Page 25 of A Drop of Corruption

There was a tense silence. Then Kardas smiled broadly and laughed, so much so I was nearly bowled over by his charisma: an emitias indeed, then.

How strange, I thought: emitiasi were broadly distrusted among other imperials, given their skills for manipulation, and were not often appointed to positions of high leadership.

“True enough!” Kardas said, laughing. “I am as you say. But those of my commanding rank do not often reflect their Sublime status. We tend to dispense with such formalities.”

“And you’d be doubly inclined to do so when serving as a diplomat,” said Ana, grinning, “as you’re likely capable of reading much in any human reaction! Not something you’d wish to remind the king of Yarrow of, true?”

Another charming laugh, though this one was slightly nervous. “Yes, perhaps so. You seem quite shrewd, Immunis. I am now more assured that this awful matter with poor Sujedo shall be resolved quickly!”

“Let us hope,” said Ana. “Now—to questions, sir?”

—

“To begin with,”Ana said, “what might be the subject of your disagreement with the king of Yarrow?”

“Ohh, a very familiar one,” Kardas said, sighing. “The disagreement here is the same as it always is with the great and the wealthy. It istaxes.Within less than a decade, the realm of Yarrow shall become a full imperial canton. Its people shall gain the right to vote for Imperial senators, and the protection of the Legion—yet they shall also have to pay Imperial tax. My delegation’s task is to audit, review, and assess the value of all economic activity in Yarrow before that handover occurs, to ensure a smooth transition. The king, however, is also thelargestlandholder in all of Yarrow. Thus, he will be subject to the greatest tax.”

“Ahh,” Ana said. “Yes, that would definitely put him in a snit, I should expect.”

“Correct,” sighed Kardas. “The king is proving to be a master of evasion, if not outright punishment! For a good time we made progress, meeting during the first week of the month for the past two or so years. Yet in the most recent months, it has all stalled out. I am forced now to pursue him, like a spurned lover. Yet I have only been appointed as lead of the delegation in the past year. Signum Gorthaus has served here throughout.” He gestured at the signum behind him, who gave us a tired smile.

“All other officers serving on the delegation are axioms, I take it?” asked Ana.

“Correct, it being Treasury work,” he said. “Though I now admit, I do worry that such a nature might make my officers easy prey.”

“Prey?” asked Ana.

“Well, we are in treacherous environs, Immunis,” said Kardas. “To see dishonesty in another’s bearing requires some perceptiveness for ordinary people, but even more for a Treasury axiom.”

Ana paused. “When you say ‘treacherous environs,’ sir,” she said, “how treacherous might you mean?”

“Well—we have already been the subject of one attack,” said Kardas. “Another does not seemunlikely.”

“Are you suggesting, sir, that Sujedo’s death might have been anassassination? Perhaps by King Lalaca, or his agents?”

“I do not know. But I know the king disdains our task here. Violently so.”

“Would killing Sujedo disrupt or damage or delay that task?” asked Ana.

“Disrupt? Perhaps. But it would not delay or end it. If the king wished that, well…I would be a much better target rather than Sujedo, yes?” A watery smile crossed his face. “Yet still I live. So far.”

—

We then askedKardas the usual questions: what was seen, what was heard, and what any of his delegation knew. As Malo had suggested, Kardas and his people knew nothing.

“We did not see him,” he admitted. “Immunis Sujedo arrived very late, then sent us a note saying he was ill and would visit us in the morning. Then he was simply gone, his bed horribly bloodied, and no one could give us any answers. Nor could they find any sign of him at all, for days!”

“Besides Sujedo’s disappearance, did any of that behavior seem strange at all, sir?” asked Ana.

“Possibly,” said Kardas. “None of the rest of my delegation fell ill. But Sujedo was, ah…a veryinnerring sort of person.”

“Meaning…”

“Meaning,” drawled Malo, “the fellow was softer than a jellied egg.”

Kardas shot her a look. “True enough, yes. He was exceptionally skilled at managing ledgers, but he was not, I should say, robust. A trip of that sort likely wearied him.”

“But you knew him personally, sir?” said Ana.