Page 81 of A Drop of Corruption

“Then how was it done, damn it?” fumed Ana.

Malo shrugged. “I cannot say, ma’am.”

Ana furiously muttered for a moment. Then she sniffed and said, “Fine! I shall leave it there. But next, Malo—this coin that Din found.”

Malo sighed softly. “Shall I be your guide on all things Yarrow? Surely Kardas would be a faster hand at this. He has a gift for words beyond all folk I know.”

“Given that Prificto Kardas seems to have achieved absolutely fuckingnothingduring his time here,” Ana said poisonously, “I shall take a muddy warden girl over his expertise any day. So! These coins are passed among the Yarrow folk as some kind of…blessing? A token of respect?”

“Something like that,” Malo grunted. “It is a sign of favor. If a noble does the king of Yarrow a good turn, the king may bless them with a coin. The noble can later give it back to the king to ask a favor, small or large. Or, the noble can grant it to one of the chieftains in service to him, in recognition of their own good works, and they can return it to the noble and make their own request of him—ortheycould pass it on, as well, to their captains or soldiers. And so on, and so on, and down the hill the oaths all tumble…yet they always come back up, to the court or the king.”

Ana frowned, thinking. “Could a peasant or chieftain skip theman above them, and take their favor directly to someone higher—even the king?”

“They…could,” she said reluctantly. “But that is a rare thing. Most folk stay within their place. To go higher risks punishment.”

“Punishment? Are these not tokens of favoritism?”

“Well…the king is obliged to grant any oathcoin boon asked of him, true. But once he has done so, the king may then have the person who asked killed or tortured, if he thinks the demand was too great, or too impertinent.”

“He’d…he’d have themexecuted?” I asked, shocked.

Malo shrugged. “He is king. There is no law saying he cannot do so. Heisthe law, for he is the crown.”

“Ahh.” Ana grinned horribly. “The illusion of shared power, as opposed to the real thing…yes, that’s much more manageable for a tyrant! But would it be safe to assume that such gifts would only circulate among aselectset of people in the Elder West?”

“Very much so. As I said, the coins always come back to court. I doubt if any oathcoin has ever strayed far from the High City. Before this, I had only seen one once in my life, and it was paid for dearly.”

“I see,” said Ana quietly. “Thank you, Malo.” Then she cocked her head and fell silent once more.

“What about the poison, ma’am?” I ventured. “That’s surely what he was making in the cauldron, yes?”

Ana waved at her trunk in the corner. “The green book, wedged in the corner,” she said absently. “About two smallspan thick.Deadly Vegetations of the Third Ring,I think it’s called. Look at page…forty-eight? Forty-seven? I forget.”

I did as she asked. The book was indeed there, and when I flipped to page forty-seven, I was met with an illustration that exactly matched the nut I’d seen half-submerged in the cauldron, complete with the curious drape affixed to the top.

“That’s it,” I said aloud, and squinted to read. “It is the…the kerel nut?”

“The nut itself is not terribly dangerous, actually,” murmured Ana. “In fact, in much of the Kurmini cantons, it is considered adelicacy. Rather, it is thedrapethat contains the toxins. Boil the drape in water long enough, and it shall leak a waxy, shimmering substance that dries into pale flakes. When ingested, it causes a violent inflammation of the throat and lungs, usually resulting in suffocation. The dead often exhibit the common telltale signs of swollen, pinkened lips and a distended throat.” A lazy smile. “I take it none of you touched the cauldron and then sucked your fingers, yes?”

“N-no, ma’am?” said Malo nervously.

“Well. That is some good news, at least. It’s far worse if it is directly fed into the blood, though. If even the tiniest drop gets into your veins, no amount of medicine or aid can help you.”

“So he means to kill again,” I said. “But do we know whom he targets?”

“Ah, we must move slower there, Din!” said Ana. “Wethinkhe plans to poison. But remember, this man is a master of both predictionanddistraction! Simply because we found the poison does not mean we can trust what we found. For, Malo—how likely do you deem it that your wardens would have found his throne room without the help of your hostage?”

“Very,” grunted Malo. “It was not far at all from the warped clearing.”

“And he knew we’d find the clearing,” I said, “for he left us a note within it.”

“True!” said Ana. “And Din—there at his throne room, you found a cairn with no vines upon it! Averynoticeable thing, yes? So noticeable that you quickly dug below it and found the hidden oathcoin. But recall now that it was left behind by a man who rather infamously doesnotleave things behind that he does not wish to—including a single goddamned hair from his head!”

“You think he left the poison and the oathcoin for us to find,” I said, “just as he did the note?”

“I worry it is so,” said Ana. “He plays his game—but are we his opponents, or his pieces to move about?”

“Then…what shall we do?” asked Malo.