I am sitting in a white-walled police interrogation room, staring at a newspaper clipping on the table in front of me. In terse formal language, it describes the destruction of the Argyris mansion and the death of Lord Argyris. Inspector Lungflare of the Oxana PD taps the yellowed paper with one sharp claw.

"For six years, this case has sat in our files, unsolved. The fire could have been accidental, or it could have been intentional. The only people who knew the truth were Lord Argyris and his servant Percy."

I have to stop myself from visibly flinching. I hoped I would never hear those names again.

"We assumed that both died in the fire, but we now have evidence that this assumption was incorrect."

"And that evidence is?" I try not to sound too eager, or too afraid, to hear the answer.

"The Sanguine Dagger."

...Oh no.

"The Sanguine Dagger, a unique arcane instrument, heirloom of the Argyris lineage. None other like it exists in the world. And that dagger has been conclusively linked to murders committed in Iryna. The only possible explanation is that Percy fled Oxana, bringing the dagger to Iryna with him. We never thought Percy had any motive to cause the Argyris arson - but that motive now seems painfully clear."

And that's all he has to say. He folds his arms neatly on the table, staring at me intently. Waiting.

Clock's ticking.

I have to say something.

What in the Lord's name am I supposed to say? Say, "You got me!" with a shrug of the shoulders? Put the dagger down on the table and wait to be arrested?

No. I can't give up yet.

But what could I possibly say to get out of this? Even if there was some argument I could make, would he believe it? Oxana wouldn't have summoned me here unless they were sure they had a case against me. I was a fool to come. But if I hadn't come... would that have only delayed the inevitable?

There's no way that I'm still keeping a straight face. Would an innocent man keep a straight face? Should I be acting more surprised, or less? Would an innocent man be asking these questions?

I have to say something.

My brain is frantically shooting down a million branching paths, of things I could say, and of what he would say in response, and of what I would say afterward. None of them let me get away with this.

Hey, by the way, did they really think I had no motive to kill Lord Argyris? After everything he put me through for eight agonizing years? Do they have no sympathy for how much I suffered?

Of course not. If they had sympathy for me, I wouldn't be here.

I have to say something.

How long has it been? Five seconds? Five minutes? Forever? It feels like it's been forever.

Inspector Lungflare must be a very patient man. He hasn't broken the silence. He wants me to do it.

Why is this room so quiet? Is there a soundproofing spell active? What don't they want me to hear?

I have to say something.

Literally anything. It doesn't matter. It's already over.

I have to say something.

I stand up, chair screeching backwards. Lungflare makes no move to stop me.

"You misled me." My voice is cold, emotionless. Defeated. "I thought you brought me here to question me. But it seems you've already made up your mind. Am I free to go?"

"Yes." Is that a note of smugness in Lungflare's tone? "You are free to return to the accomodations we have provided you. The guards at the door will escort you there."

That's not what I asked. He knows it. I know it.

I walk out of the room. The guards are at the door, as expected. They take me back to my quarters.

I do not say a word to anyone.

There's nothing more to say.