The Traitor Queen (The Traitor Spy Trilogy #3)(81)

At least, if she’s discovered, it’ll probably be by farm servants or magicians. Neither will harm her.

An old memory rose of a much younger Sonea, standing in a city square, staring down at the burned body of a young man. Magicians could make mistakes.

They did so only because they thought they were under attack. Anyi is a lone young woman and, unlike Sonea, doesn’t have magic.

Yet his heart was beating too fast, causing an ache that kept growing.

Anyi is smart, he told himself. She won’t be caught.

But if she was, she wouldn’t want to reveal that he was here. They’d throw her out of the Guild. Into the city. Where Skellin was waiting …

Stop it, he told himself, rubbing his chest. There’s no point worrying about something until …

A sound came from somewhere outside the room. His blood froze. He held his breath and listened. No sound came again. Then, just as he had decided that he’d imagined the noise, the faintest whisper of sound reached him. He stood up, certain that someone was approaching the room taking great care not to be detected. Had Gol been caught as soon as he entered the city. Had Skellin already tortured Cery’s location out of him?

He cast about. We haven’t even had a chance to set the trap yet. What should I do? He turned toward the hole into the next room. Their escape route.

Then five taps echoed in the passage. The signal! He breathed a sigh of relief and dropped back onto the chair, almost forgetting to rap on a crate in reply. Footsteps drew closer and light illuminated the corridor wall, moving in a way that suggested Anyi’s gait. She peered around the doorway at him and grinned, then came inside carrying two buckets.

“Where’s Gol?” she asked as she set them down.

“Scouting in the forest, in case we have to escape that way. What’s this?” He peered into the buckets, which were full of more than just sacking.

“Fruit. Seemed a waste not to take some, after they’d done all the picking.”

“I told you not to take anything else.”

“Yeah, well, you know how obedient I am. And hungry.”

He looked up at her and narrowed his eyes. “You said you didn’t like fruit.”

She looked away. “I said I didn’t like most fruit.” She sat down and yawned.

“Liar.”

“Should I take it back?”

He made a rude noise. “Get some sleep.”

“But Gol hasn’t returned yet.”

“He won’t for a while. It’s late, and the sooner you sleep the sooner I can as well.”

“Oh, all right then.”

Moving to the mattress, she lay down. Soon she was asleep, leaving Cery to wait, and start worrying all over again.

Be careful, Gol, my old friend. Not just for our sakes. I’ve known you too long to lose you tonight.

As Tyvara left to find out what Savara wanted, Lorkin saw his mother nod.

“She’s smart, that one. I’d wager she wasn’t counting on you coming into her life.”

Lorkin grinned. “She did put up quite a lot of resistance. For a while there I thought I’d only imagined she returned my interest.”

“You’re sure now?”

“Yes.” He felt an echo of doubt. “Mostly.”

She chuckled, then her expression grew serious. “So. Black magic.”

Lorkin looked away, then forced himself to turn back and meet his mother’s gaze. As before, her expression was unreadable. Though her eyes betrayed something. Not disapproval, though.

Sadness, he realised. For some reason that made him feel even more guilty.

“Only so I could learn stone-making, Mother,” he said. Her eyebrows rose. “So the Guild could learn stone-making,” he corrected.

“I thought you volunteered to be Dannyl’s assistant because you wanted to find an alternative to black magic.”

Lorkin sighed. “Yes. I did. I had hoped the Traitors’ stones would be that alternative.”

“Is it really impossible to make them without black magic?”

“Not impossible, but … it is like trying to build a house blindfolded. The way higher magic alters your perceptions and control of magic makes training the stones easier and more accurate.”

“Higher magic?” She smiled and looked away. “I find that is the term used by people who embrace black magic.”

“And black magic is the term used by people who don’t approve of higher magic.” Lorkin shrugged. “Whether that disapproval is justified or not.”

“Is it justified?”

He thought of Evar, drained of all energy out of revenge. Of himself, kept weak as Kalia’s prisoner. But Kalia’s supporters would have found another way to punish Evar if they hadn’t had black magic, and they’d have found other ways to keep Lorkin prisoner.

“Yes and no. All magic can be abused. All power can be abused. The Traitors are proof that a culture that does embrace higher magic doesn’t necessarily turn into Sachaka – the Ashaki kind of Sachaka, that is.”

Mother nodded. “Just as Kallen and I are proof that not every magician goes mad and tries to take over the Guild once he or she learns black magic.”

“I’d have thought Father was proof of that.”

She shrugged. “He’s not the best example, since he did use it to win the position of High Lord.”