Chapter 5: The Poisoned Lace
The heavy oak door of my quarters clicked shut, and the silence in the room was so loud it made my ears ring. I stood in front of the full-length mirror, staring at the girl looking back at me. Tiana. Same face, same dark skin, but the eyes? The eyes belonged to a woman who had already been to hell and bought a souvenir.
"Commander " Vance whispered. He was standing near the balcony. He looked like he hadn't slept for ages. "We do not have a lot of time. The court is already gathering for the evening assembly. Are you sure about this?"
"Vance, if you ask me if I am sure one more time I am going to get really angry " I said. I did not take my eyes off my reflection. I adjusted the collar of my leather tunic. "I know what I am doing. We played their game the last time and we got cheated. Not today."
"But the poison "
"I have the antidote here, " I said. I tapped the silver ring on my right middle finger. "I spent three hours this morning crushing ghost- roots. It tastes bad but it blocks the poison. I am fine."
There was a knock at the door. Vance's hand flew to his sword hilt and his body became rigid.
"Relax, " I said. "Act normal. Let Brenda in."
Vance took a breath and opened the door. Brenda was standing in the hallway with two set guards. She was dressed really nicely. Her eyes were still mean.
"Lady Brenda, " I said. I turned around slowly. I let my shoulders drop as i acted really meek. "Why are you here?"
Brenda stepped into the room. Looked around like he lost something."Tiana, I see you are adjusting to our hospitality. You look really tired. The mountain air can be tough on humans."
"I am managing, " I said. With a soft voice "It is different from the valley."
" Of course it is, " Brenda said. "I came to bring you a gift. The Alpha King is busy with merger and marriage preparation, I wanted to welcome you."
She signaled one of her guards. He gave her a small box. Brenda opened the box. Inside was a beautiful lace choker. It was made of silver threads and it had a deep-red stone in the center.
The moment the box opened the room filled with an aroma. It smelled like strawberries and rain.
Behind me, I heard Vance take a sharp breath. He didn't know what it was, but his warrior instincts were screaming. I knew exactly what it was. Wolfsbane-Rose. A highly restricted, slow-acting toxin. To a human, it didn't kill you right away. It just slowly ate away at your nervous system. First, your hands start shaking. Then, your vision blurs. Within a month, you're so weak you can barely stand up, let alone lead an army or swing a sword.
Brenda wanted to turn the fierce Rebel Commander into a helpless invalid before the wedding bells even rang.
"It is stunning, " I said. I acted really surprised. "I do not know what to say."
"You do not have to say anything, " Brenda said. She lifted the lace from the box. "It is a piece. Women of the court wear it to show their dedication."
Vance stepped forward. I stopped him. "Vance, back. Let Brenda put it on me."
Brenda put the choker on me. I felt the fine silver threads dig into my skin. The sweet scent of the Wolfsbane-Rose was overpowering.
Soon as the clasp locked into place I felt a numbness in my neck. It was like ice on my skin. My heart gave a thud.
"There it it " Brenda said. She stepped back. Clapped her hands. "Perfect. It suits you. You look compliant."
I turned around. Kept my face blank. "I appreciate it. I will wear it to the assembly tonight."
Brenda Left the room. Soon as she was gone Vance erupted.
"Tiana take that thing off!" he yelled. "I could smell the poison from across the room."
I stopped him. I stood still as the numbness was spreading up my neck. My tongue was feeling heavy.
"Back up Vance, " I said. "Do not touch it."
Vance was really angry. "You are letting them kill you! We need to leave this fortress."
I raised my hand. Pressed my thumb against the hidden mechanism on my silver ring. The small top flipped open. I scooped out the thick paste inside. I shoved it into my mouth. Swallowed it down.
The taste was really bad. It made me cough violently. I leaned against the war table. Gasped for air.
"Tiana, what did you just take?" Vance asked. He grabbed my shoulders to keep me steady.
"The cure, the antidote " I said. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve. "The ghost-lily root is working. It is hunting down the toxin. Neutralizing it."
Slowly the numbness in my neck began to recede. It was replaced by a heat that flooded through my veins. My vision snapped back into focus. My hands stopped shaking.
I looked back in the mirror. The red stone was still resting against my skin. The venom it was pumping into me was being incinerated.
I whispered to myself a laugh coming out of my mouth. I fixed the lace around my neck making sure the necklace was easy to see. "She really thinks I am that naive " I said to myself.
Vance looked at me. "You risked your life just to prove this point?"
"I did not risk anything, Vance. I knew what she was trying to do." My voice was firm and calm. I turned to face him, my eyes burning with anger. "Brenda thinks she is the one winning here. She thinks she has control over me. Let her think that. Let Lucius think that. The more they think I am weak the less they will expect me to do something."
Vance said quietly "The meeting is starting. They are waiting for us."
" Let us go and give them a show." I said as we left my room. Walked down the dark corridors of the Obsidian Fortress. My boots made a noise on the stone floor. With every step I felt better and more angry.
When we got to the room the doors were open wide. The whole court was there. Many lords and ladies and warriors sitting in rows talking to each other. Lucius was standing in the middle of the room looking important and talking to his helpers.
Standing next to him was Brenda looking very happy with herself.
As I walked into the room everyone stopped talking. They all looked at me. I kept my head down as I walked slowly pretending to be weak. I did it well.
Brenda looked at my neck. Saw the dark silver lace and the red stone. She looked very happy and mean. She nudged the man next to her. Smiled. She thought she had won. She thought I was going to die
I walked up to the middle of the room. Stopped in front of the platform. I slowly raised my head pretending to struggle.. When I looked up, I did not look at the King. I looked straight at Brenda.
For a moment I looked weak. Then I looked her in the eye put my hand to my mouth and swallowed the rest of the medicine that was hidden under my tongue. My eyes flashed with strength and Brenda saw it.
