by Rachel Angel
“What… with this? You’re going to work some ungodly magic on a poor old woman. Mother was most certainly driven by grief to allow you such insanity. Once she realizes how absurd you are, she’ll come to her senses and send you on her way.” He dropped the basket at her feet. “And you know what? I won’t be around when she does, because I will not wait for you. I’m off.”
He turned to leave once more, but came face to face with Queen Jade. “What’s made you so testy this morning, Jasper? I can hear you shouting from clear across the gardens. You know how I like having my morning coffee with only the songs of the birds.”
“My sincerest apologies, Mother.”
“What has you shouting at our lovely guest so early in the morning?”
Jasper picked up Ally’s basket and showed it to his mother. “Look at this. Are you really going to let her feed this to your mother… to my grandmother… to the Queen Mother?”
“As a matter of fact, I trust Ally, and I think you should as well.”
He grabbed the water hemlock and waved it at his mother. “Just this is enough to kill her.”
“I’d wash my hand before touching any part of my body, if I were you,” Ally cautioned.
He glared back at her and sneered before returning his attention to his mother.
“How about this for a compromise?” Queen Jade said. “Ally will have access to whatever she needs to make whatever she needs to make, and when she brings it to Queen Mother, she can decide for herself whether she wants to ingest it or not.”
“Um.” Ally held up a finger to interject. “I propose a trio of remedies. It will be part liquid to ingest, part balm to smear across her chest and part mist to squirt up her nose.”
“Squirt up her nose?” Jasper and Queen Jade said in unison.
Ally could have sworn Jasper was holding back a grin.
“I think if I attack this from every angle, it is sure to work.”
“Fine,” Jasper said through gritted teeth and throwing his hands up in defeat. “Fine. Do whatever you like. I’m going to go for a ride.” He leaned in to peck his mother on the cheek. “I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Have a nice ride, dear.”
“Well,” Ally said once he’d disappeared. “I better get to work. These herbs have to boil in salted water for over an hour.”
“The kitchen is all yours.”
With her basket in hand, Ally took the back entrance to the large, well-equipped kitchen. The cook had cleared away all traces of food. Apparently, word that she’d be concocting remedies from toxic herbs had gotten around.
She set her basket down on the counter and got to work. She filled a pot with water, added a pinch of salt and set it on the fire. On the counter nearby, she chopped up the herbs that needed boiling and set them aside.
In a larger pot she dropped in a spoonful of lard and melted it, then added the necessary herbs and let it simmer gently.
By then the water was boiling and she added her herbs, turned the nearby hourglass over and let the water continue boiling.
Finally, she pounded the remaining herbs with a mallet until she had a fine powder and placed it in a small bottle.
The kitchen was hot and stifling and sweat ran along the side of her face and down her back, but her work was almost done. Another ten minutes and she would take the boiling water and herbs off the fire and let it cool slightly before bringing it to Queen Mother Jasmine.
Ally wiped off the workspace with a wet cloth and tossed the unused herbs into the fire. Only then did she allow herself a moment to contemplate what she was about to do.
If the dosage was wrong, if her portions were wrong… if anything at all was wrong, she could potentially kill the Queen Mother.
No doubt she would lose her head if that happened. While Queen Jade hadn’t verbalized that eventuality, Ally knew it to be all the same.
The hourglass let the last grains of sand fall, and Ally removed the heavy pot from the fire. While she waited for the liquid to cool somewhat, she gathered the balm from the smaller pot and dropped it into a small crystal bowl, then set the cover atop it.
She grabbed a large mug from the shelf and poured the thickened liquid into it. While the scent of mint was pleasant enough, the underlying smell could be detected if she breathed it in long enough.
Quickly she cleaned up any trace of her having been in the kitchen, placed her three containers on a tray and headed up to the Queen Mother’s room.
As she approached the door to her room, Queen Jade joined her.
“Everything is ready?”
“Everything is ready.”
