ON THE HUNT

It was very warm in Administrator Osen’s office. Too warm, Sonea decided. She wondered if Osen had made it this way, or one of the other Higher Magicians was to blame. It was easy to produce heat with magic, but much harder to cool things down.

The Higher Magicians had settled into their usual places. As always, this meant she and Kallen were standing either side of Osen’s desk. All waited quietly, expressions grim.

The door to the office opened and all turned to watch as Captain Sotin and a young guard entered the room, accompanied by the Warrior who had been on duty at the Lookout last night. All three went a little pale at the scrutiny of the Higher Magicians. The trio moved to Osen’s desk, then stopped, clearly unsure if they ought to be facing the Administrator or the rest of the magicians.

The captain chose to bow toward Osen, and the guard hastily followed suit.

“Administrator,” the captain said briskly.

“Captain Sotin,” Osen said. “Thank you for coming here. This is?” Osen looked up at the guard.

“Guard Welor, Administrator. He was in charge of seeing to the Lady Lilia’s needs. He was not on duty for all of last night, but is – was – the only guard to have regular contact with her.”

Osen nodded and gestured to the rest of the magicians. “Tell us what you know, Captain.”

The man turned to face the room. “The men on duty report that none noticed anything and all swear that none of them fell asleep, were drinking or were otherwise distracted from their duty. No sounds came from the prisoners or from outside the tower. But at some point, the door to Lady Lilia’s room was opened, as was the inner door between Lady Lilia and Lorandra’s rooms.”

“How were they opened, do you think?” High Lord Balkan asked.

“I cannot say. There was no sign they were forced. The keys are not missing. So either they were picked or magic was used.” The captain grimaced. “We had a second lock on Lorandra’s door, out of reach so it could not be picked, but we did not have one on the inner door.”

“And the main door to Lilia’s room?”

The captain shrugged. “We used to keep it double locked as well. Once she was there … well, we assumed she would not know how to pick locks.”

“Since neither can use magic, we must assume Lorandra picked both the inner door and the main door to Lilia’s room,” Lady Vinara said. “Once they got out of their rooms, how did they get out of the tower?”

“They could not have escaped via the stairway to the ground floor, as it ends at the office and that is always occupied by my men,” the captain said. “We think they went up to the roof. We did not keep guards up there, but the hatch to the roof was locked on the inside and blocked by magic—”

He looked at the Warrior who had been on duty.

“Both were intact,” the young man murmured.

“—but we found that the old observatory dome had come loose and could be levered upwards enough to allow someone of a small build to crawl out,” the captain finished.

“It is made of glass and very heavy,” Lord Peakin pointed out, shaking his head. “I doubt Lady Lilia and the old woman would have been able to lift it, even together.”

“They must have,” Vinara said.

“Then how did they get off the roof?” Lord Garrel asked. “Is there any sign of the use of ropes or ladders?”

The captain shook his head.

“You are confident that your men are telling the truth,” Lady Vinara asked of the captain.

The man straightened and nodded. “I trust them all. They are rare honest men.” He paused. “And if they weren’t, and had allowed the prisoners to escape, surely they would have made up a story about being drugged, or some other excuse. They are puzzled and ashamed, and I have had to talk some of them out of resigning.”

The guard beside him bowed his head.

“Guard Welor,” Osen said. “Did you notice anything in Lady Lilia’s behaviour to suggest she may have been planning an escape?”

The young man shook his head. “I don’t think she had time to think about it yet. She was still getting a grasp of what had happened to her. I found this note this morning.” He brought a piece of paper out of his chest pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Osen. “It was in a book I gave her, so I think she meant me to find it.”

The Administrator read the note and his eyebrows rose.

“Must find Naki. Will return by morning,” he read.

“She hasn’t,” Vinara said. “Either she lied or she has been prevented from returning.”

“Why lie?” Peakin asked.

“Perhaps she thought it would gain her more time,” Garrel replied. “If we’d discovered her missing last night, we might wait to see if she returned.”

“But how did they get off the roof?” Osen asked. “How far is it to the ground – or the nearest trees?”

“If they had climbed down they would have been noticed by the guards below. The trees are considerably further down the slope and therefore are lower than the tower,” the captain said. “A rope would have to be strung very tight, and it would be more of a matter of sliding than climbing down it. Then there’s the matter of getting one end up there in the first place without anyone noticing.” He shook his head. “We have always expected that if Skellin attempted to rescue his mother via the roof he would levitate up there.”

