Page 16 of Poisoned Empire

Iliana snorted, nearly back to her normal self. There were still shadows in her eyes. Selene wanted to watch the man who put them there die in the most spectacular fashion. She added it to her list of things to do before she left this rotten continent. They sat for a time in companionable silence.

“Wait, what was that about a whole kingdom being abandoned?”

“Ah, well, the thing about being a poison mage is that when you meet the gods, your body doesn’t just decay like normal people. You produce this death fog. Most only make one that’s about twenty paces across if they’re competent at their craft. But if I survived eating the poison of another mage, then mine would be more like, you know, further than the eye can see on a good, clear day.”

“Gods below, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, it’s kind of morbid. I figured I’d tell you eventually, but it never came up.” Selene shrugged, a little embarrassed. It wasn’t seemly for a mage to go around bragging about how many people she was going to take with her when she died.

“That’s it! From now on, you will wear armour at all times! Do you hear me? I will not let you take out an entire province of innocents. You will live until you’re an old woman, and I will let you die peacefully in an air-tight tomb. And that’s final!”

“But what about my legacy? If I don’t take out at least a whole province when I die, then who will remember me in infamy? I can’t be remembered as the poison mage who survived eating another mage, and then die like some benevolent loser!”

“You can and you will.”

“But my legacy!”

“Selene, no.”

“But-”

“NO.”

“Spoilsport.”

Chapter 7

Behindtheenchantedmirrorhung on the wall of the parlour, Marduk, Nicephorus and Belisarius exchanged horrified glances. Not one of them knew enough about poison mages, it seemed. Given they had only just begun listening, Belisarius feared the amount of other vital information he may have missed. The men continued to watch as any semblance of proper conduct was discarded.

“You clean up good, you know. What do you suppose we should tell the snobs?” the poison mage asked as she flopped down onto a couch and began picking her nails.

“As do you. I was shocked to see you so clean. And by snobs, you mean the prince and his men? I don’t know—the truth?” The blonde hiked up her skirts and sighed as she set her feet on a silver and glass table.

“Ha! As if those fancy pricks give a shit what happens to us. They’re no better than our dear daddies. Iliana, don’t forget what they’re capable of—these are the same sorts we’re dealing with. Besides, you know as well as I do that it’s a high crime to impersonate a noble. We’d be lucky to avoid the dungeons.”

“But can’t we use them to, I don’t know, keep the magistri busy while we get away?” She pulled off her shoes with a grimace and tossed them aside.

“Point them like an arrow? Well, maybe. It depends on how much they like their egos stroked. Shall we play at being damsels in distress?”

“Play at? Speak for yourself. Thalassa Keep was a place of nightmares.”

The poison mage got up from her seat and sat next to the blonde, hugging her.

“If you don’t want to relive the details, then don’t. Just know that I’ll kill him for what he did to you.”

“It’s not me who needs to be avenged. The real Roxane, I’m certain she’s dying of some illness in her room or worse, and the magister is too embarrassed by her condition to have her healed. The rest of my sisters, they’re treated worse than feral dogs, and there’s something sowrongabout them. It’s like they’re dead but haven’t been allowed to die.”

“Yours too? I’ve been trying to get a rise out of mine since we got kidnapped and I’ve got nothing to show for it. Trust me, I’ve gone to extraordinary lengths and I haven’t even gotten Burgundy to twitch her lip. As for the real Milena? My guess is she got knocked up by the stable boy. But didn’t you hear the gossip? The real reason we’re here is because we share their damn blood. Anyone not related to their father couldn’t even get into the palace.”

“Her name is Burgundy?”

“Ah, maybe? I don’t know. They all look so damn lifeless, I just kept calling them by their hair colours and now I don’t remember their names. So it’s just Burgundy, Copper and Carrot.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Anyway, we doing the damsels bit? Weep over abusive daddies? Slip out the back while they pretend to have honour and all that rot?”

The blonde nodded. “Not like I’d be telling any lies.”

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