“He has fought nine slaves during that time,” Sarrin added. “That would weaken him, too.”
Balkan nodded. “He might not be as strong as we fear. If he isn’t telling the truth, however, the situation may be far worse. He may have been strengthening himself for longer. He may have been killing people in the city. And then there’s Lord Jolen and his household.” Balkan sighed. “Even if I could be sure of his honesty and strength, there is another factor that makes it impossible to predict what will happen if we tried to use force.”
“What is that?” Vinara asked.
Balkan turned to the left. “Look at Sonea closely. Do you sense it?”
They turned to stare at the novice.
“Power,” Sarrin said.
“Yes,” Balkan said. “A great deal of it. She hasn’t yet learned to hide it as he does.” He paused. “She said he was teaching her black magic two nights ago. I don’t know how long this training ought to take, but he claims he learned the gist of it in one lesson. Sonea didn’t have this aura of strength when she was practicing in the Arena a week ago. I’m sure I would have sensed it if she had. I think this woman she admits to killing was the source of her sudden increase in strength. Sonea could not have become so powerful in one night by killing any ordinary woman.”
They turned to regard the novice in thoughtful silence.
“Why did Akkarin attempt to hide Sonea’s involvement?” Sarrin wondered aloud.
“And why did she decide to reveal it?” Vinara added.
“Perhaps he wanted to ensure someone with the ability to fight the Sachakans remained alive,” Sarrin said. He frowned. “That does suggest that the books, alone, are not enough.”
“Perhaps he just wanted to protect her,” Vinara said.
“Lord Balkan,” a new voice spoke.
The Warrior looked up in surprise. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
All heads turned to face the King. He was leaning over the back of the empty High Lord’s chair, his green eyes bright and piercing.
“Do you believe the Guild is capable of driving Akkarin out of the Allied Lands?”
Balkan hesitated. “I honestly don’t know, Your Majesty. Even if we managed it, it would exhaust most of our magicians. Should these Sachakan magicians exist, they may see it as the perfect opportunity to invade.”
The young King absorbed this.
“Administrator Lorlen, do you believe he will comply if he is commanded to leave the Allied Lands?”
Lorlen blinked in surprise. “Do you mean... exile?”
“Yes.”
The Higher Magicians looked at each other thoughtfully.
“The nearest non-allied land is Sachaka,” Balkan pointed out. “If his story is true...”
Lorlen frowned, then slipped his hands in his pockets. His fingers touched the ring.
— Akkarin?
— Yes?
— Will you accept exile?
— Instead of fighting my way out of here? Lorlen caught a faint amusement. I was hoping for better.
Silence followed.
— Akkarin? You know where they’ll send you.
— Yes.
— Should I try to convince them to take you somewhere else?
— No. They would have to take me far from Kyralia. The Guild needs the magicians it would send as my escort to remain here and defend Kyralia if the Ichani invade.
He fell silent again. Lorlen glanced at the other magicians. They were watching him expectantly.
— Akkarin? The King is waiting for an answer.
— Very well. See if you can talk them into keeping Sonea here.
— I’ll see what I can do.
“I guess we can only try to convince him to leave peacefully,” Lorlen said. “The alternative, if you wish to avoid a confrontation, is to allow him to stay here as a prisoner.”
The King nodded. “To imprison a man you cannot control is foolish, and he must be seen to be punished, as Lady Vinara said. This threat from Sachaka must be investigated and confirmed, however. If he is proven right, and trustworthy, we may find and consult with him.”
Balkan frowned. “I would like to question Akkarin further.”
“You can do so on the way to the border.” The King’s eyes were hard.
The others exchanged worried glances, but none protested.
“May I speak, Your Majesty?”
All turned to see Rothen standing at the base of the stairs.
“You may,” the King replied.
“Thank you.” Rothen bowed his head for a moment, then looked at each of the Higher Magicians.
“I ask that you consider Sonea’s youth and impressionability when you judge her. She had been his prisoner for some time. I do not know how he persuaded her to join him. She is stubborn and good-hearted, but when I persuaded her to join the Guild, I encouraged her to question her distrust of magicians. Now, perhaps, that has led her to discard her distrust of Akkarin.” He smiled faintly. “I think once she has realized she has been deceived she will punish herself better than any of us could.”
Lorlen looked up at the King. He was nodding.
“I will consider your words, Lord...?”
“Rothen.”
“Thank you, Lord Rothen.”
Rothen dropped to one knee, then rose and moved away. The ruler watched him go, then drummed his fingers on the back of the High Lord’s chair.
“How do you think the High Lord’s novice will react when her guardian is exiled?”
Sonea stood in utter silence.
The Warriors surrounding her and Akkarin had enclosed them in a barrier that blocked all noise in the hall. She had watched as magicians had gathered to debate. After a long break, the Higher Magicians had returned to their seats and began an intense discussion.
Akkarin shifted a step closer, but didn’t look at her.
“You chose an inopportune time for disobedience, Sonea.”
She winced at the anger in his voice. “Did you really think I’d let them execute you?”
There was a long pause before he replied.
“I need you to remain here and continue the fight.”
“How can I do that with the Guild watching my every move?”
“Little opportunity is better than none. If nothing else, they would have you to call on as a last resort.”
“If they had me, they would never have considered allowing you to live,” she retorted. “I won’t let them use me as an excuse to kill you.”
He began to turn toward her, then stopped as sound abruptly returned. Lorlen stood up and struck a gong.
“It is time to judge whether Akkarin of family Delvon, of House Velan, High Lord of the Magicians’ Guild, and Sonea, his novice, are guilty of the crimes of which they have been accused.”
He held out a hand. A globe light appeared above it, then floated up to the ceiling. The other Higher Magicians followed suit, then hundreds more globe lights floated up from the rest of the magicians, and the Guildhall was filled with brightness.
“Do you judge that Akkarin of family Delvon, of House Velan, is undoubtedly guilty of the murder of Lord Jolen, his family and servants?”
Several of the globes slowly turned red, but most remained white. The Higher Magicians stared up for a long time, and Sonea realized they were counting the globes. When they looked down again at Lorlen each shook their head once.
“The majority choose the negative,” Lorlen declared. “Do you judge that Akkarin of family Delvon, of House Velan, is guilty of seeking knowledge of, learning, practicing and, in addition to earlier accusations, killing with black magic?”
At once all of the globes turned red. Lorlen did not wait for the Higher Magicians to count the globes.