“I’d wager he did, and nobody noticed,” Vinara said. “Why would he take Lilia …?” Her expression changed to one of horrified realisation. “Oh.”

The room went very quiet. Sonea looked at Kallen, wondering if he had already considered what Vinara had just realised. His expression was one of forced patience. Yes, he’s well aware of the danger – and itching to do something about it. She resisted the temptation to smile, knowing it would be taken the wrong way.

“Why were they put next to each other?” Garrel asked suddenly. “A cunning rogue and a bl— … an easily manipulated young woman. Surely this was a disaster waiting to happen. Lilia could have told Lorandra how to use black magic, without them even leaving their rooms.”

Some of the Higher Magicians looked at the captain. Garrel, and a few others, were looking at Sonea or Kallen. Sonea looked at Rothen, who met her gaze with a knowing expression. He’d warned her that she could easily be blamed for Lilia’s escape, since she had visited Lorandra and Lilia and hadn’t noticed any flaws in their prison arrangement.

“We were told to ensure they were treated well,” the captain replied. “We thought that, since both were women, they could keep each other company. I … I see that was a mistake, now.”

Sonea’s heart went out to the man. It wasn’t entirely his fault that the pair had escaped either. She frowned. Is he trying to shift the blame all onto himself, to save his men?

“Now Lilia and Lorandra are keeping Skellin company,” Osen said. “I …”

He paused at a knock at the door. Looking up, he narrowed his eyes at it and it swung open.

Dorrien stepped inside. “Forgive the interruption, Administrator,” he said. “But I have information that may be of importance to this discussion.”

The door closed behind him, and Osen beckoned. “What is it, Lord Dorrien?”

“A woman who services one of the Inner City houses facing the Guild wall came to the hospice this morning,” he said. “It took some time for her to see a Healer, since she obviously wasn’t ill,” he added wryly. “She told us that she saw two women climb over the wall last night, a few hours after dark. One was old and had dark skin, the other was young and pale. When she heard about the prisoners who had escaped from the Guild, she remembered it and came to tell us.”

“Nobody else was with them?” Osen asked.

“No.”

Sonea frowned. So if Skellin didn’t rescue them then how did they …? As a suspicion crept over her, the room didn’t feel as warm. Surely not …

“Why did she come to the hospice?” Lord Peakin asked. “Why not come here?”

Dorrien smiled crookedly. “Her services aren’t of the respectable kind.”

“How do you know she is telling the truth? Did she ask for money?” Garrel asked.

“I don’t and no, she didn’t,” Dorrien told him. “She was, as I expect the rest of the city to be, frightened by the thought of a rogue magician and a black magician free in the city.”

“How did this news get out so quickly?” Vinara asked, looking around the room.

Osen sighed. “A slip of the tongue, I’m sure,” he said. “It’s out; let’s concentrate on what this woman’s information means. Lord Dorrien, thank you for bringing it to us.”

Dorrien inclined his head and left. The Administrator turned to the captain and his guard and the Warrior from the Lookout, and thanked them for their assistance. The trio took the cue and departed, too. Once the room was occupied only by Higher Magicians, Osen moved to the front of his desk and crossed his arms.

“We have one small gleam of hope left to us. Unless Skellin sent Lilia and Lorandra on alone after he freed them, they weren’t in his company. Working out how they escaped the Lookout is not as important as finding them before they join Skellin.” He looked at Kallen. “That is your task. Find them.”

Kallen inclined his head, then headed for the door.

Osen turned to Sonea.

“As always, yours is Skellin. Find him.”

This was not a time for raising doubts by protesting that if it was as simple as that, she’d have caught Skellin already – or for showing any resentment at Osen ordering her about like a mindless soldier. She turned and strode for the door.

I am a mindless soldier, as far as the Guild is concerned, she thought sourly, as she entered the corridor. That is why they allowed me to stay. I am their black magician, to be sent out to fight on their behalf, and they’d much rather I did what I was told than suggest how things should be done. Well, they will have to accept that sometimes I will do things my way, if they want me to risk my life to save theirs.

Dorrien was waiting for her on the University steps, a Guild carriage standing ready.

