Soren’s lips twisted slightly. “It went off.”
“Yes. I don’t know who triggered it. All present have supposedly passed the security examination,” Vanya said.
The visual inspection for vivisection scars had been incorporated into the palace security since the attack at Oeiras. It wasn’t foolproof by any means, but it had been a stopgap that had been working.
Or so he thought.
“You thinkIam arionetka?” Taisiya demanded.
“I don’t know what to think,valide.”
She didn’t press the issue, staring at him with narrowed eyes. Taisiya eventually folded her hands together over her lap and lifted her chin. “Very well. I won’t hold your lack of faith against me.”
Vanya’s mouth twitched at the corners. “How kind of you.”
He wanted to believe she’d been herself this entire time—that they all had—but it was so difficult to trust these days. Before it had merely been House games, and now it was so much more than that when one countedrionetkas.
“Your orders?” Javier asked after a moment.
“Stay your hand for the moment. This is no attack, and I don’t want rumors to say as much.”
Javier nodded and set himself up near Alida, wand still in hand, and barked out an order for thepraetorialegionnaires to resume their normal positions. If they could keep the appearance of normalcy for now, that would be ideal.
“Raiah?” Vanya asked.
“Safe,” Soren said.
Vanya nodded and leaned back in his chair, playing the waiting game with long practice. Eventually, Chu Hua arrived with several officers in tow. She bowed deeply to Vanya in greeting, and he quickly brought her up to speed on the situation.
Chu Hua narrowed her eyes before facing the others. “You will disrobe.”
“We have already passed muster. Surely this is not needed?” Amir said.
“Surely your protestations would not be needed if you had nothing to hide,vezir. Strip, or we will do it for you.”
Taisiya had stood, as her gown’s ties were done up in the back and she was incapable of reaching them herself. She put her back to Soren, calm in the face of so many eyes, knowing what it meant when members of a House were pitted against each other. “I find I am in need of your assistance.”
Soren went to her and picked apart the buttons that held her gown in place. The fabric of it fell down her shoulders, sliding to her waist, where she caught and held it. She kept her chin high amidst the eyes on her, meeting Vanya’s gaze with steely intent. She carried no scars on her body, only the passage of time.
Javier stepped forward at a nod from Chu Hua and traced his wand around the shape of Taisiya’s body before tapping her on the forehead. Her eyes went half-lidded, and she swayed on her feet. Soren put a hand beneath her elbow to steady her.
“She is herself,” Javier said before stepping back.
“Satisfied?” Taisiya asked.
Vanya met hisvalide’s gaze and smiled grimly. “You know why I must be certain.”
Taisiya inclined her head as she sought to redress herself with Soren’s help. “For our House.”
Amir had yet to stand, had yet to disrobe, while Alida’s gown was pooled at her feet. Vanya gestured for Javier to see to Alida, focusing on where Amir sat, the older man calm in the face of so much attention.
“Vezir, I gave an order,” Vanya said.
Amir huffed out a sigh, pushing to his feet with the help of his cane. He didn’t protest, nor did he ask for help to undo his robes. The fabric parted, revealing the wide expanse of his hairy chest, no scars to be seen.
Vanya stared him down. “Disrobe.”
There was a moment of hesitation, just enough that could be played off for the older man needing balance with the aid of his cane, but Vanya had not lived so long by trusting in someone else’s lies. He tensed, but it wasn’t Javier who came to his unspoken disquiet. Soren moved from Taisiya to Amir and gripped the edges of thevezir’s robes from behind, pulling them back over his shoulders.
