Contents
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Overview
Over breakfast, Neema secures Cain’s escort to confront Yasila and lays out her theory: Yasila stole Hurun-tooth, lightly poisoned Shal, and tainted Neema’s bath oil using Dragonscale access once shared with Yana. Cain remains skeptical of magic and reports fresh Hound reinforcements. Sunur senses an older, unnatural darkness within the palace, heightening the chapter’s foreboding.
Summary
At breakfast on Neema’s balcony, Neema asks Cain to accompany her to interview Yasila. She explains her theory: Yasila stole Hurun-tooth to frame and humiliate her son Shal, administered a mild poison to spoil Shal’s Festival, and contaminated Neema’s bath oil. Neema argues only Yasila had such access to Dragonscale, aside from Yana, per Ruko’s account.
Neema worries about Yasila’s link to Gaida on the day of the murder, questioning why tea was needed if Yasila could bind victims with speech. She decides direct confrontation is needed but insists on Cain’s presence because Ruko warned Yasila must be close to bind and can hold only one person at a time.
Cain dismisses magic as Dragon trickery and focuses on Ruko as a rival. He mentions two hundred new Hounds arriving overnight on a Leviathan amid reports of unrest. Neema counters with specifics: Yasila carved her initial into the Visitor and made Neema stop breathing; Cain attributes this to drugs and suggestion.
Sunur arrives, weary, and admits she couldn’t sleep. She describes sensing something older and deeper than Gaida’s murder—an unnatural, against-nature darkness within the Dragon palace. Neema briefly feels a echo of decay herself, trusting Sunur’s Ox-born attunement.
The moment ends with Neema spontaneously hugging Sunur, sealing a new friendship. Below, Hounds drill, underscoring the island’s tightening security as Neema prepares to confront Yasila.
Who Appears
- NeemaInvestigator; recruits Cain to face Yasila, outlines theft, poisoning, and Dragonscale tampering; briefly senses palace’s unnatural rot.
- CainSkeptical ally; downplays magic as tricks, reports 200 new Hounds’ arrival, agrees to accompany Neema to Yasila.
- SunurOxwoman and ally; arrives exhausted, senses an older, unnatural darkness in the palace; bonds with Neema.
- YasilaTarget of investigation; suspected of stealing Hurun-tooth, lightly poisoning Shal, and tainting Neema’s bath oil.
- RukoSource on Yasila’s limits; says binding requires close range and affects one person at a time.
- ShalYasila’s son; allegedly given a mild poison to mar his Festival start.
- YanaReferenced as the only other person Yasila trusted with Dragonscale.
- GaidaMurder victim referenced; her death’s causes contrast with Sunur’s sense of deeper wrongness.