The Ambassador's Mission: Book One of th - By Trudi Canavan Page 0,94
shoes that weren’t much more than a piece of leather stitched up into a foot-shaped pouch that was bound to the ankle with another, thinner piece of rope. Tyvara nodded approvingly.
“We’re halfway there. While our friends here prepare the dye for your skin and cut your hair, I had better tell you how a slave is expected to behave,” Tyvara said. “I suspect that’s going to be the hardest part for you. How convincing you are may be the difference between survival and assassination.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he told her. “It’s not something I’m likely to forget.”
She smiled grimly. “It can be very easy to forget, when you’re being whipped just because someone has had a bad day. Believe me. I know.”
As Sonea walked down the corridor of the Magicians’ Quarters, she yawned. The sun had been creeping up over the hill behind the Guild when she had returned, casting a pale glow across the sky. Now it had retreated behind the city, abandoning all to darkness, lamplight or, for the lucky few, magical illumination.
The night shifts at the hospice were the least popular, so she took them whenever she could manage. There were plenty of patients despite the late hours – some of the Healers joked that the night patients were the more interesting ones. She had certainly treated some unique injuries during those shifts. She suspected that a lot more night visitors than those who were forced to admit their profession due to the nature of their illness or injury were involved in business that would scandalise most Guild magicians and their families.
Cery’s news had slipped back into her thoughts many times. She felt an unreasonable guilt at not agreeing to assist him in searching for the rogue magician. But she couldn’t see how she would be able to without doing so in secret, and once she found the rogue and delivered her to the Guild the truth would be revealed. Her deception would generate more distrust and disapproval. Perhaps enough to persuade the Guild to ban her from working at the hospices.
Still, she hadn’t gone straight to Administrator Osen when she arrived at the Guild. Instead she’d decided to sleep on it as Cery had suggested. And now that she was awake, and sleep hadn’t brought her any certainty, she had decided to discuss it with Rothen. He had, after all, been the one who had searched for and found her, back when she had been a rogue hiding from the Guild.
Reaching his door, she knocked. She heard a familiar voice inside. The door opened and Rothen smiled as he saw her.
“Sonea. Come in.” He opened the door wider, letting her inside. “Sit down. Would you like some raka?”
She looked around the guest room, then turned back to him. “Cery came to see me last night. He’s discovered a new rogue magician in the city. A woman in full control of her power. I can’t deal with it myself, of course, but … do you think the Guild will make a mess of it this time?”
Rothen stared at her in surprise, then looked over her shoulder.
“I’d be willing to bet my family’s fortune they’ll make as big a mess of it as last time,” a familiar voice said.
Sonea’s heart sank. She schooled her face and turned to see a man step out of the room that had once been her bedroom, holding one of the many books Rothen now stored in there.
“Regin and I were discussing some trouble among the novices,” Rothen said, a note of apology in his voice.
Sonea eyed Regin. Curse him. This means I will have to tell the Higher Magicians straightaway. Hopefully they’ll forgive me for seeking Rothen’s advice first.
“More trouble?” she asked him.
“Oh, there’s always some sort of trouble,” Regin said, shrugging.
“As for this rogue … I agree with Regin,” Rothen added. “Though I would not be as pessimistic as he. High Lord Balkan and Administrator Osen would be more subtle in their searching methods, but they don’t have the insight, experience and resources that you and I have.”
Sonea turned back to him. “How can I hunt for a rogue if I can’t move around the city without permission?”
Rothen smiled. “Don’t ask for permission.”
“But if they find out I’ve been sneaking around, or failed to report this to the Higher Magicians, or even that I spoke to a Thief, it’ll prove right all those people who say I can’t be trusted.”
“And if you bring in a rogue, the people who matter