“See?” Tania said. “I’ll tidy your room now. I’ll be gone for a few minutes but if you need anything don’t hesitate to call.”
Sonea nodded and listened to the servant’s footsteps as she walked away. She smiled as the bedroom door closed. Taking the glass, Sonea gulped the water down and dried the inside quickly with the dining napkin. Stepping quietly to the door, she placed it against the wood and rested her ear on the base.
“... to keep her in there. It is dangerous.”
This voice belonged to the stranger.
“Not until she regains her strength,” Rothen replied. “Once that happens I can show her how to spend her power safely, as we did yesterday. There is no danger to the building.”
There was a pause. “Nevertheless, there is no reason to keep her isolated.”
“As I told you, she is easily frightened, and not a little confused. She doesn’t need a crowd of magicians telling her the same thing in a dozen different ways.”
“Not a crowd, just myself—and I only wish to make her acquaintance. I’ll leave all the teaching to you. Surely there is no harm in that?”
“I understand, but there will be time for that later, when she has gained some confidence.”
“There is no Guild law saying that you can keep her from me, Rothen,” the stranger replied, a warning tone entering his voice.
“No, but I believe most would understand my reasoning for it.”
The stranger sighed. “I have as much concern for her well-being as you, Rothen, and I have searched for her as long and hard as well. I think many would agree that I have earned a voice in the matter.”
“You will have your opportunity to meet her, Fergun,” Rothen replied.
“When?”
“When she is ready.”
“And only you shall decide that.”
“For now.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Silence followed, then the door handle began to turn. Sonea darted back to her seat and spread the napkin over her lap again. As Rothen stepped back into the room, his expression changed from annoyance to good humor.
“Who was that?” Sonea asked.
He shrugged. “Just someone who wanted to know how you were doing.”
Sonea nodded, then leaned forward to take another sweet cake.
“Why does Tania bow and call me Lady?”
“Oh,” Rothen dropped into his chair and reached for the cup of bitter liquid Tania had left for him. “All magicians are addressed as Lord or Lady.” He shrugged. “It’s always been that way.”
“But I’m not a magician,” Sonea pointed out.
“Well, she is a bit premature.” Rothen chuckled.
“I think ...” Sonea frowned. “I think she’s afraid of me.”
He frowned at her over the lip of his cup. “She’s just a little nervous of you. Being near a magician who has not learned Control can be dangerous.” He smiled crookedly. “It seems she’s not the only one who’s worried. Knowing the dangers better than most, you can imagine how some magicians feel about having you living in their own Quarters. You’re not the only one who slept lightly last night.”
Thinking back to her capture, to the broken walls and rubble she had glimpsed before falling unconscious, Sonea shivered. “How long till you can teach me Control?”
His expression became sober. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But don’t be concerned. If your powers begin to manifest again, we can use them up as we did before.”
She nodded, but as she looked at the cake she was holding, she felt her stomach clench. Her mouth suddenly seemed too dry for such a sweet thing. Swallowing, she set it aside.
The morning had been murky and dim and by mid-afternoon, heavy clouds hung low and threatening over the city. Everything was shrouded in shadows, as if night had become too impatient to wait for the end of the day. On days like this, the faint glow from the interior walls of the University was more noticeable.
Rothen sighed as, once they were in the University corridor, Dannyl’s stride lengthened. He struggled to keep pace, then gave up.
“How strange,” he said to Dannyl’s back. “Your limp appears to have disappeared.”
Dannyl turned, then blinked in surprise as he saw how far Rothen had fallen behind. As he slowed his pace, the slight hesitation in his stride returned.
“Ah, there it is.” Rothen nodded. “Why the hurry, Dannyl?”
“I just want to get it over with.”
“We’re only handing in our reports,” Rothen told him. “I’ll probably end up doing most of the talking.”
“I was the one the High Lord sent off in search of the Thieves,” Dannyl muttered. “I’ll have to answer all his questions.”
“He’s only a few years older than you, Dannyl. So is Lorlen, and he doesn’t frighten all sense out of you.”
Dannyl opened his mouth to protest, then shut it again and shook his head. They had reached the end of the corridor.
Stepping up to the door of the Administrator’s room, Rothen smiled when he heard Dannyl take a deep breath. At Rothen’s knock, the door swung inward, revealing a large, sparsely furnished room. A globe light hovered above a desk at the far end, illuminating the dark blue robes of the Administrator.
Lorlen looked up and beckoned to them with his pen.
“Come in, Lord Rothen, Lord Dannyl. Take a seat.”
Rothen looked around the room. No black-robed figure reclined in any of the chairs or lurked in the dim corners. Dannyl let out a long sigh of relief.
Lorlen smiled as they settled into the chairs in front of his desk. Leaning forward, he took the leaves of paper that Rothen offered. “I’ve been looking forward to reading your reports. I’m sure Lord Dannyl’s will be fascinating.”
Dannyl winced but said nothing.
“The High Lord sends his congratulations.” Lorlen’s eyes flickered from Rothen’s to Dannyl’s. “And I offer mine as well.”
“Then we offer our thanks in return,” Rothen replied.
Lorlen nodded, then smiled crookedly. “Akkarin is particularly pleased that he can sleep uninterrupted now there are no crude attempts at magic waking him through the night.”
Seeing Dannyl’s eyes widen, Rothen smiled. “I guess there are drawbacks to having such fine senses.”
He tried to imagine the High Lord pacing his rooms at night, cursing the elusive slum girl. The image didn’t quite suit the solemn Guild leader. He frowned. How much interest was Akkarin going to take in Sonea now that she had been found?
“Administrator, do you think the High Lord will be wanting to meet Sonea?”
Lorlen shook his head. “No. His main concern was that we might not find her before her powers became destructive—and the King had started to question our ability to take care of our own.” He smiled at Rothen. “I think I understand why you are asking. Akkarin can be quite intimidating, especially to the younger novices, and Sonea will be easily frightened.”
“That brings me to another point,” Rothen said, leaning forward. “She is easily frightened, and also very suspicious of us. It will take time for me to overcome her fear. I’d like to keep her isolated until she has gained some confidence, then begin introducing her to people one at a time.”
“That sounds sensible.”
“Fergun asked to see her this morning.”
“Ah.” Lorlen nodded and drummed his fingers on the table. “Hmmm. I can see all the arguments he’ll use to get his way. I could rule that nobody shall see her until she is ready, but I don’t think he’ll be satisfied until I specify what ‘ready’ is, and I’ve set a date.”
He rose and began to pace back and forth behind his desk. “The two guardianship claims have complicated matters, too. People accept that, since you have plenty of experience in teaching Control, you should be the one to teach that to her. But if Fergun is excluded from Sonea’s early training, people will support Fergun’s claim for guardianship out of sympathy.” He paused. “Can Fergun be one of these people you introduce to her?”