The Ambassador's Mission: Book One of th - By Trudi Canavan Page 0,19
flinch at her stare, though it stirred a familiar guilt.
“Yes. Me,” he said. “Sit down. I need to talk to you.”
“Well I don’t want to talk to you!” she declared and turned to leave.
“As if you have any choice.”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder, her eyes narrowed. Slowly she turned to face him, crossing her arms.
“What do you want?” she asked, then sighed dramatically. He almost smiled at that. The sullen resignation laced with contempt was what many a father endured from youngsters her age. But her resignation came more from the knowledge he was a Thief, not any respect for fatherly authority.
“To warn you. Your life is … in even more danger than it usually is. There’s a good chance someone will try to kill you soon.”
Her expression did not change. “Oh? Why is that?”
He shrugged. “The mere unfortunate fact that you are my daughter.”
“Well, I’ve survived that well enough so far.”
“This is different. This is a lot … wilder.”
She rolled her eyes. “Nobody uses that word any more.”
“Then I am a nobody.” He frowned. “I am serious, Anyi. Do you think I’d risk our lives by meeting with you if I wasn’t sure not meeting could be worse?”
All contempt and anger fled from her face, but left her with no expression he could read. Then she looked away.
“Why are you so sure?”
He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. Because my wife and sons are dead. Pain swelled within him at the thought. I’m not sure I can say it aloud. He cast about, then took another deep breath.
“Because, as of last night, you are my only living child,” he told her.
Her eyes slowly widened as the news sank in. She swallowed and closed her eyes. For a moment she remained still, a crease between her brows, then she opened her eyes and fixed him with her stare again.
“Have you told Sonea?”
He frowned at the question. Why had she asked? Her mother had always been a touch jealous of Sonea, perhaps sensing that he had once been in love with the slum girl turned magician. Surely Anyi hadn’t inherited Vesta’s jealousy. Or did Anyi know more about Cery’s continuing and secret link to the Guild than she ought to?
How to answer such a question? Should he answer at all? He considered changing the subject, but found himself curious to know how she would react to the truth.
“I have,” he told her. Then he shrugged. “Along with other information.”
Anyi nodded and said nothing, giving frustratingly little away of her reason for asking. She sighed and shifted her weight to one leg.
“What do you suggest I do?”
“Is there somewhere safe you can go? People you trust? I’d offer to protect you except … well, let’s just say it turned out your mother made the right decision leaving me and …” He heard bitterness in his voice and shifted to other reasons. “My own people may have been turned. It would be better if you did not rely on them. Except Gol, of course. Though … it would be wise if we had a way of contacting each other.”
She nodded and he was heartened to see her straighten with determination. “I’ll be fine,” she told him. “I have … friends.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. That was all she was going to tell him, he guessed. Wise move.
“Good,” he said. He stood up. “Take care, Anyi.”
She regarded him thoughtfully, and for a moment the corner of her mouth twitched. He felt a sudden rush of hope that she understood why he had kept away from her all these years.
Then she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room without waiting for permission or saying goodbye.
CHAPTER 4
NEW COMMITMENTS
The trees and shrubs of the Guild gardens cooled and slowed the late summer wind to a pleasant breeze. Within one of the garden “rooms,” well shaded by a large ornamental pachi tree, Lorkin and Dekker sat on one of the seats arranged here and there for magicians to rest on. As the last shreds of his hangover began to ease, Lorkin leaned back against the back of the seat and closed his eyes. The sound of birds mingled with that of distant voices and footsteps – and the shrill sound of taunts and protests somewhere behind him.
Dekker turned to look at the same time as Lorkin. Behind them was a screen of shrubs and trees, so they both stood up to peer over the top of the foliage.