Shatterglass

Keth turned white and rushed from the shop. Tris followed, throwing her rain shield over all of them. In silence they mounted the horses Dema had brought, Chime riding on Triss shoulders.

Dema led the way to Elya Street, past the arurimat, and on to Noskemiou Way.

Tris kneed her horse even with Demas. she asked. was she? Back in Khapik?

Dema said tersely. was at the foot of the last emperors statue in Achaya Square. They didnt tell me until she was taken to Noskemiou Thanas, so I wouldnt risk pollution by getting too near the body. His mouth tightened into a grim line. wont try that little trick again.

They rode on to Noskemiou Way, where the great hospital lay directly across the Piraki Gate from Khapik. Tris gasped when she saw the sprawl of buildings, larger than any of Winding Circle s infirmaries or Summerseas hospitals. Four storeys high, white stucco over brick, Noskemiou was laid out like a series of ladders. Between the wings that were the ladders rungs lay courtyard gardens where the healers grew herbs for their medicines.

Dema led them past the wings, each with a sign that named it as a House in Tharian, Kurchali and Tradertalk, the main languages spoken here. They rode by Childrens House, Mothers House, Elders House, Poverty House. Beyond them the blazing white stucco was painted black. This part of the hospital had no windows, only a few doors, and no signs at all. An arurim stood in front of one of its small doors.

Dema rode up to him and dismounted. arurim will mind the horses,he said curtly. would be better if the dog remained, too.

Bear, stay,ordered Tris as she slid out of the saddle. is this place, anyway?she asked.

Thanas,Keth said, his voice more crackly than usual. House of the Dead.

They followed Dema into the building. Magical signs for preservation, cold, and permanence shone in Triss vision from the walls and floors. The people who walked here were civilians who quarrelled, wept, or bore their losses silently or they were those who worked here, silent prathmuni dressed in black tunics or kytens.

Dema led them to a door that bore a brass number five and opened it, motioning for Tris and Keth to go in. Two black-robed prathmuni, at work there, turned towards them. eighteen, ordered Dema. They led him, Tris and Keth to a covered form on a wooden table.

Tris clenched her hands until her ragged nails bit her palms. She hated the sight of dead people: they looked sad, alone, abandoned. Though she had seen a great many dead since her career as a mage began, they still made her flesh creep.

The prathmuni drew the cover away from the dead womans face.

Tris bit her lip. The woman had been strangled. Under the mud splatters of last nights storm the weapon showed yellow at her throat: the head veil of a yaskedasu. While she and Kethlun had revelled in lightning, rain and cool air, the Ghost had struck. His way of killing had changed the womans face enough that he r own family might not recognize her, but Tris knew the lavender scent, the soggy brown curls and the embroidery on the dead womans kyten.

Keth was not as slow as Tris to recognize the victim. He dropped to his knees, burying his face in his hands.

Yali,Tris murmured, her lips trembling. She closed the dead womans staring eyes with one hand. From her sash she brought out a pair of coppers and used them to weight Yali s eyelids, so that the soul could not return to its old home, which had begun to decay. Chime crept on to Yalis body, making the screeching metal on glass sound that was her distress cry.

Now at last the pmthmuni, who had seen people behave as Tris and Keth did a thousand times, showed emotion. Chime caused them to step away nervously as they sketched the circle of the All-Seeing on their foreheads.

Tris put a hand on Keths shoulder, then offered him her handkerchief. He ignored it, though tears dripped to the floor through his fingers. Tris looked around: where had Dema gone?

She found him in the hall, talking to an arurim. dont care what it takes in bribes to the secretaries, Im good for it,he said fiercely, his dark eyes ablaze. I want to talk to the Keepers of the Public Good today.

Dhaskoi, what can they do?enquired the arurim. arent equipped to investigate criminals!

can shut down Khapik!snapped Dema. it down until we find the rotted polluting Ghost! So get moving. Lay those bribes on as thick as you can. Stop by Nomasdina Hall and get chits from my mother for it, but I need the Keepers attention now!

There was sufficient iron in Demas voice; the arurim left at a trot. Before he could open the door to the outside, a man and a woman in the white robes of priests emerged from a room next to th e door. The arurim halted and raised his arms as the man surrounded him with incense smoke from a censer, and the woman rattled off the prayers for cleansing. Tris gritted her teeth. They all would have to undergo this nonsense when they tried to leave.

Demi turned to her. he demanded.

Tris shook off her thoughts about cleansing. was badly done, in there,she said, pointing to the room where Yali lay. it on us like that. You could have warned us.

Didnt know,Dema retorted. t it be just as cruel for me to say I think its a woman Ive only seen for thirty minutes in my life, and have it turn out not to be so? There are two other yaskedasi at Ferouzes, remember. And I have other things on my mind.

Tris folded her arms over her chest. as?

have to shut down Khapik, forbid the yaskedasi to work. We need to put extra arurimi on this, as many as can be spared. I don t want any more dead women. They have to listen to me this time,Dema insisted, trembling with urgency. s moving closer to Assembly Square. Hes taunting us - it can t be allowed to go on, and it wont!

while youre enraged over being taunted, Keth just lost somebody he cared for,Tris said coldly. wish you had thought better, Dema.