“My daughter is raped in my own home, and no one feels it appropriate to inform me?” M’Tek snapped at me. “I expect more from you, Pet. I expect more from both of you.”
“Lia asked for my silence,” I said simply, before turning my attention to Lore. “Of course I didn’t speak of it.”
“Please don’t be angry with me, Pet. I swear I didn’t tell her,” Lore promised, holding my gaze. “I didn’t have to. She knew already by the time she found me.”
“I’ll kill him with my bare hands,” M’Tek roared.
“Please don’t,” I said.
“What?” M’Tek snapped, turning to face me. “He will die for this.”
“Of course he’ll die, and soon,” I said calmly, wanting M’Tek to contain herself. “Don’t you think I’ve wanted to kill him these past two years? Don’t you think Lore wanted to kill him when she figured it out? You’ll have to contain your rage, M’Tek, just as Lore and I have. I’m going to kill him, but I’ll do it quietly.” M’Tek glared at me.
“See, it’s as I told you, M’Tek. Pet wants to do this,” Lore said evenly.
“But you’ve never killed anyone,” M’Tek said, pointing out the obvious. “I could kill him in a matter of seconds and be done with it. You might falter. He’s a trained warrior. He could harm you.”
“I’m highly trained in all three forms of combat arts, and my early education was heavily focused on strategy and tactics. I’m far from incompetent,” I snapped. Both M’Tek and Lore stared at me. “Deus! It’s of no consequence, whether or not you believe me to be competent. My only concern is that Lia is spared this ordeal. It must appear an accident, or even better, that he disappears into nothingness,” I said evenly. “No one will be given reason to speculate about what a high lord, of an ancient and powerful Noge family, did to earn the Queens’ wrath,” I said evenly. “He was going to fall from the cliffs at Lareem Palace, but I see now that he will accidently drown while taking a night swim in Sweet Lake,” I explained. “Lia will be relieved by her good fortune, and no one in Noge or Fae society will have any cause to consider the obvious, that my beautiful daughter is the outcome of a brutal rape.”
M’Tek stopped pacing long enough to glare at me. I met her fierce gaze without flinching. After a moment her expression softened and she went to sit in one of the chairs across from my old desk. I followed her lead and sat down beside her.
“Now, that’s better,” Lore observed, the tapping of her finger finally ceasing.
“Where’s Astrid?” I asked.
“Ania’s watching her,” M’Tek said.
“Where’s Lia?” Lore asked me.
“I left her sleeping, after having consumed an entire magnum of my private reserve, first growth torppa,” I explained. “She’ll be out for at least another two hours.”
“All right. You promised I could assist you,” Lore started. “What do you need from us?”
“I’ll need you to distract Lia this evening,” I said. “I don’t want her anywhere near me while I do this. And someone needs to remove Lord Gere’s horse and tack from the stable. I’d like for it to appear he rode off in the night.”
“M’Tek, Lia’s far more likely to be distracted by you. She always assumes I’m up to something,” Lore surmised. “I think I’d best see to the horse.”
“Maybe you could organize something with the children,” I suggested to M’Tek, because I agreed with Lore. “Take them to the other side of Sweet Lake to release lanterns, and ask Lia to help you with them. If she resists, I’ll tell her I want both Astrid and her as far from Lord Gere as possible, to give me a chance to speak with him. She won’t like it, but she’ll humor me,” I explained. “And we’ll make a big deal out of it with the parents, about the first fortune lantern for the Queens’ first granddaughter. I think it will go over well.”
“I told you Pet is cunning,” Lore said to M’Tek. “I think she might have made an excellent general.”
“She’s certainly tight-lipped,” M’Tek replied, in a sharp tone, obviously still irritated with me. “Fine. I’ll see to getting Lia all the way on the other side of Sweet Lake with the children. That will give you a window to orchestrate some sort of accident.”
“How will you do it?” Lore asked.
“I’ll need my tincture of woodrose,” I said.
Lore opened a drawer on my old desk and produced the little bottle, sliding it across the polished wood surface to me. I collected it and dropped it into my pocket.
