The Duchess turned pale and became dizzy so we made her sit down. She could only stutter when she started to speak.
“No, that cannot be, this must be a mistake! My husband needs to be examined again to find out what he is suffering from.”
“We can examine him over and over again, but we will come to the same conclusion, your majesty. We made no mistakes, there is no other explanation.”
“Are you saying that I have spent the whole week by the side of a stranger who is not my husband but a shapeshifter ?” she put her hand on her forehead, she was clearly feeling sick.
“Should I bring you a glass of water, your excellency?” asked Motari.
“No, thank you, I will be better in a second. I just need to recover my senses after what the master inquisitor has just told.”
“This is all just an assumption, Duchess, and it remains a theory until we can prove it. It might also happen that the Duke suffers from nothing, that’s the reason for us not having found anything during our investigation.”
Her cheeks soon turned rosy again but she was still visibly shaken.
“How can it be proven that Orlond is a shapeshifter or whatever it is called?”
“By poisoning him. If no symptoms arise then he is not the man you have married but something utterly different. According to what I know, these creatures are not affected by any poison.”
“Duchess, you don’t need to give your consent, if you don’t want us to do it,” Motari interrupted.
“I must do so, Arch Mage. I will not be at peace until I find out what had happened to my husband. He behaves like another person, they are only minor changes but they are striking to me. What kind of poison are you thinking of, Inquisitor Master?”
“We can prepare an extract from wolftooth mushrooms, it grows in the area. It is not a very powerful poison but it takes effect instantly. It only causes nausea and a feeling of sickness in those who have consumed it.”
“How much time does it take you to prepare some?” she was nervously fidgeting with the pearls in her neck.
“If we can find some in the woods tomorrow morning, we can get some poison ready by the evening that can be mixed in his drink.”
“Alright. I give my consent to the preparation of the poison but only on one condition. I want to give it to Orlond personally, I want to see it with my own eyes what happens next.”
“As you wish, your Excellency,” we said as we both bowed to the will of the Duchess.
“Now I will retreat and try to arrange what is left of my swirling thoughts. Please let me know as soon as you are finished with the poison.”
“Of course, Duchess Victoria. We wish you a tranquil evening,” we said at the same time, taking another bow as required by the etiquette.
“You too,” she said turning back to us. She locked the door of the laboratory behind her.
“You were quite hard on her Excellency, Noan,” Motari turned to me while he took out two glasses and filled them with his spirit.
“I merely told her the truth, the pure truth.”
“It might be better this way. Have you thought of what to do if the poison takes no effect on the Duke?”
I rubbed my head and blew the air out of my lungs. I stared ahead rigidly, gazing at the full glass. Its strong smell spread in the air, irritating my nose.
Nothing is simpler than that, Noan, he simply has to be killed. If he dies, he will turn back into his original shape, won’t he?
We don’t have the right to raise our arms to attack his Excellency. I must figure out something else.
“I have no idea, my friend. Let’s wait until tomorrow, we will know more after the poison test. We will still have time to come up with a plan on what to do next.”
“This is too much excitement for my old age. Drink to the bottom, Noan.”
“To the bottom, Motari,” I said as we clinked the glasses and gulped the strong liquor down our dry throat.
“I suggest getting some rest. Early morning we must go out to the woods to pick some mushrooms if we want to concoct this feebleminded scheme.”
“You said it, Noan, not me. You will find your room the same way you had left it. Good night.”
“Good night, Motari.”
The dawn arrived quickly, I hardly caught some sleep last night. Is the Duke really a shapeshifter? If so, since when? What happened to the real Duke, can he be still alive? Such thoughts were crossing my mind. It would shed light on everything if the Duchess poisoned her husband, the monarch of Therwold. Motari was waiting for me in front of my room, so I quickly got ready and we rode out to the nearby mountains. Fortunately, apart from the early dew, mushrooms also became visible in the thick leaf litter and we managed to find some wolftooth. After returning to the laboratory, we started to extract the poison from the mushrooms. We mashed them, boiled them and filtered the mash. After repeating the last two steps a couple of times, we could produce the appropriate quantity and texture. We poured the produced liquid into a tiny vial which we sealed carefully.
“We still have a couple of hours left but it is time to get to know the enemy better, Noan.”
“What do you mean?”
“Regardless of whether the Duke is a shapeshifter or not, I want to learn about these mysterious creatures as much as possible. I will go to the library and read through the folios that is written about them.”
“Fine, let’s spend our time sensibly, I will join you. As a wise general had once said, if you want to defeat your enemy, you have to know them better than yourself.”
“Take heed to these wise words. Please follow me, it is time to get the dust off some codices again.”
Together with Motari, we returned to the library of the duchy where we researched information on wraith leopards not even that long ago. After a few hours of search, we stumbled upon the folio that we were looking for. Master Loreno had written about this mysterious race.
