by Ivy Clyde
The man looked relieved for a moment before doubling up in pain and dry heaving again.
“Check him, Daria,” said Adal, moving aside.
I went close to the man and took hold of his hand. His pulse was fluttering like Yori’s. The pulse at his neck was the same as hers.
“Help me lower him down,” I said, taking out some of the long, thin needles from under my sleeve. The man stared at them fearfully. “I won’t hurt you. Relax.”
When Adal helped him sit up against a tree trunk, I bent down to prick him with the needles at strategic points. Within minutes, the man sighed.
“This is the first moment of peace I’ve had since yesterday,” said the man, wiping his brow.
“What’s your name?” asked Norvin.
“Barden.”
“Did you eat or drink anything strange yesterday?” I asked.
His face darkened. “I drank the elixir water given out by the saintess’s maids. They said it would protect me against the plague but I fell sick right after taking it. I am glad I didn’t give it to my sons yet.”
“Barden, do you still have any of that elixir left?” I asked.
“Yes, but don’t take it!” His face screwed up in rage as he looked at us. “I don’t care what the villagers say. Goddess, saintess, my big, furry arse! If they weren’t such a bunch of fools, they’d have realized the disease started once she came into this town.”
I stared at Adal.
“Will I have to walk around with these needles sticking out of me face?” Barden asked. “’ coz I would if it would keep the aches and chills away.”
I shook my head. “I am sorry, Barden. This will relieve your symptoms only for a short while.”
His face paled as he grabbed my hands. “Please, miss. Help me. I will die if this keeps up.”
“Let me think,” I said, snatching my hands away. The symptoms shown by both Barden and Yori were similar to a poison which was commonly used in palaces. Suddenly, a new idea formed in my head. “Give me the elixir.”
Barden hesitated.
“I won’t be drinking it. I just want to check something.”
He rummaged around the sash about his waist and took out a wooden bottle. “Here.”
Taking it, I dipped one of my silver needles inside it. Adal and Norvin gathered around me. The needle came out blackened.
Norvin swore.
“This is arsenic,” said Adal, staring at me with a horrified expression. I nodded. It was the most common toxin used in the royal palaces. Small doses would never have immediate reactions but over time, it became fatal. It was the best way to poison an enemy without getting caught.”
Norvin went to Barden and grabbed him by the collar of his tunic. “You’re certain you got that from the princess’s maids?”
“Y-yes,” he blurted.
Norvin pushed him away but stared at me with wild eyes.
“She is poisoning people,” said Adal slowly. “It is as I suspected. This is no plague or disease. It is poison.”
“What do I do?” Barden cried out. “Please, you have to save me.”
I looked towards the distressed man. Going to him, I check his pulse once more. It was steadily slowing down. Frustration set inside me. I could heal him the way I’d done for Adal but it would surely cost me my own life if I performed it again. There was only so much magic you could use at a time without paying the price with your life.
“Listen to me carefully,” I said, bending down beside Barden. “Drink a lot of water. Vomit it out when you’re too full. And drink again. It’s the only way to flush it out of your system since you ingested the poison. It is fatal if it spreads to your blood. I will need time to find the herbs that can cure everyone. Until then, you have to endure.”
Barden sobbed softly.
“Daria,” called Adal from behind me. “Let’s check some of the others. Once we’ve confirmed that they have all been poisoned, we can report back to Cain.”
I took out the needles from Barden’s skin, meeting his fearful eyes.
“Please don’t leave me,” he begged.
“I am sorry,” I whispered. “I will help if I can. But I must go now.”
Looking towards Adal and Norvin, I nodded. Their expressions tightened.
Adal brought me into a hug as soon as I reached him. I almost gasped at the action, but it was comforting to have him press me against his broad, hard chest. “We’ll find a solution, Daria,” he whispered in my ear. “It’ll be all right.”
A sob shuddered through me. I took the comfort he offered, knowing it won’t be long before I was separated from him.
“Come along, you two,” said Norvin. “There’s still much to do.”
19
I was escorted by the maids through the streets to wherever Helena’s dwelling happened to be. People pointed and stared at us, some excitedly bowing to them and others shouting curses. The three maids walking before me paid no attention to any of it. Their behavior along with the reactions of the villagers was bizarre.
We walked past a high-walled mansion and stopped at the open gateway. Turning back to me, one of the maids said, “This is the governor’s house but he’s allowed our lady to reside here. As her guest, you’re welcome to stay as long as you please.”
“Where is the governor now?” I asked, finding it odd he would leave his whole house for Helena. “I would like a word with him.”
The maids exchanged looks between them.
“The lord is living here but I’m afraid he’s not well enough to see anyone.”
“What about the people who work for him?”
“He only has his officials come here to get his instructions every day. The rest of the villa is filled with Princess Helena’s people now.”
A second maid stepped forward and bowed. “If you require any assistance, please let us know.”
Bizarre. Why would Lord Carran give up his home to a bunch of foreign visitors? He could shelter them but it was a strange notion to let go of the entire household and fill it with Helena’s maids. No matter how much these women pretended to be saintly, I could smell something sinister brewing here.
