The Scar-Faced King

by Isabell Schmitt-Egner

  “That’s a damn problem.”

  “Lilli, has the thought ever crossed your mind that Jheron is messing with your mind? What if he wants you to suspect Constance? What if he’s not on our side after all?”

  “The thought is justified, I’m afraid. Sorry ... I’m ... I can’t believe it.” Lilli brushed her hair back. What had she gotten herself into? If only Amon would finally come back! Then she would talk to him carefully. She would ride with him to her favourite spot by the lake and tell him everything there until he believed her, or at least understood her. And then she would tell him not to just rush to Constance before they had found out more.

  Amon, you have to come home!

  It was in the afternoon when Lilli was roaming the garden alone. She had ditched her guards, because with four men in tow she couldn’t do any secret research. There was one image she couldn’t get out of her head: Constance in her herb garden. The one with the poisonous plants that were so dangerous that access was closed to normal visitors.

  It all seemed to fit together at first glance. Constance poisoned her brother. And the worst thing was that Amon would never believe it. What could she do? Could she get Constance to confess? With witnesses? Basically, she had to confess when Amon was present. Lilli stopped in front of the garden gate and looked through the iron bars. Constance was not to be seen; the gate locked. Lilli brushed along the wall. Maybe there was a spot where she could climb over unobserved. But what was she supposed to do there? Unfortunately, she had little knowledge of herbology, poisons and how to mix them.

  A metallic sound made her turn around. Constance stood at the entrance to the garden and unlocked the gate. A wicker basket hung from her arm.

  Lilli was about to take cover when Amon’s sister caught sight of her and waved. Lilli returned the greeting, perhaps not euphorically enough, because Constance looked at her a little confused and stopped, apparently expecting Lilli to come to her.

  And so, she did. Anything else would have been too conspicuous.

  “Are you all right, dear?” Constance called out to her. “What are you doing here alone? You’re not supposed to be wandering around without the guards.”

  “I know,” Lilli said, holding up her dress to avoid getting caught on a small bush, “but I wanted to be alone for a moment.”

  “That’s reckless,” Constance agreed. “The man could still be on the grounds. And we don’t know him. Enemies you don’t know are the most dangerous.” She pushed open the little gate to the garden and looked at Lilli scrutinisingly. “You’d better come with me and then we’ll both walk back together afterwards. Or if you don’t want to, wait and I’ll quickly get someone to escort you indoors.”

  Lilli thought for a moment.

  “I’ll come with you and then we’ll go back to the castle together,” she decided, hoping her voice didn’t betray her. Together they entered the secluded garden area and only now did Lilli see everything that was there, how expansive, and neatly laid out the garden was. Did Constance tend the beds without any help? Perhaps. The poison garden apparently belonged to her alone.

  “I just want to do the beds a bit and harvest some herbs, it won’t take long. Don’t touch anything here, Lilli. There are some very poisonous plants in there.”

  Constance strove ahead and Lilli followed her, looking around unobtrusively.

  “Which are the most poisonous ones that grow here?” she jumped right into the topic.

  “Oh, there are many. From hemlock to deadly nightshade, I have everything here.” Constance stopped at one of the beds and took a small hoe from her basket to loosen the soil. As she did so, she removed small plants that probably had no place in her bed.

  “Are you taking care of everything here all by yourself?” Lilli had decided to keep the conversation going carefully.

  And slowly an idea welled up in her, which unfortunately was also a little foolhardy.

  “Yes, just me. It’s too dangerous otherwise.” Constance didn’t look up, worked the ground with fervour.

  “But why so many poisonous plants? What do you need them all for?” Lilli thought she sounded quite relaxed and naturally curious.

  “For medicine,” Constance replied. “I also supply healers and ointment makers from the surrounding villages.”

  “I see.” She watched Amon’s sister work for a while, then ventured another advance. “Did you ever think that the poison Amon had in his cup might have come from this garden?” Lilli’s heart was beating wildly, but after all, that was a perfectly normal question to ask, indeed, to have to ask if one thought. A logical question, no reason for Constance to become suspicious.

