Page 105 of The Tainted Cup

“I didn’t,” I said. “I reviewed all the scribe-hawks of the Hazas, trying to see which locations they were in communication with—as well as which locations had recently sent a message, or received one.”

Miljin stared in astonishment, then cackled. “By hell! Finding out which places the Hazas were watching andlisteningto? That’s a damn coup, that is!”

Yet Ana cocked her head, sensing the hesitation in my words. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem,” I said slowly, “is that the locations were all written in Sazi.”

“Sazi?” said Ana, surprised. Then she sat back, jaw set. “Ah…”

“Ah?” said Miljin, puzzled. “Why ah?”

Ana was silent for a moment. “Sazi, Captain,” she finally explained, “is one of the trickiest languages to learn—especially in writing. I am Sazi myself, and know the tongue and the letters. But besides Sublime linguas, I’ve never known a soul who’s managed the feat.”

“But…but if you’re Sazi, ma’am,” said Miljin, “and if Kol here’s an engraver, he can just write the letters out for you to read and translate, yes?”

A heavy silence hung in the air.

I watched Ana anxiously. Her blindfolded face had gone inscrutable, but her posture was tense, like a cat about to spring.

“I mean—right?” said Miljin again.

“Captain,” she said suddenly. “Please give me a moment with Din alone.”

Again, Miljin’s brows furrowed, and he glanced at me. But he nodded, stood, and left.

—

ANA WAITED UNTILher door clicked shut.

“So.” She turned to me. “What’d you get?”

“S-sorry, ma’am?” I said, surprised.

“What did you get, Din?” she demanded. “I know you came away withsomething.I can hear it in your voice. So—what?”

I thought for a moment, took a breath, and said, “I, ah, found four messages sent to four different locations, and one received, ma’am.”

“And?”

“And…I struggled with the Sazi, as you suggested, ma’am.” I fought to keep my voice from shaking. “So rather than try to memorize the letters or say them aloud, I…I traced them with my finger, and tried to memorize the movements to hopefully re-create them here for you.”

There was a long, awkward silence. I waited. Any moment now, I knew, Ana would demand to know the reason for this bizarre choice; and then she’d come to know of my afflictions with text, learn of all the work I’d done to hide this secret, and have me discharged from the Iyalet and sent home without a talint in my pocket.

But instead, Ana cheerily said, “Oh! Well. That should do perfectly, yes?”

I blinked. “P-pardon, ma’am?”

“Memorizing the movements should do very well,” she said. She took off her blindfold and began puttering around the room, sifting through parchments. “We just need an ink vial and some papers. Should be simple.”

I felt myself blushing. “But…ma’am. I am unsure if I’ll be able to write what I trace—”

“Yes, but you’re not going towriteit, boy. I mean, you didn’t write it back there, did you? We just need to duplicate your movementsexactly.You traced them with your finger, and that is what we shall do again.”

She set a sheet of parchment on the table, then opened an inkpot and placed it before me. “Now. Just dip your finger in there, Din—just a bit—and sniff your vial, shut your eyes, and move your finger as you did back in the rookery. Let us see what your movements re-create.”

I stayed still, unable to quite comprehend what was going on. Did she really have no questions for me? Did she not find my inability suspicious?

Then she snapped, “Now, Din!Now!I’ve not got all night! Put your damned finger in the damned ink, child!”