Page 13 of The Tainted Cup

“Is it possible for you to say a sentence,” she said, “that is more than ten words in length, Din?”

I hazarded a glance into her pale yellow gaze and suppressed a smirk. “Could, ma’am,” I said.

“I do so admire,” she said, “how you can be a flippant shit with a mere handful of syllables. Quite a talent.” With a sigh she stood, tottered back to her meeting room, and flopped down in her chair.

I followed, then stood at attention at the doorway. She stared around at the room and all its half-finished projects. A slightly despondent look crept over her face.

“Now that I think about it, Din,” she said, “I just might be going a little fucking mad in here.”

“Very sorry to hear that, ma’am.”

She picked up a small situr harp and absently plucked at it. “Mostly,” she said, “because nothing ever happens in this dull little canton. And the books takesolong to arrive.”

I was now familiar with these moods. First the elation of a new idea, new problem, new toy; and then, having unraveled it, a crushing melancholy. The only thing to do was give her a new one.

“Well, speaking of which, ma’am,” I said, “this morningI—”

“It pains me to say that it’s all far more tolerable when you’re around,” she said. “You’re so grim and soseriousand so dull, Din, that you keep me very grounded.”

“I will attempt to take that as a compliment, ma’am,” I said. “But that’s why I wanted to te—”

“But your position on my standing request,” she said, “is still the same?”

I shot her a stern look. “Could you clarify, ma’am?”

“You know damned well what I mean.” She leaned forward, grinning. “Will you finally buy me some damnedmoodies? I’d stop interrogating people if you did!”

“The purchase of mood-altering grafts is strictly outlawed among officers of the Imperial Iyalets,” I said stolidly. “And I don’t break policy, ma’am. Being as I want to keep my position, you see.”

“Just a few of the psychedelic ones,” she said. “That’d buy me a day away from this boredom.”

“Does the imperial code of conduct apply to the psychedelic mood grafts as well, ma’am? For if so, you already have my answer.”

She squinted at me and plucked a single harsh chord on the situr.

Here it comes,I thought.

“When I performed my duties in theinnerrings of the Empire…” she said.

And there itis.

“…my assistant investigators procuredall kindsof materials and substances for me!” she finished. “Without question!”

“If you’d like to venture outside, ma’am,” I said, “to visit all the graft merchants you’d like, you’re free to do so. I can’t stop you.”

Her glare hardened. “You know that’s not going to happen.”

“I understand. Too much stimulation for you out there, ma’am.”

“Yes,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “Titan’s taint! Of all the Sublimes who could have been my assistant, why did it have to be the one with a forty-span stick up his ass?”

“Well, technically, you selected me from the list of applicants, ma’am.”

“Then I canunselect you and get someone else!”

“That seems unlikely, ma’am,” I said. “Given that you have interrogated sixty-two officers in Daretana, and most everyone in the canton now thinks you’re mad, finding new Sublimes will probably be difficult.”

She cast her situr aside. It tumbled onto the floor with a dulltonk.“Fuck’s sakes.Fuck’ssakes. How I wish I were back in more civilized lands…”