The Element of Fire, page 117 by Martha Wells
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homas smiled to himself. He's also not as drunk as he's pretending. "Where's Lestrac?" Thomas asked the group in general.
"He's about somewhere," answered the second son of the Count of Belennier, who seemed to have elected himself the spokesman. "You'll pay for this, forcing your way into a gentleman's house--"
"I'll discuss that with the gentleman in question."
"Well, he's about somewhere." The young man stared around blearily, as if expecting Lestrac to suddenly appear.
"How long have you been here?"
"Oh, all day." Recalling he was outraged, he protested, "And you've no right to question us, if it's Lestrac you're after."
And he's about somewhere. That would be all Thomas could get out of them until he actually produced Lestrac, but the chances were they hadn't been here yesterday when Gambin had visited the house. At least, if Lestrac had any sense at all they wouldn't have been here.
"Don't let them talk to each other," Thomas told the guard with the pistol, and moved on after the others.
They went from one well-appointed room to another and up the central staircase to the third floor, the guards spreading out to search more thoroughly as Kade flitted before them checking for magical traps.
After a short while, it became apparent that the only inhabitants were those they had already discovered and that Lord Lestrac was nowhere to be found. Thomas and Castero met back in a central parlor on the second floor.
"He must be on the run, Captain." The young guard absently kicked a chair.
"Unfortunately." Thomas looked around, one eyebrow lifted in an ironic appraisal of the empty room. It seemed clear. Lestrac had used Gambin in a minor plot against Thomas. When it failed to have the expected result, Lestrac had panicked, used magic to dispose of Gambin, and fled. "How very neat and tidy." The other guests had been herded into the next salon under guard. A few had families influential enough that they would have to be rel