The Queen's Poisoner (The Kingfountain Series Book 1) (24 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Secrets of Wine

Ankarette came to Owen’s room that night, much to his surprise. After dark, he tracked the passing hours by how low his candle burned. It was still high and bright when the hidden door opened and she emerged, soundless as a shadow. He would not have left to seek her for some time.

“Ankarette!” he whispered, rising from the floor where he had spread his Wizr board. He had been playing with the pieces while he waited.

“There’s a little cut on your cheek,” she said, with a wrinkle in her brow.

He nodded. “Liona put some goose grease on it. It doesn’t sting that much.”

She knelt in front of him so that their eyes were level. As he stood before her, she reached out and smoothed the hair on his forehead. “You saved me this afternoon, Owen Kiskaddon. Despite all our plans, things happen that surprise us.” She paused, giving him such a serious and tender look that he flushed. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you, Owen. I’m so grateful.”

He swallowed, feeling his ears burn pink. “You’re helping me. I
had
to help you.”

She then took his hands in hers and kissed them before letting them go. “Bless you for it. Thank you. Now come with me.”

“It’s early still. Part of the castle is still awake.”

“I know. We’re not going to the tower. We’re going to Elysabeth’s room.”

Owen stared at her in shock. “You mean . . . we’re going to tell her?” he asked excitedly.

Ankarette gave him a knowing nod. “When I met her in the kitchen, I studied her closely. I believe she is trustworthy. Now we’ll prove if I’m right. Better to know sooner than later. Come with me.”

She rose and held out her hand, which he gratefully took. He was used to walking the secret corridors alone, but going with her added a secret pleasure. “What will you tell her?” he asked in a whisper, knowing that voices could carry.

“You’ll see,” she replied softly, squeezing his hand.

“She talks a lot, Ankarette. She talks
so
much. She’s chatty. Are you sure?”

“Yes, she’s
loquacious
. That’s the proper word. But I like that about her. When I saw what she did after Dunsdworth’s boy started flogging you—how she attacked him like a cat—that earned her my respect. You want someone like her on
your
side. And how you tricked him out of his pants? Oh, Owen, you’ve made an enemy for life. I hope you realize that. But he and his family have been my enemies for years. I will tell you of it tonight . . . with her to hear the story.”

When they reached the secret door leading to Evie’s room, they paused. Ankarette secretly slid open the spyhole and gazed into the room. Candlelight streamed into the corridor from the interior of the room, and the light exposed Ankarette’s luminous eyes and the skin of her cheeks. She looked so hauntingly pretty at that moment, and Owen felt lucky to know her.

“She’s still awake, good,” Ankarette whispered. She slid the spyhole shut and then crouched by Owen so she could whisper into his ear. Her breath tickled him. She had the scent of roses about her still. “You go in first and tell her that you’d like her to meet a secret friend. Someone who has been trying to help you. Tell her you are about to entrust her with your greatest secret. I’ll listen and see what she says. Can you remember that?”

“Yes,” Owen whispered. He was so excited to finally tell Evie the truth that he nearly barged into the room.

Ankarette released the hidden latch and Owen pushed the door open and slipped inside the room. He left the hidden door ajar.

“How did you get in here?” Evie gasped. She was kneeling on her bed in her nightgown, brushing her dark hair. She scooted off the bed, her eyes gleaming with surprise. “Is that a secret door? Have you come in here before? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Ssshhh!” Owen insisted, holding up his hands to try and stop the flow of questions. He put his finger to his own lips to show her she needed to be quiet. She was almost bouncing with excitement, her eyes glittering.

“Tell me!” she said, her hands flapping.

“I want to. Ssshh! Someone will hear us. I want to tell you my greatest secret. But first I need to know I can trust you not to tell.”

She looked at him with exasperation. “Of course you can trust me! I haven’t told anyone about the cistern. Do you think Grandpapa would like to know that? There are some things you just don’t tell adults. What is it? I’m about to burst!” She gripped his arms and shook him just a little.

