The Ambassador's Mission: Book One of th - By Trudi Canavan Page 0,136
keen to find the rogue. But he didn’t drone on about it, like some magicians might, and never outstayed his welcome.
Because he’s a man who’d prefer to take action than whinge about something.
She stilled in surprise. Had she just found something admirable in Regin’s character? Surely not.
Of the rogue, there had been no news. Most nights Sonea worked at the same hospice in Northside, knowing this would make it easier for a messenger from Cery to find her. But no messages had come since he’d visited personally to tell her he was enlisting the help of another Thief.
Below her, Administrator Osen turned to the Higher Magicians.
“Lady Talie is charged with breaking the new rule forbidding a magician to be involved in or benefit from criminal activity,” he told them. “We are to decide if this is true and, if so, how she is to be punished.” He turned to look at a pair of magicians standing to one side. “I call on Lord Jawen to speak as witness.”
One of the pair, a middle-aged Healer, stepped forward. He was frowning and the way he was trying not to look at Lady Talie made it obvious that he was uncomfortable about speaking against her.
“Please tell us what you heard,” Osen said.
The man nodded. “A few nights ago I was gathering cures from a storeroom when I heard voices at the rear of the room. One of the voices belonged to Lady Talie. I heard her say, quite clearly, that what was inside some boxes wasn’t legal. Well, that attracted my attention, and I stopped to listen. She went on to say that she didn’t want to know what was in them. That she moved them, Healed a man then went home.” His frown deepened. “And that someone was stupid for thinking something so big and heavy could be moved by one man.”
“What did you do then?” Osen asked.
Jawen grimaced. “I left the room and went on working. I needed time to think about what to do. A few hours later I decided I had to tell Lady Vinara what I’d heard.”
“That is all you overheard?”
“Yes.”
“Then that is all for now.” As the man retreated to his former position, Osen turned to the young Healer. “Lady Talie, please come forward.”
She obeyed. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, and there was a crease between her brows.
“Please explain to us what Lord Jawen overheard.”
Talie drew in a deep breath and let it out again before answering. “He has the gist of it,” she said. “I did move a box that was probably full of illegal goods – though I don’t know that for sure. When Lord Jawen overheard me, I was worried if this meant I’d broken a rule or law, and was asking a friend what she thought.”
“How did you find yourself in a situation where you might question the legality of your actions?”
She looked at the floor. “I was tricked. Well, not tricked … but I didn’t feel like I could refuse.” She paused to shake her head. “What I mean is, someone I wish I didn’t know took me to that place where the boxes were, saying a person was hurt and needed my help. He wasn’t lying, actually. One of the boxes had fallen on top of a man and his thigh bone had been crushed. I had to lift the box off him so I could Heal him. Once I’d done that they took me home.”
Sonea felt a pang of sympathy. The young woman clearly could not have left the injured man in his predicament. She shouldn’t have gone with the smuggler in the first place, of course, but she wasn’t asked to do anything criminal. Yet, while Healing isn’t a criminal activity, moving a box of illegal goods might be considered so.
“So your only action was to move one box and Heal a man?” Osen asked.
“Yes.”
“And you don’t know for sure that the goods inside were illegal.”
She grimaced and shook her head. “No.”
“Did you receive any payment for your help?”
“He tried to give me something but I refused to take it.”
“Is that all you can tell us?”
She paused, then cast a doubtful glance at Lady Vinara. “I’d have Healed that man anyway. And moved the box off him. I couldn’t have left him like that.”
Osen nodded then turned to the Higher Magicians. “Any questions for Lady Talie or Lord Jawen?”
“I have one for Lady Talie. Has this man asked favours or services of you before?” Lord Garrel