FIVE MONTHS EARLIER

Skegg and Halen flanked Rae as they neared the town. It was the same thing they’d done for Sonas, back when he was still allowed to be out and about. Rae tried to slow down and lose his escorts, but they kept pace with him. Halen elbowed him when he tried to speed up again and he sighed. The two were sombre faced guardians, on staying on high alert and suspiciously looking around.

Before they got into the town proper, Rae stopped walking. “We need to talk,” he said.

His two friends shrugged and herded him off the road and into the forest, where they wouldn’t be overheard -- or seen.

“What is this all about?” Rae demanded once they sat down in a small glade. Halen had a bored look on her face, while Skegg looked apologetic. Neither met his eyes. “You’ve never been this protective before. I’m still allowed out. I’ll be perfectly fine. Now, what is this all about?” he asked again.

Halen replied, “We’re just making sure.” Rae sighed, but she pointedly ignored it, instead asking, “How long has it been since you last left the house?”

“Hal, you already know.”

“How long?” she asked again.

“A while.”

“Exactly. Since Sonas came to stay with you,” By her side, Skegg nodded his support.

Rae remained silent for a while before he sighed again. “I fail to see the logic, if there’s even a connection. What does this have to do with you acting so protective suddenly?”

Skegg was the one to answer. “There have been some more… developments,” he said slowly as Rae fixed his gaze on him. “Bad ones,” Skegg conceded, when Rae didn’t look away. “You look similar enough to Sonas -- don’t give me that look, you know you do, especially from the distance. Anyways, we just don’t want someone to accidentally mistake you for him and do… something they’d regret.”

“New issues? What do you mean?” Rae asked. It felt like there was a pit in his stomach, and it was rapidly expanding.

He’d been so busy between his tasks and keeping Sonas company, that he hadn’t left the house. Sonas had been more than happy to help out around the house, but Rae kept the majority of the chores to himself, wanting to treat Sonas like a guest. Between that and his lessons, he had little time to himself -- and what little time he did have, he spent it reading, relaxing instead of looking for more stress.

The Queen’s verdict also made him want to stay away from the town and all the politics that had settled in it. He’d been too annoyed to ask for updates.

Backed into a corner, his matria had finally been forced to only condemn the criminals for destroying the property of the crown, vowing that they would be appropriately punished for the vandalism. That -- and the harassment of the keep’s inhabitants -- had been the only things that she could publicly pin on them. Privately, she and Este were still looking for a way to bring them to justice without pushing the Magister into something drastic. Along with the verdict, she had made an announcement about the rising tensions and the need to remain open minded, but Rae doubted her urgings would accomplish anything. The implications behind the condemnation and official statement was the best Sonas could settle for. The whole fiasco had made the Queen look weak, like she had been cowed into silence. And while it might have prevented waves of people from flocking to the Magister, it had done nothing to stop the steady trickle.

Sonas had shrugged and stoically accepted this without complaint, but it still bothered Rae. It wasn’t fair. The ones that had chased Sonas down, thrown rocks and insults after him, would get away. Even the punishment of those behind the wrecking of the apartment was light. Compared to the hate crime they should have been charged with, their punishment was like a tap on the wrist.

They heard a loud group of people walk by the road. Rae waited until they passed before asking again, more forcefully this time, “Skegg, what do you mean by bad developments?”

His friend started at the ground, fretting with the blades of grass. Unable to stand the tense silence any longer, Halen answered for him. “They want Sonas hanged,” she said quietly.

Rae blinked, not understanding. “What? Are you serious?”

She nodded, mouth pulled into a grim line. Halen didn’t need to explain who “they” was referring to.

“What reason could they possibly have to want him dead?” he asked, voice shrill with anger. Halen and Skegg looked around, as if afraid that he had been overheard, and Rae lowered his voice. “Was the name calling and rock throwing not enough of an outlet for them?” he scoffed, disgusted, then fell silent as he mulled over Halen's words.

A breeze picked up. The branches’ ominous rattling filled in the quiet. “Was it Velia’s announcement that set them off? But that was a couple days ago… surely they would have said something like this right after that, while emotions were still running high?”

“It was the Magister’s idea,” Skegg said, pulling out a tuft of grass. “He announced it early this morning. Apparently he posted a letter to the town board. He said, quote, ‘That Ga’anite is a scourge upon the town and his death is the only way to purge the land of his corruption.’ Except he didn’t say Ga’anite, but, you know...” Skegg trailed off.