  “No, I don’t think so,” she said, continuing to work without any obvious sign of uncertainty. “I would notice if someone went to the plants here.”

  “How would you notice? The wall is easy to climb with a ladder. Maybe the person only took small amounts.”

  Now Constance paused and stood up. Hoe in hand, she stared at Lilli.

  For a moment there was the thought in Lilli’s mind to turn and run out of this garden. After all, she was here all alone with Constance ... who would hear her?

  But she resisted and stood still, trying not to look at the sharp garden tool. That was really overdoing it, too. Even if Constance was guilty, she wouldn’t attack Lilli with the garden hoe ... after all.

  “Maybe you’re right,” Constance said slowly now and let her gaze wander through the garden. “Little things might escape me here. I should check the stock, which doesn’t mean we’ll be one step closer to the culprit.”

  Silently, Lilli admired this reaction. Either Constance was an incredibly good actress, or she was indeed clueless.

  “We’ll walk the beds and see if anything has been cut or thinned out. Take a small branch when you examine the plants. Don’t touch them with your hands.”

  “Right,” Lilli said and looked around for an appropriate tool. She found a small branch and took to the beds on the left side towards the gate, while Constance was already busy with the plants further back in the garden.

  Lilli examined the shrubs, flowering shrubs, and bushes, none of which she could name except the foxglove, keeping one eye on Constance. She seemed to be highly concentrated and combing through her garden with practised grips, wearing her leather gloves, unlike Lilli.

  “Something’s been cut here!”, Lilli finally called across the garden, pointing to some short stems of yellow flowers with dark centres and jagged foliage. Constance looked up, stretching her head.

  “No, that was me. I cut off the henbane.” She bent over the bed in front of her again.

  After a while they met in the middle of the garden and Constance brushed off her gloves.

  “Well, I’m not sure about the hemlock. But you could easily have killed Amon with it, it doesn’t make sense. Of course, I don’t know what the perpetrator’s abilities are in terms of poison potions. But one thing is certain: if he is able to mix such poisons that trigger such conditions in his king, then he is an expert. Someone who really knows his stuff. And someone like that doesn’t break into other gardens, he grows the plants himself. Or buys the herbs, because he needs many different ones and not exactly the most common ones.”

  “And what do you need the hemlock for?” asked Lilli.

  “For many things.” Constance smiled. “For all kinds of calluses in the flesh, in the body. But for that you have to know how and how much to give the patient.”

  “You deal with that a lot.”

  “Yes.” A veil settled over Constance’s face. “Ever since our mother died, I’ve been afraid of illnesses. I was always afraid of getting something like that too. That’s why I started the garden. I wanted to have a weapon against all diseases. I wanted to be able to heal myself no matter what happened to me. That developed into more over time. Are you interested in that?”

  “Actually, no. I prefer to paint,” Lilli said, at the same time thinking about what to make of this story. She wasn’t q
uite as convinced of Constance’s guilt now as she had been before. Only what should she do?

  “Let’s go back,” Constance said. “We’ll have a bite to eat and then it will be dark soon. I hope Amon comes home quickly. This uncertainty here has to end. As soon as Amon is back, another intensive search should be arranged with all hands.”

  Lilli could think of no reply to that and together they went back to the castle.

  She agreed to eat together, observed Constance unobtrusively and did not notice any suspicious behaviour. Nevertheless, she did not want to be fooled by it, even if she had to urgently consider that Jheron wanted to distract her and plant dissension. Both seemed equally likely to her by now. Only if it wasn’t Constance – who then? Could a ghost put poison in a goblet? After all, it seemed possible that Jheron could move objects. Like the silver chalice he had moved into her field of vision. And he could influence people.

  Again, the thought of escape came over Lilli. She should pack up what she needed and then travel – alone if necessary – to meet Amon. Then they could think about what to do together. But what if the real culprit was waiting for them outside? She couldn’t know that for sure. Basically, she knew nothing.