“Quiet!” he said urgently. “I want you to meet someone. A friend. Someone who is trying to help me escape.”

“Why do you need to escape?” she asked.

“Because I don’t want to get pushed off a waterfall like my older brother!” Owen said, getting frustrated. “Look, will you keep this a secret? If I can’t tell you—”

“Of course I will!” she said indignantly. “I would never betray you, Owen Kiskaddon. Never.” She put her finger on her brow, thinking hard. “You can . . . you can cut off all my hair if I do!”

The thought of her bald made him giggle. But then her eyes widened with surprise as she looked over his shoulder. Ankarette had come into the room.

“The lady from the kitchen,” she whispered in awe.

Ankarette came and sat on the edge of Evie’s bed. The soft candlelight highlighted her silk gown and perfectly coiffed hair. She looked like such a fairy creature that Elysabeth’s mouth formed a lovely O as she stared at her. For the first time, Owen noticed there were some similarities between them—the color of their hair and their eyes almost matched. If Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer grew up looking like Ankarette Tryneowy, he would have no problem marrying her.

“I’m pleased to meet you again, my lady,” Ankarette said, bowing her head respectfully. “Owen tells me you are Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer, daughter of Lord Mortimer and granddaughter of Lord Horwath. You have esteemed parentage.”

A small smile came to Evie’s face. “Who are you?” she asked, looking intrigued but also a little wary.

“My name is Ankarette Tryneowy. I am the queen’s poisoner.”

If possible, the girl’s eyes seemed to light up even more. “Truly? That is so interesting. You make poisons? But you said you’re the
queen’s poisoner
. The queen died. Did you . . . did you poison her?”

Ankarette suppressed a smile. “I served a different queen than King Severn’s wife. And no, I did not poison her. She died from a sickness. I have been teaching Owen Kiskaddon many things, but most importantly, how to become Fountain-blessed.
I
am Fountain-blessed.”

“You are?” she asked eagerly, even more involved if that were possible. Owen was so grateful that he did not have to carry the burden of the secret alone.

“I am. Owen is very special to me. I know he is to you, as well. I don’t want the king to hurt him or his family if I can help it. I came here tonight to tell you both a story. Owen wanted so much to tell you about me. He’s been pleading with me to trust you, so I came by the kitchen today to see if I dared. When you defended your friend against a much bigger boy, I knew that I could give you my confidence.”

Evie smiled with self-satisfaction. “Grandpapa said I should leave flogging to him. But I couldn’t stand by while Dunsdworth beat Owen with a belt. Did you see what it did to his cheek? It wasn’t Owen’s fault his pants fell down!”

Ankarette suppressed a smile as she gave Owen a pointed look.

“Actually, it was,” Owen admitted.

Evie covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. “You
are
wicked,” she said, laughing softly. “He deserved it.” She turned her gaze on Ankarette. “If you are trying to help Owen, then I want to help too.”

“I thought you would,” Ankarette replied sagely. “So I must tell you both a story. It is a secret that very few know about. But even though it’s a secret, it is still true. Why don’t you both sit on the floor and listen? It is the story of how I died.”

Owen’s eyes widened. He sat on the floor next to Evie, his knees touching hers. His companion was so eager to hear the story, she was fidgeting slightly. Owen felt just as anxious, but for a different reason—he was concerned by the ominous beginning.

“This is a story about four brothers,” Ankarette said simply. “Three of them are dead now. Only the youngest has survived. He is the last of the brothers. His name is Severn. He is your king.” She folded her hands in her lap, bending closer so she could speak more softly. “The eldest brother was Eredur. His father and the next-eldest brother died rebelling against their king. That happens a lot in Ceredigion, and this was
many
years ago. Eredur was tall, strong, and handsome. The people liked him. With his uncle Warrewik’s help, he defeated the king and claimed the crown. While the war was still raging, he sent his two youngest brothers to live across the sea in the kingdom of Brugia. Severn was eight years old when that happened. He was
your
age, Owen. His father had just died in a terrible battle. Just like yours did, my lady. He was very sad.”

