Page 32 of Bound By Honey

"Sage." His voice stopped her.

She turned, motionless, and looked at him. His gaze seemed to penetrate her as if he could sense her fear.

"Thank you for your help."

"Of course. Would you like some tea with honey while I work? I should have offered earlier."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you."

Sage forced a smile and excused herself as she returned to her workroom. She couldn't help but feel like she was walking a dangerous path. What was Prince Owen up to? No doubt he came expecting her to be inexperienced and not know what that scale was. She couldn't help him create something this dangerous.

Once in her workspace, Sage set the dragon scale on the table and began preparing tea.

She pulled out a small copper kettle of water, setting it to warm over the fire while she collected a wooden tray laden with cups painted with delicate red roses. After heating the water, she turned to face her shelves, deciding what to put in the tea. Her eyes drifted over colorful herbs, jars of honey and sugar, and sprigs of different flowers and spices.

Her eyes darted back to the honey and an idea formed. One that could possibly get her killed if anyone found out, but if it worked, it would buy her time. The time that she needed to figure out what to do.

She reached up and carefully pulled down the bottle of mad honey, a small bowl, and a honey wand. She placed the bowl on the tray, slowly poured the bright red sweetener into it, and stuck the wand inside. The teapot whistled and she removed it from the heat, placing it on the tray with the cup and bowl of honey.

Gathering her ingredients, Sage took all of them to the sitting room.

Her gaze went to Prince Owen from across the room, who seemed mesmerized by the fire dancing before him.

"You're back."

Her hands shaking slightly, she walked over and placed the tray on a table beside the prince. She served the tea and put honey in it, not daring to look into his eyes as she stirred the mixture.

"Thank you," Prince Owen said after taking a sip.

Sage nodded slightly, her heart racing.

Prince Owen continued to sip the tea, seemingly satisfied with the taste. He looked at her with a smile.

"It's perfect. Thank you, Sage."

Sage couldn't help but worry about the consequences of having given him the honey. It wasn't just any honey. Mad honey only was available from one area of the kingdom, and it deserved its name. A small amount made a grown man hallucinate. Slightly more than that left him dead.

"I should get to work," Sage said with a slight bow as she picked up the tray and returned to her workspace.

She was relieved to be away from Prince Owen's intense gaze and the worry that lingered in the air. Once in the safety of her workspace, she began on the calming tonic. Listening intently for sounds from the sitting room or the door announcing Freddy's arrival.

Working quickly, she mixed the herbs and essential oils, adding the dragon scale and a few drops of safe-to-eat honey to make it more palatable. While she never thought it helped, her father swore by it. When done, she added the concoction to a vial and stoppered it securely. Her stomach churned with unease, not knowing what would happen when someone consumed it.

Just as she was putting the vial away, Sage heard a knock at the door. Her heart leaped with joy—it must be Freddy. She hurried to answer it and was relieved and joyful to see Freddy. His eyes twinkled jovially as he smiled at her.

"Freddy!" She hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're here."

Freddy laughed, taking a step back. "I'm used to women being excited to see me," he said, smiling, "but not this excited."

Sage smiled, feeling embarrassed. She gestured for him to come in.

"There's something I need your help with," she said, leading him into the sitting room.

"What is it?" Freddy asked curiously.

Sage was about to answer when they entered the room to find Prince Owen arguing with the curtain. The curtains swayed in response.

Prince Owen, his face livid, shouted something at the curtain, defending his good name. Sage took an involuntary step back in surprise, her eyes wide and incredulous.

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