Her voice trailed off and she looked down at her shoes, before realising she was doing exactly what her father did when he wanted to avoid talking about something difficult, so she jerked her head back up to see Belatiel and Denima looking at her, not unkindly. For the first time she realised that they both had forehead Charter marks, albeit disguised under the same sort of thick paint as her own. But Aronzo and Yaneem didn’t have marks, or at least she didn’t think they had.

‘Before you can do what?’ asked Denima.

‘Make my own plans,’ said Clariel.

‘You’re right about the machinations,’ said Belatiel, lowering his voice. ‘There are things you should know, that’s why I want to see you after the lesson. Be very careful of Aronzo, for one. His father effectively rules the city now, and that pretty much means the Kingdom as well –’

‘Does it really matter who rules the city, or the Kingdom for that matter?’ interrupted Clariel.

‘Perhaps it doesn’t matter so much who actually rules,’ replied Belatiel. ‘But the royal family don’t just govern the Kingdom. They also embody part of the Charter, and are charged with its preservation, in all its manifestations. Which begs the question, who … or what … also gains if the King is overthrown?’

chapter seven

the education of a charter mage

‘If the King is overthrown?’ asked Clariel. ‘What do you mean?’

‘We can’t talk about it here,’ said Belatiel. ‘I’ll meet you straight after class, and we can go –’

‘You shouldn’t be talking about it at all,’ interrupted Denima. ‘Best you leave it alone. Come on, Clariel. Law is taught by Mistress Gurlen and she’s a very different proposition from old Dyrell.’

‘Wait for me after class!’ called out Bel, as Denima took Clariel’s hand and dragged her away. ‘It is important! Very important!’

‘They always say that,’ said Denima. She darted a look at Bel that Clariel couldn’t interpret: part angry and part wistful. ‘Men!’

Clariel wondered if it was as simple as that. Bel wasn’t obviously trying to set up a flirtation, he appeared sincere about having something important to tell her. And she felt she should know more about the situation in the city and what was going on with the King, and the Guilds and all that, despite another part of her wanting to keep separate from it all. If she could convince her mother, she might be away within days, off to the Great Forest, and then everyone could fight over who ruled to their hearts’ content.