Poison Study (31 page)

  He handed me a stiff piece of paper. A jumble of words and numbers were scrawled on it. He had copied the eight different pieces of the encrypted message by stealing into each General’s room. I wondered why he was confiding in me. Too curious to question, I pulled up a chair to help him.

  “How did you break the wax seal?” I asked.

  “Rookie trick. All you need is a sharp knife and a tiny flame. Now read me the first set of letters.” He wrote it down then reordered the letters until he had created the word siege. Opening a book, he flipped through the pages. Symbols like the ones on my switchblade’s handle peppered the document. The page Valek stopped on was decorated with a large blue symbol that resembled a star in the middle of three circles.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “The old battle symbol for siege. The dead King used these markings to communicate with his Captains during times of war. They were originally created hundreds of years ago by a great strategist. Read me the next set. They should be numbers.”

  I told him the numbers. He began to count the lines of text.

  It occurred to me that I could borrow this book and figure out Janco’s message on my switchblade. Eventually, my ass. Won’t Janco be surprised.

  When Valek reached that number, he wrote a letter down on a clean page. After he had finished deciphering the message, Valek sat as still as a held breath. Unable to wait any longer I asked, “Who is it?”

  “Guess,” he said.

  I looked at him. I was tired and hungover.

  “I’ll give you a hint. Who was the happiest about the change? Whose name keeps popping up during the most bizarre situations?”

  Terror swept over my body like a cloak. If something happened to the Commander, Brazell would be in command. I would probably be his first order of business, and wouldn’t live long enough to see any changes he might implement in Ixia.

  Valek understood the look on my face. He nodded. “Right. Brazell.”

  For two days the Commander met with each General in turn. My brief and periodic interruptions to taste the Commander’s food created uncomfortable moments of silence. The tension around the castle was palpable as the Generals’ retinues snarled and fought with everyone.

  On the third day, when I arrived to taste the Commander’s breakfast, I found him absorbed in conversation with Brazell and Adviser Mogkan. The Commander’s eyes were glazed, his voice a monotone.

  “Get out of here!” Brazell barked.

  Mogkan pushed me into the throne room. “Wait here until we summon you,” he ordered.

  I hesitated outside the door, uncertain if I should heed this unusual request. If it had come from Valek or the Commander I wouldn’t have doubted, but being expected to follow Mogkan’s orders rankled. My worries grew as I imagined Brazell attempting an assassination. I was about to search for Valek, when he burst into the throne room, his expression hard as he hurried toward the Commander’s office.

  “What are you doing out here?” Valek demanded. “Haven’t you tasted his breakfast yet?”

  “I was ordered to wait. He’s with Brazell and Mogkan.”

  Sudden fear crossed Valek’s face. He pushed past me into the office. I followed. Mogkan was standing behind the Commander with his fingertips pressing into the Commander’s temples. When Valek appeared, Mogkan stepped away. He said smoothly, “You can definitely feel, Sir, that this is an excellent way to ease a headache.”

  Animation returned to the Commander’s face. “Thank you, Mogkan,” he said. Glaring at Valek’s intrusion, he demanded, “What’s so important?”

  “Disturbing news, Sir.” Valek stared daggers at Brazell and Mogkan. “I would like to discuss it in private.”

  The Commander rescheduled their meeting for later that day, then dismissed them.

  “Yelena, taste the Commander’s breakfast now.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Valek watched me taste the food. An intense expression lined his face, making me nervous. Did he think the food was tainted? I rechecked the cooling tea and lukewarm omelet, but detected no foreign substances. I placed the tray on the Commander’s desk.

  “Yelena, if I have to eat cold food again, I’ll have you whipped. Understand?” The Commander’s voice lacked passion, but the threat was genuine.

  “Yes, Sir,” I replied, knowing an excuse was useless.

  “You’re dismissed.”

  I fled from the office, barely noticing the bustling activity in the throne room. Walking past the entrance, I paused. “Hungry,” said a flat voice in my head. My stomach growled; I was ravenous. I headed toward the kitchen.

