“Oh, Nisha,” Tanaya whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
A dark rage like the heart of a flame flared up in Nisha’s chest. “Don’t be sorry! Because Jerrit isn’t going to die! Do you hear me?” she shouted, scooping up Jerrit’s barely breathing body. “I’m not letting you die!”
Cradling him, she ran out of the room and down the stairs.
A crowd of the spotted cats had gathered at the base of the steps. Nisha ran past. Esmer, find a healer, she sent. We’ll be in the greenhouse. She sensed wordless assent and worry as the cats saw the limp body in her arms and took off in all directions.
Nisha ran as carefully as she could. Jerrit’s body felt far too light in her hands, and his heartbeat tripped and dimmed with every step she took.
“Please,” she breathed like a prayer. “Please, please, please.”
Nisha stumbled into the greenhouse and almost burst into tears when she saw Sashi already standing there. The girl’s unseeing brown eyes were wide with shock, and a handful of growling cats led by Esmer guarded her front and back.
Nisha staggered up to her, shoving Jerrit’s still form into her hands.
“A snake bit him, a blood krait,” she gasped. “He needs help.” Her knees nearly buckled. “Please,” she whispered.
The shock left Sashi’s face, replaced by a look of intense concentration. She laid Jerrit on the workspace, her nimble fingers exploring his fur.
“No paralysis yet,” she murmured. “But his heartbeat is slowing.” She looked down, her face cold and set. “Nisha, stop sniveling. If you want me to save him, I need help. The poison’s working slowly. He only got scratched by the fangs. But he will die if we don’t hurry!”
Nisha scrambled to her feet. “What do you need?”
“Starflowers,” Sashi said, her hands still moving over Jerrit. “North corner, by the wall. We have to keep his heart going. Then I’ll need some water and some white willow bark—”
Sashi worked steadily, always calm. She poured a potion down Jerrit’s throat, then spread a green poultice over his wounds. Nisha could see several long gashes from the krait’s fangs, but no direct bites.
Time blurred, the hours feeling like minutes. Nisha ground herbs until her hands ached. She held Jerrit’s mouth open for the medicines and cradled him when he convulsed, each jerky movement stabbing through her like a knife. A few times he stopped breathing, and Sashi had to force air into his lungs, cupping her hand over his nose. Nisha’s eyes were blurry and hot, and every breath she took was a prayer to any ancestor or god who would listen. Save him. Please help me save him.
Finally, just before Darkfall, Jerrit’s breathing eased. Sashi raised her head, her face worn but triumphant. “The poison’s working its way out.”
Nisha felt herself go weak and leaned against the workbench. She put her face down on Jerrit’s damp fur, savoring the quiet pitch and heave of his breath.
“Thank you,” she said, but there was no answer. Sashi had already gone to a washbasin to rinse the blood and medicine off her hands.
I’ll let the others know, Esmer sent, her words jagged with relief. The gray cat stopped pacing in the shadows and slipped outside.
Nisha ran a hand down Jerrit’s side. His heartbeat flickered against her palm, an echo of the blood pounding in her own ears. She’d almost lost him.
No more, Nisha vowed to herself. This ends now. She would go to meet the killer, but she would go early. Wait. Hide. Watch. Maybe she could identify the killer, or even capture her.
But she would stop this.
23
NISHA LAID JERRIT in a soft bed of blankets in the warmest corner of the greenhouse, then went to get a clean robe. It wasn’t until she stepped behind the changing screen that she remembered.
Devan. In all the chaos of the day, she had forgotten to meet Devan.
Worry curled in Nisha’s chest. She’d never failed to meet him before. Would he be angry? The last thing she’d said to him was that she was scared, that being with him frightened her. What if he thought she didn’t care about him anymore?
Nisha swallowed the thought. If she just told him what had happened, Devan would understand. He knew how much the cats meant to her. All she had to do was explain.
If she ever got the chance.
As Nisha was reaching for one of the folded Jade asars, she noticed something odd. A crumpled green asar had fallen into one corner. Nisha picked it up. Spotting the front of the asar were dried dark streaks.
