“Pardon, Li Kai, I know I come at a troubling time,” Yisaoh said. She rubbed the stained ends of her fingers together. He forgot she smoked. Tordinian cigarettes, likely. His sister had loved them.

“I expect you aren't here to talk about taxes,” Ahkio said.

He fished around in his sister’s desk, looking for her smoking box. It would have been comforting indeed if Yisaoh came to him about taxes. He knew all about tax law.

“No,” Yisaoh said. “With your sister being prepared downstairs, I–”

He found the cigarette box, a black lacquered box as big as a ledger. “Can I offer you a cigarette?”

She hesitated. “No, thank you.”

“I don’t smoke, and my sister is dead.” He pushed the box toward her. “Is this enough, or is there something else of my sister’s you’d like?”

Yisaoh steepled her fingers. “A mouthy ethics teacher. That’s what Kirana called you.”

“And where is my sister’s husband?” Ahkio asked. “Your brother Lohin? I expected him.” Ahkio sat across from her. He adopted an open posture, arms on either side of the seat, legs uncrossed. It took a great deal of effort not to snap up like a morning glory at midday, but she was here to find weakness.

“He sends his regards,” Yisaoh said coolly.

“Thoughtful.”

“I see there’s no sense in dancing around,” Yisaoh said. “I never was a good dancer.”

“I doubt that very much.”

“I am here to ask you to renounce your claim to the seat.”

“I’m afraid I’ve chosen not to do that. It’s not what Kirana would have wanted.”

“So you’re doing this for Kirana?”

“Yes.”

“Not Ora Nasaka, of course?”

“It’s no secret Nasaka and I don’t get along.”

“There have been questions about your right to the seat,” Yisaoh said, “based on your true parentage.”

“My… what?” He folded his hands, realized what he was doing, and released them again. He tried to look at ease while pondering what she meant. He could think of no legitimate issue with his parentage except for lost, mad Etena. Had the Garikas found her after all? When his mother exiled Etena, Tir’s family all but declared an open campaign against his mother’s family. Kirana had fought them off with a great deal of diplomacy and, it was rumored, an inordinate amount of affection for Yisaoh.

“People talk, Ahkio. Kirana and the three dead babies before you were all obviously your mother’s children. But you look nothing like your mother.”

He laughed. “Is this all you have? Yisaoh, there are far more important things at issue here. First, who poisoned my sister with some gifted charm that no tirajista could cure? Who wanted this seat badly enough to commit murder for it?”