Zaurons, or shapeshifters. Very little is known about this mysterious, ancient race. When humans invaded Algaron, they had already lived in a developed society. Soon, they got involved in a war with the young conqueror races who, with time, squeezed them out of their territories so they were forced to move under the ground. They never established new colonies on the surface of the earth again. Now, you might ask, dear reader, how this perilous race was defeated. A relic was prepared from the skull of one of the shapeshifters, and according to the legend, if one of them glimpsed upon it, they immediately transformed back into their original dreadful shape. With time, their numbers began decreasing dramatically. The method of their reproduction is unknown to this day. Scholars agree that there cannot be more than a few hundred alive today. Their lifespan significantly exceeds that of the humans. It is unknown, how, but they are capable of taking the shape of any humanoid race. A case had been documented when their own mother was incapable of distinguishing between her own child and a shapeshifter. It is said that they are capable of copying memories as well, using a certain technique. They possess two stomachs, presumably their transformation requires abundant nutrition and the double stomach facilitates this absorption. Their real appearance is rather dreadful, and due to their transparent skin, their organs are entirely visible. The convolution of their brain is clearly visible on their heads. Their eyes are pink and irises vertical like reptiles. These creatures are not affected by poison, hexes, or diseases. Their strong point is their weakness as well, since the only method of identifying such a creature is by poisoning it. They would rather die before they would reveal their secrets, this is the reason why so little is known of this creature.
Motari closed the book and we looked at each other.
“This is quite something, Motari. Damned creatures they are, that’s for sure!”
“It is no surprise that they cannot be spotted if they can even copy the memories, this is remarkable.”
“Don’t be amazed by these monsters.”
“I am not, Noan, but their abilities are incredible
. If they have really infiltrated the noble circles, we are in a great deal of trouble.”
“While there's life, there's hope, Motari. But nothing is certain yet.”
“Let’s hurry back, time has flown by. The Duchess could arrive at any moment.”
“Let’s go then, we have read what we wanted to know.”
We both returned to the tower. Not much later, before dinner, Victoria appeared.
“Greetings. Have you prepared the poison as promised?”
“Good evening, Duchess,” we both welcomed her. “Naturally, we have. Here it is.” I gave her the vial.
“Three or four drops are enough to trigger strong dizziness and nausea in the person who drinks it within a short while.”
She looked at the sloppy liquid of strange color curiously, then with a routine movement, she hid it between her breasts.
“We will be waiting for your Excellency here, we hope that you will return with positive news.”
“I likewise hope for the same, Arch Mage. I am extremely nervous but I cannot back off now. I will look into this to learn the truth.”
“We wish you the best of luck, Duchess,” I replied, trying to encourage her a bit.
She nodded, turned back and disappeared out the door, escorted by her guards.
“I hope her Excellency will return with good news. I am worried. I must read something to keep my mind occupied,” my friend grunted.
“Go ahead, I will stay here to delve in my thoughts.”
So you want to speak, Noan? my second half asked.
Yes, Gusir, I have no better ideas now.
Have you figured out what to do if the Duke turns out to be a dreadful monster?
Not yet but this is a difficult decision that I cannot make on my own.
How interesting that you were not allowed to investigate the shapeshifters and you happened to bump into one.
This is why you should have faith, Gusir! It must be the will of Dermeron. This is how he guides me to what I have to do and I am following him through fire and water!
You are a religious fool! Luckily for me, I don’t share your views.
You will, with time, if you experience the miracles that I have lived through by the grace of Dermeron.
I am the one who creates miracles, I need no god for that.
I want to have a rest, you have given me a terrible headache with your blasphemy.
I am leaving right away, dear other half, for you will need me in the future, the voice laughed. I lay on the table to rest a little, I closed my eyes. I was awakened by my friend calling my name.
“Noan, the Duchess is here, wake up!” My mate was shaking me.
I looked at her Excellency, but something was not right, it was clear from the way she looked. She sat down, put her head in her hands and burst out in tears.
“Please, try to calm down, your Excellency and tell us what happened!” Motari was trying to soothe her.
She snuffed a little and after wiping her tears, she turned to us.
“Nothing happened. I added a few drops into his drink, as you said, Master. I was waiting for him to react, but nothing happened! Oh my lord and creator, what do I do now?”
We looked at each other with my old friend, knowing that we were ear witnesses to something truly dreadful. Our suspicion had been confirmed, Orlond’s place was taken by an abnormal creature and nobody knew what his objectives were.
I have told you, Noan, the Duke is a bloody shapeshifter, he must be killed like cattle in the slaughterhouse.
You were right, to the name of Dermeron, Gusir! But we must capture him alive to get to know as much as possible about his mysterious race. Not to mention that we don’t know who else might be a shapeshifter among the nobles or the religious leaders.
Alright, now you are right, my dear other half. Let’s see where this leads us in the future.
“I am truly sorry, your Excellency. We must decide on how to proceed regarding this serious problem.”
“I know, Master Noan! I am not willing to spend one more day with that thing! I want to get my husband back, no matter what it takes!”
