by CJ Archer
He shook his head. "I mentioned it when I got home, and he said the doctor didn't call on him." He shrugged. "He mustn't have felt well. Sounds like he died shortly after that. Such a shame," he added with a shake of his head. "What's the village going to do now? He was our only doctor. And what about you, Josie? What are you going to do now?"
"I…I'm not sure."
"Why not come home with me? My father would like to see you, and my mother won't mind. She doesn't like going out, but she's happy to have guests." He was so friendly that I was positive he had nothing to do with my father's death.
Tam, however, was in the thick of it. I was sure now that he'd lied to me, not only about selling traitor's ease but also about the other Zemayan he'd seen receiving the parcel at the pier. Tam was that Zemayan. He'd sold the poison to the poisoner.
And he may have killed my father.
I think I thanked Mika but later, I couldn't recall. Nor could I recall hailing a cart on the road to the palace, but I did remember sitting alongside the driver who talked of nothing else but his theory on how the palace might have been built without anyone seeing the builders.
Quentin was on duty at the gate and smiled upon seeing me. "Josie! You look—" He peered into my face. "You look terrible. What's wrong?"
"I need to see the captain urgently. Please find him and bring him here now."
"What's—"
"Go!"
He hurried off. A few moments later, he returned with Hammer, whose longer strides easily outpaced Quentin. "What is it, Josie?" he asked.
"It's Tam Tao," I whispered. I couldn't say it louder. It was far too shocking. "He sold the poisons to the poisoner. I'm sure of it."
"Go on."
"My father asked Mika, Tam's son, if they sold traitor's ease. I think my father specifically asked Mika, not Tam, knowing Mika would trust him. Mika confirmed they did, then told his father about the conversation. That afternoon, my father died."
"Didn't Tao tell you he didn't sell it?" Quentin asked.
I nodded. "That's the point. He lied."
Hammer ordered Quentin to take a message to the stables to prepare six horses and a carriage. "Josie, wait here," he said, already striding off toward the commons.
Hammer rode hard to the village flanked by five guards. I rode in the slower carriage. The driver had orders to take me directly home. Hammer shouldn't have bothered; I would have gone straight home anyway. I had no intention of following them to Tam's. I didn't want to be in the same room as the man responsible for my father's death.
But I'd hardly stepped out of the carriage when Max arrived on horseback and ordered me to follow him. "Bring your medical bag," he said.
"What's wrong?"
"Tao's been stabbed."
I thanked Hailia that the guards weren't hurt, then I prayed to the goddess that Tam would live; not because I cared but because I wanted him to give us answers.
At the house, four children huddled together outside a room guarded by two of Hammer's men. A mournful wail came from inside the room and the children burst into tears.
I pushed past the guards and knelt by Tam's body. I hadn't seen Mistress Tao in years, but I recognized the woman with long gray hair kneeling on Tam's other side. She was much older than I remembered and her face swollen from crying. The wailing came from deep within her.
Someone had torn open Tam's shirt and tried to stem the flow of blood with a cloth. I removed the soaked cloth and inspected the wound. It looked deep and had been made with a narrow, sharp blade.
"Can you do anything, Josie?" Mika asked in a trembling voice. I hadn't seen him standing there in the corner.
I checked for a pulse at Tam's throat and shook my head. "He's gone."
The woman let out another wail. Mika crouched beside her and folded her into his arms. He stared at me over the top of her head, his eyes brimming with tears.
"I'm sorry," I said, pathetically. I felt awful for not caring more. Whatever he'd done, Tam had been a much loved father and husband.
The guards at the door stepped aside and Hammer entered with Max. He raised his brows at me and I shook my head. A muscle in his jaw bunched.
"Mika?" he asked. "Is that your name?"
Mika nodded.
"Come with us to the kitchen. We have to ask you some questions."
"Now?" I asked. "Captain, he's just lost his father."
His cool gaze connected with mine. "We haven't got time to waste."
