Nikias’ office was neat, tidy, and very big. The room itself was a large rectangle built snugly into the corner of the building; the windows were high up and open, letting sunlight spill in until everything glowed.

The inner walls were made of the same sort of rock as the outer ones, and clearly well-kept. Everything smelled clean and fresh, though Ba’an detected a faint undertone of something woody, old and full of dust.

It did not resemble a civilian office, or at least not any Ba’an had ever seen.

Not that Ba’an had a habit of frequenting Dolkoi’ri offices, of course, but…well. Nikias’ office had no resemblance to the moneylenders, or even the rooms used for business at the brothels or gambling dens. It was simply too clean, with sparse, utilitarian furnishings.

The furniture was of very good quality, and would last many years, but Ba’an could see that nothing, including the chairs, had been made for comfort. The walls were decorated not with art, but with maps, maps with locations that Ba’an could not even begin to guess at, never mind recognize.

And there were books. Ba’an had never seen so many in her entire life.

There were shelves lining the walls, which were full of rows and rows of tomes and sundry other papers, parchments, and tablets. Her fingers itched at the sight of it, and she had the sudden urge to simply walk up to a shelf and touch something; she averted her eyes instead.

His desk was nearly groaning with its own burdens. The chaos on its surface had been tamed with the use of shallow trays; Ba’an could see that there were only unopened documents in the furthermost tray, and only opened ones in the one beside it. The height of each pile was mildly horrifying. There were also very nicely organized stacks of supplies and sheets on a smaller table right by his seat, within easy reach.

The chairs were made of wood and did not look very inviting despite the cushions on the seats.

Aside from the books, it looked very much like a Dolkoi’ri military office. Ba’an would know; she had burned down plenty.

“If you’d be so kind as to take a seat, lady Ba’an?”

Well, there was only one seat for her to take. What was the point of speaking as if she had her choice of seat? Would he cede his own to her if she walked to the other side of the desk and sat in it?

Luckily for everyone, Ba’an was not quite so childish.

Dolkoi’ri manners were always full of lies and hidden meanings. Ba’an always found it very frustrating, though she knew better than to show it. Not here. Not now.

“Yes, thank you.” Ba’an sat down in the chair that was clearly meant for guests. Nikias made his way to his own seat at a leisurely pace, and Ba’an noted his guards silently took up their stations on either side of the door. The servants that had followed them also seemed to know exactly where to go.

Nikias sat, then addressed one of the men that had decided to stand behind him, right against the wall.

“Tea. The new one for lady Ba’an.”

The man bowed and left to do as he was bid.

Nikias turned back to Ba’an. “Once you have given your testimony, I must ask you to sign it with your full name.” He paused. “For legal purposes, your tribe and family chain up to the previous generation is sufficient. I will not ask you to verify your identity, as doing so would likely delay this matter even further. I imagine your tribe must be days, if not weeks, into the desert.”

Ba’an nodded. “I will give you my full name.” Which was now Ba’an salu-Ba’an. Well, he wouldn’t be able to accuse her of lying, would he? It was the truth. She had no name chain.

“Please be aware that a false testimony is punishable by whipping, incarceration, or execution, depending on the seriousness of the crime.” Nikias’ calm, business-like demeanor did not change, and he continued at her nod.

“I am sorry to add that you are not a citizen, which means someone must witness your testimony and sign beside your name. Since Lukios is a person of interest, he cannot do this for you. Do you know anyone else here that can act as a witness, or shall I provide one?”

She shook her head. “I do not know anyone else here.” Well, she knew Merida, but Ba’an would not pull the midwife away to involve her in this…mess.

“Very well. In that case, I will provide an independent witness for you.”

“Yes. Thank you.” She paused, frowning. “Sir Nikias. Why is Lukios a ‘person of interest’?” Ba’an did not think he or Gaios had been lying about that. It had sounded true, very true and very serious.

“I cannot share that information with you, unfortunately. But as I have said, there have been some disturbing accusations.” Nikias leaned forward and looked directly into her eyes, linking his hands together on the desk. Ba’an found herself caught in his stare, which was startlingly intense.

“I will be frank with you. It is my opinion that these accusations are complete and utter bullshit.”

She blinked. Ba’an had not known Nikias could swear.

He was still speaking. “Regardless, this case is not actually in my jurisdiction. I am acting in scribal capacity only, and the documents will be sent to Heliopolis. At present they are mere accusations, and there is no need for alarm. But this could become very ugly, very quickly. So lady Ba’an, if you care for Lukios at all, I ask that you be completely honest so we can prevent any actual criminal charges from being laid in the first place. Did you have any further questions?”

