"Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon - Mage Wars 02 - The White Gryphon" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lackey Mercedes)

year from the time he began before one was courageous enough to report him to me. Even the other
kestra'chern were fooled by him. They couldn't tell what he was doing behind his doors. But I knowтАФI
have felt what his client felt."

Skan's beak dropped open a little. "What is this man?" the gryphon asked, astonished. "Some sort
ofтАФofтАФevil Empath?"
"He might be, Skan, I don't know," Amberdrake replied honestly. "All I know is that the person
who came to me needed considerable help in recovering from the damage that had been done, and that
there are more people who are more damaged yet who have not complained." Amberdrake had been
very careful not even to specify the client's sex; while the victim had not asked for anonymity,
Amberdrake felt it was only fair and decent to grant it. He spent several long and uncomfortable
moments detailing exactly what had been done to that victim, while the others listened in silence. When he
had finishedтАФas he had expectedтАФall three of them were unanimous in their condemnation of the ersatz
kestra'chern.
"Who is he?" Judeth asked, her voice a low growl as she reached for pen and paper to make out the
arrest warrant.
Amberdrake sighed and closed his eyes. He had hoped in a way that once the charges had been laid
and the Council decision arrived at, he would feel better. But he didn't; he only felt as if he had uncovered
the top of something noisome and unpleasant, and that there was going to be more to face before the
mess was cleaned up.
"Hadanelith," he said softly, as Judeth waited, hand poised over the paper.
She wrote down the name.
"Hadanelith," she repeated as she sealed the order with her signet ring. "Can I deal with him now, or
is there something else you want to do with him first?"
"Now," Amberdrake said quickly, with a shudder. "Arrest him now. He's done enough damage. I
don't want him to have a chance to do any more."
"Right." Judeth stood up. "Skan, would you have Kechara call Aubri, Tylar, Retham, and Vetch,
and have them double-time it over here to meet Amberdrake and me?" She handed the arrest warrant to
Amberdrake, who took it, trying not to show his reluctance. "I'll be going with you to take this Hadanelith
down. This could look badтАФI am considered to be the military leader here. A military leader arresting a
putative kestra'chern under any circumstances will cause some discontent. Still, I don't want to be seen as
being above getting my hands dirty or unfit for service with the other Silvers. And I definitely do not want
someone like that loose to deal with later. Hate to saddle you with this, Drake, butтАФ"
"But I'm the one bringing the charges, so I had better be there. It's my job, Judeth," he replied as he
wrung the warrant loosely in his hands. "Though it's times like these when I wish I was just a simple
kestra'chern."
Judeth snorted and gave him a sideways look. "Drake," she said only, "you were never a simple
kestra'chern."
"I suppose I wasn't," he murmured as she, Snowstar, and Skan left the table and the Council Hall.

Hadanelith whittled another few strokes at the wooden bit before setting it down. After some more
cutting and roundingтАФnot too much rounding, though, it needed to remain a challenge for the client,
right?тАФhe'd add the pilot holes for the wooden pegs and straps later. Carving wood was so much like
what he did for a living with his clients, it was natural that he would be excellent at it. He could grasp the
roughness, grip it firmly, and then cut away at every part that didn't look like the shape he had in mind.
Telica, here, was one of his works. A slice here, a chunk taken off there, and before long she'd be
another near perfect item. Her mind was his latest work. She was nude, kneeling on the floor, held in
place by several lengths of thread binding her neck to her wrists, her wrists to her ankles. The thread was
completely normal in composition, which was what made it so amusing to him.
Virtually any effort at all would have snapped them, without leaving so much as a welt; no, the real