“Perhaps,” said Shari Frieden. “But you’ll find it’s not much comfort when you’re being marched into a judiciary!”

Keeping her gaze on Bellamie Ranowen, Venette snapped at Sallis’s tedious echo. “Shari, don’t be a jigget. I doubt Mage Ranowen is the only one here who’s feeling hysterical. Mage Ranowen, never mind what you’re calling this perfidious substance. Can you tell us what it is? Can you tell us where it comes from? To the best of this Council’s knowledge, it has never been encountered before.”

“Nor to the best of my knowledge, Lady Martain,” said Bellamie Ranowen. “There is no record of it in the College’s library or archives. And none of my colleagues can—”

“Your colleagues?” Brice drummed his fingers to the table. “Do you tell us you have discussed your investigation of this new strife with other mages at the College? When you were expressly forbidden to—”

“I’m sorry, my lord, but given that not an hour ago I, and a number of other mages, witnessed a manifestation of mage-mist in the College’s main quadrangle, I’m sure you’ll agree that some discussion of the event was impossible to avoid!”

Silence in the chamber, as Bellamie Ranowen’s heated words sank in.

“It manifested in the College?” Sallis said at last, fingers laced tightly before him. “You’re quite certain?”

Bellamie Ranowen looked at him, then turned to Brice. “Lord Varen, since clearly I do not enjoy this Council’s confidence, perhaps it would be best for all of us if you found another—”

“No,” said Brice. “Your competence is not in doubt. But so we might be sure we are proceeding in the right direction, be so kind as to explain why you’re convinced that what you saw in the College was, indeed, this mage-mist. Given that by the time you arrived at the location of the other manifestations, the phenomenon had dissipated.”

“The phenomenon, yes,” said Bellamie Ranowen, unmollified. “But not its effects. There was the same charring of foliage and grass. The same damage to structures and unravelling of magework.”

“Was anyone injured?”

“No, my lord. Not this time. Fortunately it manifested when the quadrangle was empty. But there is no doubt this was mage-mist. What we saw matches what others saw in the Third, Fourth and Seventh districts.”

“Which brings us back to our reason for asking you here this morning,” said Venette. “With your preliminary investigation of those manifestations completed, what conclusions have you drawn?”

“Conclusions? None,” said Bellamie Ranowen. “I have a tentative theory. I have some suggestions. I have no definitive answers.” She shrugged. “I’m sorry.”

Sallis turned to Brice. “Now will you agree that we should be seeking advice from a more competent mage?”