does.”
“I was telling the captain,” Venner put in, “that of course these things were washed up at once. If there was anything, it would be gone.”
The witnesses all examined the ewer and tankard. “It looks innocent enough,” said the mayor. “But it could have held anything.”
“Let’s test the ale,” said Kolya.
“Go ahead,” said the captain, nodding toward the flask. Kolya picked it up and sniffed.
“Smells like good ale. But I wonder if we could smell a potion, or would the ale cover it?”
Stammel shrugged. “I don’t know—I’ve heard that some potions have a strong smell, but who’s to say?”
“Try a single drop,” suggested the mayor. “See what happens.”
“If I go wild,” said Kolya, “don’t break my arm; I’ve got apple harvest coming soon.” She sipped the ale. “Tastes good. This is what he serves at the high feasts, isn’t it, Venner?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Tastes just as it did last year, if I’m any judge. No aftertaste.”
“I think the corporal just drank too much,” Venner said again. “It is strong ale, and I should not have brought a full ewer.”
“It can’t be that, Venner; he didn’t drink it all,” said the captain. “He drank only one tankard—and one tankard of anything wouldn’t make Stephi drunk. He poured the rest into his water flask.”
“Stephi,” said Stammel. “Do you have any sort of potion at all—anything you might have added to that ale later, and forgotten?”
Stephi thought a moment. “Well—” he looked embarrassed. “I do have a—sort of a—a love potion. I got it from an old granny down the other side of Verella. But—there’s not much to it, sir, really, and besides, I didn’t take it.”
Kolya looked at him. “A
“It’s—it’s something my girl and I enjoy—we share it—”
The captain shook his head. “The things I never knew about you, Stephi.”
“But it’s harmless, sir, really. It’s just like a bit of wine, only more so. Just makes the night more fun, is all.”
“Still, we’d better check it. It might not be as harmless as you think. Did you get it from the same person this time as before?”
“Well, no, sir, I didn’t. But it’s a simple sort of thing—lots of the grannies sell it. I usually get it from one of the forest-folk tribes in Aarenis, but we were on the road here, and this little old lady asked did I want anything. I’m sure it’s all right, sir, and even if it’s not, I never took it.”
“Where is it?”
“With the rest of my things, in the saddlebags.”
“We’ll take a look.” The captain turned. “Now where has Venner gotten off to? Stephi, who knows where your things are?”
“Any of the men that came with me would know, or I could show you.”
“Stammel, why don’t you find them for us?”
“Yes, sir. Would you want one of the witnesses to come along?”
Sejek shook his head. “Not unless they want to.”
Stammel left the Duke’s Court and angled across the main courtyard to the stable. Stephi’s squad was hanging around the stable entrance, looking wary. He nodded to them.
“We need Stephi’s saddlebags,” he said. They looked sideways at each other.
“Sergeant—what’re they going to do? Stephi’s a good corporal—”
“I can’t say. We don’t know enough yet, and anyway it’s the Duke’s decision. Now—where are his things?”
A lanky private led the way into the smaller tack room. “That’s Stephi’s,” he said. “The first on that row.” Stammel lifted the saddlebags from their peg and turned toward the door.
“Come along,” he said, “and tell me who’s handled these things.”
“Nobody, sir; Stephi came in before supper from the Duke’s Court, and put his flask in with the rest, and nobody’s been at his things since that I know of.”
As Stammel came across the Duke’s Court toward the others, he saw Venner coming down the steps from the Hall. He wondered briefly where Venner had been, but dropped the thought as he handed the saddlebags to the captain.
“These are yours, Stephi?” asked the captain.
“Yes, sir. The flask will be in the right one, in a holder, and the potion bottle is in the left one, wrapped in my spare socks.”
They all watched as the captain opened the flaps of the saddlebags and took out the contents. He found the flask and set it aside, unopened for the moment. “It has liquid in it,” he said. “I can’t tell how much.” He began rummaging in the other saddlebags, removing a neatly rolled cloak and a comb, then a single sock, then another one, and finally a small cloudy-glass bottle with a glass stopper. “It wasn’t in the socks, Stephi,” he said as he slid out the stopper. “Phew! What a smell!” He looked up. “It’s empty.” He passed the bottle to the mayor, who sniffed, wrinkled his nose, and passed it to Kolya. She did the same before handing it to Stammel.
“Is this the same bottle?” he asked as he sniffed cautiously at the opening.
“Yes, sir. It looks like it. But it didn’t have a bad smell before. May I smell it now?”
“Go ahead,” said the captain. “But you wouldn’t have smelled it—looks like it had a wax seal around the stopper.”
Stephi sniffed the bottle. “It’s strange—but it reminds me of something. Just a little. Who could have emptied it?”
“One of your men says no one touched your things, but you, when you came out of the Duke’s Court yesterday,” said Stammel.
“But all I did was put the flask back. I didn’t open this bottle.”
“Let’s examine the flask,” said the captain. He opened it and looked in. “It’s not even half full, and the smell’s here, too.”
Again the witnesses checked for themselves. “If what made Corporal Stephi act unlike himself and forget what happened was in what he drank, then the evidence is that it came from this potion bottle,” said the mayor.
“But I didn’t open it,” Stephi repeated.
“You don’t remember opening it,” said Kolya. “If it was strong enough magic, you wouldn’t remember.”
“But I remember going in to supper after putting the flask away.”
“Stephi, are you sure you didn’t have a few more swallows of ale—after supper, maybe?” Captain Sejek sounded more tired than angry.
“Sir, I—I thought I was sure I’d never do anything like I must have done. I don’t
“Stephi—I don’t know.” Sejek sighed. “I believe that whatever you did was under some kind of outside influence. Right now that potion seems the likeliest to me—it wasn’t what you thought. The witnesses will have their own opinions—” He glanced at them.
“We still need the woman’s testimony—Paksenarrion’s,” said Kolya.
“From what Stammel said, I doubt it will help; but go ahead, of course.”
“I wonder if we can find out what the potion is,” said the mayor. “And I still have a concern for the Duke’s ale. Are we sure it is not contaminated? The smell in this bottle is suggestive, but—”
“We could seal it and hope it keeps until the Duke’s Court; he’ll have his mage there.”
“I’ve marked and sealed the cask,” Venner said. As they looked at him in surprise, he pursed his thin lips. “That’s why I went back inside. The entire cask will be available for examination at the trial.”
“All right, then,” said Sejek. “If you, Councilor Ministiera, will take Paksenarrion’s testimony, and gather such evidence as might be needed, the rest of us can get back to our business. Stammel—about Stephi’s parole—”
Stammel sighed. “Sir, I’ve known Stephi as long as you—and I trust him. But the recruits—especially my
