The Ambassador’s Mission: Book One of the Traitor Spy Trilogy (11 page)

There’s no budging her
, Sonea thought. After coming to stay in the Guild in order to help Sonea through her pregnancy, birth and motherhood, Jonna and Ranek had settled in and found places as servants – Jonna as Sonea’s servant and Ranek among the robe-makers. Their two children had grown up here, had played with Lorkin and eventually gained well-paid places as servants in rich homes in the city. Jonna was well pleased with this. It was the best anyone of her class could hope for. Only by becoming a magician could someone born outside the Houses enter the country’s noble class.

A knock brought their attention to the door. Sonea drew in a deep breath, then sent a little magic toward the door latch. It clicked open and Lorkin stepped inside, looking contrite. She sighed with relief.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “Mother. Jonna.” He nodded to them both. “The meeting didn’t finish until a few minutes ago.”

“Well, you’re just in time,” Jonna said, walking to the door. “Any longer and I was going to eat your meal for you.”

“Why don’t you stay and join us?” he asked, smiling hopefully.

She gave him a measured look. “And have the
two
of us telling you what a fool you are?”

He blinked, then grinned ruefully. “Good night, Jonna.”

She sniffed in amusement, before she slipped out of the door, pulling it closed behind her.

Sonea looked at him. He met her eyes briefly, and looked around the room.

“Is something different?” he asked.

“No.” She gestured to the other chair. “Sit down. Eat. No point letting the food get any colder.”

He nodded and they began to fill their plates with food. Sonea noted he ate with his usual enthusiasm. Or was he hurrying? Did he want this meal over with? To escape his overbearing mother and stop being reminded of things he wanted to ignore – like the risks in travelling to Sachaka?

She waited until the meal was over and he looked a bit more relaxed, before raising the subject he must know she’d invited him here in order to discuss.

“So,” she began. “Why Sachaka?”

He blinked and turned to meet her eyes.

“Because … because it’s where I want to go.”

“But why do you want to go there? Of all the places, it is the most dangerous – especially for you.”

“Lord Maron doesn’t think so. Nor does Lord Dannyl. At least, they don’t think it will be any more dangerous for me than for anyone else.”

Sonea looked at him closely. “That is only because they don’t believe something unless they see proof. The only way they can see proof that it is dangerous for you to enter Sachaka is to take you there and observe something bad happen to you.”

His eyes narrowed. “Then you don’t have proof either.”

“Not that sort of proof.” She forced a smile. “I’d hardly be a responsible parent if I took you to Sachaka to test my belief that it is dangerous.”

“So how do you know it’s dangerous?”

“From what your father told me. From what Guild Ambassadors and traders have confirmed since. They all agree that Sachakans are bound by their code of honour to seek revenge for the death of a family member – even if they didn’t like that family member, and even if that family member was an outcast.”

“But the Guild Ambassadors looked into it. They said the family of Kariko and Dakova did not want revenge. The brothers had been a liability to them; it was clearly a relief to them that they had died.”

“They also said that the family had gained some admiration for the brother’s daring invasion, despite the fact they were outcasts and the invasion failed.” Sonea shrugged. “It is easier to feel gratitude and loyalty to someone after they are dead. You can’t discount the fact that the Ambassadors only spoke to some family members, not all. That if the head of the family expressed one view then others who disagreed would stay quiet.”

“But they wouldn’t act against the head of the family, either,” he pointed out.

“Not in any way that could be traced to them.”

Lorkin shook his head in frustration. “Nobody is going to slip poison into my food or cut my throat in my sleep. Even if I wasn’t able to use magic to treat one and shield against the other, nobody is going to risk breaking the peace between our countries.”

“Or else they’ll see you as the perfect excuse to spoil it.” Sonea leaned forward. “They might be offended that the Guild sent Akkarin’s son there. Your little sight-seeing trip might ruin everything the Guild has worked for since the invasion.”

His eyes widened, then his face hardened.

“It’s not a sight-seeing trip. I … I want to help Lord Dannyl. I think what he’s trying to do is … is … it could help us. By looking into the past we might find new knowledge – new magic – that could help us defend ourselves. Perhaps we won’t have to use black magic any more.”

