by C. R. Daems
"We need information on the Assur positions," Hajna said. I shook my head no. It was logical but...
"Not yet. I think the Shadow of Death needs to see the king, and she may need support. Wizard Egica, if I need to, is it possible for me to get a message to you from the castle?"
"I could give you a bird to carry with you."
"Good. I want to leave now," I said to everyone's surprise.
"You think he'll help?" Fayza asked. I shrugged. I didn't know why, but I needed to see the king immediately. Egica fetched a small kite, which I gently placed inside my shirt and left. I avoided being noticed easily as the streets were all but deserted at this time of night. At the castle gate, I identified myself, knowing I wouldn't be refused admittance, although getting out may be more of a problem.
"Sergeant," I addressed the ranking guard, as I approached the massive killing tunnel leading into the castle. "I would like to see Captain Tymon. Tell him he said he would save me the climb." A reference to the way I had entered the castle the last time. I hoped that would divert the real reason for my visit. I was led through the tunnel into the court yard and handed off to a lieutenant who escorted me to the castle's main entrance where Captain Tymon waited.
"Welcome, Shadow. You keep late hours," he said still buttoning his jacket. I had, from the look of his tousled hair and still unbuttoned jacket gotten him out of bed. "Would you like something to drink? I could sure use a cup."
"Water would be nice." He was being very discrete, which I appreciated. I knew he must be dying to know what I was doing here and why I asked for him and not the king. He was quiet as he led me to his office, after directing a corporal to fetch us water. Once inside, he waved me to a chair and sat.
"Captain, I want you to think very long and hard before you answer me. You know the Shadow Sisters have never taken action against the legitimate rulers of Hesland. And you know me and my concern for the king. I'm here again in the king's best interest." I waited for him to nod. "Has the king been acting strange or out of character lately? Think carefully, captain. It's not an idle question."
He sat staring at me for a long time. He saw the king every day and knew the answer but would rather die than betray his king's confidence. I was asking for him to divulge information that was no one’s business. The conflicting thoughts must have been tearing him apart. Finally, he reached a decision and relaxed.
"The Shadow of Death is the only person I would answer that question for, and only because the king trusts you, so I must. He has commented many times that the Shadow of Death asked nothing for herself or the Shadows, only others." He stopped when there was a knock at the door, and a servant delivered a pot of water and two silver cups. After a few sips, he continued. "The king has been acting strange. He has always adored his wife, but over the past sixday he has had two occasions where he has had an all-night... orgy with a couple of women. In all the years I've known him, this is the first time."
"Thank you, captain. You have just saved the king's life—"
"What!"
"Let me explain," I said, stopping him from rising with my hand. "It started in Tuska—" I went on to explain our encounter with the yellow-robes, Lady wu'Lichak’s and my seduction, and the Passion drug's power and consequences. Then I gave him a taste.
"Yes. When the party was over, I examined the room before it was cleaned. I thought it strange that there was no ale or alcohol. I smelled one of the glasses and used my finger to sample what had been in the glass. It was what you just let me taste." He stopped and sat rubbing his hands together. He looked like a whipped dog when he finally spoke. "If I understand, he will die if he doesn't continue to get more of the drug, and if he gets more, he will be under the complete control of whoever is providing it."
"It depends on how strong the king is and how many doses he's had. If his wife had walked in on him during the first or second time, he may have realized what he was doing and been so repulsed he could have recovered on his own. That happened to me. If he hasn't been on the drug too many times—maybe six to ten times—he could live through withdrawal from the drug and be strong enough to reject further use. That is what happened in Lady wu'Lichak's case." I hoped.
"So you're asking me to kidnap the king... and hope," he said in a whisper so low I almost didn't hear.
"You could denounce the king and let the province leaders pick a new king. That would be less risky for you, but you may be throwing away a good king and giving the Assur more time to corrupt others, making it impossible to select a new king before they have complete control."
