by Ciara Graves
The door to the back room was closed. I wanted to double-check on my patient, but a knock hard enough to rattle the wooden door on its hinges came from the front of the cabin.
“Just a moment,” I called.
“Open up, healer,” a gruff voice shouted back. “By order of the late King Jeric and the council.”
Praying Jeric’s spirit might still be around to watch over Iona in case this went sideways, I opened the front door. Six guards, all dressed in black, stood on my porch and on the front steps. They were part of the royal guard. They parted and a tall fae with legs like tree trunks, a chest that made me wonder how he managed to not tear his shirt each time he moved, and slanted black brows stomped onto the porch. He gnawed on a toothpick, and though I couldn’t see any weapons, something told me he was well-armed. Was this the fae Iona was talking about? He didn’t look like he’d use poison. He looked like he’d rather crush someone’s skull with his meaty hands.
“You are Aiden?”
“Yes. Can I help you, gentlemen?”
He spat the toothpick from his mouth, eyes narrowed. “Goblins in town say you take just about anyone in. Heal them, patch up their wounds.”
I bowed. “It’s what any healer would do,” I replied, and took a half-step backward.
The fae peered around me then turned. “Looks empty, boss. Smells like shit.”
I wasn’t sure who he was talking to when another fae stepped out from behind the black SUV parked on my gravel drive. This fae sported a long black trench coat that brushed his knees. He wore all white underneath, contradicting sharply with his jet-black hair and dark eyes. I wasn’t sure if I was meant to be impressed by him or not when those eyes found mine.
The large fae had given me pause with how easily he could crush me. This one emitted a wave of malice. He might not be able to crush me with a single hand, but he’d drag out my death slowly and painfully. He had to be the one Iona meant.
I fought the urge to run inside and slam the door. They’d just break it down. Stick to the plan. I just had to stick to the damned plan.
“Have you treated any half-goblins in the last few days?” he asked as he stomped up the steps and stood before me. “Well, healer? I don’t have all day.”
“I haven’t,” I said, proud of myself that my voice didn’t shake.
His eyes narrowed, and his lips curled up in a sneer. “Is that truly the answer you wish to give?”
“It’s the truth. I’ve been away for the last month anyway. Only returned a couple of days ago.”
He peered over my shoulder and inside the cabin. “And you have no one inside now?”
When he moved to walk through the door, I moved with him, stopping his progress. Those cold eyes narrowed, and his hand twitched like he was about to go for a weapon.
“You don’t want to go in there,” I assured him. “I had to bring a very sick goblin back with me to treat her. She has a serious case of the pox.”
The other guards all took one large step back. Even the hefty guy paled as he staggered away. Not the fae in charge, though. “I’d like to see this goblin of yours.”
“As you wish, but it’s not a pretty sight. Have you been vaccinated?”
The fae said nothing.
I shrugged, turned my back, and prayed to whatever gods might listen, prayed to Jeric himself that somehow this fae would be convinced by what was through that door and leave. I led him through the hazy front room of the cabin to the back room where I usually slept. I reached for the metal knob, but the fae shoved me aside.
“I’ll do it myself.”
I motioned him to go for it and took a large step back. He turned the knob and rushed inside the room as if he was going to find Iona standing there waiting for him. Five seconds later, he staggered back out, gagging and gasping for air. The look of disgust on his face was all I needed to see to know the plan worked.
“I warned you,” I said quietly.
His hand was around my throat in a shot. He slammed me into a wall of shelves, knocking glass jars and ceramic jugs crashing to the floor. He cut off my air as he leaned in. “Listen closely, healer, you are a borderline traitor as far as I’m concerned, treating the goblins like you would your own.”
“They… are…” I gasped until he tightened his hold. Black spots filled my vision, and I tugged at his hand to get free. Not that it did me any good.