When Ba’an spoke again, it was very slowly. She was still thinking. “If the problem is in Heliopolis…that is very far away, sir Nikias. So…does that mean the accuser does not know Lukios is alive?”

“I cannot say, though I suppose that is a very logical conclusion. After all, Lukios only returned yesterday.” Nikias smiled thinly, and Ba’an barely refrained from rolling her eyes.

So he was saying yes, without saying the word ‘yes’. Dolkoi’ri rules were very stupid.

“I do not understand how they can accuse a dead man of anything. What is the point?”

Nikias sighed. “Sometimes accusing a dead man is the most convenient course of action.” He gave her an apologetic look which actually appeared sincere. “And that is all I can say on that subject. Your pardon, lady Ba’an.”

Ba’an leaned back and tried to think of what that implied. Her frown deepened. Perhaps they had thought that a dead man could not defend himself, and thus sought the path of least resistance. But the least resistance to what?

It was impossible to tell anything at all. Ba’an did not even know what the accusation was; all she knew were rumors, and none of them made sense. Why would Lukios kidnap another man’s bride and join up with bandits? Some of the stories claimed that he had attempted to spirit her away but had been killed on the road. Still, others seemed to think Eirenne wasn’t with the bandits at all; they’d run away together. It was difficult to tell who was saying what and why.

She did not even know if the accusers thought him dead or merely missing. Surely the nature of the accusation would change depending on that?

Well, who would benefit most from accusing Lukios of the kidnapping, regardless of whether he was dead or alive?

House Helios?

What had Lukios said? They were rich, but still greedy for more. That was why he did not like his adopted family, but…Ba’an did not think a claim like this would give them profit. If anything, it would be very embarrassing to have an adopted son behave so poorly, whether he survived his own foolishness or not. And surely they could take Lukios’ money without involving Eirenne at all?

So that still left the question: who would profit?

…Eirenne herself? But she had been kidnapped. So…

“…Is it Eirenne’s family?”

Ba’an watched Nikias very closely, but he did not react. She could not tell if she had guessed correctly or not, and when he spoke again, it was in his usual cordial tone.

“Now there is an intriguing hypothesis. What led you to make it?” Hypo—what? Could Nikias not speak like a normal person? Ba’an worked to keep her annoyance from her face.

He was a very irritating man.

“’Guess’ is what I meant to say. Your pardon again, lady Ba’an. I know Illosian is not your native tongue.”

Ah. That Dolkoi’ri politeness again. Ba’an decided not to comment, lest she say something uncharitable.

“Because no one else has anything to gain.” Unless there was something that she was not seeing. Ba’an did not understand Dolkoi’ri politics. “Sir Askles and sir Epitus said there were rumours. That Lukios had kidnapped Eirenne. So…if that is…accurate…then…” She trailed off, unsettled by Nikias’ long, thoughtful silence.

His stare was far too interested now. Did he not know this was rude?

Or was he unnerving her on purpose?

It was a common interrogation tactic. If the People used it, surely the Empire did as well?

The thought that he was reading her far better than she was reading him needled her nerves. Was she really so out of practice after only five years?

“Then…?”

Ba’an realized she had been quiet for far too long, and Nikias had noticed.

“Perhaps they are demanding that House Helios take responsibility. I believe there is some Dolkoi’ri law about…such things.” In a way it was common sense, was it not? If it was Lukios’ fault that Eirenne had been taken by bandits, was it not practical to demand help from his relatives?

Of course, Ba’an could be wrong. Perhaps there was some unknown third actor who would benefit. If there was, Ba’an had no way of knowing.

The corners of his lips twitched upward. Ba’an blinked. Had she been funny?

“Yes. More than one.” Now his expression had returned to being serene and solicitous, though Ba’an did not believe it for a second.

By now the servant had returned, and he had refreshments. Nikias was taking more of the same bitter-smelling black tea that tickled a distant memory she could not quite recall. It bothered her, deeply, like an itch in her head she could not scratch.

Another servant set up a small table beside her—Nikias’ desk was far too cluttered with papers—and put down an arranged tray with finger-food and some tea.

Nikias’ smile was very polite. “We will be here for a while. Please, help yourself.”

Ba’an noticed that her tea was different. Nikias’ tea was pitch black, but Ba’an’s was milky and sweet-smelling—exactly the sort of tea she liked.

