Speaking of which, he was waiting now for his confederate to return with news of Edinja’s death. No one had reported it yet, not even after two days of her absence at the Council meetings. Surely retainers of some sort must have found the body. Why were they hiding it? Were they somehow involved with whoever was sending him the notes?

He felt his paranoia spiraling out of control and quickly tamped it down. He poured himself a glass of wine from the decanter, started to drink it to calm himself, and stopped. He studied the wine and then set it down again. He wasn’t ready to drink wine again quite yet.

Which made him wonder anew why the poison had affected Edinja and not him. Had it already been in her glass when she poured the wine? How could the killer have known which glass she would use?

He went over to the couch and lay down to nap. He felt on edge and irritable from everything that had happened since his meeting with Edinja, as if his life had somehow taken a wrong turn. He wished he had never asked for the meeting. He wished he had never gone.

He even found himself wishing she were still alive. He had wanted her dead, but not this quickly and not in a way that was out of his control.

He fell into an uneasy sleep, but woke instantly when he heard the panel in the wall slide back and Stoon appeared through the opening. He sat up at once, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“What did you find out? Tell me.”

The assassin hesitated. “Edinja has disappeared.”

Drust stared at him. “What does that mean? She’s dead. How can she disappear? You mean someone took the body?”

“There isn’t any body. According to the retainers I spoke with there isn’t even any sign of a struggle.”

“No body? What about the cat?”

“Sitting there where she usually sits, I gather. I didn’t get inside for a look. This all comes from Edinja’s servants. They don’t know where she is, but apparently she isn’t there. Maybe she isn’t even dead.”

“No, she’s dead. I watched her die.” Drust rose and walked over to the table, picked up the glass of wine he had poured himself and handed it to Stoon. “Smell this.”

The assassin did and shrugged. “You believe it might have been poisoned?”

Drust snatched back the glass and set it on the table. He handed Stoon the note. “This came while I was in Council.”

Stoon glanced at it. “Same as the others. Did the guards see anything?”

“No. I have to find out what is happening, who is doing this. I have to put a stop to it. You didn’t learn anything? Anything at all?”

“Nothing. But that’s only because no one knows anything. Except for whoever is doing this.”