Page 71 of A Drop of Corruption

“Fucking hell,” Ana snapped. “I assume you have both shaken your heads? Have you forgotten I am blindfolded? I cannot knoweverything!”

“We don’t know it, ma’am,” I said.

“Pity…” Ana said. “Few read the old imperial doctrines these days. The words are from a celebrated quote, from the letters of Emperor Daavir, sent to his captains during his long march to the sea along the Titan’s Path. The full passage is famous but rather lengthy. I believe it goes…” She cleared her throat. “We fear the elements, and plague, and the wrath of the leviathans. Yet if we are to see clear-eyed, we would admit that the will of men is as unforgiving as these. How many chieftains and champions have wrought just as much sorrow as the wet seasons? We must govern thoughtfully, then, and manage such passions wisely—for if these folk have their way, we shall return to nature primordial, and be as beasts, and all the world a savage garden, mindless and raging.” She sniffed. “Emperor Daavir really never was one for brevity in his youth.”

My skin crawled as I contemplated the quote. “Why would he leave such words for us?” I whispered.

“I am unsure, but a logic begins to emerge,” said Ana. “The first quote we found included an inversion of the imperial creed—Iam the Empire—taken from a quote where the emperor worried his realm would grow selfish and unjust, and fall. And this one is an inversion of the emperor’s vision—for Daavir feared the will of cruel men making all the world a savage garden. And yet, what did you two witness out in that jungle?”

Malo and I exchanged a dread-filled glance.

“A piece of the world gone mad,” I said. “A savage garden.”

“Exactly,” Ana said. “My feeling is that this man suggests he has rather unpleasant feelings about the Empire’s presence here! He feels the Empire’s rule is selfish and unjust, and wishes to unravel it. And yet, if he does feel this way…why kill smugglers? Why kill Yarrow folk who are, if anything,fightingthe Empire, in their own circumspect fashion? I confess, it makes no sense.”

“But you know who the killer is,” I said, leaning forward. “Or were you lying, ma’am?”

“I was not lying!” Ana said, stung. “Or, not this time, at least.”

“Well, surely his identity could reveal his intentions?”

“No,” said Ana. “Not yet. For though I have found his likely name, I still know very little about the man himself. I was rather hoping that your testimony could give me some insight into Thelenai and Ghrelin…for I amsurethat this man is tied up with them somehow. They are doing something, something hidden, something they wish to protect…perhaps something concerning this marrow our killer mentioned in his first note.”

A sour pang of nausea rumbled through me. “The leviathan’s marrow,” I said quietly. “And the Shroud.”

Malo made a gesture, beseeching the aid of some spirit.

“We questioned Thelenai and her people on this the last time we spoke,” said Ana, “yet they did not react, because theyexpectedus to mention it. That means something, but I do not know what. We have so little damned material to extrapolate from!”

Malo perked up. “I hear footsteps,” she said.

Ana’s blindfolded face snapped to me. “Din! The code you saw—did you describe it to Thelenai?”

“No, ma’am. We did not get to that.”

“So she doesn’t know about it yet. Can you copy it down?”

“It’s not letters, ma’am, but simple symbols,” I said. “So it should be easy for me to write.”

Malo frowned. “What would you writing letters have to do with anythi—”

“We don’t have time to fucking explain!” snapped Ana, waving frantically at her. “Get an ashpen from over there, boy, and copy it down as quick as you can!”

I snatched up one of her parchments, flipping it over and scrawling out the first twelve symbols I’d seen, carefully completing each stroke. Then Ana took it and stuffed it in her pocket.

“Good,” she muttered. “It is not much leverage, but it is better than none.”

“Do you understand what it means, ma’am?” I asked.

“I understand fuck-all about it!” she said. “But I suspect Ghrelin and Thelenai will not love that we have it! Perhaps enough to tell us the tru—”

“They are here,” said Malo.

The doors swung open.

Chapter 27

Thelenai and Ghrelin walked tothe end of the table and sat. Both of them appeared terribly shaken, but only Thelenai attempted to conceal it. Ghrelin, however, looked wan and frail, and indeed even more exhausted than last I’d seen him, and his face bore more powders and paints than before: a tragic creature, perhaps, determined to maintain himself even as he fell to pieces. I felt a brief, powerful desire to offer him protection.