Ana and Din Mysteries, #3
A Trade of Blood
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
Din and Ana travel to Lacanthim to investigate a murdered gentry girl, a case threatening to ignite conflict between two clans. After bypassing a roadblock by crossing bean fields, they encounter armed Armenta forces. Ana concludes there is a standoff over the jailed suspect, raising the stakes of potential violence.
Summary
In a carriage bound for Lacanthim, Ana rails against society’s fixation on murdered young women and gentry deaths, while Din tries to sleep. Din recalls their orders: the case of a slain gentry girl has inflamed tensions, with high risk of social strife and casualties if mishandled. The suspect is Castus Armenta, a prime son of the Armenta clan.
As the carriage enters Sapirdad’s endless bean fields, Din joins the pilot, observing traffic laden with caged drokha-cats used for harvesting. The road clogs near town, and, pressured by time and orders to arrive by midday, Ana insists they cut across cropland, promising to pay damages despite the pilot’s misgivings.
They drive through the fields toward Lacanthim and see the source of the blockage: armed men in saffron leathers bearing the Armenta bull crest. Din recognizes them as Armenta forces, likely responding to Castus’s imprisonment for the murder.
Ana reasons that the victim’s family likely seeks to seize and hang Castus, while the Armentas aim to break him out—yet neither side dares strike first. She concludes the city is in a stalemate, setting the stage for their difficult intervention.
Who Appears
- DinNarrator and imperial engraver with perfect memory; escorts Ana to investigate a gentry girl’s murder.
- AnaBlindfolded, irritable superior; critiques societal morbid fascinations and pushes to reach Lacanthim quickly.
- Carriage pilotDriver uneasy about crossing crops; complies after assurances of payment and authority.
- Castus ArmentaPrime son of the Armenta clan; jailed as the murder suspect at the center of the standoff.
- Armenta clan forcesArmed men in saffron leathers blockading approaches to Lacanthim, signaling looming conflict.
- Slain gentry girlUnnamed victim whose death triggers inter-clan tensions and the investigation.