Regin laughed with delight. Feeling anger rising, she forced herself to turn and walk away. Regin stepped forward to block her path. His face was twisted with triumph and cruel satisfaction, and she felt grateful that novices did not join in the Purge. Then she thought to the future and shuddered. Clearly Regin was looking forward to the day he could use his powers to chase helpless beggars and poor families out of the city.
“Don’t go now,” Regin said, nodding toward the hall. “Don’t you want to ask your guardian how much fun he had?”
Rothen? He wouldn’t... Sure that he was simply baiting her, she turned around. Scanning the faces, she found a familiar one in a nearby group. Rothen.
She went cold. How could he have gone when he knew how she felt about the Purge? But he couldn’t refuse the King’s orders...
Yes, he could! Not all magicians go. He could have refused and let another go in his place!
As if sensing her gaze, Rothen looked up and met her eyes. His attention slid to Regin, and he frowned.
Regin chuckled. Suddenly all she wanted to do was get away. Turning, she strode past Regin out of the University. Regin followed, taunting her all the way to the Magicians’ Quarters, where he finally stopped and let her enter alone. Entering Rothen’s rooms, she was relieved to find them empty. She did not want Tania about right now in case she snapped at the servant out of frustration.
She was pacing when the door opened a short time later.
“Sonea.”
Rothen’s expression was apologetic. She didn’t answer him, but stopped at the window and stared outside.
“I’m sorry, I know this feels like a betrayal,” he said. “I wanted to tell you I was going. I kept putting it off, and I didn’t hear we were to be called out today until early this morning.”
“You didn’t have to go,” she said. Her voice sounded like that of a stranger’s, dark with anger.
“I did,” he said.
“No, you didn’t. Someone else could have gone instead.”
“True,” he agreed. “But that’s not why I had to go.” He drew closer, his voice low and gentle. “Sonea, I had to be there, to do whatever I could to ensure no mistakes were made. If I hadn’t gone, and something did happen...” He sighed. “Everyone was uneasy this time. It may be hard to perceive, but the Guild’s confidence in itself was shaken by what happened last year. Whether that came from a fear of making mistakes, or,” he chuckled, “another magic-wielding dwell, it doesn’t matter. The Guild needed someone to keep an eye on it.”
Sonea looked down. It made sense. She felt her anger fading. Sighing, she looked at him and managed a nod. He smiled hopefully.
“Forgive me?”
“I suppose,” she said grudgingly. Looking down at the table, she saw that Tania had left a meal of savory breads and other cold dishes. Clearly a meal prepared by someone who wasn’t sure when anyone would return to eat it.
“Come and eat,” Rothen said.
Accepting the invitation, she moved to a chair and sat down.
The Guild carriage pulled up beside a plain two-story building. Stepping out, Lorlen ignored the curious and startled looks from the people walking along the street. He strode to the entrance of the First City Guard House and, as a servant opened the door for him, walked through into a narrow hall.
The room was tastefully but not expensively decorated. Comfortable chairs were arranged in groups around the room. It reminded Lorlen of the Night Room in the Guild. A corridor off the hall gave access to the rest of the building.
“Administrator.”
Lorlen turned to see Derril’s son rising from one of the chairs.
“Captain Barran. Congratulations on your new position.”
The young man smiled. “Thank you, Administrator.” He gestured toward the corridor. “Come to my office, and I’ll tell you the latest news.”
Barran guided Lorlen to a door near the end of the corridor. A small, yet comfortable room lay beyond. One wall was lined with drawers, and a desk divided the space evenly in two. Barran gestured to one of two chairs, then, as Lorlen sat down, he took the other.
“Your father said that you’ve changed your mind about the woman we talked about,” Lorlen prompted. “That you now think it was a murder.”
“Yes,” Barran replied. “There have been several more apparent suicides too similar to that one. In each case, the weapon has been missing and there were signs of an intruder. Each victim had hand or fingerprints on the wounds. It is too strange a coincidence.” He paused. “These suicides began a month or so after the ritual murders stopped, almost as if the murderer realized he was attracting attention and decided to change his methods in the hope people would assume suicide.”
Lorlen nodded. “Or perhaps it is a new murderer.”
“Perhaps.” Barran hesitated. “There is something else, though it may not be related. I asked my predecessor if he’d ever seen something as strange as this. He told me that a series of murders has been happening, on and off, for the last four or five years.” He chuckled. “He said this was just the price we pay for living in cities.”
A chill ran down Lorlen’s spine. Akkarin had returned from his journey just over five years ago. “Nothing like this happened before then?”
“I don’t think so. He would have said so, if something had.”
“So the murders were the same?”
“Only in that they followed a pattern for a while, then changed to another. My predecessor suspected that one of the Thieves was targeting a rival group at first. They might be marking their victims in a certain way so their rivals knew who had done the killing. But the victims didn’t appear to have any connections to each other, or the Thieves.
“Then he considered the possibility of an assassin who was building his reputation with recognizable kills. Few of the victims had bad debts or any other obvious reason for their assassination, however. My predecessor could find no common reason for the deaths, just as I cannot find one now.”
“Not even simple robbery?”
Barran shook his head. “A few victims were robbed, but not all.”
“Witnesses?”
“From time to time. Their descriptions vary. One detail was common, however.” Barran’s eyes brightened. “The murderer wears a ring with a large red gem.”
“Really?” Lorlen frowned. Had he ever seen Akkarin wearing a ring? No. Akkarin never wore jewelry. That did not mean he couldn’t be slipping a ring on his finger when out of sight. But why would he do that?
Lorlen sighed and shook his head. “Was there any sign these victims were killed with magic?”
Barran smiled. “Father would find that very exciting, but no. There are some strange aspects to some of the murders, but no sign of strike burns, or anything that we haven’t found an ordinary explanation for.”
Of course, a death through black magic wouldn’t leave any signs that Barran would recognize. Lorlen wasn’t even sure there were signs any magician could recognize. He should, however, get as many details as possible.
“What else can you tell me?”
“Do you want the details of each murder?”
“Yes.”
Barran gestured to the wall of drawers. “I’ve had all the records of strange serial murders moved into here. There are a lot to cover.”
Lorlen regarded the drawers with dismay. So many...
“The most recent ones, then?”
Barran nodded. He moved to the wall and drew out a large folder from one of the drawers.
“It is good to know the Guild is willing to take an interest in matters like these,” he said.
Lorlen smiled. “My interest is mainly personal, but if there is anything the Guild can do, let me know. Otherwise, I’m sure the investigation is in the hands of those most qualified to tackle it.”