Esmer, Nisha sent. Come back inside and look at this.
After a moment, the older cat slipped around the screen. What is it? She sniffed the asar. Nisha, that’s blood.
Are you sure? Nisha asked. I thought it might be ink.
No, this time it’s definitely blood. The stains are too dry to know whose, but it’s human. Nothing else smells like that.
Human blood. Nisha thought of the stain under Lashar’s dead body, and her hands started to shake. She almost threw the asar back into the corner.
It must be from healer training, Nisha sent, but even as the words formed in her mind, she knew there were always servants on hand during healing procedures to take used asars away and wash them. The House of Jade was fanatical about cleanliness. Nisha had never seen a soiled asar abandoned in the corner like this. Someone must have thrown it there outside of supervised training.
But it didn’t mean that it was Sashi’s asar. There were other healer trainees here who used the greenhouse, even if none of them loved it the way Sashi did.
There was one way to know if the asar was Sashi’s or not, but Nisha needed to be cautious about it. Holding the asar away from her body, she walked over to the washbowl.
“Sashi, I found a dirty asar over here,” she said. “What would you like me to do with it?”
Sashi turned from the washbowl, her forehead furrowing in confusion. “A dirty asar? What’s on it? I can’t see what you’re pointing at, you know.”
Nisha forced her breathing not to change. “Looks like a bit of blood. Do you have a basket or something for these?”
“Blood?” Sashi stiffened, and swallowed hard. “Oh.” Her voice sounded forced, and she dried her hands with quick, hard swipes. “I’m afraid that asar is mine. I cut myself trimming some feverbush. I’ll take care of it.”
“Cut yourself? Here, let me see.” Nisha reached for Sashi’s hands, but the girl pulled back abruptly.
“I’m fine now. It was just a small cut.”
“There’s no such thing when you work with poisons. You should really let me have a look.”
“No!” Sashi put her hands behind her back. Nisha could see the pulse in her throat beating wildly, like a fluttering moth. “I mean … I don’t need your help. I can take care of myself.”
“I never said you couldn’t,” Nisha said. “But I don’t think you cut yourself, Sashi.”
The other girl took a deep breath. “All right, I lied. It’s my asar, but it’s not my blood. But I can’t tell you whose it is.”
“Why not?” Nisha asked. “Sashi, this is important.”
Sashi walked back to her bench and began to chop herbs. “I don’t understand why you’re pushing this, Nisha. It’s just a little blood. Let it go.”
Nisha wanted to let the subject drop, but fear—and the memory of Lashar’s wide, dead eyes—drove her on. Lashar was gone, Tanaya’s life had been threatened with that snake, and Jerrit had almost died. If Sashi knew anything, Nisha needed to know it too. “There are things happening that you don’t understand, Sashi. I’m trying to help.”
The brown hand holding the cutting knife trembled. “There is a lot going on that I don’t understand. Like how I could be standing here, cutting up roots, when suddenly I’m surrounded by snarling, growling animals. They wouldn’t let me take even one step away from the bench. I had no idea what was happening. Do you have any idea how terrifying that was?”
“They snarled at you?” Nisha looked at Esmer, who stared back without blinki
ng.
We needed her. We were frightened too.
“I’m sorry the cats scared you, Sashi,” Nisha said. “But they wouldn’t have hurt you.”
“How do you know that?” Sashi whirled around, the knife still in her hand. “Don’t tell me you can talk to them.”
Nisha swallowed and didn’t answer.
Sashi snorted. “Well, you keep your secrets, Nisha, and I’ll keep mine. I can’t tell you about the blood.” Sorrow and guilt twisted her features. “You’ll just have to trust me.”
Nisha grabbed Sashi’s arm. “Sashi, a girl was killed today, stabbed. You have to tell me how you got blood on your asar. Please.”
Sashi pulled her arm out of Nisha’s hand. “You think I stabbed someone?” she said. “You think I could kill?”
Nisha hesitated.
The hurt in Sashi’s face was like a blow. “Nisha, we were friends.”
