The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1)(14)

“I…do not, ma’am,” I said.

“Not surprising,” she said. “The canton fell victim to a contagion about eleven years ago. Some clever Apoth there sought to make cheap parchment, and suffused a type of grass to grow very, very quickly…It was called dappleglass—a simple weed similar to shootstraw. It grew from tiny, sporelike seeds, and it had a white flower with a yellow and purple interior, and a rather unpleasant aroma. Yet then the dappleglass grew far too quickly. It invaded every patch of soil within the canton of Oypat, killing off most of the wildlife, and when it ran out of soil, the grass figured out how to grow within the wood of the homes and structures there, and even on the sides of trees. But the most alarming thing was what happened to the people who happened to bathe in the rivers downstream of this grass.”

“Did…did it grow inside the people, ma’am?” I asked.

“Correct, Din. Very good! Most of the growths could be surgically removed, but others…Well. They weren’t so lucky. The spores of the plant even tried to grow on fernpaper walls and doors, which, as you accurately noted, are pretty resistant to such things. Mostly they blackened and moldered to prevent the spores from taking root. Just having dappleglass near a fernpaper panel made it grow black dots within hours. But…” She stood and began pacing up and down her little house. “I have never heard of dappleglass growing so murderously quickly before. Nor being able to destroy ceilings and walls. That is different…and much deadlier.”

“Have you seen this plant before, ma’am?” I asked.

“Seen it? Absolutely not.” She gestured at the books about her. “I read about it, obviously. But I’m sure this is it.”

“So…what is your conclusion, ma’am?” I asked. “How was Commander Blas exposed to this dappleglass?”

“Oh, intentionally,” she said. “That is how.”

A taut silence.

“You mean…”

“I mean, I am about eighty percent sure that Commander Taqtasa Blas was assassinated. Probably not by someone within the house, but with the help of someone within the house.”

“Truly?” I said. “You think that just from what I told you, ma’am?”

“Certainly,” she said. “What you told me is more than enough. In fact, it’s so obvious that I’m worried this all might turn out a little boring…Can you not see it? The blackened fernpaper, the rotted kirpis shroom, and the insufferable heat?”

“Afraid I can’t see a thing, ma’am.”

“It’s there,” she said. She waved a hand, dismissive. “You just have to look at it right. Here are our next steps, Din.” She took out a slip of paper and started scribbling on it. “I want you to take this to the Haza house in the morning. This is a formal writ of summons. Use it to bring the oldest servant girl, the housekeeper, and the groundskeeper here, to my quarters, for me to speak to personally. Tell them it’s a routine request. And be ready to listen. You’re my engraver. You remember what that means, Din? You are the living legal embodiment of our investigation. All that’s between your ears is considered actionable evidence within the Iudex of the Empire. So—listen. And bring your engraver’s bonds.”

That gave me pause. An Iudex engraver’s bonds were a set of cleverly engineered manacles which came with twenty tiny combination locks that could be quickly set to any sequence. The sequences were so complex that only someone with an enhanced memory could recall them; so, when the manacles were clapped on someone’s wrists, only the engraver who’d put them on could easily take them off. Yet I had never had the chance to use mine yet.

“I do wish to ask, ma’am,” I said.

“Yes, Din?”

“Well…previously all our cases were about pay fraud.”

“So?”

“So…should I expect anything different here?”

A flippant shrug. “Generally I find the main difference with murder cases is how loud they are. All the screaming, you see. But you should be prepared. There is a very high chance one of those three people you’re going to bring here participated in a murder. People under that sort of stress do all kinds of dumb shit. So you’ll want to be armed—bring your sword.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have a sword, ma’am,” I said.

“You don’t?” she said. “Why not?”

“I’m still in my apprenticeship to you.”

A stupefied pause. “You are?”

“Yes? I’ve only been working for you for four months, ma’am. I don’t get imperial-issued arms until my apprenticeship is up.”

“Well…hell, I don’t know, bring a big fucking stick or something! Do I have to think of everything?”

“I can bring a practice sword, ma’am,” I said. “There’s no policy against that, and I’m quite familiar with the—”

“Yes, yes, yes,” she said, flapping her hand at me. “First in your class at dueling, you wouldn’t shut up about that when I interviewed you. Do that, then. And search them before they come in. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” She returned to plucking at her wire contraption. “Good evening, then, Din.”