Mika let his mother go and followed Hammer out of the room. Mistress Tao stared down at her husband and continued rocking back and forth. I wasn't entirely sure if she was aware of anything other than the lifeless body and her own grief.
"The festivities are tonight," Max told me quietly. "It'll be harder to keep an eye on things, and the captain won't rest until the poisoner is caught."
"Poison," Mistress Tao murmured. "He should never have sold it. Should never have supplied it."
"Mistress Tao?" I prompted. "Did Tam talk to you about traitor's ease?"
She nodded.
Max ordered one of the other guards to fetch Hammer.
"He hated himself for what he'd done," she went on. "He hated that he told the poisoner about your father. He didn't—" She closed her mouth when Hammer strode in.
"What do you know about the poison?" Hammer asked.
She sidled away from him toward me. I took her hand in mine. This was a woman who rarely left the house. Like my reclusive neighbor, she must find men like Hammer intimidating.
Hammer pressed his lips together and appealed to me.
"Mistress Tao," I said gently, "can you help us find who did this?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "I'll try."
"You said Tam regretted his actions. What precisely were those actions?"
"Wait," Mika said. "Don't say anything, Mother. You could go to prison."
"We want information to stop the killer," Hammer said. "If she can help us, she must. There'll be no repercussions for her."
Mika took his mother's other hand. "Go on then. What did Father do?"
"He sold a large dose of traitor's ease to someone."
"Who?" Hammer asked.
"I don't know. I never saw a face when they came here to transact business. He or she was tall and always wore a long cloak with a hood. It could have been man or woman."
"The other Zemayan he claims he saw at the pier," I said. "That was all a lie, wasn't it?"
She nodded. "He wanted to throw you off the scent. He didn't know your father knew so much about poisons, you see. He shouldn't have. He wasn't Zemayan."
"He traveled to Zemaya years ago," I told her. "He learned a lot about poisons there."
"Tam was worried about losing your business," she said. "Your father was his best customer. But he knew he had to lie. He knew your father would never understand why he did it. He had all these mouths to feed, Josie, and his father in Zemaya is sick. He wanted to visit him one last time, but sea voyages are costly. We needed the money."
"I understand," I said. "But Tam put himself at risk." I indicated the body. "He put my father at risk too."
She turned away and closed her eyes.
"That's my fault, isn't it?" Mika asked. "I told Father that Doctor Cully asked me about traitor's ease. Father told the poisoner, didn't he?"
"Tam panicked," she said. "He knew Doctor Cully would tell the palace guards that he supplied traitor's ease. He was worried and went to the poisoner to extract a promise that they wouldn't give his name. He got his promise," she said, her face crumpling. "Doctor Cully was killed to ensure his silence."
I pressed my fingers to my trembling lips and swallowed my tears. Two families destroyed because of Tam's desperate need for money.
"How did this happen?" Hammer asked, indicating Tam. "Did anyone see his attacker?"
"No," Mistress Tao said. "He was wounded when he came home."
"It was just after I arrived home from working at the market," Mika said. "He s
tumbled in here, all covered in blood. There was so much of it, and he was so white. I raced to your house, Josie, but you weren't there." He looked at the guards but said nothing.
"I couldn't have saved him even if I came straight away," I told him. "The wound is very deep."
"Why now?" he asked. "I don't understand why the poisoner would do this to the man supplying him?"
"Tam refused to give him more," Mistress Tao said.
"Why did Father refuse? Didn't he know his life depended on his usefulness?"
"The poisoner was probably watching your stall," Hammer said.
Mika gasped. "I thought I saw someone when I spoke with Josie, but I assumed it was a customer."
"He saw me and guessed that I'd learned my father's last act was to speak with you, Mika," I said. "He knew I'd tell the captain."
"Tao was the only one who could identify him," Hammer said.
Mika reached for his mother's hand. She began to cry again.
"Did you see the person watching the stall?" Hammer asked.
Mika shook his head. "He or she wore a long cloak."
One of the guards entered and handed a paper to Hammer. He whispered in Hammer's ear then stepped back. Hammer read the message.