  Towards evening, Lilli met with Auntie Jahne and told her about the meeting with Constance and her doubts. Because of the picture she had painted under the influence of Jheron, strictly speaking, there was nothing more than an allegation being made. The silent accusation of someone who had died, and this could be true or invented.

  “But it’s like this, Lilli, whether Jheron wants to mislead you or whether Constance does – in either case you could be in danger,” Auntie Jahne said. “Apart from the chance that there is someone else, unknown, who is after you.”

  Lilli stared into her cup of now cooled herbal brew. As she did so, she pondered whether Jheron was here in the room now, listening in on these spoken thoughts. Perhaps he was standing next to her at that moment, grinning to himself and looking forward to the coming night when she would be his pawn again.

  Yes, his pawn. That’s me.

  Lilli felt a shiver run down her spine. A chill crept up her legs and she clasped her hands together. If Jheron took pleasure in manipulating her ... Lilli felt sick. If all this were not true at all, which they were considering by now ... what would happen if Amon found the picture Lilli had painted? What if he didn’t believe the story about the spirit that gave her those pictures? His beloved sister as a poisoner. Yes, that fitted so well, with that garden, the succession and everything else. Jheron had really set that up believably.

  “What’s the matter, child? You don’t look well.” Aunty Jahne reached out to touch Lilli’s ice-cold fingers.

  “Nothing much,” Lilli said at that moment. She wouldn’t endanger Jahne in case Jheron overheard them just now. The ghost didn’t need to realise that she had seen through him. In her head she rummaged for a piece of information she had read in one of the books. There had been so many things, she had spent hours with Amon in the library looking for the key to the mystery of his reflection.

  And then she remembered. Ghosts always connected with something or someone. Auntie Jahne had said the same thing. Jheron was a prisoner. Either he couldn’t leave Grauemfall, or it was impossible for him to separate himself from a certain person. Another possibility was an object. The chalice, perhaps? When she had looked into Amon’s face, via the mirror, she had partly seen Jheron’s face. Amon had left Grauemfall, Jheron had stayed behind. Either because he couldn’t help it, because he was tied to the castle or something else here, or he had decided to stay himself.

  If Lilli left the castle and everyone in it behind, could Jheron not reach her anymore?

  Again, the plan to travel towards Amon entered her mind. For that she could possibly find a companion who would at least give her some protection. Or the guards who were responsible for her. Could she ask them to come with her? It was worth a try and Amon had surely already started on his way back by now. So, she would meet him and certainly have reached him in a day’s time. It seemed immensely important to her to speak to him alone first, in peace. Whether he would believe her, she didn’t know, but Lilli would tell him the whole truth, impartially, in the order in which things had happened.

  “Auntie, I have just decided that I will go. I am travelling to meet Amon. And I’m going to do it tonight.” Lilli stood up.

  “What, are you sure that ...”

  “I’m completely sure,” Lilli said calmly, and it wasn’t an act. In fact, a deep tranquillity had settled inside her, a knowledge that she was about to do the right thing. Another night in this room or any other, with Jheron nearby, was out of the question. She would pack her things and then ask the guards to accompany her. If they refused, Lilli would remind them of their duty to protect her, and if that didn’t help either, she would go off on her own. They were not allowed to deny her a horse. She knew at least the first bit of the route she had ridden back alone. After that she would ask around, but basically, she hardly doubted that the guards would stand by her.

  She gave Auntie Jahne a kiss and then left her alone. Not without telling her not to worry and preferably not to leave her room until Lilli returned with Amon. The nightmare would certainly be over soon, in the truest sense of the word.

  They would find a solution and make Grauemfall habitable again.