Spooky indeed. How had he guessed?

…How had he known she was hungry? Or…no, he had not said anything to his servant about food. Perhaps this was only Dolkoi’ri manners, serving snacks with tea? This was normal for K’Avaar—

Ah. Of course.

Nikias brought out some parchment and set it out on the desk, speaking to the servant who had just brought in the tea. “Bring Letus and Scipio. Tell them we need witnesses.” He turned back to Ba’an and explained, “Normally, I would not be permitted to involve myself in this case as Lukios and I know each other. Unfortunately, we are in Kyros, and sir Dethos is indisposed. This leaves me as the only public servant with the appropriate license for this task. So we cannot truly begin our discussion until a witness is present for each of us.”

“I…see. Very well.” She sipped her tea in silence. It tasted as good as it smelled, and she had been right. It was a strong black tea, flavoured with warm spices then softened with milk and honey. It was delicious, and she felt her irritation begin to melt despite herself.

“What is this tea? It is very good.” Perhaps she would buy some before she left.

Nikias smiled. “It is something called a’chai. It is an import from the south. There is a trader by the name of Terutus who—”

Ba’an choked, then coughed. Oh, sacred ancestors. There was no way she could buy this from Terutus. She would not. Of all the…

Nikias did not seem at all surprised as he handed her a neatly folded square of cloth.

“Yes, that Terutus. Who, by the way, filed a complaint with the watch yesterday, and then he came up here and made…quite the scene. Tell Lukios he needs to pay the man compensation and he owes me for keeping that financial.”

The little stit-tat. He had served her this tea on purpose.

Ba’an resisted the urge to glare. She took another sip to hide her ire. “I do not understand why you are asking me. You should tell Lukios.” Because really, what was the point of using her as an intermediary? What would that accomplish, exactly?

Nikias seemed deeply amused. “If I tell him, he’s more likely to track sir Terutus down and thrash him again, but I think it’ll go over better if he hears it from you.” He paused, then added, “I’m sure you’re up to the challenge. Tell Lukios he’s not permitted to thrash anyone, no matter how aggravating they are.”

He sounded so friendly. It was a trap. Ba’an was certain this was a trap, but she could not see the shape of it.

Ba’an let the silence drag for a beat too long, just long enough to indicate her displeasure. Finally, she said, “What does Lukios owe you?”

“Well, it would be helpful if he behaved from now on. I would rather not buy out the inventory of every merchant he decides to beat into submission. Tell him to rein in that temper.” Nikias tapped his fingers on his desk. “Although…I would be interested in what exactly it was that set him off. It’s true he has a temper, but he wouldn’t lose it over something like an escort fee. Usually it’s something more…serious. I suspect sir Terutus has just filed a false report thinking no one would notice. This is, of course, illegal.”

An escort fee? She snorted.

“Ah. I thought as much. So what was it?”

“He attempted to…buy me. It was very rude.”

Nikias’ fingers paused their tapping on the desk.

“Hm. That is somewhat more serious. You are a freewoman, though you are not a citizen. Did he attempt to touch you in any way?”

“No.” She gave him a look. “He is alive, is he not?”

“True. Lukios would have gutted him. But in that case, sir Terutus still has the advantage. It was a verbal exchange only until Lukios escalated it into a physical altercation. That’s still assault, even with provocation. Not a good look.”

Nikias shook his head in disapproval before continuing. “So sir Terutus filed a false report to save his pride over a rejection. Typical. If you wish, you may enter a statement. You cannot file a counterclaim as you are not the accused, but Lukios can. It will be entered along with his testimony.”

Ba’an frowned. There was an undercurrent of something else here. “…What happens if Lukios files a counterclaim?”

“I don’t think it will succeed. But defending a freewoman is more understandable than a fight over an escort fee, so if he ever gets taken to court for a bigger claim—like kidnapping, for example—his history will be more sympathetic. I am saying it will make him look like less of a violent thug, and if he has a woman already, other accusations will appear…less credible.”

Ah. So Lukios was being accused of kidnapping Eirenne. Unless Nikias was attempting to mislead her, though Ba’an did not think he was. Not about this.

They heard voices approaching from outside the door. Nikias looked at her and said, “Final question. Did Lukios—“ he glanced down at a sheet of paper he had on his desk “—‘compel the guard to open the gates by invoking the name of House Helios and threatening forfeiture of employment’?”

Ba’an sighed.

“Ah. Of course,” Nikias said, and then the witnesses entered the room.