For a moment Sonea could not speak. Surprise was quickly followed by a wave of guilt.

“You’re not on a quest to save me, or something, are you?” she asked, her voice unintentionally weak.

“No!” He shook his head. “If we found such magic it would help us all. It might even help the Sachakans. If they didn’t need black magic they might be less resistant to ending slavery.”

Sonea nodded. “It seems to me that anyone could go looking for this new magic. Lord Dannyl is already seeking it. Why do
you
have to go?”

Lorkin paused. “Lord Dannyl is only interested in filling in the gaps in history. I’m more interested in how that history – that knowledge – could be used
now
. And in the future.”

She felt a chill run down her spine. A quest for magical knowledge. Exactly what had spurred Akkarin on to explore the world, and eventually enter Sachaka. And that quest had ended very, very badly.

“Such a desire for knowledge led to your father becoming a slave,” she told him, “and he was lucky it only led to that, and not his death.”

A thoughtful look passed over Lorkin’s face, then he straightened and shook his head.

“But this is different. I’m not wandering, unwelcome and uninformed, into a hostile land. The Guild knows much more about Sachaka now. Sachakans know more about us.”

“The Guild knows only what the Sachakans have allowed us to know. There must be – will be – plenty that was kept from our Ambassadors. They can’t be completely sure you will be safe there.”

He nodded. “I won’t argue that there’s no risk. But it is up to the Higher Magicians to decide if the risk is higher for me.”

He has doubts
, she thought.
He isn’t turning a blind eye to the risks.

“And I’m sure you’ll make them consider every possible consequence,” he added. He looked up at her. “If I promise that I will come home the moment Lord Dannyl or I have the slightest suspicion of danger, will you withdraw your protest?”

She smiled wryly. “Of course not.”

He scowled.

“I am your mother,” she reminded him. “I’m supposed to stop you harming yourself.”

“I’m not a child any more. I’m twenty years old.”

“But you are still my son.” She met his gaze, holding it despite the anger in his eyes. “I know you will be angry at me if I succeed in preventing you going. I’d rather that than you were dead. I’d rather you joined the Lonmar cult and I never saw you again. At least I’d know you were alive and happy.” She paused. “You say you are not a child any more. Then ask yourself: are you doing this, even only partly, in order to defy your mother? How much of your wanting to go comes from wanting to make your mark as an adult? If you took those two desires away, would you want to go as much?”

Lorkin said nothing, but his face was tight with anger. Suddenly he stood up.

“You don’t understand. I finally find something worth doing and you … you have to try to spoil it. Why can’t you just wish me luck and be glad that I might achieve something with my life instead of sitting around getting drunk or taking roet?”

His face red, he strode to the door and left her room.

Leaving Sonea frozen, unable to do anything but stare at the door, her heart torn between love and pride, the determination to protect him and the fear that she might fail.

T
here was quite a crowd outside the Guildhall, Dannyl saw as he entered the Great Hall. Thankfully Osen had decided the only magicians to attend the Hearing, held to decide whether to send Lorkin to Sachaka, would be the Higher Magicians, Lorkin, himself, and past Guild Ambassadors to Sachaka. Looking at the curious faces in the crowd, Dannyl wondered why these other magicians had bothered to come, when they wouldn’t be allowed inside. What did they hope to see? Did they want to know the decision as soon as possible after it was made? Did the outcome affect them in some way?

Whether Lorkin was allowed to go to Sachaka or not might indicate if other magicians had a chance of visiting the country.
No, that can’t be it. There are always few volunteers for positions there.
Dannyl noted a familiar face in the crowd.
Regin. What has he to gain if Lorkin goes or stays?
He frowned.
Perhaps some satisfaction if Sonea’s protest is overruled. But Regin hasn’t shown any sign of animosity or disapproval toward her since they were novices. If he is harbouring any resentment, he’s hidden it well.

The rest of the crowd might simply want to see Sonea’s reaction if she failed to prevent her son going to Sachaka. Hearing that one of the Guild’s black magicians was in conflict with the former High Lord’s son must have generated plenty of gossip. Dannyl almost regretted slipping out of the habit of attending the Guild’s social evenings in the Night Room. He’d have already known what attracted the crowd today, and what they hoped and feared to witness.

