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Gorge rose in the back of my throat. “Queen Teodora was assassinated?”
“Yes,” Queen Chiara bit out. “But this news is not to leave this room, Chief Justice.”
I understood her reasoning. Panic and chaos could ensue if Teodora’s murder became common knowledge, just like Emperor Chengwu’s assassination had caused in Jing. Including accusing the heir to the throne of incompetence or outright malfeasance in the late queen’s care. I didn’t blame Chiara for wanting time to find the true culprit in her mother’s demise.
“Whoever cooked the concentrated soma tears had additional goals besides the death of Teodora,” White Eagle said.
My attention shot to the prince. “That cutpurse outside of the Bay Market?”
He nodded. “Older youths and adults quickly become addicted. They’re buying or bartering for the drug from someone.”
“But a truthspell—” Luc stared at the royal couple.
“There’s a subtle spell on the powder, similar to a healing spell to keep the heart beating,” Reverend Mother Brigid said. “When a truthspell is laid on a person who has been taking this drug, it speeds up the heart rate to the point the heart literally rips itself apart.”
“We think someone took the recipe from the locked collection of our Temple,” Reverend Father Ninumu murmured.
“We have a recipe for a lethal soma powder?” I exclaimed.
A wry smile crossed his face. “Any medicinal herb can have detrimental effects if too much is taken or for the wrong reasons. Concentrated soma tears were used in previous centuries to sedate patients with grievous injuries so the healers can treat them.” He sighed. “Or to ease the passing of those who could not be healed.”
“Let’s put it this way, my dear.” Reverend Mother Sxa’min chuckled softly. “I have the wasting disease, I’m in a great deal of pain, and I wouldn’t touch that shit.”
“I’m sorry—” I started.
She held up a palm. “Stop right there, Anthea. I don’t need or want your sympathy. I get enough crap from my own people.” She eyed High Sister Imala before she turned back to me. “And Love has already held its vote. Imala will officially take over my duties full-time after the Summer Solstice.” Another chuckle shook the Reverend Mother’s thin frame. “Unless Death comes to visit me prior to then.”
“No platitudes, Reverend Mother.” I inclined my head. “You honor Issura with your service.”
“That sounds like a platitude to me, young lady,” she teased.
“Would you prefer I throw you on a funeral pyre after this meeting?” I asked politely.
Reverend Mother Sxa’min cackled until she coughed into a handkerchief. I didn’t miss the dark pink stains of her sputum on the cotton. I doubted anyone else missed the blood either.
When she recovered from her fit, she smiled at me. “Too bad you aren’t the Reverend Mother of Balance. Convocations would have been much more entertaining.”
“Can we get back to our real problem, ladies?” White Eagle didn’t sound annoyed. In fact, he almost sounded relieved at our teasing.
“I beg forgiveness, Your Highness.” I inclined my head. “Please continue.”
“So far, the problem has been limited to two duchies,” the prince said. “However, the shipment Vintner and Thief intercepted was headed for Orrin.” I tensed, and Luc shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
“We haven’t spoken to anyone in Orrin since we arrived in Chengzhou.” I shook my head. “I didn’t realize I depended too much on Empress Shi Hua for distance speaking. Is Orrin in trouble?”
“Don’t worry. Talbert and Ben have been working closely with the Healers Guild since the poison oil incident the winter before last,” Grey Shadow said. “But this powder did appear in Gilwas a little over three months ago. Unfortunately, they shipped it out to towns and villages in the duchy before anyone realized something was wrong. And then, Bohem Puyuik experienced an outbreak of catarrh shortly after they received their shipment.”
Grief flowed from everyone in the room. Pain powder was also used to reduce fever as well as muscle aches and other pains. The disease would have produced both.
“Did anyone in the city survive?” Luc murmured.
“Some hunters and loggers up in the surrounding mountains weren’t exposed when the carrier of the disease arrived in the city,” the queen said. “When they went to Bohem Puyuik for the Spring Rituals, they sent a messenger to Gilwas, and they did what they could for the living they found until more healers could reach them. Only about a quarter of the Bohem Puyuik population remains, and half of those are severely addicted to the concentrated tears.”
