'Really?'
'He said you took him to the tower under orders — that you didn't know he was suspended.' Scarios gazed at her from beneath hooded eyes. 'Interesting thing is, when Alister Forlore started confessing, he defended you, too. He told us how you saved Exalted Octavus and her son, and that you only killed William to save his brother Cristof. He said if it wasn't for you, he and his brother would be dead at the bottom of the Engine Room. Made you sound like a real hero.'
'That was… generous of him.'
'I thought so. But he said lots of nice things about his brother, too, so maybe he's just a generous guy.'
'For a killer.'
'Exactly.' The captain kept watching her. 'I don't have any reason to keep you from talking to him. But there's gonna be a lictor nearby to listen in on the conversation. I don't like it when captives and captors get too chatty. Makes me wonder what I'm missing.'
'The only thing you're missing is that Alister's a master manipulator.' Taya met the captain's eyes. 'He's being charming and generous because he knows he can't save his life by being rude. But he tried to shoot Cristof in the face, and he would have framed both of us with murder if he could have gotten away with it.'
'I got the impression he liked you.'
'He pretends to. He fooled me before I found out what kind of person he is. But he doesn't mean it. It's just the way he acts, throwing compliments around and trying to make everyone feel special.'
Scarios grunted and pushed himself to his feet. 'You'll have to be searched before you go in to talk to him. You want to see him in his cell or an interview room?'
'What's the difference?'
'If you talk to him in his cell, he won't mask up, but there won't be any lictors around to protect you if he decides to take you hostage. If you talk to him in an interview room, we'll put guards in with you, but he'll stay covered and mute.'
'His cell, please. I don't want to try to communicate with him when he's behind a mask.' She gazed at him curiously. 'How do you do it?'
'Eventually we'll get him legally outcaste. In the meantime, we ask lots of yes or no questions. Last night he agreed to talk to his brother and let me listen in.' Scarios gave her a tight smile. 'I didn't get to see his face, but I got to hear his voice. Maybe he was trying to make me feel special. You think?'
'It wouldn't surprise me.'
'I'm flattered. C'mon.'
The 'cell' where Alister was being held had an antechamber arrangement much like Rhodanthe's, leading into a parlor from which two more doors indicated other rooms. The room's furnishings included a desk, a table, several chairs, some bookshelves, and a small fireplace. Only the lack of windows suggested that it wasn't the best suite of a travelers’ inn.
Scarios waited until a female lictor searched Taya and pronounced her safe, then took his leave. The lictor, a silent woman with hard eyes, stopped at the antechamber and sat down. Taya walked through the curtained but doorless frame.
Alister was already on his feet, waiting for her.
'Taya. I was surprised when they told me you were coming.' His smile was as warm as ever, although his green eyes flickered to her crutches. 'I was afraid you were angry with me.'
'I am, exalted.' Taya wondered for a fleeting moment whether she should bow or not.
Good manners are always appropriate
Unable to bend on the crutches, she settled for pressing her palm to her forehead and inclining her head. 'I'm here on business.'
'Please, sit down. Those crutches can't be comfortable.' He walked around the low tea table and pulled out a chair. Taya's neck prickled at his proximity, but he did no more than take her crutches as she sat and prop them up close to her.
He was wearing fresh robes, and his public robe and mask sat on a nearby chair, ready to be pulled on. His jewelry had been confiscated, though, leaving his hands and ears naked. His hair ornaments were gone, too, and with nobody to dress his long hair for him, he'd settled for tying it back with a scarlet ribbon.
She remembered wondering what he'd look like in a more casual setting, that night at Rhodanthe's. She'd imagined him looking like this on some lazy morning, perhaps over a leisurely breakfast.
Not in a cell.
'How's your leg?' he asked.
'Good enough. The doctor said it'll heal cleanly.'
'I could have wrung that man's neck when I realized he'd shot you.'
'Really.' She wasn't impressed. 'I need to talk to you about the prototype engine.'
'Why?'
'It's part of a new case that's come up.'
'One of Cristof's cases?'
'Maybe.'
'I see.' He inclined his head. 'I'll tell you as much as I can, although some information about the engine is confidential.'
'Is the prototype valuable?'
'Of course. All our engines are valuable, but especially the analyticals. They cost a great deal in parts and workmanship, and of course their reverse engineering value to another country would be inestimable.'
'But this prototype is special?'
'It's a significant improvement over the other small engines we've built. The Great Engine is still superior, but that's hardly a fair comparison — we can build much more complicated mechanisms when we're working on that scale. It's bringing that level of functionality down to a human scale that's always been the challenge. Frankly, I don't think anybody will be able to replicate the Great Engine's complexity with smaller components, but this prototype brings us one step closer.' Alister smiled at her. 'Why are you asking me questions, instead of Cris? You aren't going to give up your wings to take a lictor's stripe, are you? Or perhaps you plan to give them up for a life of gears and springs?'
Taya shot him a sharp look.
'I'm not going to give up my wings at all. I'd be wearing them now, if it weren't for you.'
'Good. I'll die happy, knowing that you're still my silver-winged hawk.'
'Despite your best efforts.'
'That's not fair. I never wanted to hurt you. If Cris hadn't dragged you into his investigation, you would never have been harmed at all.' Alister raised an eyebrow. 'And speaking of Cris, I couldn't help but notice a certain… tenderness… in the way he was treating you yesterday.'
'That's none of your business.'
'When one is facing imminent death, matters of family seem extremely important. It's all right. I approve. In fact, I'm jealous. I never thought my gearhead of an older brother would have enough spirit to steal a woman away from me. I used to say he had a clockwork heart.'
'Cristof didn't steal me from you. I'm not anybody's to steal, and you were dead. Or you were supposed to be, anyway.'
'If I'd known my death would throw you into each other's arms, I might have changed my plan.'
'To something that didn't involve murder?'
Alister sighed. 'Maybe.'
'The prototype. Who else knows it exists?'
'Its existence isn't a secret. The details of its construction are, but anybody with an interest in AEs will have heard about the Council's experiments with a new model. Why? Are you going to tell me what happened?'
'Somebody stole it last night.'
She was watching him closely, but all she saw on his face was honest astonishment.
