"Holly Lisle - Secret Texts 4 - Vincalis the Agitator" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lisle Holly)

reconsider your . . . presence?”

The guard’s ruddy face bleached the color of bone. He said, “My apologies. I
would not bother you. But a thief escaped from the market, and Master Faregan has
demanded that we . . .” He paused, considering his words. “That we capture him and
remand him over to Master Faregan for questioning.”

“A worthy thing, no doubt,” the boy Solander said. “And had he come into my
yard, I would without hesitation turn him over to you. But no one has come through
the gate. It’s armed, and since I did not wish to be disturbed at my studies, I did not
unarm it. Did you notice anyone trying to cross an armed gate? That’s a fairly obvious
thing.”

“Well, we saw the gate light up . . . but we saw the boy on the other side.”

“You saw the gate light up.” The boy smiled coldly. “And the gate is armed, and
there is no boy. I can only reach one conclusion from that, perfann. I suggest you tell
Master Faregan that the thief died trying to escape; in a fashion, perhaps justice has
been served.”

The three guards stared from the little house in which Wraith hid to the boy who
faced them at the gate, then back to the little house.

“I saw the gate light up,” one of them said.

The other two both nodded and agreed.

“So he couldn’t be alive.”

“But I swear I saw him running on the other side.”

The one in charge shook his head. “Can’t have. He cooked in the gate.”
 The three of them stood there staring at each other, and Wraith sensed that they had
come to an agreement before the other two spoke. When at last they said, “Yes,” and
“There’s no other possibility,” it was merely formality. The head guard nodded to the
boy Solander and said, “Then we thank you for your time, and we apologize for the
disturbance. We will be on our way.”

And they left. Solander stood at the gate for a moment, watching them get on their
skimmers and leave. Then, a thoughtful expression on his face, he turned and strolled
down the path to the playhouse.

He came in and sat down, and for a moment said nothing.

“Thank you,” Wraith said. “You saved my life. Those three had orders to give me
to the market wizard—he said he wanted to take me apart to see what I was made of.”

“Really?”

Wraith nodded.