Lilia winced. "So you think I did?" she asked in a small voice.

Anyi's eyes widened. "No! I don't think you could do that. It's just ... it makes people do things they wouldn't normally do. I don't think it makes them forget that they've done it, though." Then her expression became thoughtful. "Have you had any rot since that night?"

Lilia shook her head.

"And do you ... want more. Do you crave it?"

Lilia considered, then shook her head again.

Anyi's eyebrows rose. "Interesting. It's not supposed to be different for magicians."

"Some people aren't as affected by craving as others," Donia said.

Anyi looked at the woman. "You sound sure of that."

Donia nodded. "I've seen it with the customers. Some people can't stop, others can. It's the same as drinking, though I'd wager that rot hooks more people than drink does." She shrugged. "It's rotten luck if you're one of those people, or their family." She looked at Lilia, and her brows creased in consideration. "That's quite an adventure you've had. Lots of things don't make sense. You say you learned black magic easily, but your friend followed the same instructions and didn't. Her father was killed by black magic, but neither you nor your friend did it which must be true because Sonea read her mind, too. There are only two other black magicians, but the Guild doesn't think they did it. So there must be another black magician out there."

"If there is, Skellin isn't controlling them or Lorandra wouldn't have been so keen to get Lilia to him," Anyi reasoned. "And he can't be the black magician, for the same reason."

"Naki's father was killed after Lorandra was imprisoned," Donia pointed out. "If Lorandra knew Skellin had learned black magic, Sonea would have learned that when she read her mind. If Skellin learned black magic after after her capture she wouldn't know about it." her capture she wouldn't know about it."

Anyi's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that. Who knows what he would have done with Lilia if he hadn't needed her? Probably killed her."

"If he could. She is a black magician, too," Donia reminded her.

"Ah, but Lilia hasn't been strengthening herself by taking magic from others." Anyi turned to Lilia. "Have you?"

Lilia shook her head.

"And this other black magician has, because he killed Naki's father." Anyi grimaced. "Maybe it is a good thing the meeting didn't take place. What if there had been a black magician there, and he was stronger than Sonea and the other magicians?"

Donia spread her hands. "What's done is done."

Lilia looked from the older to the younger woman.

"Sonea was going to be at the meeting?" was going to be at the meeting?"

Anyi winced. "Yes. Well, not so much at at the meeting as interrupting it. You see, I was working as a bodyguard for Rek so I could spy on him. My real employer the person who is going to help you find Naki has been helping Sonea search for Skellin." the meeting as interrupting it. You see, I was working as a bodyguard for Rek so I could spy on him. My real employer the person who is going to help you find Naki has been helping Sonea search for Skellin."

Lilia frowned. "You work for the Guild?"

"No. I work for someone who works for the Guild but don't worry. I'm not going to turn you over to them."

"Why not?" Lilia asked.

"Because ... because I promised to find Naki for you, and I don't break promises." Anyi smiled crookedly. "She must be very special to you, for you to risk so much for her."

Unexpectedly, Lilia's face began to warm. She nodded and looked away, pushing aside the memory of a kiss. "She's my friend. She'd do the same for me."

"You need to tell Cery," Donia said.

Anyi sat up straight. "No. He'll just hand her over to Sonea."

Donia smiled. "He'll want to, but you'll have to convince him otherwise."

Leaning back in her chair, Anyi brought her hands together and drummed the tips of her fingers against each other. "I'll tell him I promised Lilia he'd find Naki. Surely he wouldn't want me to break a promise."

Donia chuckled. "You clearly haven't got to know him well enough yet, if you think that will work. You need to point out how keeping Lilia around will be more useful to him than giving her over to the Guild."

Lilia regarded Donia with dismay. This person named Cery sounded more ruthless and self-serving than what Anyi had led her to believe.

Anyi's eyes narrowed. "I can do that." She looked at Lilia and an expression of concern crossed her face. "Don't worry. It won't involve using black magic. Or anything you're not allowed or willing to do."

Donia looked at Lilia and nodded. "She's right. Unlike most men in his position, he has lines he will not cross."

"They're just a little more flexible than most people's." Anyi grinned and looked up at Donia. "Can Lilia stay here in the meantime?"

"Of course." Donia looked at Lilia and smiled. "If you'd like to, you're welcome to stay. You'll have to sleep under the stairs again, though. We don't have any other spare beds."

