The Mirror Mage | ONC2022

47. Guild Master

Midor was still weak from the effects of the hemal, but he was awake and alert. He tried to sit up but the Healer pushed him gently back, onto the mattress.

"Thou need to rest," she instructed, in firm tones. "Myla will bring thee some warm broth to build thy strength."

"In a minute," said Midor, plucking restlessly at the bed covers. "First, tell me what's been happening. How long have I been here? Athol? Where's Eldor?"

Seeing that her patient would not rest until he had some answers, the Healer let him have his way.

"Thou can have five minutes, no more," she told Lucian, sternly. "Then he needs to rest and recover his strength."

"I don't know how much thou remember, but Eldor attacked thee. I came in to the scrying room to discover you both on the floor and Eldor was attempting to poison thee with hemal. I was able to wrest the syringe from his grasp but he got enough into thee to render thee senseless for three days. The Healer only just managed to rouse thee with a dose of fendalin."

Midor closed his eyes for a moment. "I thought I was dreaming," he sighed. "But it's true isn't it? Eldor tried to kill me."

"I fear so, Guild Master."

"Where is he now?"

"I'm afraid we don't know. He went through the glass."

"Shards! Send Tsenor to me would thou?"

"That will have to wait!" the Healer stepped forward, a determined expression on her face and her arms crossed over her chest. "Thou need to rest now. Myla is here with thy broth." She beckoned the apprentice forward. "I'm sure Mage Athol can handle matters with Tsenor for the present. Thou can see him later." She went to the door and looked pointedly at Ben and Lucian.

"I'll see thee again, once thee have rested." Lucian assured Midor. He followed Ben out of the room, adding quietly to the Healer, "I'll go and find Tsenor now, and ask him to place a guard on this door."

Tsenor looked as if a heavy weight had lifted from his shoulders when Lucian gave him the good news.

"The Guild Master lives?"

"He does. The Healer is attending to him as we speak. I don't expect Eldor to return again, but it might be wise to place a guard outside the Guild Master's room, as a precaution."

Tsenor nodded. "I agree. We didn't expect him to return last time, either!" He hustled off to make the arrangements.

Lucian spent the next hour spreading the good news and undertaking any small tasks that would have normally fallen to the Guild Master. Ben took the opportunity to introduce himself as they did the rounds. He was impressed by the easy way Lucian related to the people they met, offering advice when requested and even sometimes when it wasn't. He supposed, as heir to an estate in England, Lucian had been brought up accustomed to the responsibilities and duties of an administrator. He could see that he was held in high regard, the mages deferring to his authority as if he were already accepted as Midor's successor.

After a while, Ben left Lucian to it and retraced his steps to Tower Vierrac. There, he climbed to the very top, opening the final door above the scrying room. He stepped out onto a small balcony, giving him a bird's eye view of the town. He leant on the stone parapet and breathed deeply of the fresh air. The town was laid out before him, a jumble of white walls and tiled rooves, with crooked streets winding their way between. People dressed in garments which looked monochrome and drab to his modern eyes, bustled about their business.

Much as he was enjoying exploring Vierrac, and more particularly his relationship with Lucian, his thoughts drifted back to Rider's Keep and the horses. Although he'd found the mage quarters allocated to him there claustrophobic, he'd enjoyed his stay above the stables. He was looking forward to visiting the Keep again, taking the Rider home and perhaps saying hello to Alizay.

He knew there was no place for him at Rider's Keep, but... he wasn't sure he could fit in to the regimented life at Tower Vierrac either. A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here, he thought.

He wondered how difficult it would be to establish his own Keep. He wondered whether Lucian liked horses.

The sun dipped below the horizon as he watched, painting the few clouds with pink and golden light. The door opened behind him and Lucian appeared. He smiled.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he murmured, putting an arm around Ben's waist and drawing him close. They watched the last moments of the sunset in silence.

Then Lucian spoke. "Hungry?" he asked.

They ate dinner in the crowded refectory alongside the other mages, many of whom sidled up to Lucian to enquire about the Guild Master. A few of the braver souls asked about Eldor but Lucian merely smiled and said the Guild Master would make an announcement when he was ready.

"I'm sorry about this," Lucian told Ben in a low voice. "But I felt it important to be seen, carrying on as normal. Perhaps tomorrow we can eat more privately."

"It's fine," said Ben, cleaning his plate. He wiped his mouth on a napkin. "Do you have any more duties after this?"

"I'll just check on the Guild Master. Then I'll be free for the rest of the evening."

"That's good to hear," said Ben, then added softly, "I'll wait for you upstairs, shall I?"

Lucian swallowed.

He rushed through his visit to the Guild Master, merely checking that everything was progressing as expected before bounding up the stairs to his quarters. Ben was waiting, still wearing his trousers but his shirt open to the waist, allowing Lucian a sight of smooth tanned skin. He stepped forward and cupped Lucian's face between his hands.

"Now, where were we?" he asked, with a teasing smile.