  When I rounded a corner, Adviser Mogkan stood there, blocking my path. He linked his arm through mine and guided me to an isolated section of the castle. Going with him seemed natural. I wanted to pull away. I wanted to be afraid, terrified even, but I couldn’t produce the emotions. My hunger had dissipated. I felt content.

  Mogkan steered me down a deserted corridor. A dead end, I thought, still unable to conjure a reaction. His silky gray eyes stared at me for a moment before he unhooked his arm from mine. His fingers traced the line of black diamonds down my uniform sleeve.

  “My Yelena,” he said possessively.

  Fear blazed up my arm and exploded in my chest the second physical contact with Mogkan was broken. My emotional ennui had dissolved, but I couldn’t move. The muscles in my body wouldn’t obey my mind’s frantic commands to fight.

  A magician! Mogkan had power. He had used it during the brandy meeting, tipping Valek off. But further contemplation on this revelation was cut short when Mogkan stepped closer.

  “Had I guessed you would cause such trouble I never would have brought you to Brazell’s orphanage.” He smiled at my confusion. “Didn’t Reyad tell you that I found you?”

  “No.” My voice was husky.

  “You were lost in the jungle, only six years old. Such a beautiful, bright child. Such a delight. I rescued you from the claws of a tree leopard because I knew you had potential. But you were too stubborn, too independent. The harder we tried, the more you resisted.” Mogkan cupped his hand under my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Even now, when I’m locked into you, you’re still fighting me. I can command your body.” He raised his left arm, and my own left arm mirrored his movement. “But if I tried to control both your mind and body, you would eventually thwart me.” He shook his head in disbelief, as if the whole concept amazed him.

  “Fortunately, subtle pressure is all that’s required.” He pulled his hand away, and then made a pinching gesture with his fingers and thumb.

  My throat closed. I was unable to breathe. Powerless to defend myself, I sank to the ground. My mind’s screaming went unvoiced. Logic grabbed the panic and wrestled it to the ground. Mogkan was using magic. Maybe I could block it before I passed out. I tried reciting poisons in my mind.

  “Such strength,” Mogkan said in admiration. “But it won’t save you this time.” He bent down and kissed me tenderly, almost fatherly, on the forehead.

  Peace flowed through me. I stopped resisting. My vision blurred. I felt Mogkan take my hand, holding it in his own.

Chapter Twenty-Five

  R eclining against the wall, I clung to Mogkan’s hand as the world faded around me. I felt an unwelcome jolt, then the tight blockage in my throat released. Gasping for breath, I came to my senses and realized I was lying prone on the floor. Next to me sat Valek atop Mogkan’s chest. Valek’s hands were wrapped around Mogkan’s neck, but his eyes were on me.

  Mogkan smiled when Valek stood and yanked him to his feet. “I hope you’re aware of the penalty for being a magician in Ixia,” Valek said. “If not, I’d be delighted to enlighten you.”

  Mogkan smoothed out his uniform and adjusted his long dark braid of hair. “Some would say your ability to resist magic makes you a magician, Valek.”

  “The Commander thinks otherwise. You’re under arrest.”

  “Then you’re in for a big surprise. I suggest you discuss these false accusations with the Commander before you do anything drastic,” Mogkan said.

  “How about I kill you right now?” Valek stepped closer to him.

  A hot, searing pain stabbed my abdomen. I yelped and rolled into a tight ball. The agony was relentless. Valek took another step. I screamed as fire blazed up my back and circled my head.

  “Any closer, and she’ll be a corpse,” Mogkan said, a cunning sleekness in his voice.

  Through eyes tearing with anguish, I saw Valek shift his weight to the balls of his feet, but he remained in place.

  “Well, now. That’s interesting. The old Valek really wouldn’t have cared if I killed his food taster. Yelena, my child, I just realized how incredibly useful you are.”

  The intense pain was unbearable. I would have gladly died to escape from it. Before I passed out, my last glimpse was of Mogkan’s back as he walked away unharmed.

  I woke to blackness. Something heavy pressed against my forehead. Alarmed, I tried to sit up.

