Ten for Dying

Chapter Thirty-nine

“A team of laborers unloading a grain ship say they heard Tychon yelling about demons. His screams carried all the way down to the docks. When they looked up they saw him come flying over the sea wall. Not that he flew far. It took a while for someone to get up on the roof of the warehouse, but judging from the shape Tychon was in he must have died the instant he hit it. Antonina is extremely upset.”

Anastasia let her silk tunic drop onto the tiles beside the bath and stepped down into the water to sit beside Felix, Aphrodite, descending into the sea. Looking at her made Felix ache in a way that almost drove the ache of his injuries out of his mind. Almost.

“Why should Antonina be upset? You told me she’d drugged the wine to teach the thief a lesson. So she not only did that, she also executed him.” Felix leaned back against the rim of the basin and watched tendrils of steam climb up toward the round patch of sky visible through the aperture overhead. He had ordered the water be made much hotter than usual. Anastasia’s skin had already turned rosy.

“She didn’t want anyone to die! The potion is supposed to cause visions. She meant to give the culprit an unpleasant experience. She suspected Tychon. An unruly sort. Ran with one of the racing factions at one time, she claims. Capable servants are difficult to replace.” Anastasia shifted, pressing her hip against his.

“Perhaps Antonina wouldn’t have been so upset if the culprit had turned out to be one her less capable servants?”

“That’s unfair, Felix.”

“Didn’t it occur to her that the victim might have visions, might even see fiends? From what you’ve told me, most of the household already imagined they were besieged by them.”

“Perhaps they are.”

Felix shook his head. “As I already told you, that was probably the leper who was lurking around here. I mistook him for a demon, but only for an instant.”

“Turn around and let me see to that back. What a nasty purple mess it is!” She splashed some water onto the wounds. “Does that hurt?”

Felix grunted and Anastasia replied with little sounds of sympathy. “It’s my belief the evil spirits came out to do mischief as soon as my sister died,” she continued. “When the world’s not right, when everything is turned upside down, they see their chance.”

She gently kneaded his sore muscles and Felix began to relax. Could she be right? The workers at the church swore they had seen demons fleeing with the relic. Perhaps the supernatural was, in fact, involved. What about the frogs in the mausoleum? There was something unnatural about that. And the doorkeeper said he’d seen an ape or something resembling one. Still, Mithrans knew there were forces of darkness at work in the world. “It’s not that I don’t believe demons exist. Demons of some sort, somewhere, some time. But right here? Right now? I don’t expect to see any.”

“Why not? Devils are everywhere. Look at how many Jesus cast out. He drove two thousand from one poor soul into a whole herd of swine.”

“At that rate there wouldn’t be enough swine in the world to dispose of the demons inside the Great Palace alone!”

“Oh, Felix, I’m serious.” Anastasia slapped the back of his head, lightly, but hard enough to make him wince, given the lump there.

“So am I. There’s evil in the world, but it works though human beings. There’s no need for demons to get involved. Well, most of the time anyhow.”

Yet what if such beings really were involved in a matter with which he was inextricably entwined? Better not to think about it. Then again, every new possibility that occurred to him was just as puzzling as the previous ones. “What about your friend Antonina? Tychon was her servant. If he was seeing demons, could it have something to do with the stolen shroud? Might Antonina have an interest in relics?”

She stopped stroking his back and slid away from him. “How can you say that? Why don’t you accuse me of involvement too?”

He turned to face her. “I’m just trying to think of all the possibilities.”

“And you think that’s a possibility?” Her face was flushed and not just from the hot air which had beaded her face with perspiration.

“I’m just trying to follow the trail of-”

“Don’t say any more.” She stood, making the steamy mist swirl. Rivulets streamed down her sides, sparkling in the light from overhead. She was achingly beautiful. And angry. And the sister of the late empress. Felix had the sudden, humiliating feeling of being targeted by the wrath of a goddess.

“Can’t you understand? How long do you think the ruse with a bit of cloth is going to stop Porphyrius? If there are people higher up than Porphyrius or the Jingler, they’ve hidden themselves well. I’m not even certain what the relationship between Porphyrius and the Jingler is, or if there is any. I’m totally in the dark!”

Anastasia pushed her damp hair back from her face. Her rigid features softened. “Poor bear! I hate to see you in such a state. I have a suggestion that might make you feel better.”

“Yes?”

She pivoted and stamped up the steps out of the bath, showing him her perfect buttocks. “You’d better speak to the Jingler again.”