Page 36 of Poisoned Kingdom
While I pondered over strategy, the darkness fled, and I noticed two figures on the staircase outside my cell. One of them was hiding a fae lantern beneath his cloak.
‘Is that her? The master won’t be happy that she came to kill Reynard. You should have left her in Wiosna. Now your little pet is a problem. Are you sure she hasn’t betrayed us? We’ve already changed the srebrec’s route . . . don’t want any more obstacles, Jagon.’
They huddled together, and the whispers became difficult to hear. I tried to make sense of the broken sentences, but as they drew closer, the corridor’s acoustics made it easier to hear fragments of their conversation once more.
‘—we had to change the route anyway, with so many patrols on the roads. Tell your . . . I need her as insurance against the king’s behaviour. Not to mention her . . . keep the old man in check. Boyan will hesitate before acting if it harms his precious shadow . . .’ Jagon’s voice trailed off, and I wished I could pour molten iron down his conniving throat.
‘—what use . . . against a strategist like him? . . . construction will start soon. My man was able to secure the seal on the contract today. If the king decides to withdraw, we’ll be ready.’ The man coughed, and his voice gained a rasp but grew stronger, and I could finally hear him clearly.
‘You have long arms to have someone so close to the king,’ Jagon said, apparently fishing for more information.
‘Not anymore. Because of your pet’s antics, the captain of the guard has brought in truthseekers. My man had to abandon his post, so you’d better ensure he has safe passage south, and I’ll let you keep her alive in return. I’ll even convince my master that she’s useful to our plans. Oh, and keep an eye on the dwarves. Mlot is getting more paranoid, and I’m sure Master would like to keep Truso intact.’
The man turned towards my cell, a dark shadow hiding his face, giving him the appearance of a wraith. Under the cloak, he wore the colours of the palace guard, and when he raised his head, I glimpsed pasty white skin. He huffed with disdain at my inspection before wordlessly turning on his heel and disappearing into the shadows. I was listening to his retreating steps so intently that Jagon’s voice startled me when he spoke.
‘Roksana . . . Roksana, look at what that brute did to you.’ Jagon came closer, shaking his head. ‘You should have accepted my offer. Now there is little I can do to help,’ he said as I moved away from him. A lazy smirk stretched across his lips as his gaze trailed over my body. ‘Although I have to admit this outfit looks good on you in the moonlight, especially since the chill makes everything so . . . tight,’ he added, his gaze lingering on my breasts.
I felt an innate need to cover up but refused to give him the satisfaction.
‘How did you know I was here? Did you bribe that guard?’ I asked, placing my hands on my hips, playing to his lowest instincts.
If Jagon believed he had power over me, I could spin it in my favour. I’d always preferred working for stupid men with loose tongues, and although Jagon wasn’t stupid, his ego was so large I was amazed he could carry it. The chapter master believedeveryone danced to his tune, and that was something I could exploit.
‘He’s none of your concern. As to how I knew, I have eyes everywhere. Did you think your stunt with the Court of Aether would go unnoticed just because I was away? Or that you could sneak out of the whorehouse, and no one would know where you went?’
His expression grew colder. ‘There is only one thing that baffles me . . . Reynard kept you alive. He’s killed every assassin the disgruntled nobles have sent his way, yet here you are. Why, Roksana? What did you promise him? Did you offer him your body to save your life?’ His hands tightened on the bars of my prison, knuckles creaking in the near silence.
When I looked up at his face, Jagon’s lips were set in a thin line, and I knew the expression all too well from the years we spent together.
‘Please.’ I scoffed. ‘Don’t tell me you’re jealous?’
I was fifteen when Jagon saved me from some mercenaries and gave me the means of revenge. For years, I’d believed he was a harsh but fair master. I had followed in his footsteps, learning everything about poisons and antidotes, about how a simple herb or substance could affect a person. Then, I grew into my body and started noticing certain things—the way he looked at me, how close he stood, and how all the men around me quickly lost interest.
When I turned twenty, in a drunken stupor, Jagon told me he’d been promoted to chapter master of the poisoners and how, together, we would take control of the Dark Brotherhood. Then he’d kissed me before passing out on the floor.
That was the moment I realised I had to buy my freedom or accept the fact that I’d unwillingly end up in his bed.
Refocusing on the present, I saw Jagon’s eyes narrow. His stare bore into mine until he suddenly smiled, relaxing.
‘I’m not jealous. There’s no point. You belong to me, Roksana. I created you, nurtured your talent. Everything you are is because of me.’
‘Oh yes, all the bullying you ignored, the poison you put in my meals to study their effects, making me work without rest because you had another order to fill. All of that certainly made me into the woman I am now.’
‘I made you into the most feared poisoner in the Brotherhood. You were so good that Boyan chose you to be his shadow. I even let you leave and have your fun with the dwarves, but your folly ends now. Youwillreturn to my service and be grateful for it.’
‘And if I refuse?’
‘Then you will live a long and miserable life while I kill everyone you love and every man who has ever touched you,’ he said.
When I didn’t respond, anger flashed across his features. Pure malice tinged his voice when he spoke again.
‘But first, I’ll let you rot here until you learn your lesson. Your misguided attempts to harm me have produced some interesting effects. It would seem that the king and the Court of Aether are more interested inyouthan the srebrec trade. Tell me, are you the mysterious woman he’s been searching through all of Dagome for?’
I snorted with bitter amusement. ‘Oh, he did that for me? So, if he worked so hard to find me, do you really think he’ll just let me go now? That he’ll just let me serve as a lackey to a second-rate chapter master?’
Goading Jagon wasn’t the best idea, but I couldn’t help myself. His delusion of having me by his side, working with him in any shape or form, was so ridiculous I almost laughed out loud.
‘You still think you have the upper hand?’ he asked. ‘Okay. Let’s talk about Liliana, then. About the testimony from a disgruntled worker that paints an interesting picture of thedeath of Tivala’s heir. How our sweet little courtesan had arranged a meeting between him and a renowned poisoner in her House of Lilies . . .’ He smirked. ‘Even if no one believes the ramblings of a discarded whore, I have a sample of a remarkable lip gloss in my workshop that would provide enough evidence. What did you name it,Wrath of Lilies? Imagine what Duke Tivala would say if I were to present him with that . . . How long would it be before her head is on display over the city gates?’
