Page 3 of Mistress of Bones
Enjul took a step forward, and Serunje a matching step back. “Who witnessed this, then?”
“The woman’s younger sister was by her side, along with others from the envoy. The sailors from the boats bringing them from the ship were there as well as a few men from our guard.”
“May she not have fallen into the water? A trick of the light?”
“Everyone swears the woman was on the dock, then turned green and simply… crumbled.”
“A lie to push Valanje into a lesser position during these trade talks.”
“No, Emissary Enjul. The guards are loyal. Besides, there is no way someone could’ve orchestrated such a thing, paid all those witnesses.”
Enjul dared not hope, but hope rose anyway. “What is your explanation?”
Serunje tugged at his brown hair, gathered at his nape like a horse’s tail over his shoulder. “I wish I knew. De Mial has been demanding an explanation, so I requested your presence. I’ve kept the group here, isolated those I could.”
“De Mial?”
“The delegation’s leader, an ambassador with some status within Cienpuentes’s court. He is the reason we took on the two women. He grew affectionate toward the older sister while we rested and restocked in Agunción, and the sisters considered the trip some sort of adventure. From what I can tell, they had never traveled to Valanje before. Our envoy made for an alluring prospect—secure travels and engaging company.”
“And you allowed this?”
“I saw no harm to it. They were obvious locals, not spies sent to interfere.”
“Is there a suspect?”
“None that I can discern. Everyone was shocked, and the sister, as you can imagine, was beside herself. She’s been insisting on returning to Sancia, but I couldn’t allow her to leave. She has been restricted to the guest quarters here for the time being.”
“Did you secure the dirt and the clothes?”
“They await your inspection.”
Enjul gave a curt nod of approval. “Go back to the incident. Describe everything that happened in as much detail as you can.”
“We had taken the boats to one of the smaller docks. Myself and three of our escort alighted first. Another boat carrying Isadora del Arroyo—the deceased—and her sister, Azul, along with Ambassador de Mial and his sister as well as Nereida de Guzmán, another member of the envoy, began to disembark behind me. De Guzmán went first, I was told, then the younger Del Arroyo, followed by the elder. That’s when it happened. I heard the cries, turned around, and found the pile of dirt and Azul del Arroyo digging into it. I called for order and for the guards to stop her, but…” Serunje frowned, as if recalling something unexpected.
“All the details, Rudel Serunje.”
“When the guards took ahold of Del Arroyo and brought her away from her sister’s… remains—no. No,” he corrected himself. “She wasn’t keen to keep by her sister. She was trying to return to the boat. It was De Guzmán who stopped her. Del Arroyo managed to free herself, but by then I was there. She demanded to return to Sancia, and when I told her she must stay until we investigated the situation, she addressed De Mial and begged for him to do something and allow her to return to Sancia.”
“She would leave her sister’s remains?”
“Her words were, ‘Don’t you want to see my sister again? Help me get to her bones.’ Or something of the sort.”
Enjul took another step forward. “Is that what she said? Are you certain?”
Serunje paled but stood his ground. “Yes, I’m sure of it. She was very distraught.”
Sharp satisfaction coursed through Enjul’s blood. He smiled, relishing the warmth it brought. “Tell me more about this Azul del Arroyo. How old is she? Is she from Cienpuentes?”
“She is about nineteen years of age. I do not believe the family comes from Cienpuentes, although I was told their mother spends most of the year away. The mother is said to be quite beautiful and earns her money as a surrogate. I asked about them before granting them permission to travel with us, naturally. They own a good house in Agunción, and don’t lack for money. The older sister is—was—known to enjoy the tavern and duels at dawn. Good with her rapier, I was told. The younger is never far away, although she doesn’t seem to participate in the sport.”
Serunje’s tone softened when he continued, “I had some talks with Azul del Arroyo on the ship. She’s a curious thing, eager to learn and travel but shackled by sisterly loyalty. I believe if it weren’t for her sister, she would’ve adventured into the world already. The older sister isn’t keen to travel, apparently. Wasn’t.”
Nineteen years. Enjul savored the morsel of age in his mind, intrigued and a little awed. Was that all it took to go against your gods in such an outrageous manner? How reckless the woman must be, how disgusted at everything the gods had to offer. Sancians, showing their lack of true faith once again.
“I will meet with her now.”
Serunje frowned at the hard edge of Enjul’s tone. “Emissary, she’s a distraught young woman mourning her sister. Be gentle, if you must talk. It would do us no good if she complains to Ambassador de Mial. Will you not talk to him first instead? Assure him we are doing all we can to investigate the situation?”