“If you are lying to me, I will find out. Iona is being charged with the murder of King Jeric. She will be brought to justice one way or another. Anyone involved with her will suffer the same fate.” He threw me aside, and I lay on the floor, hacking and holding my bruised throat. He crouched in front of me, grabbed me by my hair, and hoisted me upright. “And get that filth out of your home. Give her a good clean death like the rest of them should have.” He let me go, took one more look around the cabin, then was gone.
Car doors slammed outside, and gravel cracked against the windows of my home as they sped away back down the road. I was still coughing and struggling to breathe when Teresa rushed out of the back room.
“That’s it, you’re officially crazy,” she snapped even as she helped me to my feet then to the cot. “Aiden?”
I waved her off, assuring her I’d be fine in a minute. “Iona?” I rasped. “How is she?”
“Fever’s back. She’s getting worse.”
I let her help me up, glancing at the heavy amounts of pastes and smashed herbs we used to make it appear as if she had a severe case of goblin pox. There were what appeared to be gaping sores on her face and arms, leaking thick streams of pale-green pus. In reality, they were large globs of plant sap. The smell in the back bedroom was what really sold the deal. That was courtesy of some herbs I’d found rotting in the garden.
“Maybe you should get cleaned up first,” I told her. “Then if you’re willing to stay, we’re going to have to find a way to counteract this poison before it kills her.”
It would take hours, no days, to find the right combination to heal Iona. If Teresa wasn’t willing to stay, the chances of saving Iona in time were slim to none. I waited for her to say she was leaving. Instead, she pulled out her cell, hit a few buttons, and placed it to her ear.
“Henry, it’s me,” Teresa said. “How fast can you get to Aiden’s cabin? And bring Uncle Orion if you can. Don’t let anyone know you’re leaving or where you’re going.”
I mouthed thank you, then hurried to the backroom to check on Iona. Teresa had covered Iona with a heavy blanket, then lay down right in front of her, blocking her from the fae’s view. If he’d been able to stand the harsh stench of sickness lingering in the air, he would’ve found Iona. Carefully, I picked up her petite body and took her back to the front room and fresh air. Her skin burned, the fever was so high. I covered her with cold compresses then checked her eyes.
“Gods, what kind of poison is this?” Teresa whispered, wiping the rest of the herbs from her face.
“It’s called Reaper Venom for a reason,” I replied. “From what I’ve read, it attacks the system—primarily the senses—as it kills. If we can’t find the antidote fast enough, she’ll never be able to see again. Her hearing will go next, I believe. Then the others will follow.” I looked to the stacks of books. “We’re fighting against the clock.”
“Why are you so sure she didn’t kill Jeric?” Teresa placed her hand on my arm. “Just give me that much since I’m risking imprisonment or worse here.”
As I started to tell her, I glanced at Iona, wondering if Jeric’s spirit was still around. “Before they came, I sensed someone here. A spirit. When I focused on it, I saw a fae watching over her. He kissed her forehead and then he gave me a look that pretty much said he’d find a way to make my life a living hell if I let her die.”
“Alright? And?”
“Teresa, it was King Jeric.”
“You’re sure?” I gave her a look, and she sighed. “That’s why you believe she didn’t kill him because what, he loved her or something?”
/>
“And I’m guessing she loved him.”
“You understand what you’re saying? No one would allow him to marry her. She’s half-goblin.”
I walked around Teresa to the stack of books and promptly sat down on the floor. “If she didn’t kill Jeric, then this might be why he was killed, and they’re framing her,” I explained. “Not as if Jeric’s policy changes have been very popular.”
“I never heard him announce that he picked a wife.”
“Neither did I, but then we’re not living in the compound.” I flipped open the first book where I found a recipe for Reaper Venom. “You going to stand there all day looking at me like I’m nuts or grab a book and help?” I asked without looking up.
