He smiled crookedly. "He may be old, but it's still very difficult to hide secrets from him."

She shifted in her seat and pushed aside her annoyance. "I only asked him to see if Tylia could join the winter intake."

"Why?"

She forced herself to meet his eyes. "So you were free to go home, if working with me became unbearable after I told you that ... well ... there will be no 'us'."

He winced. She could tell that he tried not to, but failed. "Why can't there be?"

"Because you are married. Because while the idea of 'us' appeals, it doesn't appeal enough that I would hurt Alina and your daughters. And because if you were to hurt them, then I would dislike you for it. And myself."

He looked down. "I see. Father said as much. He also pointed out that Alina and I didn't start getting along so badly until we came to Imardin." He sighed. "I was ready to try city life. She wasn't." He managed a guilty smile. "Would you believe me if I said I do care about her?"

Sonea felt a pang of affection for him. "I would."

He nodded. "I have to give it a try. That's only fair. We've disagreed before, but we always got past it." He shook his head. "It's a pity she was so jealous of you. She is usually so lovely to people."

Sonea shrugged. "I can't blame her though. Even without her being as perceptive as Rothen, there's all that black magic and reputation as a killer to get past."

Dorrien shook a finger at her. "Stop that. Remember, you are what you chose to be. Your robes may be black, but you've got the heart of a Healer."

Sonea looked down and shrugged. "Well, at least they make me look taller."

He chuckled, then stood up. "Well, I had best get home and start making plans for our return to the village."

Sonea rose and they swapped places. "When will you be leaving?"

"A few weeks after Tylia joins the University."

"Will she settle in all right, do you think?"

He nodded. "She has already made some friends here, both starting at the same time as she will be now. Rothen will keep an eye on her."

"And we both know he'll do an excellent job of that."

He smiled. "He will. Goodnight, Sonea."

"Goodnight, Dorrien."

As the door closed behind him, Sonea looked down in the chair he'd vacated. That hadn't been as painful as she'd feared. For a moment she felt a pang of regret. If Dorrien hadn't been married ... If Dorrien hadn't been married ...

She pushed that thought away, walked to the door and opened it, waving to a Healer to indicate she was ready to see patients.

Shrugging into his robes, Lorkin smoothed down the fine, richly dyed purple cloth and sighed with both appreciation and wistfulness. It was strangely comforting to be dressed in robes again. When he'd returned to his new bedroom to catch up on some sleep he'd even contemplated, though briefly, sleeping in them.

They were so much less itchy than the hunter's clothes, and yet the bulk of fabric felt overly indulgent and heavy after the plain, practical Traitor garb. He could not help enjoying the rich, dark colour, however. Though the dyes made in Sanctuary produced gentle hues, and he had come to see the aesthetic beauty in undyed fabric, there was something deeply satisfying about Alchemic purple.

And yet, I should not be wearing it. I should not be wearing robes at all. Not only because he was bound by his promise to return to Sanctuary and Tyvara, but because he had broken one of the Guild's most serious laws. Not only because he was bound by his promise to return to Sanctuary and Tyvara, but because he had broken one of the Guild's most serious laws. I learned black magic. Even if they saw fit to forgive that, they would probably insist I wear black robes now. I learned black magic. Even if they saw fit to forgive that, they would probably insist I wear black robes now.

How and when he would tell them, he hadn't yet decided.

Moving out into the central room of the suite, Lorkin saw Merria, who had been walking about the space, stop as she noticed him.

"Ah. Lorkin. You're awake. Good." She hurried over. "There's something I didn't think of until you were asleep. This."

She held out a ring. A blood-red stone glinted in the setting. He felt his heart leap, and reached out to take it.

"Mother's blood ring?"

"Yes. Ambassador Dannyl left it with me, since he took Administrator Osen's ring with him, so I could contact the Guild." She looked at him intently. "You'll want to tell her you're back, but I should probably still keep the ring. Is that all right?"

He smiled. "Of course. I won't be going anywhere until Dannyl gets back, anyway."

She looked relieved. "That's good to know." She looked at the ring, then at him, and smiled. "I'll leave you to it." She left the room.

Sitting down, Lorkin stared at the ring and gathered his thoughts. He slipped it on his finger.

-Mother?

-Lorkin? Lorkin! Is everything all right? Are you you all right? all right?

-Yes. Everything's fine. Are you free to talk?

-Of course! Wait ... I have a patient. I'll just ...

A long pause followed.

-I am alone now. Where are you? Can you tell me?

-I'm at the Guild House in Arvice.

-Not at the Traitors' home?

-No. Queen Zarala sent me here. She sent me on a mission of sorts.

-Queen Zarala?

-Of the Traitors.

-You're working for her now?

-Yes. But she knows I'd have never agreed to any task that would endanger the Allied Lands.

-That's considerate of her.

He detected a tinge of disapproval and resentment in his mother's tone. He smiled. He'd have been surprised if there hadn't been.

-How are you? he asked. he asked.

-Good. A few problems were resolved in the Guild over the last few days. We have another black magician, I'm afraid. Two novices managed to learn it from a book. One learned it deliberately and killed with it, and tricked the other into learning it so that she would be blamed for murder. The first has been caught and executed. The other ... she proved herself honourable enough to be allowed back into the Guild and University, though with conditions.

