The captain approached to tell them the ship was secure and safe for them to depart. They went through more formalities as their trunks were carried off, then they followed their luggage to their respective vehicles.
Once inside the Guild House carriage, Tayend was uncharacteristically quiet. Dannyl considered striking up a conversation as the vehicle rolled through the streets, but the Elyne looked lost in thought. They both watched the walls of Arvice pass by in silence.
When they finally turned through the Guild House gates, Tayend drew in a deep breath and sighed. He looked at Dannyl and smiled.
“Well, that was certainly an interesting adventure. I can say I’ve visited six lands now, though I suppose Duna isn’t technically a country in its own right.”
Dannyl shook his head. “No, but I suspect it may as well be. I can’t see the Ashaki ever truly controlling it – or even wanting to, if they are sensible.”
Pushing open the door, Tayend climbed out. Dannyl followed, noting the slaves lying prone on the ground.
“Stand up,” he ordered wearily. “Go back to your duties.”
The door slave hurried to the entrance and led them inside. They emerged from the end of the entry corridor into the Master’s Room. Healer Merria was waiting for them … and another magician. Dannyl looked at the Alchemist and gaped in astonishment.
“Lorkin!”
The young magician smiled. “Ambassador. You have no idea how relieved I am to see you. How was your journey?”
Dannyl walked forward and grasped Lorkin’s arm in greeting. “Nothing compared to yours, I’m sure. You have no idea how relieved I am to see you.”
Lorkin grinned. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I can guess. Would you like to wash and eat before I give you the news?”
Moving to one of the stools, Dannyl sat down. Lorkin chuckled.
“I gather that’s a ‘no’.”
“If you don’t mind,” Tayend said. “I’d like to wash and eat. I’m sure you can fill me in later.”
“Of course,” Dannyl said. “Tell the slaves to prepare something for us both.”
The Elyne hurried down the corridor to his room. As Lorkin and Merria sat down, Dannyl noted that both wore worried expressions.
“So is this good news or bad?”
Lorkin smiled wryly. “Both. The bad is this …”
He handed Dannyl a letter. Noting the Sachakan king’s seal, already broken, Dannyl opened the letter and read. He felt a chill run down his spine.
“So,” he said. “He forbids you to leave and informs you that he will summon you to meet with him once I have returned. It makes sense. You’ve spent months with the rebels so the king obviously wants to know everything you’ve learned.”
“You don’t expect me to tell him, do you?”
“Not unless the Guild – no, our king – orders you to.”
Lorkin looked worried. “Can he stop me leaving? Do I have to meet with him?”
“That depends how much he’s willing to test the peace between our lands.” Dannyl frowned. “The fact that you left to live with the rebels probably tested that peace quite a bit already. If we ignore this and send you home, it will be an even greater insult.”
“So what do we do?”
“You cooperate. You stay here. You meet him. You tell him nothing, respectfully and politely. We – myself, the Guild and king, and anyone else we can persuade to help us – work at persuading him to let you go.”
“It might take a long time.”
Dannyl nodded. “That’s very likely.”
Lorkin looked even more anxious now. He glanced at Merria, then at the door Tayend had disappeared through.
“There is … something else. I gather, since you were surprised to see me here, that you haven’t been in contact with Osen?”
Another chill ran down Dannyl’s spine. “No. There was a storm and … I’ve been too preoccupied to put on the ring.” He cursed silently. The blood rings were so useful and yet so limited. If only he’d been allowed to make a blood ring and leave it with the Administrator. Then Osen could have contacted him directly.
Lorkin met Dannyl’s eyes, his expression serious. He suddenly looked much older than he was – or than Dannyl was used to regarding him.
“I can’t discuss anything aloud in case we’re overheard. You need to contact Osen,” Lorkin said. “Now.”
EPILOGUE
A noise down the passage alerted Cery before he saw the light. Relieved, he stood up and waited for Anyi to reach him. As she neared him he saw her smile and he sighed with relief.
It was good to see her so happy. Good that she had a friend. Being cooped up in the hideout did not suit her, and no matter how many practice sessions he and Gol put her through they wouldn’t be able to curb her restless nature.
The only real danger in these visits to Lilia is the stability of the passages under the Guild. No Thief has dared to occupy them. The Slig, the slum children who had built themselves homes in parts of the Thieves’ Road, were said to instinctively know and avoid unstable areas. Anyi had taken Lilia down into the tunnels and they’d both started to make repairs. He hoped they knew what they were doing.
