Tyroshaun was hard-pressed not to gape openly at her for a moment. He was silent for a good half a minute, just staring at her, and then said in a slightly strangled tone, “Excuse me a moment.� Turning away from her and taking a rather large, fortifying drink of wine, he quickly forced his expression back into impassiveness. Or rather, as near to it as he could manage. And he hoped she wouldn’t say anything like that again, because otherwise he’d lose his self control and start laughing openly.
Even Tyroshaun knew that was a singularly bad idea.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I was… somewhat startled.� He took a deep breath and then glanced at his wine glass, noting with pity that he really should have been more careful about how much he was drinking. Now he’d run out sooner. “A book would have been most instructive, but I suppose I’ll simply have to rely on your excellent memory instead,� he said with a perfectly straight face. He also noted the uncertain look, and was rather satisfied. After all, if she could have even the slightest doubts, it would be something to work from.
Logic. Pure, unadulterated logic was required to fix this situation. The poor girl really had to be relieved of her brainwashed status. After considering for a few moments how to approach the problem, he finally said, “I suppose I’ve seen a mage or two who had no problem killing, but then they were with bandit companies, and rarely even in charge, so I suppose they are an exception. Besides, most bandits see the rest of the world as prey, not simply mages, and those were easily dealt with.� Generally, during his lifetime, by either himself or the duke. And that may not have been the best of starts for his argument, but there was no need to overly antagonize the girl.
After a pause, he added, “Actually, one of the most powerful mages I know is a healer. Delicate work, healing, even with magicâ€"it takes a lot of skill to do it right and without harming either patient or healer in the process.â€? He hesitated again, not sure how to put into easily understandable words what his mother had always told him. “Healing… makes a kind of bond, if you will. While it happens, the healer has to be able to know what’s wrong, how to fix it, and if it’s being fixedâ€"they can feel the injury or illness themselves. I have yet to hear of a healing mage who is strong-willed enough to fight that empathy enough to deliberately harm a person, except in the rare case of self-defence.â€? Or giving mercy, he added silently, but in his eyes that wasn’t harm. Best put a person out of their misery if asked, in his opinion. “Healers tend to be the kindest people, as a result. Not necessarily soft or not temperamental, but kind certainly.â€?
He looked down into his glass again, swirling the wine thoughtfully. “In my experience, mages haven’t been much different from people in general, and certainly the kingdom and certain regions have never suffered from mages governing. Quite the contrary, even.� He smiled very faintly, thinking fondly of Glauster and how it was blossoming again.