They looked at one another for a long moment, both fearful and hopeful.
Queen Jade tapped on the door with a single knuckle. “Mother?”
“Yes. Come in. Come in.”
Queen Jade opened the door and gestured for Ally to enter before her.
The foul odor in the darkened room was instantly nauseating. The windows were closed tight, as were the drapes. Not a glimmer of light entered and not a breath of air.
“Ally wants to see you, Mother,” Queen Jade said.
Queen Mother Jasmine sat up and pressed the covers tightly and primly over her legs.
“Do you mind if I open the drapes?” Ally said as she set her tray on the table beside the bed.
“If you must.”
Ally pushed the heavy drapes out of the way, and without even asking for permission, opened the window.
“I went out for a bit of air,” Queen Mother protested, “and I didn’t feel any better. In fact, I felt worse. The outdoor air isn’t good for me. That’s why I keep it closed.”
“Nonsense,” Ally said as she threw every window in the room open. “You need air; fresh air. Everything in the room needs to be aired out,” she said to Queen Jade. “All the linens, every cushion… and these drapes. They almost smell of death.”
Queen Jade looked quizzically at her. “But she said she didn’t feel better after her ride outside. Perhaps she needs…”
The Queen Mother coughed, a thick phlegm-filled cough.
“You see,” Queen Jade said rushing to close the windows.
Ally grabbed her hands and stopped her. “The fresh air helps her lungs push out whatever it is that’s ailing her.” She looked at the Queen Mother. “She should not be spending so much time in bed either. She needs to get up, to walk, or at the very least sit up.”
“How dare you?” Queen Jade whispered as she looked in horror at Ally’s hands on her.
“Please, Queen Jade,” Ally said gently as she released her hold of her. “Please.”
The queen drew in a long breath and nodded slightly. “All right.”
“I’m going to give her the tea first.” Ally walked to the bedside and gave the Queen Mother the cup of medicinal mint tea.”
“Smells nice,” the Queen Mother said. “I do love mint tea.”
You might not love this one, Ally thought.
The Queen Mother took a sip, grimaced a bit, and drank some more. Smiling, she looked up at Ally. “Has a nice kick to it.”
Ally laughed. “That’s certainly one way of putting it.”
“Now what?” Queen Jade said when the Queen Mother had emptied her cup.
“We’ll wait a few minutes to let the herbs do their work. In the meantime, we could empty the room of everything that is fabric or upholstered.”
Queen Jade reluctantly nodded. “I’ll go get some help.”
“I’ll help.” Jasper stood in the doorway, solemn and strong. His teal hair was damp with sweat and swept back off his face, and his soaked shirt clung to his chest.
His gaze darted from Ally to the Queen Mother to Queen Jade and back to Ally.
“Jasper,” Queen Jade. “You’re back. And just in time.”
Ally swallowed the strange sense of arousal she suddenly felt and pointed to the settee by the window. “You could start with that.”
Without hesitation, he grabbed the heavy piece
of furniture and hauled it out of the room. Moments later he returned for more. And while he carried out cushions, pillows and linens, Ally struggled to get the heavy drapes down. For every window, she had to grab a chair and climb up, and even then, she could just barely reach the drapery rod.
“I’ll get those,” Jasper said softly when he returned from yet another haul. Without need of a chair, he easily reached up and got the remainder of the drapes down and out of the room.
Soon the room was virtually bare. All that remained was the bed, minus the canopy and excess cushions and pillows, and the hardwood furniture.
Already, the air in the room had changed. Fresh air flowed freely into the room, unhindered by heavy fabric. And the warm rays of the sun brightened the once dreary room.
“How are you feeling?” Ally asked the Queen Mother.
She shrugged. “The same way I always feel after a cup of tea. Like I need to pee.”
Ally giggled, while Jasper put his hand over his mouth to hide his silent laughter.
“Oh, Mother,” Queen Jade said. She pulled the bedsheet off her mother and helped her out of bed. “Come on. I’ll help you.”
