Gretchen did not seem to hear Evangeline’s pleads and went on as if the girl had not spoken at all. “It is a terrible thing to cause such pain to his own lands. The Belltower vine is quite temperamental. I am lucky to even have a small selection of it growing in my own yard.” Gretchen clicked her tongue. “I suppose I am luckier still for your father never finding it here. I can only guess he believed, like so many others, that nothing would survive in the Braykith soil.” Gretchen lowered the lantern. “To his credit, barely anything does.”
“So you will give us the vine?” Thomas asked to bring the old woman back on topic.
“No.” Gretchen shook her head. Evangeline instantly tried to object, but Gretchen ignored her as she went on. “I will brew you the tea that will need to be given to your friends, but you must listen carefully, for if you do this wrong Lady Evangeline, it will be a far worse pain in your future.”
Evangeline nodded. “I am listening.”
Gretchen grinned. “Good, and you will pay.”
Evangeline looked to Thomas, but he shrugged. “I have no coins on me.” He explained, apologetic.
“This is a payment of mental health, not wealth.” Gretchen beckoned him closer, and Thomas looked at Evangeline. She did not tell him no, and so he went to the old woman. Seemingly under his own power, Thomas closed his eyes as Gretchen pressed her palm to his forehead. Humming to herself, Thomas felt a wave of dizziness wash over him before she finally seemed satisfied.
“What did you do?” Thomas asked. He felt fine, but he knew the nausea was not coincidental.
“I took my payment. You won’t even miss it.” She sneered before leaving Evangeline and Thomas alone while she brewed the tea.
***
Thomas was carrying a pitcher of dark green water and not daring to spill a drop. He still did not know what Gretchen had done to him, and he did not want to know his sacrifice had been wasted by spilling the hard-earned brew. Evangeline walked behind him with Glais at her side.
“Can we be certain this will work?” Glais asked, and Evangeline ignored the question.
She did not like her answer and did not want to pass her self-doubts onto others. She took a steady breath and licked her dry lips before speaking. “Did you prepare them all?” She asked.
Glais nodded. “I ensured they were all washed down with fresh milk and then left naked in the fields just before the moon is highest in the sky.” When he had read the message from Evangeline detailing what needed to be done with the recently poisoned Braykith men and women, he had believed it to be lost in translation perhaps. He had argued with the messenger but instead promised to follow them directly. He may not be comfortable with the details of this ritual, but he could not let men die knowing they could have been saved.
They walked in silence for a moment, Evangeline lost in her final conversation with Gretchen. She looked at Glais, but when he looked at her, she was quick to look away again.
“Evangeline, speak to me,” Glais said the words softly, and would not repeat them. Glais could never manipulate Evangeline to act in the ways he expected her too.
To his surprise, she nodded. “Gretchen warned us that the tea might not work on all of them and that it is quite peculiar on the thing it does do.” Evangeline wished that it was as simple as feeding them the tea and watching miracles happen, but the way Gretchen described it, it seemed more like a terrible potential hell. “It is supposed to take the unnatural elements in your blood and drain them away through your pores. If they suffer from other ailments, the tea might do away with that and not the poison.”
Glais stopped when he came to Wick, seeing her motionless on the ground and defenceless to the elements. He hated to think what the potion might believe to be worthy of taking. Evangeline took his hand swiftly, sharing his thoughts and concerns for Wick. Evangeline had wished many times that the evils that had befallen her had never occurred, but not at the cost of her life.
Evangeline paused, seeing Sable lying beside Wick in the grass.
“We found her unconscious like the others.” Glais wanted to comfort Evangeline but held the impulse back.
Evangeline remembered the two breakfast bowls that had been found in Wick and Sable’s room. One had only a few mouthfuls missing, the other was half consumed. Evangeline could not guess which bowl had belonged to who, but it was clear that the poison did not need to be heavily present before taking effects. “She didn’t eat as much as Wick.” Glais just nodded, remembering the scene well himself, and Evangeline carefully moved to stand beside her friend since Glais could tend to Wick.
