieves during the invasion.”
“Yes, Cery was her main contact among the Thieves. Akkarin recruited him to help hunt down Sachakan spies.”
“So they kept in touch all these years?”
Anyi shrugged. “I guess they must have. When Cery told me how to get here I asked him why he went to all that trouble. He said that, until recently, Sonea was restricted to the Guild grounds – like you are now. The only other place she was allowed to go was the hospices.”
“What do you mean by ‘all that trouble’?”
Anyi shrugged out of the coat. “There’s a bit of climbing, and apparently the tunnels are prone to collapsing these days. He’d do something about that if he wasn’t hiding from Skellin.” She tossed the coat over the back of a chair, then hesitated and looked close. “Curse it. The back got a bit scratched on the way up.”
Lilia sat down on one of the guest room chairs, and Anyi dropped into the one beside it. “Sonea told me she goes into the bedroom when Cery leaves, so she doesn’t see how he arrives, and that I should do the same thing when you go.”
Anyi nodded. “He advised we do that.”
“Sounds like you intend to visit on a regular basis.”
“I do.” Anyi smiled. “If you’d like me to.”
Lilia nodded. “Very much. I’ve lost the friends I had here. The ones in my class won’t talk to me. Naki is … gone. I don’t think anyone else is going to want to be my friend,” she lifted up her arms to show the black bands stitched around the sleeves of her robes, “now that I know black magic. Even if they wanted to, their parents would stop them. If they did want to, I’d have to worry what their real intentions were.”
Anyi grimaced in sympathy. “That’s going to be tough.”
“It’s not going to stop after I graduate, either.”
“At least Sonea is willing to trust you.” Anyi looked around the room. “She has friends, here and outside the Guild. Even if others don’t take that as a good sign, you should. You should also know …” Anyi leaned over the arm of her chair and reached out to touch Lilia’s cheek.
Surprised and unused to such contact, Lilia stilled. She met Anyi’s gaze. The woman’s expression was thoughtful and intense. Anyi slipped off her chair and knelt on the floor beside Lilia’s in one graceful movement. Her hand did not move from Lilia’s cheek, or her eyes from Lilia’s.
“You should also know this,” she said.
Leaning close, she kissed Lilia. It was a slow, lingering kiss. It was definitely not the kiss of mere friendship, and Lilia could not help responding in kind. It confirmed all that she had guessed about Anyi and all she had suspected of herself. It was not just Naki, she thought. It’s me – and it’s Anyi. And it could be me and Anyi.
Anyi pulled away a little, then smiled and folded herself back into her chair. She looked, Lilia mused, rather smug.
“I know it’s too soon since Naki,” she said. “But I thought you should know. In case you’re interested.”
Lilia put a hand to her heart. It was beating very fast. She felt elated and reckless. She laughed to herself, then looked at Anyi.
“I’m definitely interested – and it’s not too soon since Naki.”
Anyi’s smile widened, but then she looked away and frowned. “Even so, I’d hate for Sonea to walk in on us …”
“She’s at a meeting, and is going straight to the hospice afterwards. Night shift. Won’t be back until morning.”
“… or her servants,” Anyi added. She tapped her fingers on the edge of the chair, then stopped and smiled. “Tell me, how much do you know about the passages under the Guild?”
“I know of them, but I’ve never seen them. Nobody is allowed down there.”
“Well, unless you’re really serious about not breaking any rules any more, I could take you on a little tour.”
Lilia looked at the scratches on the back of Anyi’s jacket, then at her friend.
“I’ll … I’ll think about it.”
Sonea sat down in the chair Osen had offered with silent satisfaction. The Administrator had arranged for more seating to be brought into his office and arranged it in a rough circle before his desk. He’d insisted that Kallen not stand by the wall any more, which meant that Sonea did not feel obliged to stand up as well.