A/N: Hey guys. Hoped ya lyked da last chappie. Here is chappie 21:: Satomi

Sonea's POV

Cery walked calmly and confidently out in front. Sonea watched him as he twisted and curved his way through the underground tunnels of the thieves. He seems so sure... So... happy, Sonea smiled to herself. I'd have never thought of Cery to be a thief but... he looks so professional! She laughed out loud and Akkarin looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Just a funny thought" she smiled at him

Akkarin frowned, shook his head then continued to follow Cery. Sonea stared at Akkarin for a while, remembering back to the conversation he had with Cery, right at the end. 'The names Akkarin Cery, I don't think I'm the High Lord anymore', Sonea dropped her head to the ground. He's right. He wouldn't be considered the High Lord now would he? Sonea turned her head to look at him again. He's innocent... He saved me and Dorrien... He saved the guild on numerous occasions. She look straight ahead. Cery had slowed his pace, they now approached a small decaying door. Sonea pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind. Cery turned to look at them.

"She's in here. I can go in at first, but knowing her once she knows who her employers are, she gets rid of the ears. Namely me. Of course I'd never tell, but she doesn't know that." he laughed.

"What's her name?" Akkarin asked

"I can't tell you. She likes to keep it a secret until she knows the people she is dealing with" he replied.

He opened the door and held it open for them to go in first. As Sonea walked in, she was hit by a strong smell of raka. She smiled as Akkarin wrinkled his nose, well, there is one thing he is going to have to get used to. Sonea assessed the room they had entered, it was much like any other room in the slums. Small, smelly and untidy. Just to the side of the room was a small desk. The woman that was sat there seemed to be deep into whatever it was she was reading, Cery cleared his throat and she sat bolt upright. Then she relaxed her stature at frowned at Cery.

"Cery, have you ever heard of the term, 'knock before you enter'?" she said, in small piping voice.

"I believe I may have somewhere, but what's the use in that? It saves time if you just walk in" he responded a grin on his face.

She sighed rather mournfully.

"What is it now? What have you done this time?" she asked

"Why?! What a thing to say. Actually I have someone who is in need of your service"

Her expression changed now, curiosity was clear in her eyes.

"And who is in need for someone such as me?" she asked

Akkarin stepped forward at this point, the women took in Akkarin with one glance and her eyes widened.

"Forgive me oh great lord! I did not recognise you by the door." she had gotten to her feet now, bow awkwardly.

Sonea looked at Akkarin, she thought she saw a hint of embarrassment on his face and she concealed a smile.

"Please, do stop. I am in need of your services and with all this bowing we won't get anywhere"

She immediately prostrated herself.

"I am sorry, what is your need of my service my lord?" she asked.

Sonea watched the young woman, while Akkarin filled her in, and what she was supposed to do. She was small, although that was a common trait in the slums, her eyes held that intelligent gaze but they also darted around as if someone was about to jump out at her. She shifted from time to time, but her face was still intent on what Akkarin was saying. She wore the normal tatty clothes of any slum dweller, and she was miserably thin. Sonea remembered when she used to look like that. Her brown hair was of medium length and folded neatly around her shoulders, although for her thinness she looked by no means weak.

When Akkarin had finished, she pursed her lips then looked at Cery.

"You out! Don't ask why, you know you won't get an answer" she grinned at him.

Cery smiled back and rolled his eyes.

"How did I know that was coming? Well... good luck Sonea and don't be getting into more trouble"

Sonea looked up at Cery.

"You be careful Cery, the guild is out there and would bet them to search here" she warned him.

"I know how to take care of myself" he answered, a bit offended.

He smiled then and went out the door. Sonea stared fondly after him. He better know what he is doing she thought to herself.

Sonea turned her head back to the woman.

"Right, I have an idea. You say you don't want to go to Elyne nor Sachaka?" she asked.

Akkarin shook his head.

"No. Elyne is too far and Sachaka is too dangerous" he replied.

She nodded and went to sit behind her desk.

"Come over here and look at this"

They both did so, and in front of her on the table, was a map. She pointed to small villages along the road to Sachaka.

"What you say is true. You could hide there... for a while. The guild will issue orders though, your description will be floated around every village you will find. Its what to do when that happens we have to think about" she said.

Akkarin frowned and went deep into thought. Sonea did too. She's right. So what do we do. Sonea thought back to when the guild was trying to find her. They had a difficult job. Unknown to the slum dweller world it took them a while... but they still found me. Sonea concentrated now, if the magicians at the guild can be deceived we might stand a chance. But how do you deceive a magician. Sonea looked closely at the map. It was different to any other map she had seen of Kyralia before, Akkarin beat her to the question.

"What date is this map?" he asked.

"Its the map of Kyralia at the time of the Sachaken war. I found it in an old book" she replied.

"Why are we looking an extremely old map?" Akkarin asked, confused.

"Because every place on there, which isn't on the present day map had some sort of ruin, great for hiding" she smiled at him.

Akkarin looked at the map intently, that's when Sonea's idea clicked into place.

"Oh! I see. Listen" they both looked up at her.

"We can use this map to hide in the ruins, yes? But I have a better idea" she smiled.

"The will most certainly noise our appearance round right?" she asked

"Most certainly" Akkarin replied.

"OK then. Lets use that" she replied.

"I don't follow you Sonea" he said.

"What if we used our appearances to our advantage. Lets say a few score villagers have seen us, they recognise us immediately. All one of us has to do is walk a few yards into Sachaka. The villagers won't follow us in there and they will think we have disappeared into Sachaka. They will tell the guild this, we come back into Kyralia when the way is clear and hide in some ruin until it all dies down, or we eventually think of a way out of this. The guild won't search for us, thinking we were damned in Sachaka."

They both stood looking at her, there mouths wide open. The woman recovered first to ask.

"Why would the guild trust a mere villager?"

"Simple" Sonea replied. "All they would have to do is truth read them and that would settle that"

Akkarin looked at Sonea now.

"Sonea. Even just being a mile into Sachaka is dangerous"

"You have been there before. You must know some way to stay safe. We are only going to be there for a few hours."

"Sonea its still dangerous. We don't even know what's going on out there. And the Ichani..." he stopped.

Sonea frowned at him.

"If you have a better then please say so" she said.

He looked at her blankly.

"That's what I thought" she replied. Sonea looked at the woman.

"Will you be able to help us find these ruins?" she asked.

She smiled.

"I thought I might be tagged into this. Well I've been dying for an adventure of late, so I suppose I could show you where they are."

Sonea beamed at her.

"We will be able to buy less conspicuous clothes at one of the villages" she said, eyeing their robes.

"Thank you" Sonea said, her voice was very grateful. Then she looked at Akkarin.

"Well"

"I've been cleverly manipulated by women." he smiled at her.

Sonea laughed at took his hand. Then woman laughed too.

"Oh... and I don't want this floating around mind. My name is Satomi, glad to be of service"

"Thank you Satomi" Sonea said.

"We are very grateful" Akkarin replied.

A/N: Hoped you liked it. I had a brain wave like halfway through LOL. Oh and here is the link for the map Akkarin, Sonea & Satomi were looking at:

.com/trudi_canavan/blog/images/TMAmap2_for_

This is Trudi Canavans and I have no claim over it! =]