The Ambassador's Mission: Book One of th - By Trudi Canavan Page 0,3

ruins. The statue was carved of black stone veined with grey and white. It was of a cloaked man, facing east but looking north. Drawing near, Cery realised there was something familiar about it.

It’s supposed to be Akkarin, he recognised with a shock. Facing the Guild but looking toward Sachaka. Moving closer he examined the face. Not a good likeness, though.

Gol made a low noise of warning and Cery’s attention immediately snapped back to his surroundings. A man was walking toward them, and another was trailing behind.

Is this Skellin? He is definitely foreign. But this man was not from any race that Cery had encountered. The stranger’s face was long and slim, his cheek bones and chin narrowing to a point. This made his surprisingly curvaceous mouth appear to be too large for his face. But his eyes and angular brows were in proportion – almost beautiful. His skin was darker than the typical Elyne or Sachakan colouring, but rather than the blue-black of a typical Lonmar it had a reddish tinge. His hair was a far darker shade of red than the vibrant tones common among the Elynes.

He looks like he’s fallen into a pot of dye, and it hasn’t quite washed out yet, Cery mused. I’d say he is about twenty-five.

“Welcome to my home, Cery of Northside,” the man said, with no trace of a foreign accent. “I am Skellin. Skellin the Thief or Skellin the Dirty Foreigner depending on who you talk to and how intoxicated they are.”

Cery wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Which would you rather I call you?”

Skellin’s smile broadened. “Skellin will do. I am not fond of fancy titles.” His gaze shifted to Gol.

“My bodyguard,” Cery explained.

Skellin nodded once at Gol in acknowledgement, then turned back to Cery. “May we talk privately?”

“Of course,” Cery replied. He nodded at Gol, who retreated out of earshot. Skellin’s companion also retreated.

The other Thief moved to one of the low walls of the ruin and sat down. “It is a shame the Thieves of this city don’t meet and work together any more,” he said. “Like in the old days.” He looked at Cery. “You knew the old traditions and followed the old rules once. Do you miss them?”

Cery shrugged. “Change goes on all the time. You lose something and you gain something else.”

One of Skellin’s elegant eyebrows rose. “Do the gains outweigh the losses?”

“More for some than others. I’ve not had much profit from the split, but I still have a few understandings with other Thieves.”

“That is good to hear. Do you think there is a chance we might come to an understanding?”

“There’s always a chance.” Cery smiled. “It depends on what you’re suggesting we understand.”

Skellin nodded. “Of course.” He paused and his expression grew serious. “There are two offers I’d like to make to you. The first is one I’ve made to several other Thieves, and they have all agreed to it.”

Cery felt a thrill of interest. All of them? But then, he doesn’t say how many “several” is.

“You have heard of the Thief Hunter?” Skellin asked.

“Who hasn’t?”

“I believe he is real.”

“One person killed all those Thieves?” Cery raised his eyebrows, not bothering to conceal his disbelief.

“Yes,” Skellin said firmly, holding Cery’s gaze. “If you ask around – ask the people who saw something – there are similarities in the murders.”

I’ll have to have Gol look into it again, Cery mused. Then a possibility occurred to him. I hope Skellin doesn’t think that my helping High Lord Akkarin to find the Sachakan spies back before the Ichani Invasion means I can find this Thief Hunter for him. They were easy to spot, once you knew what to look for. The Thief Hunter is something else.

“So … what you want to do about him?”

“I’d like your agreement that if you hear anything about the Thief Hunter you will tell me. I understand that many Thieves aren’t talking to each other, so I offer myself as a recipient of information about the Thief Hunter instead. Perhaps, with everyone’s cooperation, I’ll get rid of him for you all. Or, at the least, be able to warn anyone if they are going to be attacked.”

Cery smiled. “That last bit is a touch optimistic.”

Skellin shrugged. “Yes, there is always the chance a Thief won’t pass on a warning if he knows the Thief Hunter is going to kill a rival. But remember that every Thief removed is one less source of information that could lead to us getting rid