Palace Intrigue

by Lina J. Potter

  While her guests ate and drank, Lily slowly turned over the possibilities and began to put together a list of things she could use to beat back the poison.

  ***

  Leis Antrel had gone out on the wall to check the watchmen. All was well. It was time for him to climb down and check on the gate watches, but he continued to stand in the on top of the wall, his face turned to the dark line of trees in the distance. He enjoyed having a few minutes to breathe the fresh air and think.

  He had served under Jyce Earton. It had not been difficult work, but he had always done his best and been paid well. The work had suffered after the old earl’s death. Jerrison Earton was no less intelligent than his father, but he lacked his father’s intuition and his interest in other people. Old Jyce could have reached an agreement with Maldonaya, herself, if need be. Jerrison, on the other hand, looked down on everyone; Leis had never liked that about the young earl. Jerrison thought his money and his connection to the throne made him better than other people. Under Jerrison’s command, Leis had quietly begun to back away from his work. He had saved enough over the years to live comfortably. He was over forty now, no longer a boy…

  But everything changed when he arrived in Earton. Leis remembered what he had expected: a falling-down castle, a hysterical woman, and slothful servants. Instead, he found that the castle was being repaired and the servants had forgotten what sloth looked like. And the lady of the castle was something else entirely.

  As a boy, Leis had loved fairytales. Now, as a grown man, he often reflected that Lily was the perfect fairytale princess: kind, intelligent, understanding, and always full of energy. He had never seen a woman like her before. How could Jerrison Earton say such terrible things about his wonderful wife? He had never heard his master criticize her in public, of course, but servants and soldiers know everything.

  After the first attempt on Lily’s life, Leis had felt stupid and guilty. He, who had served the Earton family for twenty years, had brought a dangerous murderer into the castle without even knowing it. Still, Lilian Earton laid no blame on him. Instead, she offered him a way to redeem himself. Leis understood what she wanted and decided not to resist fate. As far as he knew, the countess had complete authority to command the guards when her husband was not home unless he had issued other orders. Did he issue other orders to me? No, he did not. Moreover, he found her to be a lovely and intelligent woman. She assigned him the title of captain of the castle guards, gave him interesting work to do, paid him handsomely, and invited him to eat at her table.

  That was what had won him over. Lilian Earton was equally friendly to Leis, and the Eveers, and the Virmans. She had no favorites, and everyone in the castle benefitted from her attention and care. Leis was no exception. He liked living in Earton, and he also knew that Earton would be nothing without the countess. Lilian Earton had breathed life into the castle and into Leis. He would do what he knew best: serve with honesty and honor. He would serve the one person who saw what he was capable of.

  Leis was not blind. He could tell that all was not well between the countess and her husband. Once Jess arrived, there would be fireworks.

  What will the earl say when he sees what his wife has been up to? He had no idea. Whose side will I take, if it comes down to it? He thought he already knew the answer.

  He shook himself out of his deep thought and climbed down from the wall to see that the gates were properly guarded. He would also remind the men to keep a close eye on those Khangans. They are the countess’ guests, but you could never tell about foreigners…

  ***

  Pain twisted Amir’s body and settled down as a wave of nausea in his stomach. He was used to it. His pain was as familiar as an old friend. On occasion, he was glad to feel pain. It means I’m still alive. He wasn’t ready to die. He was much too young for that.

  He could barely remember what he had ever wanted to do in life. Everything was clouded by pain and weakness, and the iron hammers that pounded in his head. He vomited and then slipped gratefully into emptiness.

  The young man did not know that his healers gave him sleeping remedies and pain remedies every few hours because they were afraid that, otherwise, he would never survive the journey. He simply took the cups they offered him and slipped back into his dreams, where he was healthy and strong.

  He had not valued his health until it was gone. The malady had snuck up on him, like a snake sliding into his bed in the night. He fought it as best he could, but he was laid low by attacks of vomiting and weakness. At first, his father thought he would eventually shake off his illness, but after the Great Khangan witnessed an attack of vomiting, he became afraid and called in all the medicuses, herbal healers, and wise women he could find. They gave him herbal tinctures and enemas, they prayed for him, and they let his blood. None of it helped. In fact, he got worse.

  The only medicus he remembered clearly was Tahir Djiaman din Dashar. When the great healer entered Amir’s room, his first words were “Prince, I do not know how to heal you.” Amir was feeling well that day, so he saw the sad look in the man’s eyes and understood what it meant.

  Tahir sat down by his bed. The conversation between them was carried out in low voices. “I have lived for many years, but there is still much I do not know.”

  “Will I die?”

  “I cannot know that, Your Highness.”

  “Then you should leave.”

  Tahir shrugged. “I have considered that, but I am old.”

  “My father will take your life, and that will not help me.” A spasm of pain caused Amir to double over, but he waited for it to pass. Then he continued. “You are the only one who was brave enough to tell me the truth.”

  The old man’s eyes were sorrowful. “I would give my life to save yours if I could.”

  “But you can’t.” Amir was silent for a moment. “Write out an order, and I will put my seal on it. With that order, they will let you out of the city. Leave the Khanganate; that way, at least one of us will survive.”