Nisha crumpled like a paper kite. “We are friends.” Her protest sounded weak to her own ears.
“It doesn’t feel like that to me,” Sashi said, her voice raw. “The healers were right. Putting so much trust in friendships is unwise! Emotional attachments only hurt you and get in the way.” Sashi set the knife down on the table with a sharp click. “I should have listened.”
“Sashi—” Nisha said, holding out her hand. “Wait.”
But Sashi had already walked through the greenhouse door.
Nisha stared after her. For a moment, she considered running after her, but the anger in Sashi’s voice had cut deep. Nisha didn’t want to get tangled in another argument before she could give Sashi a solid reason to trust her.
She had to think.
After checking on Jerrit, Nisha lit a clay lamp and made her way back through the heavy black of Darkfall toward the Council House and her bedroom. Her shoulder and hand still hurt from the run-in with Zann, and her mind churned and frothed with questions.
How had Sashi gotten blood on her asar? Why wouldn’t she talk about it?
And what was she going to tell Matron?
Because she had to tell Matron something—Nisha had no doubt of that. She had to tell her enough to make her protect Tanaya. The killer had seriously threatened Tanaya once, and there was nothing stopping her from trying again. Not when whoever it was might move unseen and unnoticed in the House of Flowers itself.
If she told Matron about the note, Matron might forbid her to go to the quarry tomorrow. Or, worse, send someone to try to apprehend the killer. And if the killer escaped again, Tanaya would be in danger. Nisha couldn’t let that happen.
Nisha thought of Sashi working over Jerrit. She didn’t believe that her friend could have hurt anyone. It wasn’t just that she liked Sashi and didn’t want to believe the girl was a murderer. The idea went against every instinct she had. But more than that, it just didn’t fit. There was the connection to the House of Pleasure, for one thing. Sashi had no reason to visit that House. And there was no reason for her to be up on that roof with Atiy.
If only I could be sure.
And that was the problem—Nisha couldn’t be sure. Not without knowing what Sashi was hiding. What do you think? she asked Esmer. Should I tell Matron about Sashi?
I don’t know, Nisha. Esmer’s mind-voice was as uncertain as Nisha had ever heard it. I have never in my life bit the hand that fed me, but—
But what if another girl dies? Nisha finished. She felt as if someone was twisting her insides. Sashi just saved Jerrit. I don’t want to turn her in on a suspicion. But I can’t let someone else die.
I know, Esmer sent.
The side door was locked. Nisha hit the thick wood of the door with her palm, feeling it sting with the force.
We’ll have to go in the front.
The Council House was lit by long-burning torches on either side of the front steps. Nisha ran up the steps and pushed her way in. Still thinking about Sashi’s odd behavior, she walked quickly down the hall, forgetting to be quiet.
“Nisha.” Matron peered into the hallway, running a hand through her hair. “What’s wrong?”
Nisha scooped Esmer up in her arms, holding her as if she were a shield. She didn’t want to talk to Matron right now, not when she was tired, heartsick, and so confused she wanted to scream.
“Nothing happened. Someone locked the side door early. I’m sorry I disturbed you, Matron. I’ll be more quiet.”
Matron narrowed her eyes. “I’m afraid that’s not good enough. You’ve been neglecting your chores, which leads me to believe you’re pursuing an angle you haven’t told me about. Then you ran out of the House of Beauty without any explanation. Now you’re sneaking back in and you look like you’ve been in a fistfight.”
Nisha looked down at her gray asar, rumpled and streaked with Jerrit’s blood. “I … There was a medical emergency in the House of Jade, and they needed some extra hands. I was … passing by and they called me in. That’s all. Everything’s fine.”
“You’re lying, Nisha. And not very well.” Matron reached out and grabbed Nisha’s arm, her knobby fingers pressing her skin painfully. “I want the truth. I won’t let you go until you tell me.”
Nisha’s mind went blank.
She had to protect Sashi. She had to protect Tanaya. She had to speak. She had to stay silent.
“I … it’s nothing …”
Matron’s grip tightened.
Nisha hunched her shoulders, feeling defeated. “Not here,” she whispered, stalling for time.