Lorkin could not help feeling a trickle of hope at that. If the Guild had forgiven a novice for learning black magic because she proved herself honourable, would they forgive him for learning it in order to bring them stone-making magic?

They'll have to be more flexible toward black magic if they want to adopt stone-making magic, he reminded himself. And if they don't, I'm going to return to Sanctuary anyway. And if they don't, I'm going to return to Sanctuary anyway.

-Sounds like you've had some exciting times lately, he said.

-You don't know the half of it. We also have foreign rogue magicians in the city, ruling most of the underworld. But I'll save that story for when you get here.

-I look forward to hearing it.

-So what is this mission the Traitor queen has sent you on?

-To negotiate an alliance between the Traitors and the Allied Lands.

Sonea did not respond for several heartbeats.

-I gather the rest of Sachaka isn't included in this.

-No.

-Exciting times ahead, I suspect.

-Yes.

-You want me to pass this on to Osen and Balkan?

-Yes. The queen sent me here because the route to the pass is not safe at this time of year. I suspect if I try to leave Arvice the Sachakans will try to stop me. I'm stuck here until Dannyl returns and officially orders me to return to Kyralia.

-I'll get right onto it. So, what prompted this willingness to seek an alliance? I had the impression the Traitors were too secretive to want connection to the outside world.

-They do and they don't. It's ... complicated. It has to do with Father.

-Ah. Dannyl told me what you'd told him: that Akkarin promised them something in return for learning black magic, but he didn't deliver.

-He promised to teach them Healing, but he returned to the Guild because he wanted to warn everyone about the Ichani. Zarala gave me a blood ring of his- -Oh! He said he'd made three blood rings, but he never said where the third one was.

-She used it to communicate with him. She said that something always prevented him returning, and after her daughter died she stopped using the ring. A sickness had struck the Traitors and killed many, and he was blamed for it because they believed Healing would have saved them. That wasn't all there was to their bargain, however. Zarala promised Father that she would do something else, and she failed. She didn't tell me what it was, but it was so secret that she couldn't even tell her people. She said that sending me to negotiate an alliance had something to do with trying to achieve what she'd promised.

Lorkin waited as his mother absorbed all this.

-I'd really like to meet this woman, she eventually said. Which was not what he was expecting. He had expected her to say something about his father keeping secrets from them all. But then, he was a man of so many secrets, maybe it is no surprise that there were more. But then, he was a man of so many secrets, maybe it is no surprise that there were more.

-Hopefully I can arrange that. She is very old though. I don't know if she will be able to make it to a meeting.

-Old, you say? So she must have been a lot older than Akkarin when they met. Do you have any details on the proposed terms of the alliance?

-No. The spy network among the slaves is ready to pass on instructions. We are to let them know if and when the Guild is ready to meet with the Traitors, who will select a safe location. But I can tell you this: I learned how to make gemstones with magical properties while I was there.

-Dannyl learned of these gemstones while in Duna recently. He said the Traitors stole the knowledge from the Duna. He'll be excited to know they gave it to you. Well, so will all the Guild.

-You've heard from him?

-He contacted Osen a few days ago.

-He was still in Duna?

-Yes.

Lorkin muttered a curse. It would take Dannyl many days to return.

-Could you tell Osen to let Dannyl know I'm here? And to hurry up and come back.

-Of course. Is there anything else that the Traitors have to offer us in an alliance?

-Well ... stone-making is of no use if you have no source of gemstones, and may involve a risk the Guild is not willing to take. I believe the Traitors would consider trading stones for something. They have a rudimentary knowledge of Healing now, but they could benefit from the help of good teachers. They might also offer to help us if Sachaka ever attacked the Allied Lands again.

-Oh, the Guild is going to love this! Is there anything else? I should go tell them straightaway.

-I don't think so. If I think of anything, I'll put the ring on. And I'll check in with you in a few hours in case there's anything the Guild needs to ask or you need to tell me.

-Good idea. And Lorkin?

-Yes?

-I'm so happy that you're back. I love you and I'm very proud of you.

-I'm not back yet, Mother. But ... thanks. I love you, too.

He removed the ring and slipped it into his pocket. He realised he was smiling, despite there being nobody to see it. Exciting times ahead Exciting times ahead, he thought. Thankfully I have this ring and can work at negotiations via Mother, or all I'd have to do here while waiting for Dannyl to return is eat, sleep and talk to Merria. Thankfully I have this ring and can work at negotiations via Mother, or all I'd have to do here while waiting for Dannyl to return is eat, sleep and talk to Merria.

Judging from the unceasing chatter that had poured out of Dannyl's new assistant that morning, he suspected that the Healer, stuck in the Guild House with little work and no company, had been very bored and lonely since Dannyl had left. Though she had, at least, made some friends among the Sachakan women, she hadn't been able to leave the Guild House while Dannyl was absent.

He had to admit, though, it was nice to talk to other Guild magicians after all this time. It would be good to get more detailed news about the goings on in Imardin. And to find out how far Dannyl's research had progressed since Lorkin had left especially on the subject of the storestone.

CHAPTER 30.

THE CHOICE.