Ana and Din Mysteries, #3
A Trade of Blood
by Robert Jackson Bennett
Contents
Chapter 8
Overview
Din meets Trikao Armenta at the Crooked Horn and presses about the Armenta heirs’ deaths, provoking Trikao’s resentment and denial of any family curse. Trikao summons his son and his son’s betrothed. The rider who arrives is revealed to be Fotia—Din’s sister—binding Din personally to the Armenta family and complicating the inquiry.
Summary
Din goes to the Crooked Horn to find Trikao Armenta, as arranged. He notes Lacanthim’s Tala rain and calm before meeting Trikao, who sits alone with wine. When Din asks about the other Armenta deaths, Trikao immediately challenges the premise and rejects talk of a family curse, insisting the Armentas did nothing to deserve their tragedies.
Din explains the need to understand Castus’s motives and relationships. Trikao, still grieving, refuses to revisit his children’s deaths and pleads for privacy. Din withholds his suspicion that the deaths were engineered, honoring Ana’s order for secrecy and recognizing that pushing further would close doors with the Armentas.
Seeking another path, Din asks to speak with Trikao’s son. Trikao agrees, saying he has already summoned Ippeas and his betrothed, who rides faster and should arrive first. A skilled rider soon gallops in—poised, armed, and worried. As she dismounts and approaches, Din recognizes her features, and she recognizes his.
The rider is revealed to be Fotia, Din’s sister. Their stunned exchange confirms the connection. This revelation binds Din personally to the Armenta household through Fotia’s betrothal to Ippeas, promising both new access and new complications for the investigation.
Who Appears
- DinImperial engraver and investigator; questions Trikao, withholds suspicions, and is shocked to find his sister betrothed into the Armentas.
- Trikao ArmentaPatriarch grieving his dead children; denies any curse, resents scrutiny, summons his son and son’s betrothed.
- FotiaSkilled rider and Din’s sister; arrives as Ippeas’s betrothed, revealing Din’s personal tie to the Armenta family.