"But how can I keep the king secluded, there will be questions—"
"I think we should talk to the queen," I interrupted.
"But, you will have to tell her—"
"I think she will understand. The king was poisoned, and we will need her help." We decided he should wait until the morning when the queen woke. She would be rested, and it could be done without raising questions among the servants and staff. He managed to get a meeting with her on the pretext of discussing her security. While I waited in her study I wrote a note, placed it in the capsule.
urgent: kill the prophet avdon. find and destroy all passion drugs
must stay here. tell clan sisters want to talk to me and zunji about
yellow-robes, cults, passion drug. taking me to Zunji camp.
Releasing the wizards' bird felt like shedding weights. Normally, I would have had to find Avdon and kill him—another scar. But my Sisters were here to help, to share the burden. With nothing else to do, I relaxed into the moment. It was several hours later when the captain escorted the queen, Lalia, into the room. She was a petite woman, with long golden brown hair, a heart shaped face, and a light cream complexion. She didn't appear surprised when she entered, her face unchanged, which made me the most surprised person in the room.
"I assume you are the Shadow of Death," she said after the captain had closed the door. She sat and waved me to a chair. Instead, I folded into a meditation posture. "Captain Tymon is very trustworthy but a very poor liar. What may I do for you, Shadow?"
"You must make a decision worthy of a great king. But first you must listen to a story," I said, and waited.
"Am I ready to be a great king?" she asked softly, concern evident in every word.
"I believe you are the right person for this decision. You have every right to hate me, because now you have no choice but to decide."
"All right, Shadow of Death, tell me your story." She sat back and closed her eyes.
"The meaningful part of this story began in Tuska... " I managed to leave out my connection to the gypsies. When I finished, I rose, walked over to her, and placed a drop of the Passion drug on her finger. She sucked the finger and nodded.
"Yes, very tasty. I knew Stepan was acting strange. I thought he had grown tired of me. I almost wish that was the problem. Captain Tymon, I'd like some water and a light snack. This is not something we are going to resolve in a few minutes or on an empty stomach."
* * *
"If you can drug him, like you did Lady wu'Lichak, that will help. My word only carries weight when he chooses or can't overrule me." She smiled. "Our physician, Orsino, will have to be part of the deception, if he must be drugged, and it could take four to six days for the drug to leave his body."
"Yes, Lady Lalia. You understand withholding the drug from him does not guarantee he will live, or if he does, that he won't choose to go back on the drug."
"But if the Sisters destroy it?"
"Even if we are successful, he is the king and he could take actions against us to help the Assur."
"In which case he would be a danger to Hesland... A sane Stepan would understand, Shadow. He isn't perfect, but he is a good man. He would kill himself before he'd let himself be used against the people of Hesland." A tear ran down her cheek. Her expression turned hard, and she wiped it away. Captain, send someone for Orsino. Tell him I'd like to see him at his convenience."
"Yes
, Lady Lalia," Tymon said, bowed, and left the room. Lalia sat looking at me for a long time.
"The Assur are more evil than the likes of zo'Stanko and se'Dubben."
"I'm not sure I understand evil anymore. Is it evil to kill a rabbit to eat?"
"Of course not."
"There was a time in my life when I thought so. I have killed many persons. Isn't that evil? Their friends and family would certainly think so."
"You killed to protect the kingdom."
"If my motives make a thing evil or not, then what about se'Dubben and zo'Stanko? What about the Assur? What are their motives? Based on their beliefs, the Assur may believe we are evil," I said, realizing why I couldn't seem to come to terms with my killings, and felt I deserved the title Shadow of Death.
"A disturbing argument, Shadow. One Stepan would love to debate with you. I do not know or care. I only care about Stepan and Hesland," Lalia said and lapsed into silence, staring off into the distance. A knock at the door jerked her back to life.
"Come," she said, blotting her eyes briefly. Orsino entered followed by the captain.