“You don’t have to wait for me,” Anyi said, and not for the first time.
Cery shrugged. “I don’t mind.”
“I was gone for hours.”
He looked at Gol. “We kept ourselves occupied.”
She sighed and walked past him. “Where to now?”
“Home,” he said.
As they travelled, slipping out of the Thieves’ Road as soon as they reached a safe place, he thought about Sonea’s message. He couldn’t blame her for seizing the opportunity to meet Lorkin. He’d have done the same thing.
But he didn’t trust Kallen in the same way he trusted her. Not just because I don’t know him like I know Sonea, or that he’s not from the lower end of Imardin society, and not even because of Kallen’s liking for roet. The man is too … He searched for a word, and eventually settled on “rigid”. Cery didn’t doubt the man’s promise to never give up in his search for Skellin, but it came first from a dedication to law and what was right, rather than a desire to protect others. He doubted that Kallen would ever bend the law or his idea of rightness, and that could lead to people getting hurt. The people most likely to be hurt are Anyi, Gol and I.
At last they reached the entrance to the hideout. It had been cold outside, and the chill clung to them. They were all keen to get inside and warm up, but forced themselves to go through all the precautions, and their numb fingers to work all the safeguards. Once inside, Anyi set about starting a fire while Gol checked for indications that the escape routes had been compromised.
Cery sat down. A bottle of wine and three glasses had been set on the table. He sighed. Right now all he wanted was a warmed glass of bol.
“Is there something to celebrate?” he asked, looking at Anyi and Gol.
They turned to regard him, their expressions puzzled.
Cery gestured to the bottle. “Your idea?”
The pair shook their heads.
He turned to stare at the bottle. His heart lurched. A rushing sound filled his ears. A tag hung from a loop of string about the bottle’s neck. On it were scrawled three words. He looked closer.
For your daughter.
He staggered to his feet.
“Out,” he gasped. “Someone’s been here. We have to get out.”
GLOSSARY
ANIMALS
aga moths – pests that eat clothing
anyi – sea mammals with short spines
ceryni – small rodent enka – horned domestic animal, bred for meat
eyoma – sea leeches
faren – general term for arachnids
gorin – large domestic animal used for food and to haul boats and wagons
harrel – small domestic animal bred for meat
inava – insect believed to bestow good luck
limek – wild predatory dog
mullook – wild nocturnal bird
quannea – rare shells
rassook – domestic bird used for meat and feathers
ravi – rodent, larger than ceryni
reber – domestic animal, bred for wool and meat
sapfly – woodland insect
sevli – poisonous lizard
squimp – squirrel-like creature that steals food
yeel – small domesticated breed of limek used for tracking
zill – small, intelligent mammal sometimes kept as a pet
PLANTS/FOOD
anivope vine – plant sensitive to mental projection
bellspice – spice grown in Sachaka
bol – (also means “river scum’) strong liquor made from tugors
brasi – green leafy vegetable with small buds
briskbark – bark with decongestant properties
cabbas – hollow, bell-shaped vegetable
chebol sauce – rich meat sauce made from bol
cone cakes – bite-sized cakes
creamflower – flower used as a soporific
crots – large, purple beans
curem – smooth, nutty spice curren – coarse grain with robust flavour
dall – long fruit with tart orange, seedy flesh
dunda – root chewed as a stimulating drug
gan-gan – flowering bush from Lan
husroot – herb used for cleansing wounds
iker – stimulating drug, reputed to have aphrodisiac properties
jerras – long yellow beans
kreppa – foul-smelling medicinal herb
marin – red citrus fruit
monyo – bulb
myk – mind-affecting drug
nalar – pungent root
nemmin – sleep-inducing drug
nightwood – hardwood timber
pachi – crisp, sweet fruit
papea – pepper-like spice
piorres – small, bell-shaped fruit
raka/suka – stimulating drink made from roasted beans, originally from Sachaka
roet – plant from which a soporific drug and a perfume are derived
rot – slang term for the drug roet shem – edible reed-like plant
sumi – bitter drink
sweetdrops – candies
telk – seed from which an oil is extracted
tenn – grain that can be cooked as is, broken into small pieces, or ground to make a flour
tiro – edible nuts
tugor – parsnip-like root
ukkas – carnivorous plants
vare – berries from which most wine is produced
whitewater – pure spirits made from tugors
