Mage-Guard of Hamor Read Online Free Page B

interest to you.” Taryl inclined his head to Rahl.
    Rahl gave a polite half bow before speaking. “Magisters and magistra, as some of you know, I am an exile from Nylan, and I was sent as a clerk to the Nylan Merchant Association in Swartheld. At that time, Director Shyret was in charge there. I had not been there more than two eightdays when I became aware that the director was declaring excessive spoilage, then selling these ‘spoiled’ goods in local markets and pocketing the golds. The amounts were not small. At least, they did not seem so to me. On a single cargo, the director might declare two kegs of madder or indigo as spoiled, along with a bale or two of prime black wool. This was never less than thirty golds a cargo, and could be in excess of a hundred.”
    â€œBetween thirty and a hundred golds a cargo?” asked Leyla.
    â€œYes, magistra.” Rahl paused. “In addition, I discovered something else rather unusual. Director Shyret was receiving barrels labeled as Feyn River pickles and storing them at the warehouses, but these barrels were never shipped on Recluce vessels, but always on Jeranyi vessels…” Rahl went on to explain how he had been attacked one night, then drugged with nemysa only days later and lost all his memories and ended up in the ironworks, before Taryl had helped him recover his memories, then trained him and sent him back to Swartheld. He also told how he had realized that the barrels of “pickles” had actually contained cammabark packed in vinegar to keep it from exploding…and finally what had occurred after he had discovered the Jeranyi raiders and set off the cammabark in the Merchant Association courtyard. “…I managed to set off the powder in that one ship, but I had to jump into the harbor, and it took a while for me to recover.”
    The four exchanged glances. Finally, Leyla spoke. “You’re admitting that you killed a superior officer and effectively destroyed our merchant compound?”
    â€œYes, magistra. Undercaptain Craelyt had already killed the captain, and he was working with the Jeranyi. If I hadn’t set off the cammabark in the Merchant Association compound, we might have lost much of the harbor area.”
    After that, there were more questions.
    â€œCan you be absolutely certain that Director Shyret was involved?”
    â€œHow did you know the Jeranyi were using these…pickle barrels?”
    â€œWasn’t there any other way to stop them?”
    â€œWhy didn’t you bring this to the attention of your superiors earlier?”
    â€œWere there other indications that might have allowed earlier actions?”
    Rahl answered each question as thoroughly and honestly as he could, trying not to become even more irritated by their skepticism and arrogance.
    And finally, “Do you honestly expect us to believe this?”
    At that point, Taryl cleared his throat. “You are all black mages. You all know that Rahl and I are telling the truth. You also should know that the Emperor would not send us across an entire ocean if he did not respect you and believe you should know the facts. We could easily have claimed that the fire and explosion were accidental and sent no one. Such fires do occur.”
    â€œWhy are you here, then?” asked Myanelyt.
    â€œTo confirm for you that the Jeranyi were working through your own director, and, as Rahl tells me the magisters in Land’s End have already acknowledged and acted upon, that the Jeranyi do not have the best interests of Recluce in mind. We also wished to confirm by our presence, and by our allowing you to question us as necessary, that they were using your facilities to strike against Hamor. We thought you should know this and that you should learn of it in a manner in which you could verify the truth for yourselves. It is well-known that no one can lie to the magisters of Nylan without it being more than obvious to