  Lilli stepped out into the hallway and told the guards what she was going to do. As expected, the men hesitated, cautiously trying to contradict her, but Lilli vehemently pointed out that they were in charge of her and that she would ride tonight under any circumstances. Finally, they gave in. Lilli instructed them to get horses saddled. She would quickly get a few things from her room. One of the men offered to accompany her and Lilli agreed.

  Once there, she made him wait outside the door while she slipped into a warmer dress, prepared her cloak, and stuffed a few things into a bag. A few coins, an undergarment, two small towels, a bar of soap. They wouldn’t need much – in a day or two at most she would see Amon again.

  “What are you doing, Lilli?”

  She whirled around and saw Constance standing at the door.

  “I’m travelling to meet Amon.” Lilli stuffed her hairbrush into the bag.

  “In the middle of the night?”

  “It’s evening. And I have my reasons.” She pulled the bag closed and tied the strings in a knot. Constance sighed as if she were dealing with an unreasonable child.

  “Wait here a moment, please.” She disappeared into the hallway for a moment, then came back in and closed the door shut.

  “Lilli ... this is very unreasonable. Do you know what Amon would say about it? I expect him back tomorrow anyway. Don’t you want to wait one more night? I know you miss him. But it’s dangerous on the hillside and also in the forest at night.” Constance bounced her foot and caught sight of Lilli’s modest luggage.

  “My mind is made up,” Lilli said.

  “Amon will be angry with me if I don’t try to stop you. That’s why I can’t give you my blessing to do this. Won’t you at least pack sensibly? You need provisions, too. And I say again, by all means wait till first light.”

  “No way.” Lilli threw the bundle across her shoulder and briefly considered letting Constance in on what was going on with Jheron. But she lacked the time to consider that decision carefully. She didn’t feel able to judge right now whether it would be a mistake or not, so she didn’t.

  With quick steps she walked towards the door. She had to get out of here, just get out.

  13

  The dream was strange and held her tight. Lilli didn’t know if she was really dreaming, but she assumed so. What else could it be? Half asleep, she was aware that her leg was tingling. And she was freezing. Her right side ... ice cold, almost numb. She tried to remember where they had stopped on their journey. Somewhere along the way, in a forest perhaps, or under a rock ledge. Too strange she had forgotten, but she was clearly lying on something hard, cold. Perhaps sh
e had rolled from her bed in her sleep.

  These thoughts slid through her mind as scraps, fragments of a greater picture she was unable to grasp. She blinked. Darkness surrounded her. Lilli tried to move, away from the cold. She had to find her blanket and wrap herself up or she would get sick.

  Her wrists ached and seemed to have fallen asleep, for she could not move them. Lilli groaned and rolled onto her back. Immediately the moan turned into a sound of pain. What was that? She quickly let herself sink back onto her side and breathed heavily against the pain in her hands. A glow of light fell on the wall, on bricks, Lilli realised idly. Yes, she wondered about it, but her mind couldn’t manage to sort out what she saw and put it into perspective with what must have happened.

  “Do you hear me, Lilli? It’s important to me that you hear me.”

  “Con...” Lilli coughed. Her mouth was so terribly dry, she couldn’t even speak. Constance bent over her and shone the light in her face.

  “What?” Lilli whispered.

  “I want you to understand what is happening. For you to experience it.” She placed the small oil lamp on the floor two steps away from Lilli. Then she bent down and grabbed something, pulled it up. Lilli heard a metallic squeak. Again, she tried to move and finally her mind began to clear. Her hands were tied. She lay sideways on cold, damp stone. It smelled musty, somehow like a cellar.

  “Constance ...”, Lilli uttered. Her throat ached. “What ...”

  “Be quiet.” Constance came towards her, looking quite calm. “Shut up already.” She closed her eyes briefly and moved her head back and forth slowly, like someone deep in thought about something.

  “Where are we?” Lilli asked, trying to put a sharp tone in her voice, even though she suspected it wouldn’t get her anywhere.

  “I had to sort out everything else upstairs first. They’re looking for you. In the forest.” Constance said this as if to tell Lilli why she had been late for lunch.