Evie nodded, her countenance darkening, betraying the pent-up grief she felt over her loss. Owen looked at her, surprised. He reached over and covered her hand with his. She smiled at him, but there were tears in her eyes.

“King Eredur began to establish himself in the realm. His uncle Warrewik, the one who had helped him gain the throne, was his chief supporter, and he ran the king’s network of Espion. I was very young back then. Sixteen. I was a servant in Warrewik’s household, but I was part of the Espion. I served his eldest daughter, Isybelle. We were very close. But as often happens in families, the king and his uncle grew angry with each other. The uncle didn’t get his way when he thought that he should have. There was a misunderstanding about the king’s marriage. And so Warrewik decided to topple the king. He had his daughter, my mistress Isybelle, marry the king’s younger brother, Lord Dunsdworth, and he promised his son-in-law the kingdom of Ceredigion. My loyalty was to the king, not to the uncle. When I learned of his plot, I tried to warn the king of his brother’s treachery, but I was too late to save him. He was captured and almost thrown into the river. The uncle should have done away with him. The decision cost him his life later.”

Owen swallowed, keenly listening to the story unfold. He was too young to understand the ways of kings and kingmakers. He didn’t know any of this history.

Ankarette continued. “King Eredur escaped his confinement and fled across the sea to Brugia with his youngest brother, Severn. They were in exile, living on the grace of others. After biding his time, Eredur returned with a trick he had learned from one of his ancestors.”

“What trick?” Evie asked with keen interest.

“The trick was this. He returned and went to the North. Rather than reclaim his crown, he said he merely wanted to be Duke of North Cumbria again. Your grandfather’s role, my dear. It surprised everyone, and the uncle was furious, of course. Very quickly, King Eredur gathered enough supporters to fight his uncle. Warrewik and Lord Dunsdworth fled Ceredigion soon after. What a turn of events! King Eredur wasn’t secure, though. His enemies were abroad, causing trouble. And so the uncle made an alliance with the wife of the king he had helped Eredur depose, promising to restore
that
king to power. It was a cowardly act. To preserve his own power, he forsook his entire family. How do you think his son-in-law, Lord Dunsdworth, felt about that? And here is where my part comes in.”

Owen and Evie looked at each other.

“King Eredur sent me on a secret mission. I was very young, not even eighteen years old. He sent me across the sea to find Lord Dunsdworth. The king asked me to persuade the younger man to relent and join forces with his king and brother. If I could not persuade him, the king ordered me to
poison
him. That was my first assignment as the royal poisoner. It was a difficult thing to do.” She bowed her head, breathing softly. Then she looked up at both of the children. “But I succeeded. I had the badge of Warrewik’s house still, so I was able to infiltrate my way to Lord Dunsdworth. I persuaded him to rejoin his family loyalty. When the uncle returned to Ceredigion with a huge army, he was shocked to learn that his son-in-law had betrayed him and joined his forces with King Eredur’s. The uncle fought in a battle and was killed. The brothers were reconciled. For a time.

“I still worked for Lord Dunsdworth’s wife after that,” Ankarette said. “To keep an eye on the brother and make sure he remained loyal. During that time, the brother grew more and more upset that he was not going to become the king his ambition demanded he be. He did some things in his own household that were terrible. He was not a gentle man. He beat his wife and his son. But then he learned something. He learned from rumors, from men who fed his itching ears, that King Eredur had married someone before wedding his queen. If that were true, then all the king’s children were bastards and
he
, Lord Dunsdworth, would be in line to be the next king. You can imagine how the bad blood between the brothers grew after this. I do not know whether the rumors were true or not. Dunsdworth
believed
they were. He began plotting his own rebellion.”