As I dragged a second book down to search through, Teresa joined me on the floor. She pulled over a stack for herself and sighed, “You are nuts.” I ignored her comment but gave her a brief, appreciative smile. The only other sounds in my small cabin, aside from flipping pages and jotting down notes, were the quiet murmurings of Iona as she dreamt. Several times, I sensed Jeric’s spirit lingering, but I didn’t have the time to verify or study him.
Iona’s time was running out. Any breath could be her last, and that was unacceptable, though part of me did wonder why I cared so much for this half-goblin who’d crashed into my life.
It was starting to feel a bit too coincidental that I found her on the dirt road leading to my cabin. If she had no idea who I was, then how had she made it that far, unless someone guided her to me.
“You sure this is going to work?” Orion asked skeptically as he held up the large vial. He swirled it around two more times as I’d instructed, but it remained thick and murky. It reminded me of bad pond water. Smelled like it, too. “Aiden, I know you’re a good healer and all, but this looks like it might finish her off.”
“This is one of those times you’re just going to have to trust me,” I said as I moved around Iona.
For the last two days, we’d been working around the clock. I hadn’t slept more than an hour or two here and there. We ended up with twenty-five versions of the Reaper Venom. They were more similar than I originally thought, but that wasn’t much comfort after I dug into how complex they were. The method to brew them all was different, as were some of the major ingredients. What we came up with was currently contained in the vial Orion held. It was more of sludge than tonic, but it had something in it to counteract the varying versions of the Reaper Venom.
The only way to test it was to give it to Iona and see what happened. The fever reducer had stopped working twelve hours ago. Her skin was flushed, and her teeth chattered as if she was freezing. She’d vomited several more times but never became fully conscious.
I’d been able to pass her off as simply someone in need of aid until Orion and Henry both heard her calling for Jeric. She’d fallen off the cot, trapped in a fever dream, shouting for someone to save the king. Once we got her settled down, I’d had to come clean about who she was. Neither goblin had fled, though Orion had given me a quizzical look I didn’t fully understand.
“She might react violently at first,” I warned Orion and Teresa.
Henry was gone. Teresa had sent him home once we had the antidote blended. Orion refused to leave, no matter how much Teresa begged him to.
“We’re ready, I think.” Teresa stood at the foot of the cot with her hands braced around Iona’s ankles.
I gripped her shoulders as Orion moved in. He gently tilted her head back, then poured the sludge down her throat.
Iona gagged and sputtered.
Orion massaged her throat, helping her swallow, then poured in some more.
I grimaced each time Iona choked, but she managed to swallow the concoction down.
“Now what?” Orion asked as he set the vial aside.
“We wait,” I said, then flinched when Iona’s back arched, and her mouth opened in an ear-piercing scream.
She flailed on the cot as we struggled to keep her pinned down. White foam appeared on her lips, and then she was vomiting.
I quickly flipped her onto her side as massive black globs hit the floor. I was worried she was spitting up the antidote, but when her eyes opened, they were clear.
“The venom,” I told the others over her heaving, “she’s getting the venom out.”
Iona spat one more time, then collapsed on the cot. Her eyes were closed again, and her breathing was heavy. I checked her pulse to find it beating fast, but it had clearly begun to settle. For the first time since bringing her to my cabin, her skin was cool to the touch. I rested my hand against her forehead and mumbled a prayer of thanks to find it covered in sweat. The fever finally broke.
“She will live?” Orion asked.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Good, then you get some sleep. I’ll watch over her.”
I told him I was fine, but he grabbed me by my shoulder and guided me to the back room. “Really, I can’t ask you to do this.”
“After all you’ve done for our small community, this is the least we can do. Sleep, Aiden. If she wakes, I’ll let you know, but you’ll be no good to anyone if you die from exhaustion.”
I doubted I’d sleep as I shrugged out of the flannel shirt I’d been wearing for days. I fell onto the bed and flipped off the lamp. My eyes slipped closed, and right before I passed out, I was sure I heard a male fae whisper, “Thank you.”
Chapter 7
Iona
Iona.
