The Ambassador's Mission: Book One of th - By Trudi Canavan Page 0,165
seats. The Higher Magicians. Cery examined the faces. Some looked familiar, some did not. He recognised Rothen, the magician who had guided Sonea through her early years in the University. The old man met Cery’s gaze and nodded once.
Two women stood before the Higher Magicians. Cery recognised Forlie, who looked frightened out of her wits. The other woman turned to see who was approaching and Cery felt his heart skip.
Yes, that’s her.
As she glared at him, Cery’s blood went cold. In the dim light of the pawnshop attic, he hadn’t seen her too clearly, though enough to recognise her when he saw her the next time. And when he’d seen her in the street outside the shop, it had been at a distance. But here, under the bright glow of many magical globe lights, he noticed something he’d not had the opportunity to see before.
She had the same strange eyes as Skellin’s. They were of the same race.
That’s not something the Guild needs to know, he decided. Skellin would not appreciate me directing the Guild’s attention in his direction. Though I doubt Sonea failed to notice the similarity. She probably hasn’t told anyone because that would mean revealing she had enlisted the help of a Thief …
As Sonea stopped before the Higher Magicians, Cery, Anyi and Gol bowed. She introduced him and his bodyguards and explained that Cery was the friend she had spoken of, who had first seen the foreign rogue and brought the matter to her attention. As she finished, the Administrator looked at Cery.
“Firstly, the Guild offers its thanks for your assistance in capturing these rogue magicians,” he said. “Secondly, we thank you for helping us today.” He gestured to the two women. “Do you recognise either of these women?”
Cery turned to Forlie. “I had not seen Forlie until a few days ago, when she was caught.” He gestured to the other woman. “This one I saw a few months ago. Gol and I were after a murderer, and the clues we’d got led us to spy on a shop owner and his customer – this woman. We saw her use magic to open a safebox.”
The rogue was still staring at him, and as his gaze shifted to her she narrowed her eyes.
“Do you think this woman is the murderer you sought?”
Cery shrugged. “I don’t know. Magic was used in the murder. She has magic. But I have no proof that it was her.”
The Administrator’s attention moved to Gol. “You were there the night your employer spied on this woman.”
Gol nodded. “I was.”
“Was it as he described? Were there any details you noticed that he didn’t?”
“He got it straight,” the big man said.
Now the Administrator looked at Anyi. “And were you there?”
“No,” she replied.
“Have you observed this woman performing magic?”
“Yes. I first put eyes on her an hour or so before S— … Black Magician Sonea caught her. She was watching Forlie being caught. I thought it a bit odd. Then I saw her using magic to kill some birds that were making so much noise fighting they might’ve drawn attention to her. I knew she had to be a rogue, too, so I went to get Black Magician Sonea.”
The Administrator looked thoughtful, then regarded Cery, Anyi and Gol in turn. “Is there anything else you can tell us about either of these women?”
“No,” Cery replied. He glanced at his daughter and bodyguard. They were shaking their heads.
The Administrator turned to regard the Higher Magicians. “Any questions?”
“I have one,” the magician in white robes said. He must be the High Lord, Cery recalled. Sonea had told him the High Lord’s robes had been changed to white after it was decided the Black Magicians should, logically, wear black. “Have you ever seen anyone with the same physical characteristics as this woman?” The man gestured toward the rogue. “Aside from her gender, of course.”
“Maybe once or twice,” Cery replied.
“Do you know where those people came from?”
Cery shook his head. “No.”
The magician nodded, then waved a hand at the Administrator to indicate he had no more questions. Relieved, Cery found he was looking forward to leaving this place. He might be a powerful man in the city’s underworld, but he was not used to being scrutinised by so many people. A Thief works best unnoticed. Better to be known by reputation than by being the centre of attention.
“Thank you for your assistance, Cery of Northside, Anyi and Gol,” the Administrator said. “You may now leave.”