The rest of the room was set up more informally. This was Iskat, so of course there was a meal: the salt course was set out but as yet untouched. Dozens of guests were milling around the tables. Jainan saw a couple of the other treaty representatives. Kiem was in his Imperial family uniform, which was not quite military but showy enough that he could hold his own, while Bel wore a flowing, gold-accented coat with her usual self-assurance. Jainan faded into the background in his blue-gray Thean ceremonials. They weren’t technically correct, but his green-and-gold clan formals were aggressively Thean and would have stuck out.

“How’s it going?” Kiem murmured as they entered side by side. “With the crash data, I mean.”

Jainan started. He hadn’t thought he’d been bothering Kiem. But of course Kiem was expecting a result after the fuss Jainan had made over the crash data, and of course Jainan had nothing. He didn’t want to admit he had wasted Kiem’s time. Jainan didn’t know if it was because of the persistent feeling he’d somehow made a mistake in his own analysis, or just an unwillingness to admit defeat. “I would like to do one more check.”

“Sure,” Kiem said. He looked behind him—Jainan understood the impulse, the remnants felt like a buzzing presence just behind your shoulder, wherever you turned—and shook himself. “I’d offer to help, but you know, I add up two and two and get fried fish.”

“Fried whitebait,” Bel said absentmindedly. Jainan followed her gaze to the pristine display of food: white seafood with carefully arranged splashes of color from herbs and vegetables in glittering tiered trays. Iskat haute cuisine had an almost forensic air. “Salmon. Is that Eisafan saltfish?”

“Leave some for us,” Kiem said.

“If you’re quick.” She flashed both of them a sideways smile. “Oh, and don’t forget you have to leave early. You have the Thean embassy reception straight afterward.”

The Thean reception. Jainan swallowed on a suddenly dry throat. “I assumed we weren’t going.”

“Oh,” Kiem said. He stopped in his tracks, his expression suddenly guilty.

“Ah. Shit. Sorry. I may have assumed we were. They phrased the invite like you knew about it already. I’ll tell them we had a change of plan.”

“You’ve accepted,” Jainan said blankly. “Oh. I didn’t mean—I’ll go.

Naturally.” He was rattled; he would usually have phrased that more smoothly.

A gong sounded to signal the start of the ceremony. Jainan shoved everything

out of his mind to deal with later. Ambassador Suleri met them at the front of the room; he gave Jainan a crisp, polite greeting and a set of keys. The embassy had arranged everything. Jainan was only required to take the keys to the Auditor.