“What will you do with it?” Lore asked.
“I’m going to pour it into the berrywine and torppa you’ll be serving this evening,” I said.
“You can’t do that, Pet. The entire celebration would break down into depravity,” M’Tek protested. “One drop of that tincture applied to your throat nearly drove Lore and me out of our skins, and we’re Lemu. You can’t do that to our guests.”
“I don’t see why you’re so concerned. It’s not lethal. You’ll have the children safely on the other side of Sweet Lake. If it makes you feel better, I’ll make some sort of announcement about a powerful intoxicant I’m working on that makes you more amorous, and lowers your reserve. That way those who choose not to be affected won’t be,” I assured her.
“It’s not as easy as you’re trying to make it, cousin. I didn’t touch that potion, and I was affected,” M’Tek argued.
“Well, I’m sorry. It’s the best I can do,” I replied, growing exasperated. I had enough to worry about with finding a way to kill Lord Gere. I couldn’t be concerned about her guests too. “The dose will be light, when divided amongst a couple hundred people. Those who consume it will lose their inhibitions, but no one ought to be harmed physically. I assure you, it will be a celebration to be remembered.”
“Stop bickering over the guests and focus on the task,” Lore demanded sharply. “Tell me, Pet. How will you kill him?” Lore asked, bringing us back to the more important issue.
“I’m not certain yet,” I admitted. “I’ve been searching my memory for all the possibly poisonous plants growing nearby. I’ve seen devil’s cherries growing along the lake, and mousebane, I think. I could easily make a dreaming tincture with those. I’d make mirthbane if I had some ripe torppine berries, but the soil is really wrong here for torppine bushes.”
“I have all the poison you could ask for at Lareem, but nothing here,” M’Tek said evenly. “I can assist you in preparing anything you need though, and I’ll ride out with you, if you like, to search for plants.”
“Thank you, M’Tek,” I replied. “That will be helpful.”
-CH 15-
There weren’t enough hours left in the day for everything that needed attending. M’Tek and I spent a good portion of those remaining to us combing the banks of Sweet Lake, and riding through the foothills of the Pale Mountains, searching for plants we recognized. When we finally returned to the palace, in the late afternoon, we spent the following hours working over a caldron in the back corner of the kitchen. The kitchen staff was displaced to the front, and clearly curious about what we were concocting. Still, they respectfully provided us a wide berth, while they were taxed with trying to finish the preparations for the evening celebration, with only partial use of their kitchen.
In the end we opted for a blend of atroppina and bikh. After brewing the potion, it needed a few hours to settle before it would reach a reliable potency, but I was running short on time. I collected what I needed from the caldron, ladling a small amount of the deadly mixture into a glass bottle, which I buried in my pocket. I then abandoned M’Tek with her task of cleaning up, and concealing the indications of our labors. I headed in the direction of Lord Gere’s guest apartment in order to confront him.
As I rounded the hallway to his apartment, I took my bottle of woodrose tincture from my pocket. I applied a drop to my neck. Immediately, I felt the disorienting effects of the tincture, as I approached his guest apartment. I knocked, and waited, noticing movement beyond the door. An
older servant opened his door, and within seconds the man’s pupils were growing large.
“May I help you, Your Grace?” he asked, his nostrils flaring slightly as he stepped toward me in an assertive, and highly inappropriate, manner.
“I need a word with Lord Gere,” I said firmly, raising my hand to stop the older man from taking another step toward me.
“What’s this, Adlek?” I heard a man’s voice, and then Lord Gere stood behind the servant, his dark blond hair falling loosely across his forehead, partially obscuring his deep blue eyes. I appraised his stature. He was unusually tall, and could easily overpower me, even with the blood rage coursing through me. “Move on, old man. Weren’t you listening? The Grand Duchess of Tannuk wants a word with me,” the young man said, laughing affably. Once the high lord forcibly shouldered past his servant, the first thing he did was inhale deeply. “Do come in,” he offered, standing aside.
“Thank you, but that will be unnecessary,” I replied, forcing a smile. “What I need from you will only take a moment.”
