The Tainted Cup

When Fayazi tells Talagray investigators the (mostly fabricated) tale of her father’s death and its aftermath, Ana rolls her eyes and calls Fayazi “This smug little bitch” (302). Ana’s disdain for the Hazas extends beyond the plot detailed in the novel; as Din learns, she has clashed with the powerful clan before, leading to her supposed banishment to the provincial backwater of Daretana. Meanwhile, the novel’s ending implies that Ana and Din will continue further investigations designed to bring down corruption amongst the Hazas and other powerful clans. While the novel is unwaveringly against corruption as perpetuated by privileged social elites, how that animosity is presented offers insight into the status of antagonists such as the Hazas, and the gentry more broadly.

As Ana’s gendered insult implies, the novel’s primary investigator sees the Hazas as powerful, but not in a way that inspires awe (in contrast with, for example, the titans). Instead, Ana views the concentrated privilege that the Hazas have amassed through wealth and land possession as contemptible. In a novel that praises service to something bigger than oneself, self-dealing is an unforgivable sin. Despite their far-reaching grip on the Empire, the Hazas are neither omnipotent nor brilliant schemers, but are vulnerable to being unmasked.