Trudi Canavan - The Novice

“Nothing will stop the gossip here but time, and neither you nor I—nor Dannyl—can do anything about that.” Rothen sighed. “I think this sort of speculation is going to follow Dannyl around all his life. Unless anything is proven, it’ll sound more tired and ridiculous every time it does.”

The older magician nodded, then yawned. “You’re probably right.” He stood up and stretched. “I’ll be off to bed, then.”

“Dannyl would be proud of your spying success,” Rothen added, smiling.

Yaldin shrugged. “It’s easy once you get the trick of it.” He walked to the door. “Good night.”

“Good night.”

Rising, Rothen moved into his bedroom and changed into his night clothes. As he lay down, the inevitable questions started running through his mind. Was he right? Would this gossip about Dannyl blow over?

Probably. But only if nothing was proven.

Trouble was, while he knew Dannyl better than anyone else, there was a side to the man that was still unknown to him. The novice he had adopted had been full of self-doubt and fear. Rothen had respectfully kept his distance, avoiding certain subjects and making it clear he did not intend to question Dannyl about the incident with the other novice. He knew that anyone who’d had their personal life publicly discussed—especially at such a young age—needed their privacy respected.

All novices thought about their desires, about things Dannyl had been accused of. That was how the mind worked. It did not mean they were guilty of acting upon those thoughts.

But what if those early rumors were true?

Rothen sighed, rose, and returned to the guestroom. When he had taken on Dannyl’s guardianship, he had approached the Head of Healers, Vinara’s predecessor, for advice. Lord Garen had told Rothen that the occurrence of men taking male lovers was more common than generally thought. The old Healer had been surprisingly accepting of the practice, saying in his typical clinical fashion that there was no physical harm in an adult male relationship if both were free of disease.

The social consequences, however, were far worse. Honor and reputation mattered more than anything else to the Houses, and the Kyralian court was painfully conservative. While Dannyl couldn’t be thrown out of the Guild for such a “crime,” he would become a social outcast. He would probably lose his ambassadorial position, and would never be offered a role of importance again. He would not be included in Guild projects, and none of his own experiments would receive funding or attention. He would be the butt of jokes and the victim of...

Stop it. Nothing has been proven. It’s just a rumor .

Rothen sighed and reached for the jar of nemmin. As he mixed the powder with water, he thought wistfully of the past year. How could so much have changed in a few short months? How he wished everything was still as it was a year ago, before Dannyl left for Elyne, and Sonea started at the University.

Bracing himself for the bitter taste, he put the glass to his lips and gulped down the drug.

At the knock on his office door, Lorlen looked up in surprise. He was rarely disturbed this late. Rising, he walked to the door and opened it.

“Captain Barran,” he exclaimed in surprise. “What brings you to the Guild this late?”

The young man bowed, then smiled thinly. “Forgive me for the late visit, Administrator. I’m relieved to find you awake. You said I should contact you if evidence of magic was found in connection with the murders.”

Lorlen felt a stab of alarm. He opened the door wider and stepped aside. “Come in and tell me what you have found.”

Barran followed Lorlen into the room. Indicating with a wave that the young guard should sit down, Lorlen stepped around his desk and returned to his seat.

“So tell me why you believe this murderer is using magic,” he prompted.

Barran grimaced. “The burns on one of the bodies—but let me first describe the scene.” He paused, obviously sorting through details in his mind. “We were alerted to the murders about two hours ago. The house is in the Western Quarter, in one of the wealthier areas—which was a surprise. We found no sign that anyone had forced their way into the house. One window was wide open, however.

“Inside a bedroom we found two men, a young man and his father. The father was dead, and had all the marks we’ve come to associate with this murderer: wrists cut and marked with bloody fingerprints. The younger man was alive, though barely. He had typical strike burns across his chest and arms, and his ribcage was crushed. Despite this, we were able to question him before he died.”

Barran’s expression was strained. “He said the murderer was tall and dark-haired. He was dressed in dark, strange clothing.” Barran glanced up at Lorlen’s globe light. “And one of those was floating in the room. He had arrived home and heard his father shouting. The murderer had been surprised at his discovery, and had struck out without hesitation, then had fled through the window.” Barran paused and looked at Lorlen’s desk. “Oh, and he was wearing a...”

Seeing the guard’s surprised expression, Lorlen looked down. He caught his breath as he realized that Akkarin’s ring, glinting red in the light, was in plain sight. Thinking quickly, he lifted his hand to give Barran a better view.

“A ring like this?”

Barran’s shoulders lifted. “I can’t say exactly. The young man didn’t have time to describe it in detail.” He frowned and grew hesitant. “I don’t remember you wearing this before, Administrator. May I ask where you acquired it?”

“It was a gift,” Lorlen answered. He smiled wryly. “From a friend who wasn’t aware of that detail about the murders. I felt I had to wear it, even if just for a little while.”

Barran nodded. “Yes, ruby is not a popular stone at the moment. So, what will you do now?”

Lorlen sighed and considered the situation. With such obvious evidence of magic, he ought to alert the Higher Magicians. But if Akkarin was the murderer, and an investigation led to this discovery, it would bring about the confrontation with Akkarin that Lorlen feared.

Yet if Lorlen tried to hide the evidence of magic, and it turned out that Akkarin wasn’t the killer, people would continue to die at the hands of a rogue magician. Eventually the murderer would be found, the truth would come out, and people would question why Lorlen hadn’t done anything—

—You must investigate it yourself .

Lorlen blinked in surprise. Akkarin’s mind-voice was as quiet as a whisper. He managed to stop himself from staring at the ring.

—Tell Barran that the evidence of magic must remain secret. If the public knows that a magician has turned into a killer it will generate panic and distrust .

Nodding, Lorlen looked up at Barran. “I will need to discuss this with my colleagues. For now, don’t let any word that this murderer uses magic spread further than necessary. Better that we can deal with this man without the public knowing he is a rogue. I will contact you tomorrow.”

Barran nodded. As Lorlen rose the young guard quickly got to his feet.

“There is one other piece of information that might interest you,” Barran said as he followed Lorlen to the door.

“Yes?”

“Word is going around that the Thieves are looking for this man, too. Seems they don’t much like having a killer about who isn’t in their control.”

“No, I imagine they wouldn’t.”

Barran stepped out of the door. “Thank you for seeing me at such a late hour, Administrator.”

Lorlen shrugged. “I am often up late. Though I doubt I’ll be getting much sleep during the rest of the night after this piece of news. Still, I thank you for bringing it to me so soon after receiving word yourself.”