City of a Thousand Dolls (10 page)

Jerrit was still trying to climb Nisha as if she were an
arjin
tree. It was Devan who answered.

“Isn’t it obvious?” he said, brushing the cat hair off his tunic. “This girl’s animal went crazy and we were trying to contain it.” He sneezed and rubbed his red eyes. “May I suggest that you cull your cat population?” he said to Nisha. “There are altogether too many of them, and they’re very bad mannered.”

Still trying to pry Jerrit off her shoulder, Nisha opened her mouth to answer and caught a whiff of the stuff in the pot that Zann was holding. It smelled horrible, like spoiled meat. Nisha almost gagged.

Devan covered his nose. “What in the name of the Ancestors is that? And why would you bring it out here?”

Zann scowled but kept her eyes down. “It’s rotflower extract, sir. I’m supposed to dispose of it in the woods. It attracts too many flies to dump it inside the walls.”

“I can see why,” Devan said. “Well, I certainly don’t want to wait for the flies to show up.” He untied the horse and swung himself up into the saddle. “I won’t be here tomorrow,” he said, looking at both girls. “The Emperor has other work for me at court.” His eyes lingered on Nisha for a heartbeat, a glance she felt like a physical touch on her skin. “But I’ll be back in three days. Let your matron know that, won’t you?” Then he turned and rode away.

With another yowl, Jerrit sprang out of Nisha’s arms and ran into the woods.

Nisha turned to Zann, hoping desperately that the disgraced girl hadn’t seen them talking or suspected anything if she had. But Zann no longer seemed interested in the retreating courier.

Instead she stared at Nisha, her lip curled with disgust. “Look at you,” she said. “You’re a mess.” Without warning, she swung the pot at Nisha, splashing some of the foul green liquid onto her sandals.

“That’s better,” Zann said, and walked away.

Nisha was still staring after her when Jerrit poked his head out of the woods.

Is she gone?

“Yeah,” Nisha said, wiping her foot on the rough grass. “But so is Devan. Now I’ll have to wait three days to talk to him again.”

I know
, Jerrit sent.
But I saw Zann too late to warn you, and jumping on you was the only thing I could think of
. His tail drooped.
I’m sorry
.

“You’re forgiven,” Nisha said. “But for a moment there I almost killed you. I didn’t even know you could shed on purpose.”

I have no idea what you’re talking about
, Jerrit sent.
And I might not like Devan, but at least he can think on his feet. He might have more than hairballs for brains after all
.

Nisha scooped up the bag of scrolls. “Well, that’s nice of you,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Come on. I’ll put these in Matron’s study; then you and I can try to figure out what to do next. Council meetings always last forever; maybe there’s still time.”

After dropping the scrolls, Nisha and Jerrit walked through the hedge maze. Nisha kept a wary eye out for Zann, but the girl wasn’t anywhere in sight.

Halfway through, Jerrit stopped, the hair on his back standing up.
Do you smell that?

Smell what?
Nisha sent.
All I can smell is this muck Zann splashed on my shoe
.

Jerrit growled, the sound sending a prickle along Nisha’s spine. Then he crouched and crept forward. Stepping carefully, Nisha followed him to the center of the hedge maze.

The fountain at the heart of the maze was a round, three-tiered tower built of polished gray stone and inlaid with lapis lazuli surrounded by short velvet grass. Water danced over the edge of each pool. They stopped at the fountain’s edge. Jerrit’s growl intensified, and a whimper escaped Nisha’s throat.

Not again.

A DARK-HAIRED GIRL lay crumpled facedown in the large bottom pool. Her overrobe was in disarray, and the dark green of her asar had fallen off her shoulder, revealing wet brown skin and thin shoulder blades. Her black hair drifted in the fountain’s trickling flow.

Nisha took a step. “Is she—”

Jerrit crept a little closer and sniffed the air.
Yes
, he sent, his mind-voice more serious than Nisha had ever heard it.
But freshly dead, no more than a few minutes
.

Death is following me
. The thought came out of nowhere, and Nisha backed away from the fountain. “Jerrit,” she said, “stay here and don’t let anyone touch her. I’ll go get help.”

Nisha darted through the maze, trying not to let her growing sense of panic overwhelm her. She didn’t want to get lost. Once she broke out of the high hedge walls, she looked around for someone, anyone.