Thomas was careful to measure out the exact amount that Gretchen had told them and pour it into the cup that Glais held. Over each naked body, a person was standing by them. Their job was to administer the potion and assist in any way. Thomas was grateful that he did not have to take part so intimately with this ritual. His concern was for Evangeline, and that was more troubles then he should be distracted with while under such conditions. Evangeline took her place beside Sable, thanking Thomas as he measured out the liquid. “I hope there is enough.” He said.
“There will be,” Evangeline said and looked to the tower window as Thomas moved on to portion out the small serving each person needed. Although more had fallen ill then Evangeline had guessed, it seemed that Gretchen had delivered them more than enough. Could Gretchen had known they would need such a volume or was it all just a matter of luck Evangeline was not confident but regardless Evangeline was glad for the abundance of the solution. She hated to think how would they decide who was worth saving and who they were willing to sacrifice.
Evangeline had seen firsthand just how the poison would kill them eventually without this cure. Shifting comfortably on her knees, she also knew there was a very real possibility that it will kill them regardless should it not work correctly. Evangeline would want every person to have their chance to try.
She looked down into her cup, turning it slowly one way and then the other and witnessing the liquid follow her gestures without spilling over the decorated lip. It felt so standard in her hand. Should no one know better, Thomas could have been giving out boiled water with some juiced weeds for colour. Sniffing at the fumes, she felt no difference to her senses, and Evangeline wondered if something so plain could hold the powers Gretchen had warned them about. Even though her thoughts were plagued with her fears, she trusted that the brew would do something. Her father had driven the plant to near extinction out of fear that someone would work out an antidote for his poisons against the Zorelian kingdom. Evangeline repeated the story to herself now and tried to believe the sickly green liquid was such a cure.
Gretchen’s directions had been both vague and specific. The victims needed to be bathed in milk and then lay naked upon the earth seemed specific, however, the medicine needed to be administrated when the moon was highest. Evangeline worried they would miss this opportunity. It was a small window of mere minutes where the conditions would be right, and that was the reason for the volunteers to administer the strange brew to their comrades. Evangeline could not do them all herself and Glais had been quick to find people willing to bear witness to what might be a gruesome scene.
Evangeline looked over at her husband, but he had his back to her. Glais was completely consumed with caring for Wick, gently stroking her hair from her face as he cradled her head gently and speaking slowly. She did not know what he said, but it did not matter because the words were not for her. She turned away, embarrassed to see such an intimate moment she had not been invited to.
The window above them glowed suddenly with lamplight, the signal to feed their brew to their poisoned friends. Opening their mouths with fingers placed firmly on their jaws, the liquid was forced down their throats. There was no fight in any of them now, even the once most lucid were unconscious, or too weak to fight of their peers. It was nearly silent on the field, and Evangeline was sure she was not alone in holding her breath. Near the back corner, a cry rose out into the eve
ning.
Evangeline looked up suddenly, but the one scream was soon followed by a series of them erupting all over the camp. Evangeline looked over to Glais, but a shifting by her knees brought her attention to Sable. Evangeline brushed her hand gently against Sable’s cheek.
Her eyes fluttered open, and Evangeline thought they focused on her just a moment before Sable’s mouth opened. Her scream erupted into the night and joined the chorus, her whole body curling into itself before flinging back out into the ground. Evangeline looked up panicked, but it seemed that everyone was responding the same. A repetition of screams lifted from the ground, and Evangeline looked to Wick to see if the potion had deemed her worthy.
Glais was wrestling with Wick, trying to keep her from hurting herself in this struggle. “Glais stop,” Evangeline shouted over the noise. Glais looked up to the sound of her voice. Evangeline had been shocked that he had heard her at all over the noise within the field. “Stop, just let it happen.” She told him, not sure if her expression or her words got him to release their friend. Evangeline nodded, hoping to encourage him. She feared Glais and his power, and while she knew he meant well, he would not think before using his full strength to keep her down in his desperation.
