Trudi Canavan - The Novice

“Yes.”

She squeezed his hands and let them go, then nodded to Tania. The servant lifted the box and carried it to the door. As Sonea stepped into the doorway she looked back and smiled at Rothen.

“I’ll be fine, Rothen.”

He managed a thin smile in reply. Turning away, Sonea started down the corridor, Tania at her side.

The Magicians’ Quarters were unusually busy for a Freeday morning. Sonea ignored the stares of the magicians who passed, knowing the anger she felt would be too hard to hide if she met their gaze. She half heard Tania mutter something about fairness as they started down the stairs, but didn’t ask her to repeat it. She’d had enough of such talk in the last few days.

She had sounded much braver than she felt, back in Rothen’s rooms. Once in the Novices’ Quarters there would be no escape from Regin. She could lock her room door with magic—Rothen had shown her how—but she was sure Regin would find some way to get at her. And she couldn’t stay in there all the time.

This was his revenge for her slandering of his House. She should have thrown him on the floor and left it at that. But she’d opened her mouth and insulted him and he wasn’t going to let her get away with it. So much for ignoring him in the hope he’d get bored and leave her alone.

Now it wasn’t just the novices muttering her name in the corridors. She’d heard enough whispers from magicians to know their opinion of her. None really cared who had started the rumor or why. “Rumors like these should never start in the first place,” as one teacher had put it. Living with Rothen looked suspicious, especially when her past was taken into consideration. As if every woman of the slums was a whore!

And she’d heard many people asking why she should be treated any differently than the other novices. They had to live in the Novices’ Quarters. So should she.

Reaching the doors to the Magicians’ Quarters, Sonea started across the courtyard. The stifling heat of midsummer was well past, and the day was pleasantly warm. She could feel a faint heat radiating from the paving stones.

She had never entered the Novices’ Quarters before. Only once, during the night she and Cery had snuck around the Guild so long ago, had she peeked through the windows and seen the rooms inside. They had been small, plain and undecorated.

Several groups of novices stood around the entrance. They stopped their conversations to stare at her, some leaning closer together to whisper. She gave them a mild glance as she passed, then stepped through the open doors.

More novices roamed along the corridor inside, and Sonea resisted the urge to scan for familiar faces. Tania moved to the right of the entrance and knocked on a door.

As they waited, Sonea watched the novices in the corridor from the corner of her eye. She wondered where Regin was. Surely he’d be present for this little moment of victory.

The door opened and a thin, sharp-featured Warrior looked down at Sonea. She bowed and considered the mutterings and complaints she’d heard about the Director of the Novices’ Quarters. Ahrind wasn’t liked.

“So. You’re here,” he said coldly. “Follow me.”

He strode down the corridor, novices carefully veering out of his path, and stopped at a door not far along. It clicked open to reveal a room as plain and small as the ones she remembered.

“No changes to the room,” Ahrind said. “No visitors after the evening gong. If you are to be absent for any number of nights, please inform me two days prior to the first evening. The room is to be kept clean and tidy. Make arrangements with the servants as necessary. Am I clear?”

Sonea nodded. “Yes, my lord.”

He turned and strode away. Exchanging a glance with Tania, Sonea entered the room and looked around.

It was slightly bigger than her bedroom had been, containing a bed, a cupboard for her clothes, a desk and some shelves. Moving to the window, she looked out at the Arena and the gardens. Tania set the box down on the bed and began unpacking.

“I didn’t see that boy,” Tania noted.

“No. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t watching, or one of his followers.”

“It’s good that you’re so close to the entrance.”

Nodding, Sonea took her notebooks, pens and paper out of the box and stowed them in the drawers of the desk. “Ahrind probably wants to keep an eye on me. Make sure I’m not a bad influence.”

Tania made a rude noise. “The servants don’t like him much. I’d give him no reason to notice me, if I were you. What are you going to do about meals?”

Sonea shrugged. “I’ll have dinner with Rothen. Otherwise... the Foodhall, I expect. I might be able to slip in, take something, and slip away again before Regin finishes.”

“I’ll bring you something to eat here, if you like.”

“You shouldn’t,” Sonea sighed. “You’ll just make yourself a target.”

“I’ll come with one of the other servants, or get one to drop something off for you. I’m not going to let that boy deprive you of food.”

“He won’t, Tania,” Sonea assured her. “Now, everything’s unpacked.” She rested her palm over the cupboard door, then over the drawer of the desk. “Everything’s locked. Let’s meet Rothen at the Magicians Library.”

Smiling, Sonea shooed the servant out of the room, locked the door, and set off for the University.

“What’s this in my pocket?” Drawing a slip of paper out of his coat, Tayend examined it. “Ah, my notes from my visit to the wharf.” He read them and frowned. “Akkarin was gone for six years, wasn’t he?”

“Yes,” Dannyl replied.

“That meant he spent five of them here, after he returned from the Vin Islands.”

“Unless he travelled overland to somewhere else,” Dannyl pointed out.

“Where to?” Tayend frowned. “I wish we could ask the family he stayed with, but they’re likely to let Akkarin know someone was asking about him and you seem to want to avoid that.” He drummed his fingers on the railing of the ship.

Dannyl smiled and turned his face into the wind. He had come to like the scholar since they had begun working together. Tayend had a quick mind and a good memory, and was companionable as well as a good assistant. When Tayend had offered to accompany Dannyl on his journey to Lonmar, Dannyl had been surprised and pleased. He’d asked if Irand would allow it.

“Oh, I only work here because I want to,” Tayend had replied, clearly amused. “In fact, I don’t work as such. I get the run of the library in exchange for making myself useful to visitors and researchers.”

When Dannyl had expressed his desire to visit Lonmar and Vin he had been sure that the First Ambassador would disapprove. After all, he’d only been in Elyne a few months. But Errend had been delighted. It seemed that Lorlen had asked him to visit these countries to deal with some ambassadorial matters, and Errend was not at all fond of ship travel. He’d promptly decided that Dannyl would go in his place.

This was all suspiciously convenient...

“How did he get back to the Guild?”

Dannyl started, then turned to regard Tayend. “Who?”

“Akkarin.”

“They say he just walked up to the Guild Gates, all dirty and dressed in ordinary clothes, and nobody recognized him at first.”

Tayend’s eyes widened. “Really? Did he say why?”

Dannyl shrugged. “Possibly. I have to admit, I didn’t pay much attention at the time.”

“Wish we could ask him.”

“If we’re looking for ancient magic, the reason Akkarin turned up looking shabby at the end of his search is probably not going to tell us anything. Lorlen said his quest wasn’t completed, remember.”

“I’d still like to know,” Tayend insisted.