Free The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan Page A

that. No one has mentioned looking for her presence.” He shook his head. “It seems we’ve all forgotten what we are—and what she is.”
    “A presence,” Rothen said quietly. “I think I…”
    Lorlen frowned as Rothen did not finish his sentence. “Yes?”
    “I’ll organize a mental search for tomorrow,” Rothen offered.
    Lorlen smiled. “Then you two have a busy day ahead.”
    Rothen inclined his head. “We best have an early night, then. Good night, Administrator, High Lord, Lord Fergun.”
    The three magicians nodded in reply. Dannyl followed as Rothen hurried toward the Night Room doors. As they stepped out into the chilly air, Rothen let out an explosive breath.
    “Wow I realize!” He slapped a hand to his forehead.
    “Realize what?” Dannyl asked, bemused.
    “Today, while I was following one of the passages, I
felt
something. As if somebody was watching me.”
    “A presence?”
    “Perhaps.”
    “Did you investigate?”
    Rothen nodded. “It didn’t make sense. What I was detecting would have to have been right next to me, yet there was nothing but a brick wall.”
    “Did you look for a hidden door?”
    “No, but …” Rothen hesitated, and frowned, “... it stopped.”
    “It stopped?” Dannyl looked perplexed. “How could it just stop? A presence doesn’t just stop—not unless it has been hidden. She hasn’t been trained to do that.”
    “Or has she?” Rothen smiled grimly. “If it was her, then either she has been taught by someone, or she has worked it out for herself.”
    “It’s not difficult to learn,” Dannyl pointed out, “and we teach it by playing games of hideaway.”
    Rothen nodded slowly as he considered the possibility, then shrugged. “I guess we’ll know tomorrow. I had better go back in and see if I can round up some help. I expect many of those who don’t want to enter the slums again will be happy to help with a mental search. I want you to join us, Dannyl. You’ve got particularly fine senses.”
    Dannyl shrugged. “If you put it that way, how can I refuse?”
    “We’ll begin early, I think. You’ll want to have those reward notices printed and sent out as soon as possible.”
    “Agh.” Dannyl grimaced. “Not another early morning.”

Chapter 5
The Reward

    “Cery?”
    Lifting his head from the table, Cery blinked his eyes. It was morning, he guessed, though it was always hard to tell when you were underground. Straightening, he looked over to the bed. The candle had burned low and its light didn’t reach far, but he could just make out the glimmer of Sonea’s eyes.
    “I’m awake,” he said, stretching to loosen his stiff shoulders. Lifting the candle from the table, Cery carried it over to the bed. Sonea lay with her arms pillowing her head, staring up at the low ceiling. Seeing her, he felt a strange, compelling uneasiness. He could remember feeling that way two years ago, just before she had stopped meeting the gang. After she had disappeared, he had realized too late that he had known all along that she was going to leave them one day.
    “Good morning,” he said.
    She managed a smile, but it didn’t chase away the haunted look in her eyes. “Who was that boy in the square—the one who died?”
    He sat down on the end of the bed and sighed.
    “His name was Arrel, I think. Didn’t really know him. The son of a woman who used to work at the Dancing Slippers, I think.”
    She nodded slowly. For a long time she was silent, then her brows knitted together.
    “Have you seen Jonna and Ranel since yesterday?”
    He shook his head. “No.”
    “I miss them.” She laughed suddenly. “Never thought I would so much, really. You know,” she turned on her side and looked at him directly, “I miss them more than my mother. Isn’t that strange?”
    “They’ve looked after you most of your life,” Cery reminded her. “And your mother has been dead a long time.”
    She nodded. “I sometimes see her in dreams, but when I wake up I can’t