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Thrusting the scanner’s probe-tip into the snackquarium, Durga activated the instrument. Moments later, he had his answer. The mineral deposits on the globe’s glassine sides contained sizable amounts of X-1!

Durga let out a bellow of rage that made the furniture rattle, then went berserk, smashing the snackquarium with one mighty blow of his tail, slamming his bulk into furnishings, crushing and destroying everything in his path. Finally, hoarse and panting, he halted in the ruins of Aruk’s office.

Teroenza. Teroenza sent the frogs.

Durgas first impulse was to fly to Ylesia and personally smash the t’landa Til to a bloody pulp, but, after a moment’s reflection, he realized that it would be beneath him to soil his hands and tail on a lesser being. Besides, he couldn’t just do away with the High Priest. Teroenza was a good High Priest, and would be hard to replace. The Besadii lord was uncomfortably aware that if he had Teroenza killed, the t’landa Til on Ylesia might well refuse to continue their charade as priests in the Exultation. Teroenza was well-liked by those who served under him. He was also an able administrator, who had brought Besadii ever-increasing profits from the spice factories.

I’ll have to have a trained replacement ready to step in before I act against him, Durga thought.

Also, Durga reflected, the evidence against the High Priest was purely circumstantial. It was remotely possible that Teroenza was innocent. Durga had kept a close eye on Teroenza’s expenditures, and no large sums of credits had left his account. He could not have purchased the poison unless he did it in a very clandestine way … and he did not have the kind of credits it would take to purchase large amounts of X-1.

Unless he sold that wretched collection of his.… Durga thought, but he knew that hadn’t happened. He kept close watch over all the shipping manifests going into and out of Ylesia, and Teroenza had, in fact, been adding to his collection for the past nine months.

The Besadii lord resolved to begin training a new t’landa Til that very week. He’d continue his investigations, and by the time the new High Priest was ready, he’d hire a bounty hunter to bring him Teroenza’s horn. Durga envisioned the horn, mounted on the wall of his office, right next to Aruk’s holo-portrait.

Teroenza might not be the only one who deserved to die on Ylesia. Someone had had to capture the nala-tree frogs, put them into shipping containers, and load them onto ships. Durga resolved to investigate the situation from all angles before placing his bounty.

Of course the real murderer was the individual who had purchased the X-1 and masterminded the entire operation. Jiliac was his prime suspect. She had the credits, she had the motivation.

Durga had already begun searching for links between Jiliac and the Malkite Poisoners. Now he would also search for links between the Desilijic leader and Teroenza.…

Surely he’d find something … some record. Shipping records, deposits of credits, withdrawals, records of purchases … somewhere there would be evidence that would link both Teroenza and Jiliac to Aruk’s death, and he, Durga, was going to find them.

He knew that the search would require both time and credits. His own personal credits, unfortunately. Durga didn’t dare jeopardize his admittedly precarious position as leader of Besadii by spending huge amounts of the kajidic’s money on what would be called a personal vendetta.

Zier and his other detractors were already watching him, just ready to pounce on unjustified expenses.

No, he’d have to pay for it himself … and it would strain his personal resources to do so.

Durga thought for a moment of Black Sun. A word to Prince Xizor, and he’d have all of Black Sun’s impressive resources at his command. But that would be opening the door to a Black Sun takeover of Besadii, and possibly all of Nal Hutta.

Durga shook his head. He couldn’t risk that. He didn’t want to wind up as one of Xizor