The Ambassador’s Mission

Talie drew in a deep breath and let it out again before answering. “He has the gist of it,” she said. “I did move a box that was probably full of illegal goods – though I don’t know that for sure. When Lord Jawen overheard me, I was worried if this meant I’d broken a rule or law, and was asking a friend what she thought.”

“How did you find yourself in a situation where you might question the legality of your actions?”

She looked at the floor. “I was tricked. Well, not tricked… but I didn’t feel like I could refuse.” She paused to shake her head. “What I mean is, someone I wish I didn’t know took me to that place where the boxes were, saying a person was hurt and needed my help. He wasn’t lying, actually. One of the boxes had fallen on top of a man and his thigh bone had been crushed. I had to lift the box off him so I could Heal him. Once I’d done that they took me home.”

Sonea felt a pang of sympathy. The young woman clearly could not have left the injured man in his predicament. She shouldn’t have gone with the smuggler in the first place, of course, but she wasn’t asked to do anything criminal. Yet, while Healing isn’t a criminal activity, moving a box of illegal goods might be considered so.

“So your only action was to move one box and Heal a man?” Osen asked.

“Yes.”

“And you don’t know for sure that the goods inside were illegal.”

She grimaced and shook her head. “No.”

“Did you receive any payment for your help?”

“He tried to give me something but I refused to take it.”

“Is that all you can tell us?”

She paused, then cast a doubtful glance at Lady Vinara. “I’d have Healed that man anyway. And moved the box off him. I couldn’t have left him like that.”

Osen nodded then turned to the Higher Magicians. “Any questions for Lady Talie or Lord Jawen?”

“I have one for Lady Talie. Has this man asked favours or services of you before?” Lord Garrel asked.

“No.”

“What is your connection to him, then?”

Talie looked at Osen and bit her lip. “He has done work and favours for my family, though it was years ago before anyone knew he was involved in anything illegal.”

“Could you take someone back to the place these goods were stored?”

“No. He made sure the carriage windows were covered. When we arrived the carriage was inside a big room. And even if I did know where it was, I doubt the goods are still there.”

Sonea smiled at that. The young Healer was probably right. But by saying so, she had suggested she knew more about smuggling than a magician from a House ought to.

No more questions came, so Osen sent Lord Jawen and Lady Talie out of the hall. When they were gone, Lord Telano sighed.

“This is ridiculous,” he said. “She only did what any Healer ought to do. She shouldn’t be punished for that.”

“She wasn’t paid,” Garrel added. “She didn’t benefit from it. I see no wrongdoing here.”

“The rule forbids involvement in criminal activity as well as benefiting from it,” Vinara pointed out. “But I agree. Moving a box is hardly involvement in crime.”

“Still, we ought to be discouraging magicians from having anything to do with such people,” Lord Peakin said.

“Which, as we established recently, is too difficult to enforce and apparently unfair to some Guild members,” Garrel reminded him.

“Has she clearly broken a rule?” Osen asked.

None of the magicians answered. Several shook their heads.

“Does anybody believe she should be punished?”

The question received the same response. Osen nodded. “Then, unless anybody disagrees with me, I will declare she has broken no rule. I will also let it be known that Lord Jawen acted correctly in reporting what he heard, and state that tests of the new rule are beneficial and to be encouraged. We don’t want anyone taking today’s decision as an indicator that doing favours for dubious characters will always be overlooked.”

“Do you think Lady Talie would agree to identify this man and confirm his activities for the Guard?” Rothen asked, looking back at Lady Vinara.

“I imagine she would be reluctant,” Vinara replied. “If he had enough influence to force her to this store, then he may have enough to prevent her speaking against him. I will ask her, but only if the Guard does require her help.”

“If she agrees and a conviction is achieved, it will discourage criminals from taking advantage of magicians,” Osen said. He called the young Healer back in and told her their decision. She looked relieved.

And perhaps a little annoyed to have been put through this, Sonea observed. Osen announced the meeting over and the Higher Magicians began to leave. As she reached the floor of the hall, she found Rothen waiting for her.

“What do you think?” he murmured to her.

“I think the new rule is going to be ineffective at keeping magicians and criminals apart,” she replied.

“But in the past someone of her status would never have been reported, not even if what she’d done was clearly wrong.”