Page 12 of A Trade of Blood

“No, ma’am.”

“Though you saw no injuries or bruising to her throat that could have silenced her.”

“No, ma’am.”

“And you see no sign of violence in the room, nor any sign that Zansay herself fought back while this was done to her? Despite these wounds being, well—agonizing to suffer, I am sure.”

“No, ma’am.”

“Hm. You mentioned there is a queer staining to her left hand and left knee—both bear distinct blotches of blood?”

“Yes. As if she pressed them against the bloody floor.”

“And the knife sheath—you found it inZansay’sbag?”

“True. It is the only bag in the room, but—it is curious.”

She sucked her teeth. “And I note that Burilis Burav claimedrepeatedlythat this was a very straightforward case, and we did not need to investigate at all.”

“Yes, ma’am. I can confirm that.”

“AndMaster Burav demanded we give him her body as swiftly as possible. A bit odd, yes?”

“I…ah, suppose so?”

“Hm! My, my…” she said, smiling. “Well! What do you think the odds are that our labors here will achieve our goal of preventing a gentry war, Din? For I myself am suddenly pessimistic! If we do not condemn Castus speedily, we will surely have a bloody mess on our hands—or, rather, one bigger than what’s before us.”

“Can’t say, ma’am,” I said. “But…surely they won’t actually go to war, ma’am?”

“Apparently I have a blind inspector!” said Ana. “Didn’t youseeall those fellows with lances just now, boy?”

“Yes, but—while I understand the Buravs and Armentas are competitors…I struggle to imagine people killing each other over cows.”

She laughed gaily. “Oh, no, Din, not just overcows.This is aboutland! And, specifically, how the Empire is running out of it.”

I considered this. “Last time I glanced at a map, ma’am, the Empire seemed quite spacious…”

“Oh, true, true, true! And we use everyinchof it. We have stolen secrets from the bloods of the titans and taught all of nature to grow and warp and shift at our pleasing. But that requires reagents, and fertilizer, and more. In other words, it takesland,child. But an urhosi cow takes a great deal of very valuable land to grow. Not just for pasture, but for feed. I mean, have you seen the damned things? They’re fucking enormous. The Empire has come todearlylove the taste ofbeef flesh and forever demands more of it. But all the easy lands have been claimed, and now the cattle families can only expand by seizing land from one another, by coin or sword. It has all become a tremendously delicate situation.”

“I suppose we can’t just tell our citizens to dine on something besides cow flesh.”

She laughed gaily again. “Oh, no. Try that and you’d have riots! The poor so love the taste of flesh, for it makes them feel wealthy, and the wealthy can’t imagine a life without it. And with such social unrest…”

“We wouldn’t be able to hold back the leviathans,” I finished, sighing.

“Just so. Strife of all colors is to be avoided in the grand and holy Empire of Khanum. And thus the price of a luxury, and all the land it thrives upon, becomes so very critical—as does this girl’s death. Just as the innkeeper said, if the Armentas and the Buravs go to war, all could unravel! Now, give me a moment to consider everything you told me…”

She bowed her head and began rocking back and forth and muttering. I glanced about but could find nowhere to sit that was not bloodied—or, in the case of the bed, still damp with the residue of coupling.

Again, I felt an impulse manifest in my mind, and a burst of wordless whispering in my thoughts. It was like a ghostly presence within me, reacting to the sight of the room.

I grimaced. I did not wish to do this—discussing my personal affairs with Ana was something I always strictly avoided—but I found myself desiring guidance.

“One…one other curious thing, ma’am…” I began.

“Eh?” she snapped. “What? I am thinking!”

“My, ah—my mind has been doing something very odd.”