As Dannyl neared the Guildhall doors, another magician emerged from a side entrance.

Black Magician Kallen. I wonder … is the crowd worried that Sonea will lose her temper and use black magic if she fails to stop Lorkin going to Sachaka?

If they truly believed she might, they ought to have made themselves scarce. Dannyl knew that he would never want to be close by if a black magician lost his or her temper. But they probably assumed Kallen could stop her, and the confrontation would be more entertaining than dangerous.

Moving into the Guildhall, Dannyl saw most of the Higher Magicians were in their places. Lorkin was already waiting to one side. He walked over to the young man, who greeted him with a wary smile.

“Nervous?”

Lorkin smiled wryly. “A little.”

“How did dinner with your mother go last night?”

“Not good.” Lorkin’s smile faded and he sighed. “I hate fighting with her. But I also hate always having to fight to do what I want to do.”

“Always?” Dannyl repeated.

Grimacing, Lorkin looked away. “Well, I suppose not always. Not often, really. Just now, when it matters. When I finally find something important to take part in.”

“Going to Sachaka really matters that much to you?” Dannyl asked, not hiding his surprise.

“Of course.” Lorkin looked up and searched Dannyl’s gaze. “Why do you think I want to go? Surely not just to defy my mother?”

“No.” Dannyl shrugged. “I thought you wanted to have an adventure. Get away from a boring, restrictive Guild.” He smiled. “I had no idea you truly thought the work was important.”

“I do,” Lorkin assured him. “Both maintaining good terms with Sachaka and researching magical history. Though with the latter I’m more interested in what we can do with what we find.”

Dannyl regarded Lorkin thoughtfully. He’d hoped the young magician would be useful at the least, and a good companion at best. Now he found himself both pleased to find he might have such a willing assistant in his research as well as in his ambassadorial duties, and a little worried that he might not easily leave the lesser of those duties to Lorkin when he wanted a little time to pursue his own interests.

A low murmur filled the hall and Dannyl looked around to see what had caused it. Sonea had entered the room, but had paused to talk to – of all people – Lord Regin. She looked puzzled, but nodded and turned away. Instead of climbing the stairs at the front of the hall to her usual place, she remained standing at the other side of the front to Dannyl and Lorkin, while Regin left.

She looked calm, even a little amused. The remaining Higher Magicians had arrived now.
No doubt she had timed her arrival so that she would be one of the last, to avoid subjecting her son to the awkwardness of her presence as an adversary.
Osen began his slow pace across the front of the hall that indicated he was ready to begin, and soon the magicians quietened.

“Unless there is a reason not to, I will begin the Hearing now,” Osen said. He paused, then nodded as no voice rose to stall him. “First I will outline our reasons for meeting today,” he began. “Lord Lorkin has volunteered for the position of assistant to the Guild Ambassador to Sachaka, recently granted to Lord Dannyl. Black Magician Sonea has lodged a protest against our acceptance of Lord Lorkin in this role.” He turned to Sonea. “For what reason do you protest?”

“That for Lorkin, as the son of the former High Lord Akkarin and myself, there will be the danger that the family of Kariko and Dakova, the latter of whom I killed during the Ichani Invasion and the former whom Akkarin killed many years earlier, will seek revenge for their deaths. Or the families of the other Ichani killed in the invasion will do so. Even if their families do not seek revenge, sending him there may be perceived as an insult. Either way his presence may hamper efforts at peace between our two countries.”

Osen turned to Lorkin and Dannyl. “And what do you, Lord Lorkin, say in reply to this?”

“I leave the judgement as to whether the risk is as great as M—Black Magician Sonea believes to the Higher Magicians, and will accept whatever decision they make,” Lorkin replied.

A faint smile of approval crossed Osen’s face. His gaze shifted to Lord Dannyl.

“And what do you say, Ambassador Dannyl?”

Dannyl shrugged. “I trust the observations and assessment given by the former Guild Ambassadors to Sachaka. They have told me they believe Lord Lorkin’s presence in Sachaka will be of no hindrance to my work and will present no danger to his life and wellbeing. His assistance is appreciated and welcome.”