  ***

  Amir was sick for many weeks after that. Then, he had a period of relative calm. He began to feel better. The servants gave him milk to drink and bathed him in warm water that smelled of pine trees. One day, his father came to him. The Great Khangan sat down on his bed and stroked his hair. The servants slipped away, leaving father and son alone.

  “Amir, you are dying.”

  “I know, Father.”

  “I received a letter from Tahir Djiaman din Dashar. You let him go. Why did you do that?”

  “He knew I was dying, and he refused to lie to me.”

  “Yes. That is why I did not stop him. We were both right.”

  A spark of hope leaped up in Amir’s chest, only to be beaten back by a wave of nausea. “What do you mean, Father?” he looked up and waited.

  “He writes that you are being poisoned. He does not know how, but he has found someone who recognized the poison from its symptoms. This person can help you.”

  “I am willing to try.”

  “She is a woman—the Countess of Earton, in Ativerna. I have asked about her. People say she works wonders. I cannot bring her here, however. The distance is too great, and her husband is away on state business.”

  The boy nodded. He knew he couldn’t wait.

  “I have decided that you will go to Earton.”

  “But…”

  “If it is poison, the person responsible will have a harder time getting to you on the ship. I know it is winter, and the gulf is treacherous, but we have no choice.”

  “Father, if I go there…”

  “It’s a chance—a very small chance, but a chance nonetheless. I will write to King Edward. I will give you gold and men and carrier pigeons. You must write to me, Son.”

  “I will do everything I can to get better, Father.” Amir’s face was serious.

  The Great Khangan sighed. He had other sons, but none of them were as wise and good as Amir. “You are my son from my most beloved wife, and
you are the only one I can trust with the country when I am gone.”

  “There are those who would not like to hear you say that.”

  “When you leave, I will announce that Rashad is my heir. Then we will see what happens.”

  “Don’t…”

  “The others would be worse.”

  “What if…”

  “I know. Making Rashad my heir puts him at risk. Damn it all…” Amir saw tears on his father’s face for the first time. “Come back alive, Son. Just come back.”

  “I will do my best, Father.”

  ***

  He remembered more thoughts, words, and feelings… Is it possible that I ever lived a normal life? The pain returned. He waited. It ebbed away.

  There was a crash. Amir opened his eyes. The sunlight came streaming into his room with an intensity that made his eyes tear up.

  “Who the hell do you think you are and what are you doing in here?”

  The voice belonged to a woman, and she was far from happy. As she continued venting her anger, Amir listened and was filled with wonder. He pried his eyes all the way open. He was no longer on the ship. He was lying in a bright, sunny room where everything was white and clean and smelled sharply of something he could not identify. And in the middle of the room, he saw a woman the likes of which he had never seen before.

  She was tall and dressed in green and white, with a thick, golden braid over one shoulder. More surprising still, she was scolding his medical men without any concern for their rank or their delicate ears.

  “Have you lost your minds?” she bellowed. “Burning incense in a sick room? Stick that pipe up your nose and get out of here. And take that dirty fur pelt with you.”

  “But this is the skin of a foal that was never born. It has been sanctified!” One of the medicuses bleated.

  “Get it out! If I see it anywhere near my patient again, I’ll cut it into pieces and feed it to you!”

  ***

  Lily was in a foul mood. She had been up late, watching the boy while he slept and spoon-feeding him beaten egg whites and activated charcoal. It was almost light out when she finally let a pair of Virman women take over and went to lie down for a few hours. Jaimie had woken her up by banging on her door.

  “My Lady, the Khangan medicuses are in there. You said not to let anyone near the patient.”

  “Where is Tahir?”

  “With the boy. He won’t let them touch him.”

  Lily slammed the door in his face and began to throw on whatever clothes she could find. She quickly braided her hair as she ran through the halls, bursting into the infirmary just in time. One of the Virman nurses was standing between the boy and his Khangan healers. She had her hands on her hips and looked like she was ready to grab an axe if words failed her.

  Tahir was doing his best to keep the three other bearded old men as far as he could from the sickbed. One was waving a heavy bronze censer like a weapon, another was shaking what looked like a dirty rag, and the third had bouquets of herbs and bird feathers hung around his neck. When Lily saw the smoke coming from the censer and the dirt falling from the rag and the bunches of herbs, she lost any tact she might have possessed.

  Aldonai had blessed the countess with both height and weight, and over the past several months that weight had turned from fat into muscle. Lily’s first move was to grab the censer and slam it against the floor. She would call the maids to clean up when she was done. The Khangan men turned to her with indignation all over their faces, but before any of them could say a word, Lilian Earton launched her attack.

  ***

  When the storm was over and the opponents utterly cowed, the countess set out her conditions. “Go bathe yourselves and wash your clothes. After that, whenever one of you wishes to visit the patient, you will first obtain permission from myself or Tahir. If any of you is found in here without that permission, I will have you arrested on suspicion of poisoning. Instead of bothering the patient, I want you to write down for me in detail what methods and remedies you have used on the prince. And I want to see samples. Now, get out!”

