Before any hint of dawn, Dubaku was my first visitor of the day. Meran was half way up with a knife in his hand when Dubaku bid him be calm and announced himself.
“I wish to speak with your master.”
“I'm awake.” I had heard Meran move and awoken at once. I was becoming a light sleeper, rarely more than a moment from wakefulness.
Meran made way for him and Dubaku stepped fully into the tent. The residue of a fire burned outside, giving just enough light that I could discern both men as shadows against a paler background.
“I thought you would like to know as soon as I did. Preth did not see who killed him. He saw you but was already dying and you were far away. Then he was confused. He is still confused. His perceptions have changed. The world is not what it was or how he saw it. It will be many years before he can choose to remember and interpret what he saw immediately after he died. And then he will be focusing perhaps on things that are not important to us.”
“You lost me, but he can tell us nothing?”
“I did not lose you at all, Sumto. He can tell us many things, but none we are equipped to understand.”
I sighed. “And his compatriots are aware of this?”
“They are all awake. They all know that you did nothing.”
I winced at his turn of phrase but assumed that it was just that. Then I wondered how adept he had become at interpreting the confusion of spirits. Did he guess that I had known the killer from what the spirit of Preth had said?
“The usual monies will be paid to his widow, heirs or assigns. I have written the papers and need only pass them to the commander.” I hoped our private agreement was not yet in force in Tulian's mind or I would be liable for the money. Then I winced again at my parsimony. What is a man's life worth? To him it is worth the world. To me, five hundred coins. To Sapphire, nothing.
“Of course.” I watched his shadow move against the pale wall of the tent, the flap opened, he was a brief silhouette and then gone.
“What time is it?”
“I don't know.”
I sighed. Should I rise or try to sleep? The eternal quandary.