Rae was shocked, but as shocking as those words were, he had to admit that this wasn’t a surprising development. He’d always gotten a bad vibe from the Magister, even before the man had made his dislike of Rae apparent. And, Rae also remembered how often the Magister visited Sonas. What shocked him, then, was that the priest let himself be governed by his pointless anger and hate, letting it cloud his judgement to the point that he would demand someone’s death. Someone that had done nothing to him.

There was no reason that would excuse the Magister’s behaviour, but still Rae sighed and asked, “On what charges?”

Halen scoffed. “Espionage. Claims that those thugs that ransacked his rooms found something important and brought it to him yesterday.”

"Definitely took them long enough to come forward with the evidence," Skegg added with a shake of his head. "It's clearly fake, but no one tried to stop him."

"Who would?" Rae asked. “He’s too intimidating.” The position of Magister was one that carried great weight. Traditionally, the role was more of a political figure-head than active player, but as of the past few appointments, the Magisters had slowly moved away from that tradition. Especially now, with the Magister’s constant involvement in government, his office was key in both spiritual matters and political ones.

Rae rubbed his temples. He would have to inform his parents when he got back. Although, while they had still been at the house when he left in the morning, he didn’t doubt that they likely already knew. If the Magister acted like he always did (‘and he is nothing if not consistent,’ Rae thought), then he would have gone to the Queen first. Velia wouldn’t have given in to his absurd demands -- for his first demands were always preposterous -- and he would have gone public with his accusations, trying to force her hand through the public pressure.

"When was this again?" Rae asked. “How many people know about this?”

"This morning. And many. He waited in the square-”

“The Magister himself?” Rae exclaimed. He’d have thought that he would send a goon to do his bidding. As soon as he asked the question, however, he could see the genius behind the Magister’s move. A goon wouldn’t have achieved nearly the same effect. For the majority of the townsfolk -- and the rest of the nation, too -- the Magister was an honest and benevolent man.

Halen nodded, and Rae brought his attention back to her. “Yes. The Magister, in the flesh. He waited on top of that pile of boxes, you know the one, until enough people gathered around. Not that he had to wait too long. Word quickly spread of his appearance and soon he had enough of an audience for his spectacle,” she snorted disdainfully.

Not many disliked the Magister, but those who did tended to do so with a passion. Halen’s mother had been part of the priest’s ranks, before falling sick. The Magister had personally stripped her of her rank, esentially banishing her from the clergy. She had died soon after. Halen still blamed him for her mother’s death; she nurtured that kernel of hate private, giving vent to it whenever he did somethingshe didn’t agree with. Which, Rae admitted, was often.

“He spent some time preaching,” Skegg explained, “and stuck the notice to the board after his sermon. Then he left.”

- - - - - - -

The conversation Rae had with Halen and Skegg stayed on his mind as he walked back home. They’d ushered him about town as he went to fetch the various goods his parents sent him to buy. He intended to walk back with them to the docks, but both had refused and instead escorted him out of town.

Velia and Este weren’t home, as expected, but Sonas was there, waiting right outside the door.

“Sonas!” Rae said as he got near. “You know you’re not supposed to be out! What if someone saw you? You could get hurt.”

Sonas shrugged, "I could get hurt just as well inside, when you and your parents are gone and I’m alone.”

Rae didn't know how to reply to that. Awkwardly, he changed the conversation, asking, "Este and Velia are out, I’m assuming?"

"Yeah. A messenger came soon after you left, and they went to the keep. They said they’ll be back late, so that we shouldn't wait for them to eat. Also Este said that you can have the rest of the afternoon off from your lessons."

"At least there's a bonus," Rae said as they went inside, trying to lighten the mood.

Sonas grunted noncommittally. Ever since he moved in, he’d joined Rae and Este for some of the lessons, begging to listen in to keep the boredom away. Restlessness had quickly settled in, after one day of staying over at the house -- although, since he’d had to hide in the keep as well, it was more than just one day of staying inside.

When Sonas mentioned that it was like he was sitting around and doing nothing, Rae had to agree with the sentiment, for he himself felt like he was going stir crazy. His parents had also agreed to allow Sonas -- and by extension, Rae -- out of the house for walks in the nearby forest. The only caveat was that they weren’t allowed out during the dark, and that either Velia or Este needed to accompany them. That usually meant Este would go with them right after Rae finished his lessons, or after he did his chores, if she had work.

With nothing to do around the house, the two decided to cook dinner early. Rae kept stealing looks at Sonas throughout, silently studying him.

“Still light out. You want to go on a short walk around the house?” Sonas asked as he put the stew on the windowsill to cool off.

Rae took off his apron, hanging it up. “I think we should stay here today.” Even with the deal with his parents, the two of them sometimes sneaked out when they were alone.

