"Anne Logston - Shadow 03 - Shadow Dance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Logston Anne)

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Shadow Dance by Anne
Logston
ONE
The guards eyed Shadow with suspicion tinged with some surprise:
first, that Shadow arrived openly at the palace at the front door; second,
that she had two Guild members in tow, both carrying apparently heavy
sacks; and third, that she came in style, dressed in rich green and amber
silks as befitted an elvan Matriarch and Guildmistress of the Guild of
Thieves, and riding in a hired carriage. This amazing occurrence so
stunned them that the Palace Guard did not bother to question her, but
admitted the party with wide eyes and muffled whispers.

Shadow stifled a chuckle, but her entrance was not to be utterly
mysterious and dignified; rounding a corner, she collided squarely with
Donya. Moreover, as the Heir was dressed in full regalia, including her
surcoat and "official" armor, the collision proved almost as damaging to
Shadow's nose as it was to her dignity.

"Ooof!" Shadow grunted, rubbing the offended feature. "More shame to
me, if I can't hear you coming dressed in enough metal to plate the
Guildhouse floor."

"Shady!" Donya exclaimed, her expression flickering through surprise,
pleasure, puzzlement, and finally concern. "What are you doing here? And
dressed like that? Is something wrong?"

"No, something's right, and for once I wasn't even here specifically to
see you." Shadow laughed. "Can't you tell, since I came in the front door?
No, tag along, if you have time. This is a momentous occasion."
 Donya frowned dubiously and glanced down the corridor, but she fell in
beside Shadow as the group walked to the City Tax Collector's office. That
small, plump official and his three assistants looked every bit as puzzled as
Donya by this invasion, and Shadow amusedly imagined that their
worried expressions were probably due to the presence of three thieves,
including the Guildmistress, in the receiving room of the city treasury!

"There you are!" Shadow said with satisfaction as her two companions
dropped the heavy bags onto the Collector's desk.

"Guildmistress?" the man asked confusedly, glancing from the bags to
Shadow and back again.