Chapter 31

Din reports his conditioning dream to Ana; an orange test confirms he is infected. Testing the Green Drover’s ewer turns orange, prompting Ana to order Tauri to test specific taverns: the Crooked Horn and the Prancing Calf. She argues the killer likely brought targets to infected wells rather than poisoning cups.

Ana rebukes Din for disobeying orders and notes his conditioning’s timing matches Castus Armenta’s lysis, keeping suspicion on Tauri but not committing to his guilt. She reasons Din’s Sublime engraver augmentations render him unusually resistant to the web’s memory compulsion.

Tauri and Seriv return: the Crooked Horn, Prancing Calf, and the Green Drover wells are poisoned; neighboring wells are clean, proving targeted seeding. Ana outlines how the fungus accumulated in regular visitors, sparing Fotia, who seldom stayed in town, and how awakening tones later enabled conditioning.

Seriv brings Fotia, who shares a crucial witness account: Sagma was found hanging with what proved to be her own neck ribbon, not a rope. Ana realizes this overlooked detail exposes the killer’s method and identity.

Ana drafts a letter to Velona Armenta, claiming to hold damning, personal evidence and urging a pause in legal moves, to force the culprit to act. She requests two painful lypi lances from Tauri and sets an ambush at the Green Drover, warning Din to avoid lethal force chiefly for his own psyche as more work awaits after the capture.