Luck was with her. Nisha had come out on the side closest to the House of Jade, and the first person she saw was Sashi. The blind girl was sitting outside the greenhouse with several other Jade girls, all engaged in repotting a collection of soft-leaved licorice plants. Sashi wore an emerald-colored long-sleeved tunic under her asar for warmth, and her face was intent as she carefully transferred her chosen plant from one clay pot to the other.

Nisha tried to look calm as she walked up. No need to frighten them, especially since she didn’t know who the girl in the fountain was yet. She could be one of these girls’ closest friends.

Sashi looked up, wrinkling her forehead. She smiled when Nisha placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Is that you, Nisha? Have you come to help us with these plants?”

“I wish I could,” Nisha said, forcing her voice to stay light. “But I need a favor. Does one of you have a piece of paper I can use?”

All four girls pulled pieces of rice paper out of their pockets. Nisha fought a hysterical giggle. She quickly took the paper and a proffered writing stick and wrote a brief note.

Nisha signed her name and folded the paper several times. “I need to get this to Matron. Is there a servant around who can take it?”

“I’ll take it,” one of the Jade girls said. “I’m supposed to go to the Council House and drop off some blank scrolls for Matron.”

“Thank you.” Nisha forced a smile. “Can you make sure she gets this as soon as possible? It’s important.”

After the girl took the message, Nisha looked down to see Sashi’s face turned toward her with a puzzled expression.

“I have to go,” Nisha mumbled, biting her lip to keep herself from telling Sashi what she’d found. She turned and darted back into the maze.

Nisha ran all the way back to the body. She had the horrible feeling that she was going insane, that when she got there, the girl would be gone, vanished back into her imagination.

But the body in the fountain was still there, as dead as it was before. Jerrit sat by it like a guardian statue.

Anyone come by?
Nisha sent.

The spotted cat shook his head.
No, but I did see a bunch of seeds scattered around
. Jerrit jumped down, sniffing through the grass.
Maybe she was eating them
.

Nisha squatted down. The seeds were almost lost in the grass, but she recognized them immediately as
mukhwas
, an after-dinner snack made of sugared anise, fennel, coconut, and sesame seeds. The red and green seeds also dusted the edge of the fountain.

Maybe she choked on the mukhwas mix?
Jerrit sent.
Or slipped and fell?

I don’t know
, Nisha sent. She turned away from the body.
I wish Matron would come. I should have gone myself. I just didn’t want to leave the body far too long....

When Matron finally came hurrying through the maze, she wasn’t alone. Josei was with her. Matron made a small choking sound when she saw the body. Josei went very still.

“What happened here?” Josei asked quietly. Her direct stare made Nisha feel like a deer confronted by a tiger.

“I—I don’t know,” Nisha stuttered. “We found her like this.”

“We?” Josei looked down at Jerrit, who was sniffing her foot. “Ah, I see.”

Matron took a deep breath and stepped closer to the drifting death in the fountain. “What do you think, Josei?”

The Mistress of Combat knelt and brushed the girl’s clinging wet hair aside. Ripples from the movement wrinkled the surface of the water, and the edges of the girl’s asar bobbed like a dead leaf. The tips of her narrow fingers were puckered and wrinkled, like lizard skin.

Nisha took a deep breath. The air was getting colder, sending goose bumps over her arms. Jerrit jumped from the fountain’s rim and rubbed against her leg.

Are you all right?

No
, Nisha sent.

I need to find Esmer
, Jerrit sent.
But I don’t want to leave you alone
.

It’s all right
. Nisha bent down and ran her hand along his back.
Go on. I’ll call you if I need you, I promise
.

Jerrit touched her ankle with his satin nose.
I’ll hold you to that
. Then he turned and trotted away.

Josei looked up, her light-brown eyes pinning Nisha in place. “I need help lifting her,” she said. “Can you handle it?”

Nisha swallowed, forcing down the sick feeling in her throat. “Yes, I’ll help.”

It was harder than she thought it would be. The body was slippery and limp, and the soaked asar clung to Nisha’s arms as if trying to drag her down into the fountain. The girl’s wet hair covered her face, and water dripped like tears from her fingers. Nisha tried not to think about who she could be holding as they laid the girl facedown on the grass.

