The Ambassador's Mission: Book One of th - By Trudi Canavan Page 0,76
other Thief?
I don’t have proof that she is the Thief Hunter. I only have proof that she is the Rogue. I’d rather Skellin didn’t know that Sonea and I still communicate. If the Guild captures this woman they’ll read her mind and find out once and for all if she is the killer. If she isn’t, then there’s nothing to tell Skellin.
And if she was … well, once the Guild found and dealt with the Rogue there’d be no Thief Hunter to worry about any more.
CHAPTER 14
UNEXPECTED ALLIES
So who am I meeting tonight?” Dannyl asked Ashaki Achati as the carriage set out from the Guild House.
The Sachakan magician smiled. “Your ploy of not nagging to see the king has worked. He has invited you to the palace.”
Dannyl blinked in surprise, then considered all that Lord Maron had told him about the Sachakan king and protocol. The former Ambassador had said that the king refused an audience as often as he granted one, and that there was no point Dannyl seeking one unless he had something to discuss. “I wasn’t aware that I should have been nagging. Should I apologise for that?”
Achati chuckled. “Only if you feel you must. As I am the liaison between the Guild House and the king, it is up to me to advise you how and when to seek an audience with him. I would have told you to wait until he invites you. Since you weren’t making any mistakes, there was little reason to raise the subject.”
“So it wasn’t a mistake to not ask to see him.”
“No. Though showing no interest might have caused offence eventually.”
Dannyl nodded. “When I was the Second Guild Ambassador in Elyne I was required to present myself to the king once, which was arranged for me by the First Guild Ambassador. After that it was only to be for important matters, most of which the First Ambassador took care of.”
“That is interesting. You have two Ambassadors in Elyne, then?”
“Yes. There is too much work for one person. Somehow we wound up with as much work that didn’t relate to the Guild and magic as work that did.”
“Your work here is even less related to magic and magicians,” Achati pointed out. “You are not assessing new recruits or keeping track of graduated magicians. You’re mostly dealing with issues of trade.”
Dannyl nodded. “It is entirely different, yet so far it has been very pleasant. I expect once I have met all of the important people I will no longer be treated to nightly meals and conversations.”
Achati’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, you may find yourself even more in demand once I am no longer required to escort you. Entertaining another Sachakan can be an exhausting and politically perilous exercise. You are both exotic and not too easily offended, so an easy guest to entertain.” He gestured to the carriage window. “Look outside as we turn the corner.”
The vehicle slowed and the wall beside them ended. A wide road came into sight. Long beds of flowers appeared, sheltered by enormous trees. Where these gardens ended, a large building stood. White walls curved out from a central archway like carefully draped curtains. Shallow domes rose above them, glittering in the sunlight. Dannyl felt his heart lift at the sight.
“That’s the palace? It’s beautiful,” he said, leaning forward to keep the building in view as the carriage turned into the road. But soon he could only see the white walls of the mansions to the side. He turned back to Ashaki Achati to see the man smiling in approval.
“It is over a thousand years old,” the Sachakan said, with pride. “Parts had to be rebuilt over the years, of course. The walls are doubled so that defenders can hide within and strike at invaders through holes and hatches.” He shrugged. “Not that they have ever been used for that purpose. When Kyralia’s army arrived here ours had already been defeated, and the last emperor surrendered without resistance.”
Dannyl nodded. He had learned as much from basic history classes during his University years, and his research had confirmed it.
“The third king had the domes plated with gold,” Achati continued. He shook his head. “A frivolous indulgence in what was a time of starvation, but they are so beautiful that nobody has ever removed them, and from time to time a king will see that they are cleaned and mended.”
The carriage began to slow and turn, and Dannyl watched eagerly as the palace came in sight again. Once he and