Page 84 of The Tainted Cup

“Then perhaps you can tell me, madam,” said Ana, “why several of those Engineers possessed reagents keys to your gates?”

Fayazi was appalled. “I’ve no idea! I…I would assume they were stolen. Have you investigated these Engineers? Is it possible it wastheywho snuck in during the night, and killed my father?”

A long silence stretched on, Ana’s blindfolded face fixed in an expression of grim frustration, while Fayazi insipidly stared back.

“So,” said Ana. “Just to summarize, here—your position is that you were utterly ignorant of Commander Blas’s death at one of your properties, so when your father also died of this horrifying contagion, you had no idea that this was the second murder of this sort. You then burned his body and put the whole of your estate into containment, and due to this and the chaos of the breach, you abstained from notifyinganyimperial officials of your father’s suspicious death—until now. Nor do you know anything about the Engineers who were likely poisoned at your estate on that very same night, or how they happened to come into possession of reagents keys allowing them access to your properties. Is that the sum of it?”

The two Sublimes stared at Ana coldly. Fayazi’s face worked as she tried to process all this. “I…believe that is all correct.”

“I see!” said Ana, nodding. “I just have one more question.”

“Of course.”

“What color was the clay?”

Fayazi blinked, confused. “Clay? What clay?”

“The clay you must have stuck in your eyes and ears,” said Ana, grinning, “to remain so amazingly fucking ignorant of everything about you.”

Fayazi’s eyes widened very slightly, but otherwise she did not react.

Vashta jumped to her feet. “Immunis!” she bellowed.

“Yes, ma’am?” said Ana politely.

“In there!” snapped Vashta. She pointed at the door to the arbiter’s chambers. “Now!”

“Of course, ma’am.”

She gripped my arm, and we stood.

—

ONCE THE DOORwas shut, Vashta let Ana have it. Her lungs were in fine form, and she seemed to have both an enthusiasm and talent for bellowing. I had no doubt that one reason she was being so loud was that she wanted Fayazi to hear the dressing-down that Ana was getting.

Finally, she began to finish: “Was I not clear, Immunis, that all of Talagraydependsupon those people?” she said. “That we need them about as much as they need us?”

“You were,” said Ana. “But she is lying, ma’am. Obviously so. Blatantly so.Preposterouslyso! And when someone lies to the Iudex, they get looked at.”

Vashta fumed for a moment, thinking about this. “Do you believe, Immunis, that Fayazi Haza killed her father, and Blas, and those Engineers?”

“I…think that unlikely, ma’am,” admitted Ana.

“And you still think this Jolgalgan is the more likely perpetrator?”

“At the moment, yes, ma’am.”

“But to prove any of this, we would need to gain access to the Haza estate to see if Jolgalgan has been present, and in hopes that there is something there that could indicate her current whereabouts. Yes?”

Ana said nothing.

“I do not know why Fayazi is lying,” said Vashta. “I do not know her business whatsoever. But I do know that there is someone out there who has killed many Engineers and imperiled all of Talagray, and they could do more damage yet. Finding them is the priority. Not digging up any of your grudges with old enemies!”

Still Ana said nothing.

“You both stay here,” said Vashta, “while I try to salvage the situation out there, and engineer a way for you to continue your investigation!”

“Understood, ma’am,” said Ana.