It seemed an hour passed before the spear’s cool point against my skin was removed, but it could only have been a minute, maybe two. Then Dobri gestured sharply at Achilles, grumbling. The dragon once more translated, “A curse of Myrmidon blood is the purer the bloodline, the less tolerance they have for such cures. Only a dose of the herbal mix meant for Myrmidons can heal or help. Anything else that forces our nature to be changed, it will kill. How long ago?”
“Two, no, almost three hours now.” As the old man pulled the spear away, I allowed the dragon prince to help me to my feet. For once I didn’t care that I was bracketed on either side by two 9s. My focus was only on Dobri as I asked, “Is there a way to help him? I will do anything required to help him, I just need to know what he needs.”
“He needs you to complete the Trials.”
I clenched my hands as hot irritation flashed through me. My mouth firmed as I met the old man’s cool gaze. “I cannot complete them without him by my side. And, you didn’t say that completing them would do anything to stop this poison from spreading.”
The old man snorted and rattled off something that the dragon prince didn’t translate. When I turned to him, I found the dragon glaring at the old man. He snapped back in the same tongue before meeting my gaze. After another long moment, he spoke with a calm that defied the words themselves. “Because it will not. He will die inside of two weeks depending on the dose, sooner if it was a large dose.”
Mathias was going to die, and there was nothing I could do. I staggered back a step clutching at my wrist as the tattoo started glowing again. Hot painful prickles raked over the golden spirals. I sucked in air and then shook my head. “No.” The tattoo still glowed and my skin felt raw, but I ignored it all as I lunged forward to grab the old man’s shirt. The silk of his black collared shirt provided a strange contrast to the hardness in his eyes. He still held the spear in his hand, was still a 9, but I did not care. “No. He is not going to die. You said there’s an herbal mix for your people, give it to me so I can take it to Mathias.”
The old man shook me off with ease. His tone harshened as he waved his free hand toward the dragon prince. The dragon replied curtly before he translated, “You poisoned your betrothed, why shouldn’t you let him die? I would request my friend, the prince, toss you from the skies for your crime but he is soft.” He paused and then added, “I have reminded Dobri that he lives here under my protection and that I can always revoke said protection should he attempt to shed blood inside the palace.”
I should have thanked him. That would have been the polite and mannerly thing to do, but I was too busy glaring at the old man. In a low voice, I asked, “Why does he carry a spear? The elder we met in Nebet Tepe did not carry any weapons with her.”
“It marks him as an elder of the Bessi tribe of Thrace. It is . . . a talisman of great honor.”
I didn’t say anything more. I didn’t even stop to think. I only acted. Lunging forward, I yanked the spear out of the old man’s slackened grip before he even realized my intentions. Then, I turned the spear to face him. “To lose a talisman is to follow Achilles’ shame is it not, old one?”
He glared and snarled something that the dragon prince chose not to translate. His gaze was fixed on my face.
I raised the spear slightly. “It takes little skill to wield such a weapon efficiently enough. I do not intend to shed blood here today. However, I will break the spear if you continue to try to blame me for something I did not do. I did not know the tea would have this effect on Mathias or I would have never asked him to take it. Since you refuse to do the right thing as a matter of course, I will force your honor. For this reason, I have claimed the spear. Your guardianship is lacking, old one, and therefore you must cooperate with me or else I will not return the spear until it has been broken into pieces. You said there is an herbal mix that can save him. Yes or no?”
Dobri’s scarred and wrinkled face twisted as though he had bitten into something sour, but then he responded with a grudging “Yes.”
“Is there any of this mix already prepared?”
“It must be fresh if he has the symptoms you described.”
“What else must be done?”
“It must be prepared by your hands alone to achieve full potency.”
“Do you agree on your honor that you will show me how to prepare the herbal mix?”
The air between us was thick with tension and finally the old man bowed slightly. “It will be done. On my honor. Now return what is mine by right.”
I handed him the spear, and the old man picked up a large bowl and passed it to me. Then, he led the way back into the garden rooms. He stopped in front of the silphium and handed me a curved dagger. The dragon prince spoke up. “He wishes you to cut three bunches of flowers.”
I obeyed, nearly slicing myself the first time as the blade cut through the thick stalk with greater ease than I expected. We repeated the process with Hera’s Tears, yarrow, rosemary, and a few other plants I didn’t recognize. Then, we went to a small storeroom where I poured first cold water and then room temperature water into the bowl, washing the herbs before I had to grind or cut them up and mix them together. The old man signaled for me to stop and had me dump the whole mix into a bag. It was only then that he gestured toward the door. Once more the dragon prince provided the translation. “Go back to your Myrmidon, woman. Pour half of the herbs into a kettle to prepare a tea, sweeten it with honey, and then give it to him. He will recover quickly, but he must continue taking the dose of one cup two times a day for a full week if he is to regain both strength and control. You have culled enough herbs to repeat this process when it is needed next.”
“Thank you, Dobri.” I turned to the dragon and bowed once more. “And my thanks are also extended to you, honored one.”
The dragon offered a regal half-bow of his own. “You have proven yourself well, Spotter. Should you require further aid, do not hesitate to call on me. I am Kiril.”