“I thought you might want a lift,” he said.

She felt a sudden mad desire to hug him, but resisted, knowing how Alina would take it if someone saw and mentioned it to her.

“We need to arrange a meeting with Cery,” she told him as she climbed aboard the carriage. “As soon as possible.”

“I thought you might,” Dorrien said. “I hope it was the right thing to do, but I’ve sent a message to him already.”

She nodded. “Thanks. But as for whether it’s the right thing to do … I certainly hope so. If Anyi dies because the Guild wants us to hurry things up, I don’t think I’d forgive myself.”

Dorrien’s expression became serious. “Nor I.”

Though small for a ship, and built for speed, the Inava’s interior was surprisingly roomy. The slave crew slept in the hull. Dannyl had once glimpsed it through the hatch: rows of hammocks swinging like the limp, empty husks of some sort of exotic tree nut. Above deck were only two neat rooms – one for the captain and one for guests.

In the guest room were two single fold-down beds and a table that converted into a larger bed. Only Tayend’s bed had been used in the last three days, as he spent all the time they were at sea sleeping under the influence of the seasickness cure. They had all spent the nights on dry land, at estates along the coast.

The cure for seasickness that Achati had given Tayend made him groggy and sleepy, but the Elyne had accepted this with no complaint, spending most of each day’s journey snoring softly on the bed. Dannyl and Achati occupied themselves on deck in good weather, or inside during squalls. The morning of the third day had brought rain and a chill wind from the south, so today they were keeping warm inside.

“Ashaki Nakaro gave me this last night,” Achati said, his voice quiet so as not to disturb Tayend. He placed a book on the table. “He said we might find something useful in it about the Duna.”

Dannyl picked up the book. It had no title, but the lack was explained when Dannyl opened it and saw the dates next to the entries. It was another record book. The pages had opened at a slim black plaited thread, similar to many place markers that Dannyl had found in Sachakan records.

We have arrived at the camp. My first impression is that it is too large to call it that any more, and many of the Ashaki are now adopting the slaves’ habit, and calling it Camp City. I expect it will soon be named after somebody. Not the king, in case the enterprise is a failure. More likely Ashaki Haniva.

“Haniva,” Dannyl said. “Isn’t that where we’re heading?”

Achati nodded. “It is the port town closest to the Duna lands. The camp was further inland, at the top of the escarpment, but Haniva was smart enough to avoid having it named after himself. He knew that attempts by Sachakans to rule the Duna and settle their land had been failures many times in the past, and wasn’t about to risk that his own name would be remembered in connection to another one.”

Dannyl looked down at the book, turning pages and skimming. “So this is a record of that attempt?”

“Yes. More a diary than a record.”

“It is less than a hundred years old.”

Achati nodded. “We have repeated this stupidity even in recent times. Someone decides there is glory to be had in conquest, and Duna appears to be the best way to gain it. Much easier than Kyralia or Elyne. In fact, more than one past king has sent an overly ambitious Ashaki off to Duna in order to keep him occupied.”

“I’m sure the Duna thanked them for that.”

“They’ve survived admirably well. As a land of primitives, with little magic, you would think they surely could not put up much resistance. But that is how they defeat us: they don’t fight. They retreat into the volcanic lands and wait while we attempt to occupy their land, which always leads to us starving, packing up and going south again.” Achati gave a short, sour laugh. “That Kariko chose to invade Kyralia was unusually smart and bold.”

“But still not regarded as a good idea, I hope,” Dannyl said.

“No.” Achati chuckled. “Though I suspect it has occurred to King Amakira that if he was faced with an overly ambitious upstart Ashaki too smart to be tricked into invading Duna, then Kyralia seems to be well capable of defending itself.”

Dannyl felt a shiver of cold run down his spine. He looked at Achati, who smiled crookedly.

“Let’s not test that idea,” Dannyl suggested, choosing his words carefully. “Not the least because, if he’s wrong, then he’ll have an overly ambitious upstart Ashaki in a better position to cause him trouble than before, and also because, if we defeat him, we might not then be the quietly resentful neighbours that the Duna have been.”

“I assure you, he isn’t considering it a serious proposition.”

“That is good to hear.”

Achati gestured at the book. “Read,” he invited.

