Page 85 of The Tainted Cup

With one last glare, Vashta turned, flung open the door, charged through, and slammed it behind her.

—

“WELL, DIN,” SAIDAna with a sigh, “I must admit, this…is not going well.”

“Agreed, ma’am,” I said.

“No doubt you would have counseled me to keep my mouth shut.”

“Very true, ma’am.”

“But I couldn’t bear it. I simply could not bear the absurd amount of bullshit being poured at our feet.”

My eyes fluttered as I recalled Fayazi’s story. “Her explanation seems…at least somewhat plausible, yes?”

Ana’s face slowly swiveled to me, her mouth open in outrage. “Did you catch a fucking blow to the head during your murderous scuffle, boy? If your father’s chest suddenly explodes with greenery, you get up and run screaming for help! What you don’t do is sit in total silence—unless,of course, you’rehopingnobody notices your father’s dead, because if they do, then people are going to start wondering why he died the exact same way as this other dumb bastard the next canton over! No doubt she hoped we’d never track the poisoning to her home. But then we did, and someone on the investigation must have just happened to mention to a friend, ‘Fucking hell, chum, d’you know I almostdiedat this Haza party?’ Then word got back to the Hazas, and that tipped them off that we knew the poisoning had taken place in their damned house. And if you can’t evade an investigation, you instead work to influence it. And here we are. The noble, famous gentryclan of the Hazas comes clean—but only to muddy the waters.”

“What happens now, ma’am?” I asked.

“No idea. None at fucking all. But I do feel somewhat satisfied. After all, I predicted another murder had occurred before we came here. Don’t you recall, engraver?”

My eyes fluttered. I recalled that first night here in Talagray, whenAna had said—What if they’ve murdered someone besides Engineers, so no one ever noticed?

“Yes, but…did you predict the murder of a Haza, ma’am?” I said.

“Oh, hell no. I figured it was likely that the poisoner had killed someone that would connect the dead Engineers to Commander Blas. But I didn’t think it would be one of the prime sons of the goddamned Haza clan!”

I shot her a glare. “Why not? You knewwherethe poisoning had taken place, after all. You knew from the start.”

“Ohh,” she said. “So. You’ve noticed.”

“I have, ma’am.”

She sighed and flopped down on the floor. “I wouldn’t say Iknewwhere the Engineers had been poisoned, Din. I would say I simply possessed a high degree of certainty that this would all eventually lead back to the Hazas. If you want to figure out where everyone got fleas, look no further than the biggest pack of wild cats. Even if they do prowl behind high walls and fancy gates.”

I cocked my head, listening. I could hear a little discussion in the chambers beyond. It sounded like Vashta had negotiated things into a better position.

“What do you know about Kaygi Haza, ma’am?” I asked.

“Much,” she said. “Maybe too much. I know he was third in line to inherit the whole of the clan. A prime son of the lineage. Besides that, there is—was?—little that made him different from the rest of his greasy brood. He was wealthy, conniving, ambitious, and influential. Andold.Like a lot of the Hazas, he had access to someverypricey vitality suffusions—I think the man must have been about a hundred and thirty when he died. Even Fayazi’s partaken, I believe. She should be about sixty, by my reckoning.”

“That girl in there issixty years old?”

“Girl…Ha! I take it you were smitten by her. Not surprising. Every bit of the woman is altered, and rumor has it some Hazas sport pheromonal grafts—not as advanced as a court plaizaier’s, of course, but just below the legal threshold. The scent of the Hazas entrancesthe minds of those close by, ever so slightly. When Fayazi walks into a room you can practically hear the crinkling of pants as all the pricks stiffen. I’m surprised she’s even the one here, actually. She’s the daughter of the third son of the lineage—not exactly a position of power within their noxious clan, so to speak…Yet now we’ll have to work with her to learn why Jolgalgan went to the trouble of killing her father, along with ten Engineers whom she claims weren’t there at all!” She snorted. “It will not be easy. If it is Jolgalgan, she does not join exclusive company. The number of people holding a grudge against the Hazas is beyond count.”

“Might you also count among that company, ma’am?” I asked.

She raised her eyebrows at me behind her blindfold. “My, my. That’s rather insolent of you, isn’t it?”

“I would simply note, ma’am, that Vashta just referenced your old grudges with them.”

“A rumor,” she said dismissively.

“And you also once said of the Hazas—I wouldn’t mind seeing all their progeny rotting in the ground like a bunch of fucking dead dogs.Which is, I feel, mostly how one talks of one’s enemies.”

“Oh, yes, well,” she said, sighing. “This is why people are so loath to talk before an engraver…They never forget a fucking thing you say! One day, Din, when this is all over, I shall tell you many truths, and tales of all that occurred between myself and the Haza clan in the inner rings of the Empire. I’ve no doubt you’ve caught rumors of it…But today is not the day for my stories.”

I glowered at her for a moment. Then I had an idea.