I should have been overwhelmed by the honor and burden of knowing the dragon prince’s familiar name, but I was far too anxious about getting back to Mathias. It had taken so much longer than I’d ever anticipated to get this help for him. I made my excuses and left as quickly as I could without running. Once I was back at that stairs, however, I abandoned all caution. It was late in the afternoon. I went down the stairs at a run, not caring that I almost slipped and tumbled down them more than once in my haste.
When my boots finally touched the ground, I threw myself into a sprint. I ignored the stares, the numbers, the shouted questions or warnings, all of it. All I focused on was getting back to Ilia’s house as fast as I could possibly manage. My breaths came in heaving bursts and sweat trickled down my temples and my spine by the time I finally reached Ilia’s house. I banged on the door, not even able to gasp out a name. When the door opened, Ilia looked as though he might hug me, but I didn’t hold still long enough as I pushed past him to get inside. I ran up the stairs and banged into Mathias’ room.
I stopped in my tracks at the sight of him. He looked so much worse. I held up the bag of herbs and gasped, “We need to make a tea. Only use half.” I started to hand it to Galina and then stopped as I remembered Dobri’s instructions. “No, I need to make it or it won’t work.”
After making the tea, I carried it back upstairs at a much calmer pace. Mathias was still sprawled on the bed looking like death warmed over. His breathing was shallow and sweat continued to bead his skin despite the obvious signs that Galina had been caring for him. I perched on the edge of the bed and leaned over him to prop his head up before bringing the cup to his lips. “Drink this, Mathias. It will make things right again.”
Only after he drank the entire cup did I whisper, “I am so sorry. I didn’t know this would happen, but I still shouldn’t have asked you.”
He didn’t respond, which was disappointing but not unexpected. I set the cup on the bedside table and then leaned down to touch my forehead to his. Now came t
he hardest part. Waiting to see if I had been fast enough.
* * *
Chapter Eight
Mathias
My head felt much like it had after a fight with a pair of gargoyles when I ended up falling a good twenty-eight feet. That had been the time when I told Royal he was no longer allowed to volunteer me for hunts. I hadn’t wanted to spend another two months in the infirmary because a ticked off gargoyle decided to heave me through the air and drop me with malicious intent. If we hadn’t been over water, the injuries might have been more . . . disabling. But, I still woke up with a headache that felt like someone was attempting to use my head as an anvil. Much like now.
The room was cozy but foreign. I tried to lunge to my feet only to stop as my vision spun when I was halfway propped up on my elbows. A woven blanket hanging over the window blocked any light from outside, but a sliver of bright light played against the wall directly in front of me. Daylight . . . but no way to tell if it was noon or later. Or earlier. I grimaced as my head continued its pounding at the mercy of an invisible blacksmith.
Lauren. Where was Lauren? I tried to get up again, but I couldn’t move my right hand out from under the blankets. Glancing down, the band of tightness around my chest eased as I took in Lauren’s sleeping face. One of her hands covered mine while her other arm served as a makeshift pillow as she sat on the floor next to the bed. I carefully wriggled my hand out from beneath her and then threaded my fingers through her hair.
Dark eyes opened and fixed on me, relief rushing into their ebony depths, as Lauren sat up and grasped my hand between hers. A faint smile played across her lips before she ducked her head down to press a kiss against my fingers. Resting her cheek against the back of my hand, her grip tightened as she murmured, “Don’t scare me like that again.”
“I will try not to be a complete burden,” I muttered before looking around. “Where are we?”
“Ilia’s house.” Lauren handed me a glass of water before she perched on the edge of the bed and said, “You collapsed yesterday right after we got here and met Galina.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s half past eleven and the noon meal will be ready in a bit. I need to tell them you’re awake and coherent.”
The calm simplicity of her words didn’t quite hide that something was bothering her. I sat up, suppressing a groan as my headache worsened with the change in position, and grabbed Lauren’s hand before she could leave. “What’s wrong?”
“You almost died.” Lauren bit her bottom lip and looked away from me as she continued, “And, it was my fault for asking you to drink that potion.”
“You hardly pinned me to the ground and forced it between my gnashing teeth,” I countered. When she didn’t respond or even look at me, I leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, “If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I should’ve asked what it was before taking it. Instead, I counted on it being a mix that would have no effect on me and that was rather foolish, wasn’t it? It’s not your fault, Lauren. Never has been, and it never will be.”
“Dobri said you would have been dead inside of two weeks because of me, and he accused me of poisoning you.”
I reached out to touch her chin, nudging against it until she turned to face me once more. Brushing away a stray tear as it rolled down her soft skin, I caught her chin in my hand again as I stated, “He was wrong about your motives, I know that.” I paused a moment and then asked, “Now who exactly is Dobri?”
Lauren gave a little laugh. “That nasty old man who’s the elder here, the one who had no control over his dragon-born attendant.”
“You went to see the elder? Alone?”
“I told Ilia and Galina to stay with you.”