Dannyl continued from where he had stopped. The diary keeper described, to his surprise, how tribesmen were being paid to bring food up from the valley below the escarpment. Were the Duna oblivious to the Sachakan’s intentions?

It became clear that these leaders did not have full authority over their people and therefore could not sign over ownership of the land. Authority appeared to be shared with tribesmen known as the Keepers of the Lore. Ashaki Haniva asked to meet with the Keepers. This was, apparently, impossible. After much confusion and mis-translation, it became clear that nobody knew who the Keepers were. This was very frustrating.

As Dannyl read on he was heartened to see that Haniva had attempted to negotiate a peaceful acquisition of the land. This was no brutal conquest … yet. Haniva tried many times and different approaches, but though the Duna appeared to be cooperative and amenable to the idea of selling, there was no clear owner of the land.

It appears that they regard the land as belonging to everyone and nobody at the same time. When Ashaki Haniva asked if that meant he, too, owned it, they said yes. Perhaps this is why they have never resisted us taking control of the land before.

Dannyl considered this strange way to regard land. It was as if they considered it to be “un-ownable”. It was an intriguing concept. And not too different from the idea that a person shouldn’t be owned. No wonder the Sachakans, with their acceptance of slavery, couldn’t grasp the Duna way of thinking.

The Duna’s way of thinking would not have been particularly practical, if their land had not been so difficult to live on. As Dannyl worked his way through the diary, he learned that Haniva and his Ashaki partners eventually gave up on gaining any official document stating they’d bought the land, drove out the Duna and settled. By the end of the record, there were already signs that crops were not growing as hoped.

Achati had been writing in his own diary while Dannyl read, and as Dannyl put the book down he looked up and set his pen aside.

“What did you make of that?”

“The Duna are an interesting people. They clearly have a very different way of thinking.”

Achati nodded. “It is a wonder they have survived this long.”

“It is these Keepers of the Lore that we need to talk to – if they still exist.” Dannyl frowned. “But that could be difficult to arrange, if nobody knows who they are.”

“Difficult? It will be impossible.”

“I assume the Keepers know who they are.”

The Sachakan looked thoughtful, then smiled. “Of course. So perhaps we just keep asking and see if one admits to it.”

“I imagine they won’t want to unless they’ve given it some consideration, and judged that we are not a threat. We should make it known that we want to talk to one of the Keepers, and see if any come to us.”

Achati frowned. “That could be slow. And all Duna consider Sachakans a threat.”

“Yet they still work with you. Unh, for instance. And traders in the markets.”

“Tracking doesn’t involve giving away the secrets of your people. Nor does trading.”

“No,” Dannyl agreed. “That is why we have to let them come to us. This is not something we can force out of them. Otherwise, you’d have done it already.”

Achati nodded. “That’s true. We Sachakans aren’t a patient people.” He looked at Dannyl and smiled. “I have no doubt that you could charm them into talking to you. I hope that my presence doesn’t prevent that.”

Dannyl met his gaze. “Will you be offended if I do this alone?”

The man shook his head. Dannyl held the man’s gaze.

“And if I don’t share all that I learn with you?”

Achati’s eyebrows rose and a hardness came into his gaze, yet he shook his head. “I will accept that it may be politically necessary that you don’t. But it would be better if you simply didn’t tell me if there is anything you must keep to yourself. I do hope you will divulge anything that is of importance to the safety of Sachaka – or rather, I would expect it of a nation that seeks to become our ally.”

Dannyl nodded. “We are aware that anything that could endanger Sachaka would likely endanger Kyralia as well. And I owe you and King Amakira for getting me to Duna in the first place.”

Achati smiled and waved a hand dismissively. “That is nothing. If you must consider it a favour you’d like to return, promise me you’ll take me on a tour of Kyralia one day. I would love to see your Guild.”

Dannyl inclined his head with deliberate Kyralian politeness. “Now that I can promise.”

Lilia had no idea where she was.

She was worn out and scared, and filled with doubt that escaping with Lorandra had been a good idea. She had lost count of the number of times she’d told herself she was doing this to save Naki, and of all the places she and Lorandra had been. She had no idea where she was, only that it was somewhere in the city.

The first stop they had made had been the brazier house in the Inner City to which Naki had taken Lilia. Lorandra had been recognised immediately and was treated with respect. While she was talking to him another had appeared, and stopped to stare and grin at Lilia. He said nothing, just stood there grinning at her until Lorandra returned, when he had turned pale and hurried away.

