The Ambassador's Mission: Book One of th - By Trudi Canavan Page 0,31
may as well go. I’ll only end up wearing your ears out.”
“My ears are robust enough. Besides, if he doesn’t come we can’t let all this food go to waste.”
“You know I’ll wait until well after it’s spoiled, so there’s no point the two of us staying hungry while we wait. Go. Ranek must be hungry.”
“He’s working late tonight and will eat over at the servants’ quarters.” Jonna rose and examined the bookshelves, then brought a rag out of her uniform and wiped a shelf.
There’s no budging her, Sonea thought. After coming to stay in the Guild in order to help Sonea through her pregnancy, birth and motherhood, Jonna and Ranek had settled in and found places as servants – Jonna as Sonea’s servant and Ranek among the robe-makers. Their two children had grown up here, had played with Lorkin and eventually gained well-paid places as servants in rich homes in the city. Jonna was well pleased with this. It was the best anyone of her class could hope for. Only by becoming a magician could someone born outside the Houses enter the country’s noble class.
A knock brought their attention to the door. Sonea drew in a deep breath, then sent a little magic toward the door latch. It clicked open and Lorkin stepped inside, looking contrite. She sighed with relief.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “Mother. Jonna.” He nodded to them both. “The meeting didn’t finish until a few minutes ago.”
“Well, you’re just in time,” Jonna said, walking to the door. “Any longer and I was going to eat your meal for you.”
“Why don’t you stay and join us?” he asked, smiling hopefully.
She gave him a measured look. “And have the two of us telling you what a fool you are?”
He blinked, then grinned ruefully. “Good night, Jonna.”
She sniffed in amusement, before she slipped out of the door, pulling it closed behind her.
Sonea looked at him. He met her eyes briefly, and looked around the room.
“Is something different?” he asked.
“No.” She gestured to the other chair. “Sit down. Eat. No point letting the food get any colder.”
He nodded and they began to fill their plates with food. Sonea noted he ate with his usual enthusiasm. Or was he hurrying? Did he want this meal over with? To escape his overbearing mother and stop being reminded of things he wanted to ignore – like the risks in travelling to Sachaka?
She waited until the meal was over and he looked a bit more relaxed, before raising the subject he must know she’d invited him here in order to discuss.
“So,” she began. “Why Sachaka?”
He blinked and turned to meet her eyes.
“Because … because it’s where I want to go.”
“But why do you want to go there? Of all the places, it is the most dangerous – especially for you.”
“Lord Maron doesn’t think so. Nor does Lord Dannyl. At least, they don’t think it will be any more dangerous for me than for anyone else.”
Sonea looked at him closely. “That is only because they don’t believe something unless they see proof. The only way they can see proof that it is dangerous for you to enter Sachaka is to take you there and observe something bad happen to you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then you don’t have proof either.”
“Not that sort of proof.” She forced a smile. “I’d hardly be a responsible parent if I took you to Sachaka to test my belief that it is dangerous.”
“So how do you know it’s dangerous?”
“From what your father told me. From what Guild Ambassadors and traders have confirmed since. They all agree that Sachakans are bound by their code of honour to seek revenge for the death of a family member – even if they didn’t like that family member, and even if that family member was an outcast.”
“But the Guild Ambassadors looked into it. They said the family of Kariko and Dakova did not want revenge. The brothers had been a liability to them; it was clearly a relief to them that they had died.”
“They also said that the family had gained some admiration for the brother’s daring invasion, despite the fact they were outcasts and the invasion failed.” Sonea shrugged. “It is easier to feel gratitude and loyalty to someone after they are dead. You can’t discount the fact that the Ambassadors only spoke to some family members, not all. That if the head of the family expressed one view then others who disagreed would stay quiet.”
“But they wouldn’t act against the head of the family,