“You fool,” she whispered. “You damned fool. You can’t beat Liang.” “I am not going to beat him. I am going to use him. I will not let all of them die in vain. I will not let the poison spread across the border. There has to be an end to it.” “He will kill you if he can.” “Probably not. Too many people know about me. But he will have to put me away. He has a prison he uses in the desert.” Meng was silent a long time. “Why does it have to be you?” she asked at last. He ignored the question. “Will he bring other knobs when he comes?” Meng looked down at her desk. “He no longer has an official role here. Those assigned to him will have been given new duties.” “Bring the Tibetan constables. They’re the audience. We’ll do it at the marketplace, by the old stable.” “Audience?” “For my confession. Liang announced I killed Jamyang. Half the people here suspect I am some sort of secret operative. Liang himself demonstrated that I was one of those clandestine bonecatchers everyone hates.