“Show me to my quarters,” I said.
We entered through the unguarded gateway into a large courtyard with blossoming peach trees. Pale pink petals littered the ground. The main building rose high above us but I was taken away from it. We took a side path and went around it until we reached a group of smaller houses.
“Her Highness lives here,” said one of the maids, pointing to the central house. “You may stay in the adjacent building.”
“Where do the servants live?”
“There are cottages for the household servants close to the kitchen. We are residing there.”
“Very well. Bring me some fruits and tea.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
I walked into the house they’d pointed me to, eager to get rid of them.
The faint smell of roses lingered in the air. Walking further inside, I noticed the pale floral prints on the walls. The place was bare but the large canopied bed and the few furniture that remained appeared to have belonged to a woman.
These smaller houses outside the main mansion were often used to shelter the concubines. It was strange to think Lord Carran got rid of them as well. If he was really sick, they would all insist to stay behind to look after him.
I took a seat at the table and closed my eyes for a moment. Anxiety weighed heavy in my chest. Daria, Adal, and Norvin were on their own for now. After spending the last couple of days with them, it felt like parts of me were missing. After the death of my family members, I kept my thoughts to myself, rarely engaging with people outside of court matters. Only Adal and Norvin knew the thoughts that swirled in my mind. And now, Daria knew them as well.
It was astonishing how fast she bonded with us. She was Norvin’ savior and knew him the longest. Yet, she was just as affectionate towards me and Adal.
Daria didn’t know, b
ut both Adal and I heard the fight between her and Norvin. We didn’t exactly know what Norvin did, but from her outburst, we could guess closely. He must have expressed his feelings for her and demanded she be his alone.
Since the time we got together, I’d worried over this one single issue between us. We loved each other, and incidentally, we’d all fallen for Daria. I made Norvin swear not to let it come between us three brothers.
I assumed he’d taken his chance to confess to her when they went out into the woods. However, Daria surprised us all with her side of the story. She loved us all. In the short space of time, Daria could feel our affections for her.
Perhaps, it was a strange notion for a woman to be bonded to three men, but if men could wed three wives and keep five concubines, capable women like Daria should have the same freedom. If by some miracle our mission to eradicate Ivan succeeded, I would pass this decree in my kingdom. My ministers would go nuts, of course, but I would be king and they would have to agree to certain laws no matter how ridiculous. I smiled at the thought.
“I’m glad to see you’re happy here.” A soft voice broke me out of my thoughts.
Helena stood before me. Her red gown and gold ornaments reminded me of the night when Daria had dressed up in a similar attire. Her face swam before my mind’s eyes, making me miss her presence.
“Is everything to your liking, Your Highness?”
“I won’t be staying long,” I replied, meeting Helena’s gaze. There was something about those impenetrable jet-black eyes that made me wary.
“Would you like to return back to the palace with me?” She bowed her head, feigning shyness. It was a move the women of my own harem tried on me on a daily basis. Helena had to try harder.
“Why would I take you? You’re doing a wonderful job here. The people would perish without your blessings.”
She smiled and looked away from me. “They won’t need me long. I am sure the plague will disappear soon.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Helena turned her dark gaze on me. With a smile like she was hiding a secret, Helena moved close to me, close enough for her skirt to rustle against my legs. “Don’t you find me beautiful, Your Highness?” she asked, bending down on her knees. “I can be of great service to you, Prince Cain.” She laid a hand on my thigh. I struggled to keep my composure and not brush it away. “Both in bed and in court. With my father on your side, you’d be the second most powerful man in the four kingdoms.”
I took Helena’s hand in mine, struggling not to crush it completely. “You flatter me, Princess,” I said through gritted teeth.
She smiled up at me. “Not at all. I am so happy Father arranged my marriage to you. It’s the only present I wanted since I turned fifteen.”
“You don’t have to force yourself, Helena. I know you prefer to be a saintess and work for the people. There’s no need to enter my harem and let all your hard work go to waste.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand me, Your Highness. I’ll be your queen. The people will support my accession to the throne. The harem is no place for me. I am to be wed to you with all ceremony and sit on the throne beside you.”
“I didn’t think you’d be interested in becoming queen.”
“It is you I covet, my prince.” Her onyx-black eyes glittered. “I’ve been in love with you since the moment I saw you in Drakhaven.”
It was a struggle not to let my emotions break out. The only time I’d been to Drakhaven was the year Ivan chose to murder the royal families. My own parents perished in the massacre. Helena remembered me at the worst moment of my life.
“You’re the most handsome prince,” she continued while my mind was ringing with rage. Helena wasn’t related to Ivan by blood but he’d adopted her as a daughter. Would it hurt him if I burnt her to a crisp right this moment?
“I am yours to take, Prince Cain,” she said, getting to her feet. “All the work I did over the years, touching the sickly, poor peasants…it was all to secure my place as queen. I’ll be the only woman allowed in your bed and by your side.” Her benign expression melted away. “You can have a taste right now, Your Highness.”