Sonas looked at Rae, studying him. “Bad?” Sonas asked eventually, guessing that something must’ve happened for his friend to change his mind.

“Pretty bad.”

“Whims.”

“Yeah,” Rae agreed. "Although Wills might be more accurate."

"Oh. The Magister again?" Sonas guessed. "What did he do this time?" he asked when Rae nodded.

"Can we just leave it at 'bad'?"

"No, Rae, please. It's something about me, isn't it?"

"He wants you hanged."

Rae expected Sonas to react with shock, but instead he just stood quietly, looking out the window. His shoulders were dipped, bowed under extreme stress and sadness, and his hair was sticking out in all directions, from lack of sleep and his restless drawing of his hand through his hair every few minutes.

"What for?" Sonas asked eventually, turning to face him.

"Espionage. He claims that there was confidential information in your room and that the thugs that rampaged your room found it.”

"You believe him?"

"Of course not! I say it's a complete fabrication. He's obviously had something against you from about the time you, er, came here. Anyone could have seen that. But the crowd seems to want to agree with him. Some of them were xenophobic before the past few weeks, but even those that weren’t, they’ve completely lost their minds! I don’t understand how they don’t realise they’re being manipulated.”

"People often don't," Sonas whispered to himself as he turned back to the window, too quietly for Rae to hear him. Louder, he said, “And you want to stay inside because of this.”

"Better safe than sorry. We just have to ride this wave out and it'll be fine.”

“Right.” Sonas didn’t sound convinced.

Rae continued, “I'll talk with my parents again, too, to find transportation for you to get back to Ga'ani. We were so close last time, so surely this time it’ll work." Sonas still didn’t seem convinced.

“What?” Sonas finally asked after the two sat down to eat and Rae shot another glance at him. Rae froze with the spoon halfway to his mouth, brow furrowed in confusion.

“Something’s clearly on your mind. You’ve been looking weirdly at me ever since you came back,” Sonas elaborated. “What else does the Magister want from me?”

“I’ve told you what he wants. There’s nothing else, I promise.”

Normally Sonas would have backed off, leaving Rae to his own thoughts. They’d become closer over the past couple of days, learning to read and respect each other’s moods. However, the inertia of staying in one place and doing nothing sapped his energy, and he didn’t care that his friend needed space. Sonas could feel himself slipping down the pit again. That time, he acted brashly, sneaking out the keep in search of conversation and novelty to pull him out. Now, he could sense that he was even deeper. “Rae, please. What is it?”

Rae said, “I’ve been... thinking about something Skegg said. He and Halen were worried that someone might mistake me for you and do something.” He couldn’t bring himself to be clearer, afraid that speaking the words would give his fear more power than it had. He didn’t need to worry about that; Sonas understood exactly what he meant.

“What about it?” Sonas asked after a beat.

“If I capitalise on our differences and exaggerate them, maybe they won’t mistake me for you anymore.”

“I see.” Sonas looked down, avoiding Rae’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to put you in danger.”

“No, Sonas, I didn’t mean it like that,” Rae backtracked. “Sonas,” he said again.

Sonas looked up in response to his tone. “If I make it obvious that I’m not you, then they won’t bother me,” Rae said. Before Sonas could comment again, he said, “So if you then copy me, you could maybe go out!”

“You mean, pretend I’m you?”

“Yes!”

“I could go out…” As he understood what he meant, Sonas’s eyes shone with an emotion that Rae couldn’t quite place. “I could go out,” Sonas repeated, growing excited. “Out in the forest, out in the city!”

Rae smiled, pleased that his friend was more lively again, excited at the prospect of getting to go out again. When he first thought of it, the idea had seemed outlandish. Now that he’d said it out loud, it seemed even more outlandish, yet hopeful at the same time, too.

“I could talk to people. Rae, I could even meet new people, chat with someone other than Lokar!” Sonas was saying.

Rae didn’t want Sonas to get his hopes up then get disappointed when those dreams didn’t happen, so he interjected, “Maybe not out in the town. Not at first, at least. But every now and then, after you’ve gotten good at mimicking me, and if Halen and Skegg go with you, it might work. I know you’re excited to meet some others and talk with them -- even if I don’t understand how you can manage to be so optimistic after everything -- but that would be too risky.”

“Don’t worry,” Sonas said, matching Rae’s smile. “I’ll pick it up quickly.”

“Well, your excitement is certainly making you confident,” Rae laughed, feeling much more carefree than in the morning.

“I’m pretty good at these sorts of things. You’ll see.”