“I don’t understand what you need from us, Your Majesty,” I said. “An investigation into the assassination of a national leader should be led by the chief justice in charge of criminal prosecutions at the very least if not the Reverend Mother herself. Has something happened to Chief Justice Oriana? Or Reverend Mother Alara?”
Grey Shadow leaned his elbows on the table and clasped his hands. His attention on Luc and me was intense.
“Neither of you are fools, Anthea,” he said. “You both know of the problems within your own home Temples.”
“Unfortunately,” Luc said dryly.
As far as we know, neither Oriana or Alara are addicted the powdered soma,” Grey Shadow said. “However, Farrell is.”
“Does he refuse treatment from the Healers Guild and Child?” Luc asked softly. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have been sympathetic to his own Reverend Father. But after the loss of his unborn son, Luc sank into a deep melancholy and drank spirits in excess. Nor would he listen to me when I pointed out the toll it was taking on him. It took his own Temple personnel in Orrin rebelling to get him to seek help for his emotional pain. He handed the vial back to Brigid.
“He refuses to admit he is addicted to the substance,” Imala said. “He issues contradictory orders, berates everyone at Light regardless of rank, and last week, he had a warden lashed to the edge of death for making the mistake of stopping him from raping a civilian.”
“Why wasn’t Farrell brought up on charges for either assault?” I growled.
“Alara dismissed the complaint,” Grey Shadow said. “Just like she dismissed the concentrated tears as a mistake of Vintner, claiming Brigid is trying to cover for her own people who erred in preparing the pain powder.”
I stared back at him for a long time before I said, “Are you asking us to remove our own Temple leaders from office?”
“When was the last time you spoke with Melanippe?” he said.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and released it before I looked at Grey Shadow again. “You found her body?”
“No,” he said. “Wildling believes she never left the Balance home Temple.”
“Then what is it you expect us to do, Your Majesty?” Luc asked.
Queen Chiara was silent for a long moment. “I want you to meet with High Brother Liam and feel him out. He’ll be the key for a vote of no confidence within Light.”
She considered her next words carefully. “I don’t want to interfere in the operations of any of the Temples.” She glanced at me. “Especially after the stunt Ogusuku pulled with you, Anthea. But I need to know if you plan to take any of the offers for a transfer Reverend Mother Hózhó, Reverend Mother Fumiko, and Reverend Mother Xiang offered you.”
An uneasy feeling crawled up my spine. How had the queen found out about the offers?
“I hadn’t planned on it, Your Majesty. Nor am I taking the offer presented by Reverend Mother Hoku of the Sea Peoples. If you are concerned about me leaving Issura, I assure you I have no plans to do so. Unless you have need of me to take one of the offers?”
Chiara and White Eagle exchanged smiles.
“As I said to you, my queen. Dutiful to a fault,” he murmured.
She exhaled deeply. “There’s a traitor within Balance.”
“Yes,” I admitted. “But I haven’t discovered their identity.”
“Yet,” Luc added.
“But you have your suspicions,” Grey Shadow said.
“That’s all I have at the moment, Reverend Father,” I replied. “Suspicions aren’t enough for a conviction. Nor can I start truthspelling my sisters without causing more problems than Issura already has.”
“But you have a talent for ferreting out the truth by other means,” the queen said. “I know I cannot command you in this matter without directly contradicting Alara’s orders, but I would appreciate you and Luc staying in the capital while you assist the other Temples in the investigation of the cooking and distribution of the concentrated soma tears.”
“And discover who made sure they placed the concentrated soma tears in the container Queen Teodora used for her nightly pain powder,” I stated. “Even so.” Queen Chiara nodded.
“I assume the entire palace was searched and any alleged pain powder was confiscated and tested, and Queen Teodora’s supply was the only tainted medication in the palace,” Luc said.
“Yes,” Brigid replied.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, we need to let our colleagues in Orrin know we’ve been delayed in the capital, even if we can’t tell them why,” I said.
“Have any messages you need to send go through me,” Grey Shadow said. “Talbert will make sure they are delivered to your people.”
Luc and I exchanged looks. When a leader of the Temple avoided using the regular courier system in the queendom, things were bad indeed.
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