"Lady Lalia..." He stopped when he saw me, and his eyes darted from Lalia to Tymon and back. "You sent for me?"
"Yes, Orsino. Please get something to drink and have a seat. This will take some time and cannot be rushed."
He nodded and poured himself some blueberry juice, while sneaking looks at me. After he sat, Lalia began.
"Physician Orsino, meet the Shadow of Death. She has some very disturbing information. The king has been poisoned—"
"She's wrong. I saw him only an hour ago. He looked well." He glared at me. I stood and walked over to him. To his credit, he didn't cringe as I approached.
"Give me your hand." When he did, I placed two drops on one finger and waited. He cautiously touched his tongue to the finger and licked it clean.
"That tastes like a mixture of several fruits. Why do you think it's poison?"
"It's the extract of a flower the Zunji call the deadly Passion flower. It won't kill you so long as you continue to get regular doses, and it produces untold delights, which makes you willing to do anything for the next dose."
"The Passion flower?" His eyes turned down, and he remained silent for some time. "I think I've heard of the flower. It grows only in the desert where it's hot and dry. I seem to remember rumors of a small cult collecting the flowers and using them in some ceremony. I think the Zunji killed them. How—" He stopped when I held up my hand.
"It's a long story, but one you need to hear..." The story took somewhat longer as Orsino had more questions about the flower, how it was processed and administered, and the cults.
"So you want me to pretend the king has been poisoned but recovering and needs rest. And you hope after the drug leaves his system that he will live and returned to normal," he said watching Lalia, after I had finished. She nodded. "What if this is a Zunji plot?"
"If this were a plot by the Zunji with the Shadow Sisters and the Earth Wizards either under their control or in partnership with them, we wouldn't need your cooperation. We would have already won. The king would be under Zunji control and it would only be a short time before you and everyone in authority would also be under the drug's control.
"What if I choose not to cooperate," he asked, glaring at me. I shrugged.
"You will love the sensations the Passion drug gives you. And so long as the Assur are willing to provide it to you, you will be delightfully happy and totally cooperative, regardless of what you are told to do. All you will care about is the next dose." The discussion went on for several more hours. Orsino was a cautious man and wanted to ensure he explored every option. It was decided that I would interrupt the king’s party tonight and administer the wizard's drug to keep him sedated. Orsino would stop in several times a day to check on the king and reassure everyone in the castle he was recovering from some undefined sickness. Lalia would stay in the room night and day to ensure no one could talk to the king or give him more of the drug. To make things appear normal, the scheduled entertainment by the Tobar clan would be rescheduled three sixdays hence. That meant the Tobar clan—and I—had a reason to stay in Tarion.
* * *
The room the king used for his Passion party was a large bedroom suite for important guests like the province leaders. In a sense it was several rooms: bedroom, sitting room, and a bathing and dressing room. Two hours before Tymon estimated the party would start, Lady Lalia, Orsino, and I found a corner in the sitting room and settled down to wait. I had wanted Orsino there so that he would have no doubts but that the king's entrapment was real and not something I or Lalia had made up. The king appeared early and alone. From the sounds in the bedroom he was agitated, pacing the floor, mumbling loudly to himself, and throwing things. Sometime later, a knock at the door.
"Yes, let them in." The sound of the door closing. "It's about time, Lord Audric."
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. The supply of the Passion nectar is getting very scarce."
"I'm the king. I have the highest priority."
"Yes, you do, Your Majesty, but... Even a king cannot demand a gift from a God. He has sent two of His beautiful disciples and the nectar of His love. What are you willing to do for him?"
"Anything!" Stepan's voice rose in excitement. I decided it was time for our entrance, before he took more of the drug, and waved to Lalia and Orsino to follow me into the bedroom. As we entered the two young women stood naked, white robes pooled at their feet. The king was in the process of shedding his clothes. A tall man, dressed in silks, knee length leather booths, and a sword with a jeweled pommel, stood holding a jug in his outstretched hand. Seeing us, his amused expression twisted into anger, and his sword smoothly left the scabbard marking him as a seasoned fighter. Just then Captain Tymon and two guards entered the room.