Lilia looked from Anyi to Donia, then nodded. "Thank you. I'll stay, and if there's anything I can do to pay for my stay and food ..."

Donia waved a hand dismissively. "A friend of Anyi is a friend of mine, and I'd never consider charging a friend."

Anyi snorted. "I should tell Cery you said that."

The woman narrowed her eyes at Anyi. "Not unless you intend to pay for the bol."

Back in the main room of the guest wing, Dannyl was listening to Achati's description of the escapades that he and the estate's owner had got themselves into as young men. A movement at the door caught Dannyl's attention, and he beckoned as he saw a slave hovering there.

The man threw himself to the floor. "Dinner is ready, master, if you wish to eat now."

"Yes!" Achati said. He looked at Dannyl. "I've worked up quite an appetite."

Dannyl smiled to himself, thinking of Achati's silent promise. Though Tayend had kept the Ashaki occupied all day, he had to sleep some time.

Perhaps a liaison with Achati would be short, perhaps it would have awkward consequences in the future, but, for now, it felt right. Besides Besides, Dannyl reasoned, Tayend and I were together for years, and it still ended. And not without some pain and regret. Tayend and I were together for years, and it still ended. And not without some pain and regret.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Tayend emerged from his room. He blinked at them, his gaze moving from Achati to Dannyl. "Aren't you getting changed?"

Dannyl looked down at the bathhouse coat. Achati hadn't made any move to return to his usual elaborate clothing, so Dannyl hadn't either and he was enjoying being dressed in something other than magician's robes.

Achati chuckled. "There didn't seem much point getting dressed. We'll be retiring to bed in a few hours."

Tayend's nose wrinkled. "I reckon I'll stay up. I've been sleeping so much lately."

Dannyl felt his good mood beginning to sour as a suspicion came over him. He resisted the urge to look at Achati, to see if the other man was thinking the same thing. If Tayend stayed up late ...

"Dinnertime!" Achati interrupted, beckoning as another slave appeared in the main room's doorway. "Are you hungry, too, Tayend?"

A delicious smell wafted into the room. Tayend's expression changed to one of interest as he eyed the tray in the slave's hands.

"I am."

"Then sit and eat," Achati invited.

Tayend settled on a stool and they all began to eat and talk.

"How are you feeling?" Achati asked Tayend after a while. "No problems with the seasickness cure?"

"No." The Elyne shrugged. "I was a bit foggy when I first woke up, but it wore off after the bath. When are we leaving again?"

"Tomorrow morning."

Tayend nodded. "Let's hope there are no more storms."

"Indeed."

"I'll probably read tonight. I haven't had much chance to since we set off."

"Do you need anything to read?" Achati asked.

Dannyl listened as they discussed books and the record of the attempt to subdue the Duna tribes that Achati had been given. Achati was giving Tayend his full attention, but then it was likely Tayend would sleep all the next day, and any day they were onboard ship. If he kept up this pattern he wasn't going to get many chances to talk to Achati or Dannyl.

Which, I have to admit, I'm selfishly pleased at. I have most of Achati's attention, even if we aren't alone, since Tayend is mostly asleep when we're awake, thanks to that seasickness cure.

A cure which Achati had given Tayend. I don't suppose ... Could Achati have intended this? Was it a clever way to keep Tayend out of his way? Our way? I don't suppose ... Could Achati have intended this? Was it a clever way to keep Tayend out of his way? Our way?

Perhaps it was just a convenient side-effect. After all, Achati had said that not all people were affected so potently by the cure. Dannyl had offered to Heal away Tayend's seasickness, but the Elyne had declined. Tayend was too proud to come to him for magical relief. Not when there was an alternative. Had Achati guessed this about him?

What would Tayend say if he knew what Achati and I discussed at the bathhouse? Dannyl felt a small pang of guilt, but he wasn't sure if it was from the possibility that having a new lover might upset Tayend, or from ignoring Tayend's warning about Achati. Dannyl felt a small pang of guilt, but he wasn't sure if it was from the possibility that having a new lover might upset Tayend, or from ignoring Tayend's warning about Achati.

Eventually Tayend is going to work it out, or else I'll have to tell him. For now, Achati is right: it would be better Tayend was told once we are not spending hours cooped up in a ship together. I'm sure Tayend will have some disapproving things to say about it. I'll just have to explain that I understand, and that it's an "as long as it lasts" arrangement.