Alone in the room, Ally glanced at Jasper who still seemed amused by his grandmother. “She’s quite a character,” she said.
“You should have seen her ten years ago. Always quick witted. Always eager to play a joke. Yes, indeed. She is quite a character.”
They sat in tense silence for a long moment with only the distant sound of Queen Jade speaking softly to Queen Mother Jasmine.
“What’s your prognosis?” Jasper finally said.
“Good. I think she’ll be fine.”
When the women returned, the Queen Mother opted to sit in a chair by the window. She looked at Ally and winked. “I do love the scent of cedar. Don’t you?”
“It’s one of my favorite scents,” Ally said. She picked up the small crystal bowl with the balm and approached her. “This is to spread over your chest. You’ll feel intense heat for a few moments, and then a soothing warmth will penetrate into your lungs.”
She set the bowl down on the table.
Queen Mother Jasmine looked at the bowl, then up to Ally.
“Um,” Ally said, “you can dip your figures in the bowl and rub the balm over your chest.”
The Queen Mother held her hands up in front of her and wiggled her fingers. “But I just got a manicure.”
Ally heard Jasper chuckle behind her.
“Um.” Ally didn’t know what to say. She turned to Jasper who shrugged, then to Queen Jade who simply wiggled her fingers in a show of a fresh manicure as well.
“If you want me to… Um. I guess I could.”
The Queen Mother opened her dressing gown to expose her throat and upper chest. Ally dipped her fingers in the greasy balm and dabbed it on the older woman’s chest.
“Ooh, that is hot,” Queen Mother Jasmine said in surprise.
Indeed. Ally’s fingers were burning up. “And do you now feel the warmth penetrate inside.”
“Ah, yes. Very nice. Very, very nice.” She looked at Ally with a teasing grin. “It’s been quite a long time since anyone has touched me in such a manner.”
Ally smiled and wiped her fingers with the bottom edge of her shirt. “That should do the trick. And now, the one remaining remedy is the mist. Actually it’s more like a powder; a very fine misty powder.”
“And what do I do with it, dear.”
“You put it up your nose,” Jasper said with a smile.
Ally looked reassuringly at the Queen Mother. “I’ll put a small amount of it on the tip of your finger and you can just sniff it up into one nostril and again with the other nostril.”
“You’re the boss.”
After she’d sniffed up the powder, Ally capped the bottle and looked to Jasper and Queen Jade.
“Now what?” Jasper said.
“Now we wait.”
Chapter 11
Two days later, Jasper and Ally headed out to make the long trip back to the Academy. The blistering sun forced them to keep the horses to a slow pace and Ally began to wonder if they would make it back in time before sundown.
Their journey so far had been quiet, and while Ally had become accustomed to this aspect of Jasper’s personality, she had thought their experience with his grandmother would have opened him up.
Yet, so far, he hadn’t so much as thanked her for what she’d done.
It had taken a while; quite a while longer than Ally had expected. The Queen Mother had spent that first night after the treatments fighting a fever. It had been a long night spent at her side with Jasper and Queen Jade shooting accusatory glares her way.
But by morning, the fever was gone. And so was the cough. Ally had insisted they stay for the day to make sure everything was truly all right.
When they had all met together for dinner, the Queen Mother was all smiles. There wasn’t a sign of a cough.
“You are a child of many talents,” Queen Jade had said. “I look forward to seeing what else you can do.”
She’d been honored by the praise.
Now, Ally looked down at her horse’s mane as they rode on. Jasper had been in such a good mood the night before. She’d thought for certain this time that his good humor would remain.
She glanced at him. His teal hair shined under the glare of the sun. The heat had prompted him to wear a sleeveless shirt, leaving his muscular arms bare. She followed the lines of his bicep as her lightly held onto the reins. He was such a gorgeous man.
A strange scent tore her attention away from Jasper’s physique. “What’s that awful smell?”