The sound of dozens of men crying out was something Evangeline had never witnessed before, but in the dead of night with only fire torches to illuminate the ground, she could imagine that it was moments like this that created and maintained the Braykith myths. The truth was that the castle was attempting to save wounded men who were currently fighting for their lives. A chill settling into her bones, it felt all too possible for this story to evolve over time to a midnight mass sacrifice for demon gods and orgies at the command of the court.
She looked to Glais, wondering if he knew these things that were new discoveries to her. Since she was a child Evangeline had heard terrible things about the Braykith Kingdom and trained by her Priest to resist the temptations. Little did they know how common Braykith was to insiders. She refused to believe that the rumours were accidental. But she could not be certain who would twist this into a horror story – the citizens or Quintus himself?
Evangeline shivered, forcing her mind from it all as Sable become silent before her. Evangeline had thought the screaming would haunt her dreams, but the silence was worse. It was harder for Evangeline to be a witness to the silence. Tension spread out from her chest and claimed the rest of her as she watched Sable. Her friend lay still on the ground with her eyes rolled back in her head, mouth open and a black foam dripping from the side of her lips. Evangeline wanted to wipe the trails away from the corner of her mouth but resisted.
The slapping of hands into the earth started around Evangeline, and she watched as Sable joined them after a heartbeat. Sable’s palms had been pressed hard into the ground, the tension was visible and strained as if all the pressure of the world stuck her in place. Suddenly, her fingers flexed, and her hand formed a fist before hitting the ground and falling flat again. Sable’s fingers closed again, forming a fist that hit the ground hard and Evangeline jumped back. She wondered just what had the potion done because Sable was acting more like a possession than being healed.
Just like the screams, silence followed before another round of out of sync hits into the ground started. A low rumble echoed as one by one, in a seemingly random order that never quite repeated the one before it, the people on the field remained shockingly still and beat the earth with stern fists. Slowly, stillness took over the grounds again. Evangeline watched with bated breath and slowly she saw as parts of Sable relaxed into her natural posture. Her body stopped looking so stiff, and she appeared far calmer than moments ago. This time, when Sable opened her eyes, they were normal and although tired, Evangeline saw nothing to cause her concern. If she had been possessed, it had been cleared.
“Eva?” Sable said, and Evangeline nodded. “What happened?”
“I think we created a miracle.” Evangeline covered her mouth to keep in the laughter, but it did not work. Sputtering, she looked around to see the small miracles appeared in spots both near and far. The success rate was higher than Evangeline had imagined, and Thomas seemed to have reached everyone in time. With small tears gripping the corner of her eyes, Evangeline’s joy was quickly squandered when she noticed that Wick still lay hopelessly on the ground under Glais’ unmoving form.
Glais had her head on his lap, the Prince far away in his own sea of loss as Wick continued to lay stiff and unresponsive. Her hand continued to make a fist and beating at the ground although she had no control over it. Without thought or excuses, she abandoned Sable to join her husband, brushing Wick’s hair back from her face. Even the strands of her hair refused to move, and Evangeline was shocked to learn that the stiffness infected her hair as well so it did not move as freely as it should have. Had Sable been struck so frozen? She could not recall.
“Just wait,” The words were barely heard as Evangeline spoke them, but tears rolled down her eyes now as she looked down at Wick’s body. She might have been frustrated with Wick’s silence, but she had been a rare companion at times, and she would miss her. Evangeline would mourn her loss, should the worst come to pass.
Glais stayed where he was as others were helped to their feet and given blankets. He barely registered Evangeline was even at his side, and he could not be bothered to know the fates of those others that surrounded him. He was locked his own private world that was locked in on Wick and every small twitch she made. Staring into the blank face of Wick, Glais prayed silently to himself afraid that giving the words a voice may break something that would not be repaired. He ignored the patron God of Braykith, Notas. Instead, Glais would only speak directly to Xado with a passion he had never felt before and with such desperation it seemed unnatural to be moved in such ways.