"The supply of traitor's ease has been uncovered," he said. "I'm confiscating it." Hammer handed the paper to Mika. "Do you recognize this handwriting?"
He nodded. "It's my father's. 'Midday,'" he read. "'2 packets D.' What's D?"
"D for Deerhorn perhaps," I said.
Mistress Tao took the note. "A woman picked up supplies from your father at midday today. It must be referring to that appointment."
"What did she look like?" Hammer asked.
"I didn't see her face. She was tall and slim and had a noblewoman's accent."
The description fit all of the noblewomen at the palace. I looked to Hammer but he was once again giving orders to his men. They filed out and he thanked Mistress Tao and Mika for the information.
"Josie, Max will escort you home," he finished.
"I'll stay here a little longer," I said. "I'll help Mistress Tao prepare the body for burial."
He leveled his gaze with mine, and I could see he was considering what to say next. Should he order me or ask nicely?
"Neither will work," I told him.
If he understood, he didn't let on. He didn't divulge any of his thoughts to me or to anyone else, not even through a twitch of an eyebrow. He simply stood there and waited for me to go with him. There was no sign of anger that I didn't obey, no sign of worry, simply a stoic presence that was more commanding than mere words could ever be.
Sergeant Brant's entrance broke the standoff. He had not been one of the original five guards with Hammer so must have just arrived from the palace. He spoke quietly to Hammer then they both looked at me.
"You're needed at the palace," Hammer said, indicating I should leave the room ahead of him.
I said quick goodbyes to the Tao family and grabbed my bag. "What is it?" I asked as Hammer held the carriage door open for me. "Is Lady Miranda all right?"
"It's the king. He's been poisoned."
Chapter 14
The king sat propped against pillows on a vast bed, a sheet covering his legs to the waist. Several serious looking gentlemen stood on one side of the bed while Theodore hovered on the other. Yet another man held up a bottle of amber liquid to the bedside lamp, inspecting it. He must be Doctor Clegg. With the thick curtains pulled closed against the afternoon sunshine, the lamp's flickering flame and the dozens of candles spaced around the chamber provided the only light.
"Miss Cully!" the king cried upon seeing me. "Thank Hailia you're here." He flipped his hand at the man holding the bottle. "You're dismissed, Doctor."
Merdu.
The gentlemen exchanged glances. Doctor Clegg chuckled until he realized the king was serious. "But she's a—"
"A woman, yes. In my experience, women can be as capable as men, given the right training. Miss Cully learned about poisons from her father, a more knowledgeable doctor on the subject you won't find anywhere on The Fist."
"He was a village healer, sire," Doctor Clegg sneered. "What papers has he written? What classes has he taught?"
"If a doctor is spending time writing papers and teaching classes, he's not gaining experience. Now, please leave. All of you." The king shifted his weight and winced. His hand fluttered at his stomach. "Quickly, Miss Cully. The poison is working through me, I can feel it."
"You haven't been poisoned, Your Majesty," Doctor Clegg said in what sounded like a practiced monotone. "In my professional opinion—"
"I said get out! Go! If you don't leave immediately, my guards will throw you out of the palace."
The gentlemen couldn't leave fast enough. Doctor Clegg handed the bottle to Theodore, picked up his bag, and backed through the door, bowing as he did so. He lifted his gaze in the moment before Hammer closed the door on him. It was ice-cold and full of hate, and it was directed at me.
"Miss Cully," the king said on a groan. "Do you have an antidote in your bag?"
"I have to do some tests first to see what poisons were used." I looked around for the bedpan but saw none. "Have you vomited?"
"No."
"Purged your bowels?"
"Not lately."
I asked him to sit on the side of the bed then checked his vitals. His heart was regular and his eyes seemed clear. "Theodore, please open the curtains and put out the candles. Open a window too."
Hammer helped Theodore as I checked the king's temperature. He was a little hot but not dangerously so.
"Describe your symptoms," I said.
The king indicated his stomach and winced again. "It aches here."