Lord Gere’s eyes were changing as I watched him, the deep blue giving way to the dark of his pupils, his neck reddening, his breathing becoming more rapid. His eyes began trailing slowly over me, pausing at my lips and then breasts before dropping to my groin, even though I was still dirty from my ride, and wearing breeches and a tunic.
“I’d be honored if you’d share a glass of berrywine with me,” he said, insistently reaching for my arm. I quickly assessed his reach as I stepped back from his grasp.
“Thank you, again, Lord Gere, but no. It would be highly unfitting for me to enter your rooms. We are not on familiar terms,” I said, smiling hard enough to make my cheeks hurt. “I simply want to be certain there will be no awkwardness between us this evening,” I offered. “Your attachment with Lia was broken only a few days before she and I joined,” I explained. “Lia feels discomfort over the situation. I ask you to give her space this evening. I’ve come to you myself, rather than sending word through a servant, in the hope that you’ll agree, and set my mind at ease.”
“Pet’Wyn,” he started.
“Lord Gere, as I said before, we are not on familiar terms,” I corrected, my tone a warning. “You will not address me in this casual manner.”
“I apologize, Your Grace,” he started again. “Grand duchess, are you certain I can’t offer you something. I’d like to discuss all of this with you at length. Won’t you be more comfortable in my sitting room, rather than standing in the hall where others may overhear?” he said, standing aside. Apparently he hadn’t comprehended my very clear refusal only a moment earlier. He actually expected me to enter his apartment.
“I’m simply asking you to refrain from approaching Princess Aurelia this evening. Will you agree to this, or do you invite my hostility?” I asked, still smiling. “I prefer friends to enemies. Do you, Lord Gere?”
“Yes. I’ll do anything you desire. You need only ask,” he said, his voice becoming wistful. “Please come in, Pet, um, grand duchess,” he said again, stepping out into the hallway to try to reach me. “Allow me to make my sincere regard known to you.”
Certain I’d accomplished what I’d set out to do, I stepped beyond his reach swiftly. I then turned to head back to my apartment in the other wing of the palace. Again I received unwanted attention, actually accumulating a few dazed pursuers before I reached my own apartment. I moved inside, shutting the door behind me, and pressing my back to it as the rage I’d suppressed, upon seeing Lord Gere, washed through my body.
“Pet,” Lia called from another room. “Where have you been all day?”
Lia appeared at the door to our bedchamber, a crease forming between her eyebrows. She approached me slowly, the crease softening as she closed the distance between us. She immediately took me in her arms, capturing my mouth for only a moment before her lips trailed down my neck and she nuzzled the soft skin of my throat.
“Come back to bed, my beautiful Pet,” she whispered, inhaling the intoxicant on my skin.
“All right,” I agreed, already under the influence of the tincture, even though I’d only used a drop. “We need to mind the time, though,” I observed. “M’Tek wants you and your sister to help her take all of the children to the other side of the lake this evening to release lanterns,” I said, leading Lia back to our bedchamber.
“But where will you be? I want to dance with you,” Lia said, her grip gentle on my hand. “I want to breathe you in, and taste your skin, and press close to you.”
“And I want you and Astrid far from the palace tonight,” I replied, guiding Lia to our bed, and gathering her shift to lift over her head. “I had a word with Lord Gere, but I’d like to reinforce it before you come in contact with him again.”
“Please, Pet, you have to stay away from him,” Lia said, raising her arms to help me undress her. “Come with me instead. We’ll dance together on the bank of Sweet Lake while we watch the sky catch fire. It will be like the first time you and I celebrated the solstice, when we stood outside by the lake for hours, watching the lanterns, your arms encircling me.”
“That sounds wonderful, but I can’t, darling. Not this time. I’ve promised to remain here with Lore,” I explained before unfastening her breeches and easing them over her hips. She stepped out of them and turned her attention back to me.
“Why is my mother always claiming you lately?” Lia asked, while deftly separating me from my dusty riding clothes.