  “It’s all right,” Valek said, pushing me down.

  I touched my head and pulled off a damp cloth. Blinking in the light, I looked around at the familiar furniture of my own room. Valek stood next to me, a cup in his hand.

  “Drink this.”

  I took a sip and cringed at the medicinal flavor. Valek insisted I finish it. When the cup was empty, he placed it on the night table.

  “Rest,” he ordered, then turned to leave.

  “Valek,” I said, stopping him. “Why didn’t you kill Mogkan?”

  He considered for a moment, tilting his head. “A tactical maneuver. Mogkan would have killed you before I could finish him. You’re the key to too many puzzles. I need you.” He strode to the door but paused at the threshold. His grip on the doorknob was hard enough to whiten his knuckles. “I’ve reported Mogkan to the Commander, but he was…” Valek’s hand twisted on the knob, and I heard the metal crack. “Unconcerned, so I’ll be guarding the Commander until Brazell and Mogkan leave. I’ve reassigned Ari and Janco as your personal bodyguards. Don’t leave this suite without them. And stop eating Criollo. I’ll taste the Commander’s Criollo. I want to see if anything happens to you.” Valek pulled the door shut, leaving me alone with my swirling thoughts.

  True to his word and much to the Commander’s annoyance, Valek didn’t leave the Commander’s side. Ari and Janco enjoyed a change in routine, but I made them work hard. Whenever I wasn’t tasting the Commander’s meals, I had Ari drill me with knife defense and Janco give me more lessons on picking locks.

  The Generals’ departure was scheduled for the next day, which meant it was time to do some of my own reconnaissance. It was early evening and I knew Valek would still be with the Commander until late. I told Ari and Janco that I was going to bed early, and bade them good-night at the threshold to Valek’s suite. After waiting an hour, I slipped back into the hallway.

  The corridors of the castle were not as deserted as I had hoped, but Valek’s office was located off the main throughway. I approached his door, scanning the hallway for activity. Seeing no one, I inserted my picks into the first of the three keyholes, but my nerves made popping the lock impossible. I took a couple of deep breaths and tried again.

  I had two locks sprung when I heard voices approaching. Standing, I pulled the picks out of the keyhole and knocked on the door just as two men came into view.

  “He’s with the Commander,” said the guard on the left.

  “Thanks,” I replied and started to walk in the opposite direction with my heart beating like a hummingbird’s wings. I glanced behind me until they were gone, then raced back to Valek’s office. The third lock proved to be the most difficult. I was covered with sweat by the time I popped it. I hurried into the room, locking the door behind me.

  My first task was to open the small wooden cabinet that held my antidote. Perhaps Valek had locked the recipe in there. I lit a dim lantern to peer inside. Glass bottles of various shapes and sizes gleamed in the light. Most of the bottles were marked Poison. A growing sense of urgency consumed me as I searched. All I uncovered was a large bottle containing the antidote. I poured only a few doses into the flask I had hidden in my pocket, knowing that Valek would notice if I took too much.

  After relocking the cabinet, I began a systematic search of Valek’s files, starting with the desk drawers. Even though his office was strewn with books and maps, his personal dossiers were well organized. I found files on Margg and the Commander and was tempted to read them, but I stayed focused on finding any folder bearing my name or a reference to Butterfly’s Dust. Valek had written many interesting comments about my tasting abilities in my personnel file, but there was no mention of the poison or the antidote.

  When I finished with the desk, I moved to the conference table. Books on poisons were interspersed with files and other espionage documents. I sorted through the piles. My time was running out. I had to be back in Valek’s suite before he escorted the Commander to his apartment.

  I suppressed my disappointment as I finished with the table. There was still half of his office left to search.

  I was halfway across the quiet room when I heard the distinct sound of a key being inserted into the lock. One click, then the key was withdrawn. I snuffed out the lantern as the second lock clicked open. Diving behind the conference table, I hoped the boxes piled underneath would hide me from view. Please, I prayed to the forces of fate, let it be Margg and not Valek. A third click made my heart squeeze.