I lifted his shirt. "When did the pain start?"
He sucked air between his teeth as I pressed into the soft flesh. "Just after lunch."
"Describe the pain to me."
He pointed to the exact location and I felt there. "It's not sharp but not dull either."
"Does your stomach feel as though it's churning?"
"No."
"Do you feel as though you want to throw up?"
"No." After a moment in which I continued to press into his stomach, he said, "It must have been in the duck. It tasted off."
"Did anyone else eat the duck?" Hammer asked.
"I don't know. I ate alone in my dining room." His breathing became deep, ragged, and I stopped inspecting his stomach. It seemed to be upsetting him.
"Take regular, slow breaths, sire," I said, gentling my voice.
"I can't!" He pushed to his feet and paced to the window and back. He pressed a hand to his stomach. "This is how I breathe, Miss Cully. I can't help it. I can't breathe normally. Merdu. You have to find an antidote, please."
"Sit down, Your Majesty," Hammer said. "She can't help you if you won't sit still."
The king sat and flopped back on the bed, his legs dangling over the edge. He groaned. "Why is everyone trying to kill me?"
"Not everyone," Hammer said.
The king pointed a finger at him. "You should have prevented this, Hammer. This is your fault!" He groaned again, drawing his knees up.
"It's not his fault," I said. "It's not—"
"Stop talking and find me a cure!"
"Don't speak to her that way," Hammer snapped. "She's trying to help you."
"She can help me by making an antidote. You can help me by finding the poisoner, Hammer. The festivities are tonight. Tonight! How can I enjoy it knowing someone is trying to kill me? It could be anyone. They all hate me. The ministers, my advisors." He stabbed a finger at the door through which the gentlemen had left. "All the nobles want me dead. They want my crown for themselves. And those are my so-called subjects!" He groaned again and flung his arm over his eyes. "Something's going to happen at the festivities tonight. Something terrible. I know it."
Theodore signaled to Hammer and mouthed, "Shall I get Balthazar?"
Hammer shook his
head. "We can call off the festivities, sire."
"No!" The king sat up again and pressed a hand against his stomach. "This is my opportunity to show them how powerful I am, how full my coffers. They'll be dazzled into submission, and will never doubt my right to sit on the throne, never doubt my ability to be a proper king. But Hammer, you must stay with me at all times. Station your men where you think necessary, but you must be with me every moment. Do not leave my side. Understand?"
Hammer gave a curt nod.
"You have mere hours, Miss Cully," the king said. "I want an antidote before then."
"It's not necessary," I told him. "Doctor Clegg was right. There's no evidence of poisoning."
Theodore slumped back against the window sill. "Thank God and Goddess."
"Not even a little?" Hammer asked. "Could it have been a mild dose?"
"Surely you're mistaken, Miss Cully," the king said. "I am in terrible pain."
"There's no discharge of any kind and no other symptoms," I said.
"Then what's causing this ache?"
If the king were an ordinary patient, I would tell him he was constipated without hesitation. But talking about bowel movements with the man who ruled the country, particularly when I wasn't qualified to do so, was not a task I wanted to undertake.
"Josie?" Theodore prompted.
"Miss Cully," the king began, "if you're not capable of a diagnosis, I'll have to call Doctor Clegg back."
"That's not necessary," I said. "I know what the problem is. You need to empty your bowels, sire."
He stared at me. Then he snorted. "You're wrong. I've been poisoned. It's obvious to anyone. Well, obvious to a proper doctor."
Sometimes, the only way to reason with petulant children was to call their bluff. "Perhaps we'll see what Doctor Clegg says after all. Since he's the finance minister's doctor, he'll need to report to his employer and the other ministers. They'll want to know what ails their king, after all." I nodded at Hammer, standing by the door. "Please fetch him."
"No!" The king scooted back up the bed and folded his arms over his stomach. "I can't trust him. He's on their side."
"There are no sides, sire," Hammer said with surprising gentleness. "Your ministers aren't trying to kill you."