Glais closed his eyes, not wanting to witness as Wick passed from this life and into the next when suddenly Wick relaxed. Just moments ago Glais had known her body was an empty vessel completely devoid of life, and then Glais felt Wick fill her space again. He could not explain it better than that. There was no gentle waking or fluttering of her eyelashes as Sable had done as if she had woken from sleep. Instead, Wick had the deep breathing of a hard-won fight. For others, they had been deemed worthy by whatever entity that had been brewed with that plant and it seemed there was no after effects for them. Wick had fought the battle and had won.
Her eyes remained closed still without even a flicker of movement, but her breath was even, and she seemed without pain. Glais could hear her heartbeat in his own ears, focusing all he had on her form until he could snatch her pulse from the collection of others. He let out a slow breath as he deemed her stable and indeed a survivor.
“I’m going to get Wick to her room,” Glais said, taking the offered blanket that Thomas held out for Wick.
Evangeline nodded. “Do you want me to come with you?” She asked as she rose.
“No.” Glais did not mean for his words to sound harsh and when Evangeline shrunk back from him he wanted to apologise. He forced a small smile to his lips, and she nodded, acknowledging her acceptance. “You should care for Sable. I will see you before bed.” Glais rose and carried Wick effortlessly, and Evangeline watched him walk away. His only concern seemed to be getting Wick to a safe place.
While h was still carrying her, Wick opened her eyes and was surprised to see it was Glais who was moving her through the castle. “The last time you moved me like this, you thought I was dead.” She whispered. Even after the tonic, her voice remained strained, but Glais could hear her fine in the echoing silence of the castle.
“Almost believed it again,” Glais confessed. He brought her to her room, and laid Wick in her bed, looking to make her comfortable before h could finally leave her. “I will check on you in the morning.”
“Wait.” Wick couldn’t reach out for him, but it wasn’t needed. Glais stopped instantly. “Be careful of Sable.”
Glais smiled. “I am already considering th
is.” He told his friend. “You can worry about Evangeline’s safety tomorrow. Tonight, you must rest, and you must find the confidence to believe that I can be trusted to keep her safe until you can return to work.” He smiled, and Wick just nodded. While there was a certain degree of caution between them, in her current state there was nothing Wick could do about it.
Glais took his leave, and Wick stayed in bed, watching the closed door. It was only the all-over body fatigue that kept her to the bed. She wanted to be with Evangeline to ensure her safety. She shook her head gently to herself. No, her focus had once been Evangeline, believing that she could keep her safe from the horrors of Braykith. Now, after a year of being in her life, Wick knew that Evangeline would not be quickly wooed by Glais or his father.
Wick needed to change her focus. She needed to watch Sable and ensure that whatever this girl was doing, it would not come to harm Evangeline.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Usually, Evangeline made it her business to be in bed and at least be emulating sleep before Glais could join her. On the rare occasion, she would wait for him to join her because she needed to confront him on an issue that Evangeline knew could not be spoken openly about. This time, Evangeline paced the length of the sitting room dressed in her night clothes meaning to comfort him. She did not know what it meant for their relationship, but seeing him be so gentle with Wick had tugged at her heart in such a fashion that she felt embarrassed by the memory. Not because of his actions for crude or out of line, but because it seemed so intimate Evangeline had felt like an infiltrator to her husband’s life.
He barely managed to shut the door behind him before she was on him and demanding answers to her questions which came in such a rush that Glais could not understand where did one would end the other began. Glais wished she would show this much attention to him every time they were together, but Glais would never want this level of emergency to keep her this attentive. “Evangeline, please,” he said when she paused for breath, smoothing her hair back from her flushed face before she could stop him.
Delusions of Loyalty (The Braykith Series Book 2) Page 32