“She’s not claiming me, Lia. It’s important that Lore and I are seen together, and on friendly terms. I’m still the Prime of Nogeland,” I explained. “If you’ll go with M’Tek, I’ll make my appearance and come back to our apartment early and wait for your return. We can dance then, if you like. I promise.”
Lia smiled and guided me down onto our bed. “All right,” she agreed. “Astrid will enjoy seeing the lanterns.”
A few hours later, Lia and I were dressed for the very different evenings stretched out before us. I wore a delicate pale green gown of Noge silk, with emeralds sown into the bodice, while Lia looked dashing in breeches and boots. She kept kissing my neck and capturing my lips, easily distracting me, as I attempted to work with my hair.
“Here, let me do it, Pet,” Lia offered after watching me fumble with the hairclips too long. She deftly twisted my hair up and pressed emerald pins into it. I watched her face in the mirror, adoring that expression of concentration, and craving her lips.
M’Tek’s knock carried through our rooms, halting me just as I was standing from my dressing table, intent on kissing Lia. Lia’s eyes trailed over me, returning to my face to offer the sweetest smile, before she turned away to go and answer the door. M’Tek was dressed for riding, an arm across Lia’s shoulders, when I stepped into the room. Her eyes locked on mine.
“Pet, I’ve been thinking. Why don’t you go with Lia? Lore and I can do what needs to be done here,” she offered. “Hosting this celebration isn’t really your responsibility.” I shook my head.
“Plans have been made, cousin,” I replied firmly. “Let’s not throw them off course in the eleventh hour.”
M’Tek appeared sad, I decided, as she stepped forward to offer me a quick embrace. “You’re stunning tonight, Pet,” M’Tek said next to my ear before stepping back. “You have a truly beautiful mate, Lia,” M’Tek said to her daughter. Lia’s eyes lit up as she smiled at me.
“I know, Mata,” Lia agreed, quickly leaning forward to kiss me before heading out the door with M’Tek.
I waited a few minutes, pacing the hearth room, as I focused to pull myself together, preparing to face what had to be done that evening. I returned to our bedchamber, and attached a knife sheath to my upper thigh. Using a cloth, I then carefully rubbed the poison M’Tek and I had prepared onto the edge of my knife. I blew on the blade, patiently waiting for the surface to dry, before sheathing my weapon. I then hurried down to the ballroom to dose the berrywine and torppa with the remainder of my woodrose tincture, p
assing several of my amorous pursuers on the way. Only by keeping moving did I manage to avoid them. After seeing to the beverages, I sought Lore in the royal apartment to wait for the evening to begin.
We were a few minutes late when I escorted Lore down to the ballroom. She was nervous about the evening ahead of us and kept asking me details of my plan, how I intended to lure Lord Gere from the ballroom, and if I felt comfortable with the task. I continually tried to reassure her, though I was admittedly nervous in my own right.
I managed to keep my distance from her in her apartment, but as we walked together, she was forced to touch me, and breathe the tincture-enhanced scent of my skin. Her pupils were dilated by the time we reached the ballroom, but she fought the effects of the tincture admirably, standing before her guests to welcome them. I allowed my gaze to sift through the room. Searching for the target of my rage, my gaze finally settled on Lord Gere. He was, of course, staring fixedly at me, and still reeling from the effects of exposure to the woodrose tincture on my skin earlier. Lore turned to me, indicating I should announce that I’d tainted the beverages.
“The Prime of Nogeland would like a word,” Lore said by way of introducing me.
“Good evening, my dear friends!” I called, smiling at the wide-eyed gazes of Lore’s guests. “As most of you probably know, I produce first-rate torppa,” I started, grinning broadly, as murmuring reverberated around the room, while guests commented. I lifted my hand, requesting silence, and the murmuring ceased. “It should come as no surprise that I’m slightly passionate about the process,” I offered, again eliciting murmurs. “And while my torppas are extremely sought after, the reception of my berrywines has been lackluster, prompting me to focus on improving them.” I paused and glanced at Lore. She stood graciously beside me, her attention fully focused on my words.
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