“I had three soldiers with me.”
“Where are they now?”
“They remained in Voshna to carry out interrogations of all those in the vicinity of the sleigh and to keep an eye out for an intruder.”
“Did you cut open Lev’s throat with your iron sword?”
The tendons in Salom’s neck pinch. “I pricked his skin, but he was barely bleeding when I left.”
“Could you have incised deeper than you meant to?” Konstantin asks.
“With all due respect, Kostya, I know how to handle my sword.”
“Answer the question,” Konstantin snaps.
Salom shakes his head. “My blade barely penetrated.”
“Your sword must’ve been coated in iron powder!” Bohdan exclaims. “I hear you’ve used that trick to chew through your victim’s flesh in the past in order to make yourself look more gracious.”
The general’s jaw tightens. “Ihaveused iron powder in the past, but never to make myself look more gracious; only to make sure the crown’s enemies couldn’t escape their fate.”
Bohdan’s nostrils flare. “You considered our son an enemy of the crown!”
“I did, but I didn’t bloody coat my sword in iron!”
“Could someone else have coated it?” I ask, garnering everyone’s attention.
“My blade is always on me,” he replies. “Besides, iron residue can only adhere to metal if the surface has been slickened beforehand. My blade was clean and dry.”
“So you say…” Lev’s father and the general glower at each other.
“By all means, check my scabbard, Bohdan.” Salom’s fingers shake as he unfastens the strip of leather. His puffing cheeks make me think he’s angry, but perhaps nerves are to blame for his unsteady grip.
“Could be anyone’s scabbard,” Lev’s father points out.
“Could the toxin of the bargain have killed Lev?” I ask.
“Toxins do not sever throats, Miss Ríhbiadh. My son’s throat was disconnected by a blade.” He crouches and delicately plucks his wife’s elbow. “Come.” And then the Voshnan Faerie is yelling, “Bundle my son’s remains! We’re done here!”
Men, who must work for his family since their uniforms are purple and not Glacin-blue, race toward the dais. Others race up the stairs.
“I want justice for our son,” Ekaterina croaks as she wobbles to her feet. “I want Salom punished! I want him dead!”
Salom’s mouth pops wide. “I did not?—”
Konstantin flings his palm up. I can’t tell if he uses magic to silence Salom, or if the man hushes at his signal.
“I’ll investigate. If there was foul play, you can trust there will be consequences, Ekaterina.”
She blinks bleary eyes at Konstantin, then shakes her head. As Bohdan follows his procession of servants up the stairs, he calls out over her shoulder, “Best of luck ruling your kingdom of cards, Korol!”
Salom hooks his scabbard back into place, then takes a step in the grieving couple’s direction, but Konstantin stops him, then instructs the handful of soldiers surrounding us to make themselves scarce.
Once we’re alone, Konstantin murmurs, “Salom, swear to me you didn’t intentionally kill Zaslofsky.”
The wide planes of his general’s face stiffen. “I did not kill Lev. Intentionallyorunintentionally. If you don’t trust me, interrogate the soldiers who assisted me. Or better yet…” Salom’s eyes glaze. “Or better yet, the ones listening into his home… May they have been listening.”
My pulse skips a beat. “Youalsoplanted a listening sigil in his home?”
