Chapter 17

Din escorts Ippeas Armenta to the custodi induction room, where Ana begins a pointed interview. Ippeas explains he received an urgent, anonymous scribe-hawk letter claiming a Burav servant had evidence to clear Castus. The message, which included a reagents key for the vinegate and demanded it be burned, contained intimate details about Ippeas and Fotia that only Castus—or Zansay’s confidants—would know, convincing him to go.

Near the servants’ door, Ippeas lost his nerve after a drunk valet mistook him for Burilis Burav and mentioned another “forest jaunt,” asking why he lacked a lantern and smokes. Ippeas fled, then heard screaming as the mansion ignited. He returned, entered through the burning kitchens, and carried out a fainted kitchen girl before retreating again.

Ana reframes events: Ippeas was likely lured to die in the fire. Though Ippeas protests he cannot inherit—inheritance passes through Velona—Ana and Seriv note the killer seems well informed. To check for tampering, Din administers Tauri’s reagent paper; Ippeas tests positive for infection, though he reports no conditioning dreams.

Discussing the valet’s comment, Ana seizes on the clue that Burilis has been entering the forest with lanterns and smokes, contradicting local belief that the woods are impassable. She plans to consult Commander Tauri to verify her suspicions.

Fearing further attempts on Ippeas and rising anti-Armenta sentiment, Ana orders Seriv to lock Ippeas in a secure cell for protection. She also instructs that Din be jailed—both to force him to rest and to place him where she expects trouble to arrive next.