A carriage had taken Lilia and Lorandra to a place outside the old city walls. There had been a lot of laughing going on in rooms there, and the seemingly ominous groans coming from behind one door had worried Lilia until they’d passed an open door and she’d glimpsed the scantily dressed women inside.

She felt very naïve and foolish after that, but there was worse to come. A journey on foot took her through cold alleyways strewn with mud, garbage and the occasional shivering person huddled in a doorway, and ended with them hiding in the shadows, waiting for three thugs to finish beating another man senseless. Lilia was horrified when Lorandra then approached the men, but even more so when it turned out they knew the old woman.

The men had invited Lorandra inside a house, which turned out to be the home of several members of a gang who hired themselves out to do “strong work”. Listening quietly, Lilia guessed that this officially involved lifting and carrying things, but was generally understood to also mean beating and killing people.

They were surprisingly nice to her, asking if she was hungry and offering her the least worn-out chair in the guest room. Though she followed Lorandra’s lead and said she wasn’t hungry, their leader sent one of the group out to buy hot bread from the local baker for her to eat, and when he pressed a mug of bol into her hands she decided it would not be prudent to decline.

It was sickly sweet and made her sleepy. The late hour didn’t seem to bother Lorandra, who talked and strode about tirelessly. A longer journey followed, Lilia following her guide through a confusing series of rooms and corridors and tunnels, only occasionally emerging into the night air for a few steps. Finally, they stopped in a warm room and when Lorandra gestured to a chair Lilia collapsed into it.

The chair was surprisingly comfortable. It was a lot newer than the houses and buildings they had passed through. Lilia looked up, noting that the room’s decoration and furniture were expensive. She heard her name and realised that the man sitting opposite her, watching her with narrowed eyes, was very well dressed indeed. He smiled, and she forced herself to smile in return.

“The friend of this missing girl,” Lorandra told him.

He nodded, his expression becoming serious as he turned to her. “Then we must find Naki. The sun is well up. It is many hours since you escaped. I have rooms here you can sleep in, if you wish.”

Lorandra hesitated.

The sun is up? Lilia sat bolt upright. The latter part of their journey had taken them along corridors and through tunnels, and she realised she hadn’t seen the sky in hours. “But we have to get back!” she exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, Lilia,” Lorandra said. “Dawn came and went some time ago. We have missed our chance to go back. I did not think it would take this long to find someone who could help us. Do you wish to return now?”

Lilia stared at the woman. If we do return now, the Guild will make sure we never escape again. We won’t be able to help Naki.

She should have known this would happen. She’d expected that they’d make enquiries each night, returning to the Lookout before their absence was noticed, until they found and rescued Naki. Even when she’d levitated them both off the top of the Lookout, she’d known escaping would not be an easy thing to repeat. They had been lucky that one of the guards had been mostly asleep on his feet, glancing up at the tower far less often than into the forest. He hadn’t looked up as they’d floated out and away into the tree tops. They might not be that lucky again.

“No,” Lilia said.

Lorandra smiled and nodded approvingly. “Don’t worry. We’ll find Naki. They’ll forgive you for running away when you bring her back to them.”

Lilia managed a smile. “Thank you for helping us.”

Lorandra turned back to the man. He’s probably a Thief, Lilia thought. But then, she is a rogue magician. What fine company I’m keeping. Naki would find it amusing.

Entering Imardin’s underworld in Lorandra’s company had frightened Lilia more than it ever had in that of Naki. But then, brazier houses were probably the safest places to encounter criminals. The trade there was designed to attract, not put off, customers. She and Naki had only really entered the edge of that world. Lorandra had brought Lilia into the middle of it.

She doesn’t have to help me. I’ve done my part: got her out of the Lookout. If she’d been untrustworthy she would have just left me somewhere and disappeared. But she’s doing what she promised: helping me find Naki.

Knowing Lorandra was holding to her side of their deal was the only reassuring thing in this unfamiliar, dangerous world. It had been a risk to trust her, but she’d felt it was one worth taking.

How strange it is that the foolish thing Naki got me to try – to learn black magic – has been the thing that got me out of the Lookout and into the company of someone who can save her.