Page 130 of The Tainted Cup

“What’s going on, ma’am?” I asked. “Why kill Nusis?”

She said softly, “Take me back to the Iudex tower, Din. Now. Quickly.”

—

WE CROSSED THEcity together, the moon pale and sickly above us, the city full dark except for the lamp of the Legionnaire accompanying us several span ahead.

“What do you think happened back there, ma’am?” I asked.

“Evil,” whispered Ana, “and trickery. I think the twitch came looking to steal the reagents key you found in Aristan’s safe house. Yet they were in for a surprise…for after killing Nusis, they found thatthe key hadalready beenstolen, with another key left behind—a fake. The one you just handled.”

“What?” I said, stunned. “You think tha—”

“Keep your voice down!” she hissed. “It’s now clear that there are many spies among the Iyalets here! I cannot give the game away just yet.”

I whispered, “Do…do you really think so, ma’am? That there’s a…what, a thief about?”

“I do. Someone must have learned what Nusis had in her safe, snuck in, opened her safe, and took it, leaving another key in its place. Then the twitch came, forced Nusis to open her safe, then killed her…yet when they seized their treasure, they realized it wasn’t theright key.Someone had beaten them to it. The twitch then understood they were in a tricky spot—robbed of their prize, and now fearful we might now realize the true nature of the thing they sought. So they carefully shut the door and wiped it with alcohol, removing any blood, hoping we might not deduce what could have been worth murdering and robbing poor Nusis over.”

I tried to think through this, my mind spinning. “What makes you so sure the twitch themselves didn’t leave that key as a fake?”

“Because they went to the trouble of cleaning both the exteriorandinterior of the safeafterthey killed Nusis. The twitch is methodical, and careful—they don’t normally make mistakes that require cleaning. So…why would someone so careful manipulate and clean a safeafterthey’ve already robbed it? Why create this mess for themselves? The easiest answer is that they did not get what they sought and wished to hide that they’d ever sought it at all.”

“But…why would the Hazas risk so much over a reagents key, ma’am? And why would someone bother stealing it first?”

“Well, that assumes that the key you originally found actuallywasa reagents key,” she said. “And I’m now convinced that it wasn’t! I think it was something else entirely…Nusis herself was even puzzled by it. We asked her to identify what kind of key it was, and none of her tests could tell her—because it wasn’t a key at all, you see.”

“Then what was it?”

“The missing third you overheard Fayazi Haza discussing!” said Ana. “Something terribly important. The heart of all the sin that hangs over this canton, and perhaps the whole of the Empire. Now—get me to Vashta, quickly. For I know what we must do.”

“And what’s that?”

“Tell her that someone is going to try to kill Fayazi Haza,” said Ana simply.

—

“A…ATHREATAGAINSTFayazi Haza’slife?” said Vashta, horrified. “Again? Truly?”

“I’m afraid it is, ma’am,” said Ana. “There is a third assassin, and they struck again tonight. I am convinced that they mean her ill.”

Vashta paced the Iudex tower atrium, her face stricken, her black Legion’s uniform tinkling softly as all her heralds clinked against one another. “And…and this is who killed poor Nusis?”

“I am still unsure of that, ma’am,” said Ana. “But I think I can identify them. To do so, I will need to confer with Madam Haza, along with her engraver—for he has likely engraved many memories that may be useful to us in our search. Can we summon them here, to the Iudex tower, first thing tomorrow? The faster we move, the likelier we can ensure her safety.”

“I…I can, certainly,” said Vashta. “But, Dolabra, this is ill-timed…The leviathan approaches. The canton will likely devolve to chaos as it nears.”

“And that would be the best time for an assassin to strike. We must resolve this quickly. And, if she does agree to come, I would recommend giving Madam Haza the utmost protection. Any Legionnaire you can spare must be present, ma’am, along with Captain Miljin.”

“Of course. Yet is there no more you can tell me? I mean, whoisthis killer? And what is the nature of this threat against Fayazi Haza?”

“I cannot offer you anything of great certainty, ma’am. But Ibelieve her engraver’s testimony can illuminate that. Now, with your leave, ma’am, Din and I must prepare for our interview tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Certainly. Certainly…”

I led Ana up the stairs, the whole of the tower creaking about us in the night wind.

“Just wish to comment, ma’am,” I said, “that, ah, I’ve no idea at all what’s going on anymore.”