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The Wizardwar :: Каннингем Элейн
Страница: 148 из 208"Then tell me this: Whyam I so glad to be back?"
Chapter Sixteen
Sunrise colors painted the sky as Avariel flew swiftly toward Halarahh and the modest villa that Basel kept in the king's city. The skyship swept over the city, slowing and settling as it approached the small tower.
Tzigone, who had bathed and dressed in blissfully clean garments, stood at the rail, taking in the vivid scene as if the heat of the Halruaan sun and the brilliant colors of sea and city could burn away memories of a grim, gray place. Suddenly she leaned over the rail and pointed.
"What in the Nine bloody Hells is that?"
A faint pollen-yellow aura surrounded the wizard's tower.
"The building had been magically sealed," Basel explained, his face suddenly somber. "With all that has happened, I did not have a chance to tell you of Farrah Noor's death. Mason has been accused. Since there is some uncertainty in the testing, he is allowed to remain in the relative freedom of my tower."
Tzigone's brown eyes went enormous with shock. "That can't be true! Mason would never hurt Farrah. They were lovers, you know. He was insanely giddy over her."
"If you are called to speak for him in court, I would suggest choosing different words to express their mutual affection," Matteo advised.
"Farrah's dead," she repeated, trying to take this in. "That doesn't seem possible. How did it happen?"
"From what I understand, she was killed with a knife, which was later found in Mason's room."
"That's thin," Tzigone scoffed. "What do the magehounds say?"
"Mason remembers nothing at all about her death, and they can't retrieve memories he doesn't have. He will be held in the tower until the more puzzling aspects of the situation can be resolved."
"Such as the militia, Lord Basel?" inquired Matteo, pointing to the guards at the gate.
The wizard grimaced as he took in the detachment of uniformed soldiers encircling the tower grounds. "We haven't men to spare on such foolishness."
They landed Avariel at the nearby skypond-one of the shallow, man-made lakes that provided convenient docking for the flying ships-and hastened on foot to Basel's villa. To their astonishment, the militia captain signaled to his men, and the guards barred the gates with crossed halberds.
"My apprentice shows considerable talent for wizardry, but at his current level of skill he hardly merits this level of security," Basel said coldly. "It is neither law nor custom to isolate a man held in house arrest.
Chapter Sixteen
Sunrise colors painted the sky as Avariel flew swiftly toward Halarahh and the modest villa that Basel kept in the king's city. The skyship swept over the city, slowing and settling as it approached the small tower.
Tzigone, who had bathed and dressed in blissfully clean garments, stood at the rail, taking in the vivid scene as if the heat of the Halruaan sun and the brilliant colors of sea and city could burn away memories of a grim, gray place. Suddenly she leaned over the rail and pointed.
"What in the Nine bloody Hells is that?"
A faint pollen-yellow aura surrounded the wizard's tower.
"The building had been magically sealed," Basel explained, his face suddenly somber. "With all that has happened, I did not have a chance to tell you of Farrah Noor's death. Mason has been accused. Since there is some uncertainty in the testing, he is allowed to remain in the relative freedom of my tower."
Tzigone's brown eyes went enormous with shock. "That can't be true! Mason would never hurt Farrah. They were lovers, you know. He was insanely giddy over her."
"If you are called to speak for him in court, I would suggest choosing different words to express their mutual affection," Matteo advised.
"Farrah's dead," she repeated, trying to take this in. "That doesn't seem possible. How did it happen?"
"From what I understand, she was killed with a knife, which was later found in Mason's room."
"That's thin," Tzigone scoffed. "What do the magehounds say?"
"Mason remembers nothing at all about her death, and they can't retrieve memories he doesn't have. He will be held in the tower until the more puzzling aspects of the situation can be resolved."
"Such as the militia, Lord Basel?" inquired Matteo, pointing to the guards at the gate.
The wizard grimaced as he took in the detachment of uniformed soldiers encircling the tower grounds. "We haven't men to spare on such foolishness."
They landed Avariel at the nearby skypond-one of the shallow, man-made lakes that provided convenient docking for the flying ships-and hastened on foot to Basel's villa. To their astonishment, the militia captain signaled to his men, and the guards barred the gates with crossed halberds.
"My apprentice shows considerable talent for wizardry, but at his current level of skill he hardly merits this level of security," Basel said coldly. "It is neither law nor custom to isolate a man held in house arrest.