Unsure of whether to scold her or chew out Ilia for permitting the thing, I did the only thing that made sense to me. I kissed her. Lauren relaxed into the kiss almost immediately as she slid her hands over my arms. The annoying beats of my headache faded from my awareness as I focused more and more on her. Until she placed both hands against my chest and pushed back. Her creamy tan wasn’t quite dark enough to fully hide her blush as she gave a shaky laugh. “You are definitely feeling better. I should, umm, I should go so you can get changed and actually put a shirt on.”
I glanced down at where her hands were still splayed against my bare chest, then quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure that’s what you want me to do?”
Lauren pulled her hands back so fast she almost left scratches. Clutching her hands against her stomach, she hissed, “You stop that!”
She stood and had nearly reached the door when I got out of bed and called after her in Myrmidon, “You cannot fault me for being entranced by your eyes.”
It had been one of the phrases I taught her so she ought to recognize the words. I watched her closely, waiting for her to decide what to do. Finally, she looked over her shoulder at me and retorted, “I’ll fault you all I want if you don’t start behaving yourself, Mathias. Now will you please go put a shirt on? Then if you feel strong enough, you can come downstairs to join us for the midday meal.” She raised a finger in warning as she stated firmly, “But only if you feel strong enough that we won’t end up picking you up off the floor again.”
“I appreciate your concern, but it’s not necessary. I assure you.”
Lauren turned fully around at that and then she surprised me by marching up to me, eyes serious. “You almost died yesterday, Mathias. Your number . . .” Her voice cracked before she took a deep breath and continued, “Your number didn’t change back to normal until after I gave you this morning’s dose. You, well, I frankly don’t care about your male pride. If you feel any weakness at all, I want you to either stay up here or get Ilia’s help in coming downstairs. Because if you don’t and you end up making yourself worse again, I will never forgive you.”
She was more upset than I had realized. “Come here.” I waited for her to step closer, then wrapped my arms around her. I bent to kiss the top of her head as she clung to me. “I love you, Lauren Hope. I offer my sincerest apologies for scaring you yesterday.” Loosening my grasp, I stepped back as I asked, “Am I forgiven?”
“In spite of yourself, it would seem,” she countered wryly. Then, she reached up and braced her hands against my biceps as she rose on her toes to press an all too brief kiss against my lips. “Now make yourself presentable. Food will be ready soon.”
By the time lunch was half over I had accepted Ilia’s congratulations on my recovery and learned more about what Lauren had done to get the herbal mix. I lowered my tea as Lauren finished recounting her confrontation with the elder. “You stole his talisman of power?”
“He was refusing to help, and it was the only way I could think of to get his undivided attention.” Lauren rolled her shoulders almost nervously as she added softly, “I was angry and had quite enough of vague unhelpful non-answers from stupidly stubborn Myrmidons.”
“And, now the dragon prince in residence is aware of us and the fact that you are a Spotter,” I stated softly. This was an unexpected development.
“He knew from the moment we ran into each other,” she replied with a helpless shrug. “I didn’t know royal dragons were in residence here or I wouldn’t have stuck around in the palace. As it was, Kiril knew my name even before he called me a Spotter.”
I stared at her. “He gifted you with knowledge of his familiar name?”
She nodded, eyes wide and uncertainty dancing in their depths.
I took a drink of tea then pronounced, “We must leave for Seuthopolis as soon as possible.” I turned to Ilia and asked, “Is there a way we might rent a car or lorry from the lower village? Or, perhaps, we could find a bus. There’s a station down in the village, yes?”
“We can’t go down to the lower village,” Lauren said in a rush. “Weard has at least three hunters lingering there. One is confirmed to be a dragon-born.”
Setting my tea down, I gave her my full attention. “I think you’ve left something out of the earlier telling of yesterd
ay’s encounter with the dragon prince. Best let me have the whole of it now.”
Lauren quickly and quietly explained what she had overheard. I bit back the urge to curse. Weard finding us so soon was not part of the plan, and the fact that the company had sent more volatile hunters like a dragon-born did not bode well for Lauren’s safety. It was almost as disturbing as learning that Royal had lost her body double when laying the decoy trail. If they had already killed someone they thought was Lauren, the odds of them attempting to take her alive again were slimming faster than spider’s silk.
Drumming my fingers against the table, I said, “We cannot stay in Perperikon. Seuthopolis is only three days’ journey from here if we follow the main road and drive fast. Perhaps, an airship could take us there.”
“The airships launch from the village, eh, where the hunters wait,” Ilia interjected. “Weard has lost our help, eh, even before the dragon prince declared it so. They have lost their way. We will not help them.”
“No airships, and we can’t make it down to the village at all without risking Weard’s attention.” I picked up my tea and took another drink hoping the familiarity of the action would bring about a new idea. The only one that came to mind, however, was the one I knew Lauren would reject. “Perhaps . . . Perhaps, I should go down to the village alone and eliminate the hunters.”
“Absolutely not,” Lauren ground out. “There are three of them. We only know what one of their species is, and there’s no telling if you would even find them before they ambushed you.”
“Your belief that you have the right to veto my plan so thoroughly is rather charming, love.”
Trials by Numbers Page 12