Traitor's Moon

killed are still there, as far as I know. Later, when I went back to find Beka Cavish, I discovered that she and my men had been set upon, too. I followed her and watched as she was attacked again, this time by men openly wearing the sen’gai of Akhendi.”
    â€œYou helped the Exile escape?” asked Brythir, arching an eyebrow at the Ra’basi.
    Nyal met his accusing gaze calmly. “I did, Khirnari.”
    The Silmai shook his head, then looked back at Seregil. “I still see no proof that your poisoner was an Akhendi.”
    â€œWith the guidance of the rhui’auros, Khirnari, I realized that Alec and I had witnessed the poisonings with our own eyes, the night of the Virésse banquet. Rhaish í Arlisandin himself wore the poisoner’s ring and killed Lord Torsin with the clasp of friendship. Later, someone placed a tassel from a Virésse sen’gai in Torsin’s hand to further place the blame on the Virésse. It was a signal employed by Ulan í Sathil and Torsin to summon one another to secret meetings. Only the tassel found in Torsin’s hand was not from the khirnari’s sen’gai, nor was any such signal sent by a Virésse that night.”
    â€œWhy should Rhaish í Arlisandin kill Torsin í Xandus?” the Bry’khan khirnari asked, clearly bewildered.
    â€œBecause the Skalan envoy was secretly parlaying with Virésse for a limited opening of Gedre.”
    Brythir turned to Klia. “Is this true?”
    Klia whispered to Adzriel at some length, and the Bôkthersan passed on her words. “Klia learned of this only a few weeks before the envoy’s death. He was acting on Queen Idrilain’s behest, as a safeguard in case the Iia’sidra would not grant the demands Klia brought. In the meantime, she proceeded with her original orders, hoping to open Gedre permanently.”
    Rhaish regarded them all stonily, saying nothing.
    Brythir summoned the other khirnari, all but Adzriel and Rhaish, to his chair. After several minutes of excited whispering, they resumed their places.
    â€œWe would hear more of this supposed poisoning,” the Silmai told Seregil.
    â€œAs I said, I didn’t understand what it was that I was seeing at the time, not until after the attack in the mountains. I believe only Rhaish and Amali knew that we had the bracelet, and its significance if the altered charm was discovered. One of them used it to track us and set the ambushers on us.
    â€œBut it wasn’t only Klia’s bracelet that incriminated them. It was the absence of Torsin’s, and for this reason, I believe that Klia’s poisoning was an accident, rather than a deliberate attempt at murder.
    â€œWhen Torsin’s body was brought back to the guest house the morning after the Virésse banquet, Alec noted that his warding charm was missing. If the person who poisoned him recognized the charm for what it was, they would have removed it to cover their guilt.”
    He turned to face Rhaish. “You removed it as soon as you’d poisoned him, Khirnari, knowing that it would give you away. You pretended to stumble and used a common spell to undo the knot holding it on his wrist. The ruse covered this little theft, but Klia surprised you, kindly taking you by the hand to help you up.”
    â€œBut wait!” Elos í Orian objected. “If that is so, then why didn’t Klia’s charm give him away in the same manner?”
    â€œBecause there was no ill intent, Khirnari. That was the charm’s magic, to warn. Because Klia’s poisoning was an accident, there was nothing to spring the magic. Perhaps Rhaish could justify killing Torsin—he was old, dying already. He was only a Tírfaie. He was plotting with Ulan to steal away the only hope he had of saving his clan. But Klia?”
    He gave the old man a pitying look. “I saw your face as she helped you. If you’d meant to harm her, the charm she wore would have given you away then and there. You knew that, and left it where it was. You told no one what you’d done, not even Amali. Another mistake, Khirnari, given your wife’s concern for you.
    â€œIt was no secret that Klia was hunting with the Haman the following day. Amali saw a chance to wound those she thought opposed Akhendi’s interests and took it. You didn’t even know she’d done it until after the bracelet was found, did you? You wanted theblame on the