yellowseed – crop grown in Sachaka
CLOTHING AND WEAPONRY
incal – square symbol, not unlike a family shield, sewn onto sleeve or cuff
kebin – iron bar with hook for catching attacker’s knife, carried by guards
longcoat – ankle-length coat
quan – tiny disc-shaped beads made of shell
undershift – Kyralian women’s undergarment
vyer – stringed instrument from Elyne
PUBLIC HOUSES
bathhouse – establishment selling bathing facilities and other grooming services
bolhouse – establishment selling bol and short term accommodation
brewhouse – bol manufacturer
hole – building constructed from scavenged materials
stayhouse – rented building, a family to a room
COUNTRIES/PEOPLES IN
THE REGION
Duna – tribes who live in volcanic desert north of Sachaka
Elyne – neighbour to Kyralia and Sachaka and once ruled by Sachaka
Kyralia – neighbour to Elyne and
Sachaka and once ruled by Sachaka
Lan – a mountainous land peopled by warrior tribes
Lonmar – a desert land home to the strict Mahga religion
Sachaka – home of the once great
Sachakan Empire, where all but the most powerful are slaves
Vin – an island nation known for their seamanship
TITLES/POSITIONS
Administrator – magician who sees to the running of the Guild
Ashaki – Sachakan landowner
Black Magician – one of two magicians allowed to know black magic
Directors – magicians in charge of managing novices within and outside of the University
Heads of Disciplines – in charge of magicians of the three disciplines of Healing, Warrior and Alchemy
Heads of Studies – in charge of teaching the three disciplines of Healing, Warrior and Alchemy
High Lord – the official leader of the Magicians’ Guild of Kyralia
Ichani – Sachakan free man or woman who has been declared outcast
King’s Advisors – magicians who advise, Heal and protect the Kyralian king
Lord/Lady – any magician of the
Magician’s Guild without a greater title Master – free Sachakan
OTHER TERMS
the approach – main corridor to the master’s room in Sachakan houses
blood gem – artificial gemstone that allows maker to hear the thoughts of wearer
earthblood – term the Duna tribes use for lava
lowie – slang term used in the Guild for novices from middle and lower class origins
master’s room – main room in Sachakan houses for greeting guests
snootie – slang term used in the
Guild for novices and magicians from the Houses slavehouse – part of Sachakan homes where the slaves live and work
slavespot – sexually transmitted disease
storestone – gemstone that can store magic
The Slig – a hidden people who live in the passages underneath Imardin
LORD DANNYL’S GUIDE TO
SLUM SLANG
blood money – payment for assassination
boot – refuse/refusal (don’t boot us)
capper – man who frequents brothels
clicked – occurred
client – person who has an obligation or agreement with a Thief
counter – whore
done – murdered
dull – persuade to keep silent
dunghead – fool
dwells – term used to describe slum dwellers
eye – keep watch
fired – angry (got fired about it)
fish – propose/ask/look for (also someone fleeing the Guard)
gauntlet – guard who is bribeable or in the control of a Thief
goldmine – man who prefers boys
good go – a reasonable try
got – caught
grandmother – pimp
gutter – dealer in stolen goods
hai – a call for attention or expression of surprise or inquiry
heavies – important people
kin – a Thief’s closest and most trusted
knife – assassin/hired killer
messenger – thug who delivers or carries out a threat
mind – hide (minds his business/I’ll mind that for you)
mug – mouth (as in vessel for bol)
out for – looking for
pick – recognise/understand
punt – smuggler
right-sided – trustworthy/heart in the right place
rope – freedom
rub – trouble (got into some rub over it)
shine – attraction (got a shine for him)
show – introduce
space – allowances/permission
squimp – someone who double-crosses the Thieves
style – manner of performing business
tag – recognise (also means a spy, usually undercover)
thief – leader of a criminal group
watcher – posted to observe
something or someone
wild – difficult
visitor – burglar
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As always, this book would have been a much poorer thing had it not been for the generosity and work of my feedback readers. This time around I received some opposing views on the stories and characters, which allowed me to decide what I wanted to do with them. I would like to thank Paul Ewins, Fran Bryson, Liz Kemp, Foz Meadows, Nicole Murphy, Donna Hanson and Jennifer Fallon for their insight, opinions, suggestions and error-spotting.