Dannyl felt a twinge at the last thought. What if it stopped being an "as long as it lasts" arrangement?

I'll worry about that if it happens, because otherwise I'm not going to be much fun to be around. Again.

The hospice storeroom felt crowded with all the people in it, despite being a large room. All were standing around a table near the door. Sonea and Dorrien stood on one side, Cery and Anyi on the other. Nobody had bothered sitting down in the sole chair. The other chair was missing. Sonea made a mental note to tell one of the Healers.

"I only wish I'd known Lorandra had not regained her powers," Anyi lamented. "Then I wouldn't have left, and you might've caught both of them. But I didn't know if you'd be able to take on the two of them. I had to warn you."

Sonea smiled. "You couldn't have known," she said. "It must have been a shock to find yourself in the same room with her. Are you sure she didn't recognise you from the Hearing?"

Anyi frowned. "I don't think think so. She didn't behave as if she did, but she might have been pretending, so that I would stay. Then, once we met Skellin, she'd get him to take care of me." so. She didn't behave as if she did, but she might have been pretending, so that I would stay. Then, once we met Skellin, she'd get him to take care of me."

"If so, she couldn't have had much confidence that Jemmi and Rek would believe her if she told them you were a spy."

"Maybe they convinced her that I'd turned on Cery."

"If I was in her place, I'd have insisted Jemmi find different bodyguards," Cery said.

"Since she didn't, it seems more likely she didn't recognise Anyi," mused Dorrien. "She would surely have been uneasy, otherwise, being around someone she knew had worked for the Guild in the past, even indirectly, especially when she was meeting her son."

"Whatever the reason, our chance to catch Skellin was lost," Cery said, sighing. He looked at Sonea. "Can Skellin remove the block on Lorandra's mind?"

"Probably." Sonea looked at Anyi. "Did anybody mention Lilia?"

The girl shook her head.

"Well, let's hope that means Lorandra dumped her once she wasn't useful any more. Or that Lilia had the sense to get away from her."

"And that Lorandra didn't kill her once she wasn't useful any more," Dorrien added grimly.

Sonea grimaced. "At least it means Lilia didn't tell Lorandra that she had learned black magic. Or if she had, then Lorandra hadn't realised this meant Lilia could instruct her. She would not have let Lilia go, if she'd known."

"Lorandra wouldn't have known what Lilia was imprisoned for unless Lilia or one of the guards told her," Dorrien added thoughtfully. "But now that rumours about the pair escaping are spreading, Lorandra will soon learn what Lilia knows. We have to hope that she doesn't know where Lilia is, and go back to fetch her. We have to find Lilia as soon as possible."

"No. We We don't." Sonea sighed as all turned to look at her. "Black Magician Kallen does. I'm supposed to be finding Skellin." don't." Sonea sighed as all turned to look at her. "Black Magician Kallen does. I'm supposed to be finding Skellin."

"I suppose this means you need to meet with Kallen and tell him what happened last night," Cery guessed, giving her a sympathetic glance.

"Yes. Without delay."

He nodded and made a shooing motion. "Go then. We have nothing else to tell you." Anyi shook her head in agreement.

"Go yourself," Sonea replied, copying his shooing motion. "You're in my my hospice, remember?" hospice, remember?"

He grinned. "Oh, that's right."

Turning away, he led Anyi back to the hidden hatch by which he'd entered the room. Sonea waited until the pair were gone and the hatch was closed, then she turned to Dorrien. "Have you been introduced to Kallen before?"

He stepped forward and opened the door for her. "No. Anything I should know before I meet him?"

She stepped out into the corridor, saw a Healer approaching and changed her mind about what she intended to say.

"Only that he doesn't have much of a sense of humour."

"I have heard that noted before," Dorrien said as he followed her down the corridor. "Though now that I think about it, it was said by you."

"He takes his job very seriously."

"That surely is a good thing."

Sonea looked at him. He grinned. She shook her head. "There are limits."

"To taking a job seriously?"

"To teasing me and getting away with it," she replied tersely. They made their way through to the carriageway next to the hospice. The carriage she had arrived in was waiting, as she usually insisted that Dorrien finish his shift and go home once she'd arrived. She told the driver to head back to the Guild, then climbed in after Dorrien.