“We must capture and interrogate him to find out what had happened to the real Duke,” Motari said.
“This sounds like a logical first step.”
“I will provide you with all the necessary help and information you might need to capture him.”
“First of all, we need the daily program of the Duke for next week. We must devise a detailed plan,” I said.
“I can talk about his major tasks, but the guards are following him nearly everywhere.”
“That will be enough, we are going to disarm the guards, hopefully causing the least injuries possible, but I must inform the Inquisition about this.”
“Please don’t, Master Noan! Let’s keep it between the three of us for the time being. If we have captured the shapeshifter and we find out where my husband is, you can report the case.”
“Alright, your highness, I can promise this. But I will need my team. They are all exceptional fighters and magic users, they will be able to help us.”
“Do as you deem it necessary. I will find out until tomorrow what the major duties of Duke Orlond are, and based on that you can devise a plan to capture the impostor.”
“Your Excellency, please, try to hang in there a little longer. If he somehow senses that you know about his identity, we are lost! You must behave like you don’t suspect a thing. We will do our best to find the real duke.”
“Thank you for trying to raise my spirits, Master. I will try, and no matter how hard it will be, I will quench my disgust. Tomorrow I will come again with the necessary information. If you allow me, I would like to retreat now. Good evening to you.”
“And to you, your Excellency.”
“What have we got ourselves into, my friend?” I looked at Motari.
“I would have never thought with this old head of mine that such a thing might happen.”
“I must return to the fortress and share some details of the mission with my Inquisitor brothers. We will need another magic portal to take us all here.”
“That is no problem, I am ready at any time you need me. What will you say to your team?”
“We must keep the real identity of their enemy a secret until the last minute. We can tell them everything when we all arrive here, before the attack. I was planning to return to the Grand Bastion fortress as soon as tomorrow.”
“Alright, Noan, I will inquire from the Duchess about the schedule of the Duke. Then we can plan the assault together and see when and where it would be the most suitable.”
“Pour one more shot of this spirit, my friend, just to ease my nerves. I don’t normally plan an assault against a fucking shapeshifter, let alone one who happens to be a monarch.”
“I will pour two then, Noan. We will need all the help we can get.”
We gulped down the spicy spirit.
The next morning, I said goodbye to Motari who opened a magic portal straight to my room in the fortress. The magic passage closed with a sizzling noise as I stepped through. I found everything the same way that I had left it a few days before. I looked for the members of my team who were surprised and delighted to see me again, then I gathered everyone around in the room and I started speaking behind locked doors.
“Listen to me well! Over the last few days, I was taking part in a secret mission that has arrived to its final phase. I will need the help of each of you. The mission is incredibly serious and quite delicate at the same time. It requires utter discretion! All I can say now that we are going to work for the Duchess of Therwold, and one of my best friends, the arch mage of the court, Motari will also join us, all of you know him already except for the girls. The goal of the mission is to capture a noble of high rank, and completely unhurt! If you have any questions, you can ask them now.”
“Master, won’t you tell us who that person is exactly?” asked Stout while he was fidgeting with his dagger.
“We will meet the duchess in person? What kind of case have we got involved in, master?” he was so startled that he forgot to close his mouth.
“Yes, it will be her who will tell you about the details, Stout. As I have mentioned before, the case is exceptionally delicate.”
“If your friend Motari is involved, it must be indeed serious, right, master?” asked Father Tero grimly.
“You have hit the nail on the head. We are embarking on an incredibly difficult and dangerous mission, Father.”
“We are the inquisition, master, why is it us who will capture this nobleman? This is not what we generally do,” asked Kirien.
“This is a great question, priestess, however, unfortunately I cannot answer you yet. Please content with the fact that the case we are going to fight for completely aligns with the goals and guidelines of the inquisition.”
“Will we need to be disguised during the mission?” Funny also joined the conversation.
“No, only take your battle equipment. This is going to be a rapid assault type of action.”
“I believe we have questioned the master enough, guys. When are we leaving?” Weridan asked me with her arms on her hips.
“Get ready, we will leave already today! If you are ready, come to my room and don’t say a word to anyone! If there are no more questions then off you go!”
How confident and ambitious you are, Noan! Would they follow your orders if they knew that your mind is, how to say this... split?
We are at the threshold of an essential moment, Gusir! It is rather unfortunate that you have woken up in my mind, but it doesn’t hinder me from fulfilling my duties as an Inquisitor.
What will happen if I don’t only talk to you? What if I take control over your actions?
I will never let you do that, I can promise you.
We will see about that, Noan, we will see.
I wrote to Motari on the parchment that he could open the magic portal as soon as he received my message. The sun on the sky can’t have moved more than a crow-feet when amidst burns and sizzles, the magic portal of my friend opened again on the wall of my room. We were ready to leave with my team, all fully armed. Motari was waiting for us on the other side to make plans for the highly hazardous assault that we were going to fight against the shapeshifter taking the place of the monarch.
Faceless: The Takeover (The Shapeshifters Book 1) Page 25