I shifted, my body aching as if I’d been lying down too long.
Iona, you need to wake up now.
Jeric? He was speaking to me, but I couldn’t see him. There were shapes around me, but they were only shadowy figures. I tried to speak, but the words were stuck.
You need to wake up, he repeated. You can’t stay with me.
I wanted to ask him why I’d ever leave him when a horrible vision manifested inside my head. Being in Jeric’s study, only to be knocked unconscious. Then I woke up to find him dead, killed by my very blades. Blades I’d sworn on to protect his life.
“I failed you,” I whispered.
No, you haven’t failed me. You have to stop them, Iona. Stop them before it’s too late. I should’ve listened to you, but I was too trusting. Stop them. Save the kingdom. Save them all… Use him.
I frowned. “Use who?”
Wake up and see. His hand cupped my cheek, and I leaned into it, but too soon, his touch faded. I’ll be watching over you, love. Always.
“Jeric.” My eyes opened as his name left my lips.
Sunlight streamed in through wooden shutters. Morning, I conjectured, from the chilly temperature despite a small fire burning in the hearth nearby. The air was a bit hazy as if someone had burned something not too long ago. I blinked a few more times to clear away the fog to find myself in a cabin. The healer. I was still at his place. How long had I been here? Rolling over was a pain. My muscles were stiff. I bit my lip to stop from cursing viciously as I pushed myself into a sitting position. My head swam, and I waited to be sick, but nothing came up.
The room was more of a mess than the last time I’d seen it. The front door was also cracked open.
I licked my lips and tried to call out, but had to clear my throat a few times. “Hello?”
When there was no answer, I swung my legs over the cot and hobbled away. I felt like I’d been hit head-on by a truck. Each step was a challenge, but somehow, I made it across the room, over the books scattered haphazardly everywhere, and to the doorway. There were a bedroom and a bathroom, both empty. I quickly went to relieve myself. After I splashed water on my face, which was far paler than normal, with dark bags under my eyes, I made it back to the main room and to the front door. I had nothing on me to use as a weapon, so I grabbed a heavy wooden bowl. It wasn’t much, but it would do.
Fighting against the wave of dizziness that hit me, I burst out the front door and spun to my right. A chair scraped loudly against the front porch as I stopped from striking the
healer on the head with my makeshift weapon.
He sat in a wooden chair next to a goblin man. Both held steaming mugs of coffee in chipped, red mugs. The goblin, older by quite a few years, had a bemused grin on his face. Aiden gulped as he stood, holding up his other hand to show he wasn’t armed.
“Can you, uh, can you put the bowl down, please?” he asked.
His courteous manner caught me off guard. I handed it over without question. He took it and set it far out of my reach.
“You… what—what did you do to me?” I asked.
“I healed you. Took a while, but looks like the antidote worked.”
I scrunched my face in confusion. “Antidote? To what?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
I thought of my latest conversation with Jeric, which I was mostly certain had been in my head. “I came to, and you were there,” I said slowly. “I told you something…”
“You were sick,” he picked up for me. “You said it was Reaper Venom.”
I stumbled back a step, eyeing the goblin sitting by Aiden. “If that’s what it was, then I’d be dead. You’re wrong.”
“No, you were right. We found an antidote. Took a few days, but we made it work.”
“Few days?” I shouted. “How long have I been here?”
“A week, today,” he replied.
I grabbed the front porch railing. A week. I’d been lying, nearly dead, for a week while Jeric’s real killer ran loose. While Mariana went through whatever plans she had made. She had to be the one behind his assassination. Aiden approached, but I held up my hand to ward him off.
“Just give me a minute, alright?” I whispered.
I was weaker than I could ever remember being. How had he found an antidote for that poison? I expected to be dead. But he found a way to save me. I wasn’t sure yet if I was happy to be alive or not. It meant I could avenge Jeric’s death, but it also meant a life without him.
