The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1)(28)

She was followed by a Legion captain, a tall, younger man with a handsome, fair face and pale eyes. Though his helm was fine and black, it wasn’t engraved like the commander-prificto’s. His eyes were dark with fatigue, a dash of stubble clinging to his chin; yet though he was obviously tired, he moved robustly, his big, athletic frame bouncing along merrily. The physical alterations of the Legion, I guessed, could keep a fellow going even after a breach.

I bowed low as they approached. “Welcome to Daretana,” I said. “I’m Signum Dinios Kol, Assistant Investigator for Immunis Ana Dolabra.”

Both of them gave me the tiniest bows in return. “Thank you for meeting us,” said the commander-prificto. Her voice sounded very hoarse, and very tired. “Please take me to the investigator right away.”

I led them through Daretana, then to the edge of town and into the dark jungle. They did not talk. I expected them to be surprised by Ana’s living quarters, but neither said a thing; either they knew about her situation or they were too tired to care.

I had planned to walk up, knock, and introduce the commander-prificto to Ana; but there appeared to be some unspoken Legion procedure here, for the captain stopped me to talk, while the commander-prificto continued on.

“Beg pardon, Signum,” he said. “But has anyone here made inquiries about our meeting tonight?”

“Inquiries?” I said. “No, sir.”

“No one has asked about the nature of our visit?”

“No, sir.”

“And you have seen no one hanging about your immunis lately? Watchful or paying undue attention?”

He glanced off into the shadows, eyes narrow.

I looked down. His hand was resting close to his sword.

I took a breath, and my eyes fluttered as I summoned up my memories. “I have seen twenty-seven people come near the path to my immunis’s house, sir,” I said. “Some came several times—nineteen total unique visitors, I should say—but none seemed unusual or malicious.”

The captain looked startled. Then he laughed—a rich, merry sound. “Ah! An engraver, of course. I’d forgotten. Very good, then. Thank you.” We continued walking, and when we reached the porch he removed his helmet and shook out a startlingly lustrous mane of curly brown hair. As light spilled across his fair face I saw he was not much older than I was.

He gave me a careless grin. “Apologies for all this skullduggery, Signum. I’ve no talent for it. But perhaps you, in your line of work, are more accustomed.”

I had no idea what to say to such a thing, so I bowed.

“Come, then,” he said. His smile faded, but he seemed the sort who could never banish all the mirth from his face. “Let us catch up to them.”



* * *



—

I OPENED THE door to find Ana had rearranged her quarters into the same manner as when she’d interrogated Gennadios, but with two chairs before her desk rather than three. Ana herself was standing behind the desk, blindfolded as always, and was saying, “…hope the journey was well.”

“As well as it could be, Immunis.” The commander-prificto seemed unsurprised by the blindfold. “Thank you for meeting with me. It’s unfortunate that we have to do so under these circumstances. Please sit.”

Ana did so, and I took my place behind her. Ana cocked her head, listening to my footsteps, then said, “This is Signum Dinios Kol, ma’am, my engraver. Din, this is Commander-Prificto Desmi Vashta, of the Tala Army of the Imperial Legion.”

I bowed again to her. Vashta nodded, sat, and removed her black helmet, revealing hair that was thick, dark, and short. She gestured to the captain beside her. “This is Captain Kepheus Strovi, my second.”

The smiling young captain bowed his head to Ana.

“Normally I would inquire about your assignment here, Immunis,” said Vashta. “But etiquette is often one of the first casualties during an emergency, so I will cut to it.”

“I understand entirely,” said Ana.

“You wrote a letter recently to the Iudex office in the Tala canton. About a murder that took place here.”

“Yes. Commander Taqtasa Blas.”

“You mentioned the nature of the incident. But…I was hoping you could summarize it in more depth for me, before we talk further.”

“Certainly,” said Ana. She gestured to me. “Din can take care of that, naturally.”

I blinked, surprised, and looked at her.

She gave me a small, wry smile. “You are my engraver, after all,” she said.

“Oh. Yes, ma’am.” Then I stepped forward and slid out my vial of lye-scent that I’d used the day of the investigation. I sniffed it, focused, and let the queer, tickling sensation flood into the backs of my eyes. Then I started talking.

I kept it short: I listed the dates, the locations, the names of everyone involved, and the nature of the case. Then I detailed Ana’s investigation and conclusions, as well as our latest efforts to learn more about Blas and why he might have been targeted for assassination. I was aware as I did so that I couldn’t help mimicking Ana’s accent and cadence—but that was the nature of engraving someone’s speech. You couldn’t quite help what you picked up.

I spoke for nearly three quarters of an hour, and when I finished the two Legion officers simply sat there, faces bleak yet unreadable.