Fayazi looked to her Sublimes. Both nodded.
“It is acceptable,” said Fayazi.
Ana grinned. “Excellent. Let us begin.”
* * *
—
“I WILL NOT bother any of you with reviewing the death of Commander Blas,” Ana said. “I resolved that weeks ago, and we know now that the identity of the murderer was Captain Kiz Jolgalgan, of the Apoths, now dead. Instead I will move forward to the day of the party at the halls of the Hazas, for that concerns us most. Do we have any protest there?”
Again, Fayazi looked to her Sublimes. They shrugged. “We see no problems there,” said Fayazi.
“Very good!” Ana stood up, hands clasped behind her back. “At that time, Jolgalgan was already on the Haza estate grounds. The crackler Ditelus had already lifted the trellis gate, allowing her to slip inside and secrete herself away in a small, shallow hole some several dozen span from the back patio of the house. She had the poison—this dappleglass—and she meant to use it. When she finally heard the sounds of the party, she rose, slipped out of the hole, replaced her cover, and joined the crowd, and no one was any the wiser.” She raised a finger. “But here we come to the first unusual thing about Jolgalgan—for she was already very familiar with the grounds, with the house, with the rooms and the halls. For she had been there before. Many times, in fact.”
“Jolgalgan?” sniffed Fayazi. “At our house? I think that most unlikely…”
“I’m afraid it’s not,” said Ana. “I am sure that you were quite unaware of all this, Madam Haza, but your father practiced the very common and not at all unexceptional institution of patronage—the selection and encouragement of key officers in the Iyalets.” Fayazi opened her mouth to object, but Ana thundered along: “This is, of course, not illegal. There are no laws forbidding it. And as I said, it is very common, especially here in Talagray. Why, I expect that even the commander-prificto has known the attentions of the gentry now and again…”
“I have known entreaties,” said Vashta frostily, “but not for many years.”
“Of course,” said Ana, bowing. “Kaygi Haza was like many gentrymen in this fashion. He had a small circle of officers he met with, encouraged, and occasionally gave gifts to—and Jolgalgan was also one such officer. For how else could she have known of his bath? How else could she have so easily navigated the servants’ passageways, and known which door to use? The answer is, Kaygi Haza had brought her there before himself, likely many times—as a friend.” A languid wave of her hand, acknowledging her point. “Now that Jolgalgan was in the estate, she then used her knowledge and her altered vision to navigate the dark passageways without a light, ascending to the roof. And there, she delivered the killing blow, dropping the dappleglass into the boiler above the steam room. At that point, her goal here was accomplished. Jolgalgan rejoined the party and left with the throng. Kaygi Haza took his steams after the party—and then, sadly, he was to perish before the morning.
“But!” Ana said. “The story does not end there. For Kaygi Haza had other business that night—a second, smaller party. A private affair he intended to hold for the officers to whom he was extending patronage—the same circle of officers that had once included Jolgalgan.” She recited aloud: “That would be…Princeps Atha Lapfir, Signum Misik Jilki, Princeps Keste Pisak, Captain Atos Koris, Captain Kilem Terez, Princeps Donelek Sandik, Princeps Kise Sira, Princeps Alaus Vanduo, Signum Suo Akmuo, and finally, Signum Ginklas Loveh. The ten dead Engineers. All of them came to the halls of the Hazas later to…taste the delights of the house. And the halls of the Hazas, of course, offer delights beyond compare…”
Fayazi had gone very still. Her violet eyes flicked to me, then back to Ana. I could see her wishing to object further but abstaining out of fear of what Ana might say next; she surely did not wish to disclose her own, very illegal courtesans before Vashta.
“That is a fascinating tale,” Fayazi said finally. “But you have not mentioned anything untoward or dangerous. You have given no indication, for example, of how the ten Engineers were also poisoned, if they were even at my house—nor how any of this might threaten me.”
“I am glad you asked,” said Ana, grinning. “For that question confounded me for a goodish bit. Yet then I realized…We already knew that the poisoning of the Engineers was different from the deaths of both Kaygi Haza and Commander Blas. They died much later, at irregular times, and their blooms issued from different parts of their bodies. This suggests they were poisoned differently, too.” She turned her blindfolded face to me. “Din saw the answer, of course. He just didn’t know.”