Page 26 of The Study of Poisons
“Tesso and Hazal,” she answered promptly.
“Can you describe them? Hair color? Eyes?”
She hesitated; her gaze grew distant before she shook her head. “I think General Tesso had a beard.”
“You identified them by their uniforms and didn’t look at their faces. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“That’s what I thought. That’s the problem with the uniform requirement. It makes a person lazy. A guard will see a housekeeping uniform and just assume that person belongs in the castle. It’s too easy for someone to sneak about, which is why I keep the Commander always surrounded by loyal people. And why Margg is the only housekeeper permitted to clean the Commander’s and my suites and offices.”
“Why not dismiss all the servants in the castle and use your own people?”
“Soldiers make up the majority of our army. Civilians who joined prior to the takeover were made advisers or given other prominent positions. Some of the King’s servants were already on our payroll, and the others we paid double what they earned working for the King. Well-paid servants are happy servants.”
“Does the entire castle’s staff get paid?”
“Yes.”
“Including the food taster?”
The conversation had taken an interesting turn. “No.”
“Why not?”
“The food taster is paid in advance. How much is your life worth?”
CHAPTER7
She stared at him in shock. The reality of her current life had hit her harder than Valek intended. He swiveled back to his desk. It would be rather stupid to pay the food taster. If they somehow figured out the Butterfly’s Dust ruse, they could save up their funds and escape. A slight chance, since only Valek knew about the fake poison. It might make more sense to pay them. Then the temptation to sell secrets wouldn’t be as strong. Which made him wonder…
He turned back to her. “What would you buy with the money?”
“A hairbrush, nightclothes, and I’d spend some at the festival.” Her answer came out all in one breath.
Her list didn’t have anything that he’d expected, like luxuries or sweets. Except for the festival, she wanted practical things. The fire festival was an annual pain in Valek’s ass. Crime always spiked, people became drunk and disorderly, and there was always trouble. Always. It was due to start in eleven days. Yelena was better off staying in the castle.
“You can get some nightclothes from the seamstress, Dilana. She should have included them with your uniforms. As to the rest, you’ll have to make do with what you can find.”
Her disappointment tightened around his heart like barbed wire. Valek turned away before he could grab a bag of coins and press them into her hands just to see her smile.Gah, what’s gotten into you?
* * *
Over the next few days,Yelena settled into her job as the Commander’s food taster while Valek focused on his various operations. Sven had been in business for five days and Valek wanted to see how the newest black market dealer was doing.
He changed into the kitchen server’s uniform again. This time he rubbed some oil into his hair, making it look unwashed and greasy from working in the kitchen. Using some flesh-colored putty, he sculpted a softer nose for his face. Then he applied makeup to darken his skin a few shades, so he matched most of the people living in Castletown. Valek had grown up near the Northern Ice Pack in what was now MD-1. The sun hardly shone there, and he had the pale skin to prove it. Adding some coal soot to his clothes and chin helped the impression of being one of the people assigned to keep the ovens hot. He finished his disguise with a pair of spectacles. The lenses were just glass, but it was surprisingly effective.
Valek left the castle complex via the west gate and headed straight southwest. He crossed the grass field that spread from the castle’s stone buttress for a quarter of a mile in all directions. No buildings or trees were allowed in that area. Nothing that an army or an assassin could use to hide behind or to climb over the wall.
He strode on the path toward Castletown, an unimaginative name courtesy of the Commander. Frankly, Valek preferred Jeweltown, its old name. Not because it was named in honor of Queen Jewel, but because the city had been laid out like the facets of a jewel. The symmetry of the place soothed him. It was a break from the castle’s haphazard shapes.
The sun warmed him, and a slight breeze blew the scent of living green and sunflowers toward him. He kept an eye on his surroundings but didn’t expect trouble as he neared the town. The tents for the fire festival would be set up in the fields directly west of Castletown. A few others walked on the path. Travel between the town and the castle flowed all day long. Workers arrived for their shifts or left to go home. Soldiers frequently visited town on their days off.
The main market was located near the center of town and Valek stopped there first. His cover as a kitchen server helped him fit right in. He approached a stand selling herbs and spices.
The merchant’s smile widened. “I have everything you need, sir. All fresh and grown in my own backyard, tended by my lovely wife and children.”
“And I’m sure your prices reflect all that love and care.”
