The Tainted Cup

After 13 boring days, Din hears from Blas’s secretary, Rona Aristan. She claims no knowledge of Blas’s murder and refuses to come in for questioning, given the wet season. Aristan provides a copy of Blas’s schedule that leads Ana to deduce, to her frustration, that the assassin is in Talagray, a coastal city in Tala Canton where Blas spent most of his time. Blas’s irregular visits to Daretana indicate that someone would have had to watch him to plan the assassination. Ana writes to the Iudex office in Tala, though she is not optimistic they will answer during the wet season. She reminds Din that they have not yet truly solved the murder.

A thunderous sound draws Din out of his bunk in the Sublimes’ quarters. He and the other Sublimes rush outside to investigate the source. A flare indicates that the sea wall has been breached. Engineers and members of the Legion are dispatched to Tala. Thalamis confronts Din, insulting him for not already hurrying to join Ana, as evacuation may be imminent.

Ana, in contrast to the chaos in town, is tranquil; her monitoring device tells her that the leviathan has been driven back. Din prepares tea at her request.