  Her voice was convincing, and the Khangan healers hurried to the door. Once they were gone and the door was shut, Lily turned to assess what needed to be re-cleaned. Just then, she heard a noise from the boy’s bed. She knelt down and watched the boy’s face.

  His eyes were open, and he looked at her with interest. “Who are you?”

  “I am Lilian Earton, the Countess of Earton. You are in my home.”

  “My name is Amir Gulim. I am the eldest son of the Great Khangan.”

  “Yes, and you’re the victim of poisoning, as well. I don’t think you’re as bad off as I feared, but you will have to stay here for lengthy treatment.”

  A light filled the boy’s eyes. “I did not expect you to say that my malady could be treated.”

  “I will not lie to you. You are in great danger, but I will do my best to keep you alive.”

  “If you help me, my father…”

  Lily put her hand over the boy’s mouth. “Be quiet. You must get better before there can be any talk of that. Now, I have to examine you. Tell me where it hurts.”

  The boy nodded. Lily pulled back the blanket and began palpating various parts of his body. “Does it hurt here? What about here? Or here?”

  The boy turned pale but answered as best he could. He almost cried out when Lily pulled the blanket completely off and began pressing on his stomach with her long fingers. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “This won’t take long.”

  Then she sneezed. The broken censer was still giving off smoke.

  “Open a window,” she commanded. The smell was overpowering. It was a blend of sheep’s manure and something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. What do they put in those things?

  When she was done examining the boy, she tucked his blanket around him and nodded to the nurse. “Milk, egg whites, and activated charcoal. If he is better, we will try to give him something light to eat tomorrow. I won’t risk it today.”

  The nurse took a clean spoon and began to feed the boy milk and egg whites. Then she gave him a small portion of the adsorbent and reached for the milk again.

  Lily picked up the censer, which Tahir had moved to the windowsill and sniffed. None of this makes sense. She opened the censer and found the insides caked with a strange, dried substance. What on earth have they been burning in here?

  She asked Tahir, but he only knew that censers were used to burn holy herbs.

  The countess took a towel from the table and wrapped the censer in it. Then, after a pause, she used another towel to collect the bits of herbs and dirt that had fallen to the floor from the foal’s skin.

  “I’ll take these back to my laboratory.”

  Tahir was curious. “What for, My Lady?”

  “I just have an idea…”

  ***

  No sooner did Lily leave the infirmary than she was accosted by Lons Avels. “My Lady!”

  “What is it?”

  “I wrote the letter. Will you look at it?”

  She reached for it. “You are a miracle, Lons.”

  He blushed. “I try, My Lady…”

  Your Majesty,

  I write to inform you that the Great Khangan has sent his eldest son and heir to Earton to undergo treatment with Tahir Djiaman din Dashara. The boy is seriously ill, but I will pray for his recovery.

  I remain your faithful servant,

  Lilian Earton

  The second letter was even more to the point.

  Dear Father,

  The Great Khangan has sent his son to Earton in hopes of recovering his health. We will do what we can, but I am not assured of success. Keep an eye on your affairs in the Khanganate with this in mind.

  Your loving daughter

  “Will you send them by pigeon?”

  “Yes, My Lady.”

  The countess threw her braid over her other shoulder. “Fine. Write them out neatly and send them.”

  Lons b
owed and left. Lily reflected that she would be at a loss if she had to leave her secretary at home when she paid her visit to Edward’s court. Still, how can I take him with me without putting him in danger? There was one idea she had been pondering lately. She smiled. His own mother won’t recognize him!

  ***

  Her laboratory was calm and quiet. Lily looked at the long rows of glass bottles on her shelves and sighed. So much work went into those. She had obtained the chlorides from sea salt and purchased the acids and bases from the tanners in Altver. Back home, it had simply been a matter of time and patience to obtain a more or less pure hydroxide.

  What do I have that would react with mercury?

  If the mercury was divalent, as it usually was in nature, it would produce a yellow residue when mixed with a base. If mixed with potassium iodide, the residue would be red.

  Lily suspected that the prince had had a stroke of luck; she didn’t know who had been poisoning him at home, but the boy seemed to have improved during the voyage, meaning that the doses were small and infrequent.

  Let’s figure this out!

  She scraped out everything she could from the inside of the censer and divided it into equal portions, which she transferred into jars. Then, she began adding the bases. She could hardly believe her eyes when she spotted yellow residue swimming in the gray liquid of the first jar.

  Tahir, who had been watching her movements with increasing interest, looked up to see what this meant. Lily set the jar down on the table. “I don’t know how it started, but some of the poison is in the center.”

  “The censer was prepared by Sulan Mavvar din Sharaya.”

  “Where is he?”

  ***

  If it hadn’t been for Tahir, Lily would have caused an international incident. Her first instinct was to rip the head off the idiot who had been poisoning the boy with mercury vapors. However, after a talking-to from Tahir, she called Rashad Omar din Darashaya to her laboratory and explained to him what they were looking for. He immediately authorized her to search his ships.