Page 60 of Courting War
Shit. The challenge wasn’t fair. It was a game of chance in the end. Chance with strategy.
“Choose one. You have fifteen seconds.”
Without hesitation, Cecile grabbed the water hemlock jar, a plant that would definitely kill. “This has to be the one, right?” She darted a frantic glance around the room.
Fuck. She must’ve mixed it up with celery or parsnip. An easy mistake. Dread tied a knot in Kellyn’s stomach. She was going to kill Morrigan. And he couldn’t let it happen. Kellyn screamed past the thorns coating his lips. “No.”
The pain was instant. It cut into his cheek and sliced some flesh, but he didn’t care. He already had scars coating his face.
“Naughty boy,” the goddess hissed.
Cecile hesitated before switching jars. “It has to be this pile,right?” She placed a plant that looked like Wisteria down and made it her final choice.
“Time’s up.”
This time—for the first time during the challenge—Cecile was right, and the remaining two jars disappeared off the table as if they were wrapped in a comfortable cloak of invisibility.
“Feed your final jar to Miss Morrigan.” Her lips curved into a sinister smile. “Fail to do so, and you will be given the worst of all my little toys.”
Cecile visibly gulped, scooped up the jar, and walked over to Morrigan as if she were a reluctant bride at an arranged wedding ceremony.
She pulled down her gag with a small whimper. “Apologies, I’m so, so sorry.” Heartbreak carved tracks down her porcelain cheeks. Thick, guilty tears.
Morrigan squared her shoulders. “It’s okay.”
Cecile fed the plant to Morrigan. It would cause her severe food poisoning, but she’d survive. Morrigan ate each bite while staring down the goddess with murder in her eyes. Morrigan chewed on each seed as if savoring it. The vein in her neck ticked, and her eyes burned with sinister promises—all directed at Poison.
Once she was finished, the goddess cackled. “Let’s speed this up. Shall we?”
Poison snapped her fingers again. The gesture released Morrigan from the chair. She fell to the ground and clutched her stomach, liquid hate bleeding from her irises as her expression soured and turned a pallid green. Poison had sped up the process, releasing the toxin into Morrigan’s system and making her immediately sick instead of taking roughly an hour.
Kellyn banged on his cage, trying to escape to reach her and aid her in the sickness. But he was trapped.
Morrigan swallowed and held onto her composure for as long as possible. Still, eventually, she gave in and began moaning in pain, writhing on the floor, beginning to empty the contents of her stomach. There was nothing that Kellyn could do.
“Kellyn Ellis, Prince of Theoden, it is time for your test to start,” Poison said, releasing him from his cage. Kellyn instantly ran toward Morrigan but was stopped as Poison continued, “If you touch your priestess before you’re finished, I’ll instantly kill you and your friend.” He slid to a stop, inches from Morrigan. He desperately wanted to help her, but he couldn’t. He turned his head toward the evil goddess. “Wonderful. Let’s start.”
Poison waved her hand, Emmett was refracted to the strangler fig chair, his hands bound, and Cecile refracted to Kellyn’s wooden cage.
It was Kellyn’s turn, and he had to feed Emmett his toxin. But Poison was cruel, and Kellyn’s jars were solid white—instead of glass—and the only way to tell them apart was by the handwritten scientific lettering.Cursive.
It always had to be cursive.
The gods truly knew his weaknesses.
Kellyn faltered.
He tried his best to arrange his first piles, but he could only decode two of the fourteen jars during the first round, leaving him utterly unaware of what he was doing. Morrigan was useless, lying violently sick in the middle of the room, and Emmett and Cecile were tied up and gagged.
Kellyn was completely alone.
Sweat trickled down his brow, and his hands shook. He squinted, trying to break the last seven words into smaller parts—sounding them out.
Cicuta maculata
Atropa belladonna
Ficus carica