Matron followed Nisha down the hall to the library. Flickering light from the fireplace played over the long shelves of scrolls. Matron shut the heavy oak door behind them. “Well?” she asked, folding her arms.
Nisha tightened her grip on Esmer. She could tell Matron about the attack on Tanaya.
“I found—I had a bad feeling,” she lied. “I was looking at Lashar’s body, and she looked so much like Tanaya.... I just had this horrible fear that Tanaya was in danger too. And she was.”
“She was?” Matron went pale around the mouth. “Is she all right? What happened?”
“She’s unhurt,” Nisha hastened to reassure her. “Someone put a blood krait in her rooms, but she’s fine.”
“I must put a guard on her,” Matron muttered. “I must increase security. How did she get away? How did you get away?”
A lump clogged Nisha’s throat. “Jerrit—Jerrit—one of the cats attacked the snake. He killed it, but he was wounded. That’s where this blood came from. I took him to the House of Jade.”
Lines of fear etched Matron’s face. “What is happening to my City, Nisha?”
“I don’t know,” Nisha whispered. She thought of Sashi’s shaking hands and the pulse beating in her own throat.
Matron gave her a sharp glance. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Nisha?”
Nisha squirmed. “No,” she said, trying desperately to make her voice calm and convincing. “Nothing else happened.”
Matron reached out and grabbed Nisha’s wrist. Her face was harder than Nisha had ever seen it. “Don’t push me, Nisha. If Tanaya is in danger, then the stakes have just gone up more than you can possibly imagine, and I will do anything I have to in order to protect this City. Hold back on me, and I will sell you myself.”
The betrayal of her old protector’s words made Nisha feel as if someone had punched her in the stomach. It would be that easy for Matron to hand her over, for her life to be gone. How could Nisha take care of her friends if no one would take care of her?
A dam somewhere within Nisha broke. She felt the words flow out: She told Matron about Sashi saving Jerrit in the greenhouse, about the blood on Sashi’s asar. “It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the murders,” she finished dumbly. “One of the servants could have cut themselves, or Sashi could have brushed against a bloody asar without realizing it. She could be protecting someone else who was careless.”
“It’s possible.” Matron frowned. “And I would not have considered Sashi—” She sho
ok herself. “Say nothing of this to anyone, Nisha. I must decide how best to use this information.” Her words were a dismissal, but Nisha didn’t move.
“I don’t think you should take action yet,” Nisha argued. “We don’t know anything. Give me time to figure this out. Please.”
She swallowed down her desperation, aiming for a persuasive tone instead. “The House of Pleasure connection, for example. That can’t be a coincidence.” She forced herself to look Matron straight in the eyes, as if they were equals. “It will look bad if we accuse the wrong person, even worse if the killer turns out not to be a House girl at all.”
“True,” Matron said. “I will do what I can.” She turned to go, then looked back, her mouth hard. “But let me be very clear, Nisha. If it would save the City of a Thousand Dolls, I would sacrifice any girl here. Even you.”
Nisha was too tired to push anymore. “I understand,” she said. “Good night.”
As soon as Matron left, Nisha sank down on one of the low padded benches that dotted the library. Esmer snuggled against her, and Nisha closed her eyes.
Did we do the right thing? Nisha asked the gray cat.
Esmer did not answer.
24
THE SOUND OF rustling paper brought Nisha out of her restless sleep. There was no warm cat next to her, and as she blinked awake, she realized it was day.
Something moved in front of the long window, a dark smudge against the gray light.
Nisha blinked. The smudge resolved itself into a girl seated cross-legged on the floor, her hands holding a scroll. The girl was wrapped in a black overrobe, the hood pushed down. The light turned her bent head to burnished gold.
“Tani?” Nisha propped herself up on one elbow. A hectic flush stained Tanaya’s smooth cheeks, and faint lines accented her perfect mouth. The light from the window threw her cheekbones into sharp relief.
“You look terrible,” Nisha blurted before she could stop herself.
A flash of fear crossed Tanaya’s face. She put down the scroll and picked up the fan lying next to her.
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