Before Jasper could answer, Ally’s horse suddenly came to an abrupt stop, almost throwing her off. “Shelby, what’s wrong?”
A second later, Jasper’s horse stopped as well. Instantly on the alert, his hand went to his sword. “Take out your sword, Ally,” he said as he scanned the surrounding meadow.
“What’s going on? What’s out there?”
“I don’t know exactly, but if the horses are stopped, it’s something bad.”
Ally saw a strange movement from her right. The tall grasses of the meadow separated and moved; a movement not caused by the wind. “Jasper,” she said with a shaky voice. “I think there’s something over there.”
She reached behind her, opened the sword case and pulled the weapon out. Though it was built to withstand the blows of battle, she hated the idea of using it so soon.
The grasses parted, carving a path that came closer and closer to them. Whatever it was, it was on the move and heading towards them. The horses protested, neighing and whinnying as they stomped their hooves and shuffled around in a circle.
“Jasper!” Ally cried out.
The menacing creature finally showed itself. Resembling a snake with tiny four legs, it snapped at Ally, scratching her leg. As it coiled back and prepared to attack again, she jumped off her horse and waited for it, sword in hand.
With one easy thrust of the sharp blade, she cut off the beast’s head. “There,” she said, turning to Jasper. “That wasn’t so hard.”
Instead of congratulating her for her skilled kill, he pulled a dagger from his boot and shot it her way. For a second, she thought she was dead, but quickly turned around to see his dagger land between the eyes of another four-legged serpent.
“I don’t think they are alone,” Jasper said as he looked across the meadow. From every side, the grasses were moving. They were surrounded.
“Just keep doing as you did with the first one,” Jasper said as he jumped off his horse and headed to his kill to retrieve his dagger. “Watch my back and I’ll watch yours.”
There was no question that she would watch his back, but when the cards were down, would he really watch hers? She had no choice but to trust that he would. Had he not just shown with the throw of his dagger that he would, or was that merely self preservation?
“Ready? They’re here.” Jasper stood straight and strong, read
y to fight.
The serpent-like creatures, some as small as the average python while others were as big as a whale, came by the dozens. The larger ones were easy to spot, and easier to kill, but it was the smaller ones, the ones that snuck up on them with quick agility that were the truly dangerous ones.
As Ally sliced the head off her fourth serpent, a smaller one came right up to her and wrapped itself around her leg, quickly cutting off her circulation. She hacked at the creature with her blade, aware that if she struck too hard, she’d slice her own leg off.
“Jasper,” she finally cried when the beast wrapped itself around her waist.
Jasper jumped into the air and spun in a half circle, easily beheading three serpents with one blow, then he grabbed a smaller knife from his belt and stabbed the smaller serpent at Ally’s leg through the nose.
It fell limp around Ally who kicked it off her. More continued to come. One after the other, they killed the persistent beasts until they were sweaty and exhausted.
“We have to get out of here!” Jasper called out.
Ally knew he was right. It almost seemed like for every one they killed, two more came to battle. To her dismay, she looked around and realized the horses had run off.
“What do you propose?” she said.
Still killing serpents left and right, Jasper looked up to the jagged hills that bordered the meadow. Placing his tongue against his teeth, he let out a shrill whistle.
Despite the threat of death, Jasper’s horse came galloping down the hill. With his sword in one hand, Jasper grabbed Ally by the waist and ran toward his galloping horse. Holding her tightly against his chest, he jumped up on the horse who didn’t slow his stride one bit.
As though conditioned to escape such threats, his horse thundered back up the jagged hill. Hot air burst from his flared nostrils as he ran hard, never missing a beat.
Seated in front of Jasper, with his arm still holding her tight against his chest, Ally knew she’d be safe. He enveloped her in a way that was soothing despite the threat that still slithered through the tall grass below.
Finally, they stopped when they reached Shelby who stood with her eyes wide and her ears back.
For a long moment, Jasper and Ally simply remained on the horse, catching their breaths as they looked at the meadow below.