“Did she drown? Slip and fall?” Matron asked, with a note of fear that Nisha had never heard before.

Josei shook her head. There was a patch of wet on her tunic, the rust-brown fabric reminding Nisha of dried blood. “No,” she said. “This wasn’t an accident.”

“Not an accident?” Matron asked sharply. “How do you know?”

Josei gave a deep, sad sigh. “Because it looks like she was poisoned.” To punctuate her words, she rolled the body over.

It took Nisha a moment to realize what she was seeing, and when she did—when she saw the staring, sand-colored eyes, the mouth permanently twisted with pain and the hands bent into rigid claws—she felt her throat burn, her stomach thudding into nausea.

Josei gave her a sharp look. “If you’re going to be sick,” she said, standing up, “try not to do it near the corpse.”

“I knew her.” Nisha forced the words out. “I saw her just yesterday.”

Josei’s eyes narrowed. “Yesterday,” she repeated.

Nisha nodded. She felt weak and shaky, and the garden began to spin into a thousand mazes. “I saw her in the crowd, after … after we found Atiy. I spoke to her.” She turned away from the body. “Her name was Jina.”

NISHA LEANED AGAINST the brick walls of the House of Combat and took several deep, shuddering breaths. She welcomed the way the cold air burned her lungs, the hint of ice in the air. The ache in her chest meant she was alive.

Why Jina?
she thought.
Jina never hurt anyone in her life
.

Josei came out of the back door of the House of Combat, holding a rough clay cup. “Here, drink this.”

Without thinking, Nisha grabbed the cup and took a big swallow. The hot, bitter drink seared through her, giving her a short coughing fit.

Josei laughed, a harsh sound like a parrot’s squawk, and took the cup back. “It’s not tea, Nisha. You don’t just gulp it down.”

“What is that stuff?” Nisha asked, wheezing a little.

Josei handed her the cup again. “It’s called
kafei
. The Kildi swear by it. They say it clears the mind and gives energy.”

Nisha took the drink gingerly and sniffed at it. It definitely wasn’t tea. The liquid was dark and glossy, and there were hints of ashes and earth in its rich scent.

The smell triggered a memory: a campfire, a wagon loaded with bags and boxes. A small, bubbling pot that gave out the same dark, spicy smell, a woman’s sure hands on the handle. And her own little-girl self squatting back on her heels, her fingers drawing aimlessly in the dirt as she stared at the ribbons of white-orange flame…

A hand touched Nisha’s shoulder, startling her.

“Drink up,” Josei said, as if she hadn’t noticed Nisha’s distraction. “I need you alert.”

Nisha sipped at the drink obediently, trying to force her mind back to the present. She rarely had those flashes of memory anymore. She rarely thought about the parents who had left her behind. But now the old feelings of loneliness twisted together with everything else inside her, and she felt like crying.

The
kafei
helped, the smoky, bitter taste sliding over her tongue. She focused on that, pushing everything else aside, and by the time she finished the cup, she was back on balance.

“Better?” Josei said.

Nisha nodded. “Much better,” she said, taking in her surroundings.

They were standing behind the group of buildings that made up the House of Combat. A few steps away was the small, thickly wooded area that the Combat novices used to practice their woodcraft in. Nisha could hear starlings calling to one another from the treetops. The air was thick with the scent of hay from the nearby stables.

“Why are we here?” Nisha asked. She vaguely remembered Josei leading her away from the maze and the body, remembered stumbling over her own feet and Josei holding her up.

Josei started walking, forcing Nisha to run after her. “Matron is at the House of Jade, breaking the news of Jina’s death to the House Mistress. We’ll meet her there when we’re finished. But right now, I need to know everything you know about Jina and about yesterday.”

“I don’t know much,” Nisha said cautiously. “Jina and I spoke sometimes when I was at the House of Jade. She was training to be an archivist. She loved history more than anything and would talk about it for hours.”

Josei turned down the path that led to the armory, Nisha still trailing behind her. “Did Jina ever seem depressed? Or likely to take her own life?”

“You mean commit suicide?” Nisha asked, startled.

“She was poisoned,” Josei pointed out. “I don’t know how yet. That’s for the healers to determine. But I do know that poison is a popular choice for suicides.”