"Sir, drop your sword—"
"Tymon, leave this man alone. Get out! Lalia... what are you doing here?"
"Stepan, I would ask you the same."
"It's my right. Join me, Lalia. We will delight in the God's gift together. Tymon, Lord Audric is to be left unmolested. Shadow, get out! You have no business here." Stepan's emotions were clear as his face went from surprise, embarrassment, excitement, anger, to defiance. I stood in the moment, as a storm of emotions whirled around me: Lalia's heart throbbing with sorrow for Stepan, Tymon frozen with conflicting duty, Orsino stunned, and Audric filled with hate. Only the two women seemed unconcerned with what would happen.
"Stepan, are you the king or not? Do you bow to women and soldiers? If so, you are not fit for the God's gifts, and I will not be back."
"You are right, Audric, you will not be back. You owe me. Your poison caused the death of a dear Sister..." As I talked, his body subtly shifted in preparation for an attack: his weight shifted back on his right leg, the arm with the Passion drug dropped slightly as he readied to throw it, and his sword hand twisted the blade for a thrust at me. The moves would have been imperceptible to anyone not frozen between past and present, watching nothing but seeing everything. As his hand moved to throw the bottle and he began to lunge at me, my knife left my hand. It buried deep into his heart before his first step hit the ground. I twisted to the side, letting the bottle pass harmlessly by my chest. Audric stumbled another step before falling.
"Noooo!" Stepan screamed, trying to catch the bottle, which smashed against the wall, painting the white wall in blood red. "Tymon, kill her!"
I felt a tear on my cheek, and idly wondered if it were for Jelena or me. The next couple of hours were busy. Lalia got Stepan to drink water with the Earth Wizards drug, and Orsino help get him to their bedroom and settled. The two women were sent to the dungeon not for what they did but for what they knew. They didn't seem to be on the Passion drug, just devoted disciples of Perun and ready to do whatever the prophet said. Tomorrow the story would be circulated that the king had been poisoned, but Physician Orsino thought he had caught it in time, and he would recover, although it would
probably take a sixday for the king to get back on his feet. Lady Lalia rescheduled the Tobar event, the dinners being named after the clan performing. I decided that Captain Tymon's security would be sufficient to guard the king and left before the castle began to come alive.
"If you want to get in touch with me, send word to the Earth Wizards. They will know how to contact me. I would like to talk to the king when he is well enough to understand what happened. Hesland is in grave danger. If we've saved the king, it has given us additional time, but it has not stopped the threat."
"If he lives, I believe you will see the old king again," Lalia said, her hand on his arm, eyes misty, and face pale.
"We will make sure he lives, Lady Lalia," Orsino said. "He is in good condition and a very strong willed man."
"Captain Tymon, if you would see me out," I said. He nodded and led me through quiet corridors and an almost deserted courtyard. "I don't doubt the Assur have converts within the castle. They have missed making him a puppet, but his death would be almost as good. It would create chaos within the kingdom and take attention away from the real problem."
"And Lady Lalia."
"Yes, her death would certainly make the king vulnerable and easy prey. If you feel you need help, send word." I left Tymon at the front gate and made my way back to the Earth Wizard's lodge. When I arrived, everyone was present, including Gero who had arrived while I was at the castle. This time we met in their dining hall, which resembled an elaborate outdoor garden where vegetables and grains of every variety grew. The wizards didn't eat meat, but their garden contained a stream that supported an assortment of fish.
I began by bringing everyone up to date on my activities at the castle. "The king lives and his physician believes his chances of recovery are good. And Lady Lalia believes we will see the old king emerge after he realizes what happened to him. I hope so. I don't think he will be of help in defeating the Assur, but a Hesland in chaos could be the deciding factor."