Helena loosened the ties of her dress. Before I could stop her, she pulled away the outer robe, revealing smooth, rounded shoulders and long, slender arms.
“Please, Princess,” I said, bending down to pick up the abandoned piece of clothing. “I don’t need you to do this. We’re not married yet.” I covered her with the robe. “It is wrong to touch an innocent woman like you.”
Rage flashed through her eyes but she was quick to hide it.
“Please rest, Your Highness. I shall come again later.”
As her crimson-clad figure disappeared through the door, I wondered what the woman was what up to. All I could do now was to wait for Daria and my companions to figure things out. There was no way I would allow someone as twisted as Helena to be my queen. That place was reserved for only one woman and that was Daria.
20
We checked more people on our way back to the village square. Most of them showed the same symptoms and claimed to have been afflicted after taking the elixir offered by Helena’s maids. A few of them, however, insisted their family members were cured by the saintess. When they saw the miracle, they wanted the potion for themselves. They’d paid all the money they had to the saintess, only to be affected and unable to recover.
“I don’t understand the point of all this,” I said after we finished speaking to a dying woman. She claimed her daughter recovered from the sickness. However, taking the elixir didn’t have the same effect on her. Her organs were already ruptured. A quick death was the only blessing she could hope for now.
“Why poison these people? Is it all for money? How much can she hope to make from these poor villagers anyway? Wouldn’t the emperor grant her a thousand times more if she asked?”
“The motive is more than just getting rich,” said Adal, passing a meat-stuffed bun to me. Even though my stomach grumbled with hunger, I didn’t feel the appetite to eat it after seeing all the sickness around me.
“She is looking for attention,” said Norvin, stuffing a whole bun in his mouth. He was leaning against the trunk of a tree and gazing into the distance. We were resting beside a maize field, staring out at the setting sun in the far horizon. “Poison some innocent people. Give them the cure. Pretend you’re a godsend saintess. It’s a common tactic among some princesses to get the public on their side by donating food and clothes.”
“Again. What’s the point?” I asked. “She is a princess. People will adore her anyway.”
Norvin chuckled and exchanged a look with Adal before turning his attention to me. “You need the adoration because you’re vying with other princesses and noblemen’s daughters for the throne.”
“All this so she can be queen?” I asked, bemused. “She hasn’t even married Cain yet.”
“Once she marries into his harem, she won’t have the freedom to move around so much,” said Adal. “Helena is setting the groundwork before that.”
Jealousy burned inside me. How many women did Cain have? And were they all as beautiful and painfully cruel as Helena?
I rubbed my forehead, suddenly tired. To think how many innocents were suffering because of Helena’s petty ambitions made no sense to me. What was so great about being a queen when the king commanded the army as well as the government officials? Heck! You couldn’t even stop your husband from sleeping around with other women.
“You know what you’ve got to do,” said Adal grimly.
“What?”
“You have to steal the cure from her.”
A sound of frustration escaped me as I sank to my knees and kneeled against the tree trunk. My legs were still aching from all the riding we did that day.
“I’m sorry to ask, Daria,” said Adal, laying a hand on my shoulder and gently squeezing. “It’s the only chance to save these commoners.”
“I’ll help you,” said Norvin,
coming to stand close to me. “My ability to shift into my snake form will be quite handy in a stealth attack.”
“You’re probably right. I should’ve thought about that.” I didn’t like how exhausted I felt. My emotions were on the surface of my mind, blinding me to logic and sense. I had to get a hold of myself.
I took several deep, calming breaths.
“Norvin and I will sneak into Helena’s quarters and see what she’s up to. It would be good to get the ingredient list for the cure, so we can make a whole batch for the village. I am sure her maids are in charge of brewing it while she prances around being a saintess.
“I will wait for you here,” said Adal.
“What about Cain?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we tell him of our plans?”
“It’s better if he’s not seen with us for the moment,” said Norvin. “Let’s get the cure and evidence first. He can handle the rest for us.”
Adal nodded. “Get going.”
The sun dropped below the horizon, leaving behind a bloody horizon. Norvin and I walked back towards the village square. Before we got on the road, I stopped him.
“Change into Naya,” I said. “It will be easier to slip in without them catching sight of you.”
“Daria.” He took my hand in his and pulled me close to him. “About yesterday…”
Why was he choosing this time to bring it up? Struggling to keep the mask of indifference on my face, I said, “Let’s focus on the task at hand for now. Shift. You can ride on my back or shoulder, depending on the situation. Your dark hide will blend in with the night and my clothes.”
He drew me close, moving a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re the only woman who gets to boss me around.” Leaning down, he captured my lips between his. My traitorous heart throbbed with joy, urging my body to press against him and kiss him back.
We can’t be doing this now!
Taking control over my emotions, I pushed him back.
“Not now, Norvin!”
He noticed my breathlessness. Grinning broadly, he pecked me once more on the lips. “I just wanted to say…I understand you, Daria. I never thought I’d fall for an assassin. Or a woman who would love three men. Guess we never have a choice when it comes to matters of the heart. If your heart loves the three of us, you can’t help it, can you?”
