Page 64 of Poisoned Kingdom
‘Fine,’ I said when he reached for the mask lying on the table. I was itching to ask how he was going to protect her, but in the end, I let it slide. ‘So, shall we?’
‘Of course. Now, be a good assassin, keep your head down, and walk behind your master,’ he replied with a smirk, placing the mask on my face, making me almost indistinguishable from any other dark sister.
As soon as he’d fastened the ties, Irsha’s demeanour changed completely. As we left my room, I walked beside him out of habit but his barked command to ‘Step back’ made me falter, andI muttered an apology. When we were outside, I stayed back, keeping my hood low whilst looking around for danger. If any observer had spotted me then, I would have looked like a clumsy apprentice, which was exactly what I was aiming for.
‘Master Vilkor, a pleasure to see you, sir. Who’s your companion?’
I heard the guard’s challenge and hunched my shoulders into a position that allowed me to drop my hand to my dagger.
Irsha smacked me upside the head. ‘Behave, child.’ I released my weapon and cowered. ‘Just an idiot who can’t follow simple orders,’ he said to the guard.
The guards fell over themselves laughing, wishing Irsha good luck on training ‘stupid’ as they opened the doors and let us into the Chapter House.
Irsha grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, forcing me to stumble ahead. My friend played the annoyed mentor to perfection, but he was a large man, and his fake discipline left real bruises. It didn’t take long to arrive at the corridor near Jagon’s workshop, but my body was aching by the time we got there.
‘Wait here,’ Irsha said. ‘I’ll check if Jagon’s inside. As soon as you hear raised voices, wait a slow count of thirty, then slip into the room.’ I nodded, finding a hiding spot in a shadowy nook. I waited with a handful of sleeper’s ash, ready for anyone who may have discovered me.
Irsha marched inside the workshop, and a moment later, shattering glass and raised male voices echoed down the corridor right before the door snapped open.
‘How dare you suggest any poison I supply is substandard! If Boyan doesn’t reprimand you for this, Blade, I will.’
Irsha’s reply was smooth as ever. ‘I have the poison in my quarters. It couldn’t even make a frog bleed. Maybe talk to yourapprentices—because my assassins can’t be gambling their lives on something that weak.’
I couldn’t help smirking. If there was one sure way to draw Jagon out of his den, it was to insult his craftsmanship. Irsha knew that—and plucked at my former master’s ego like a well-tuned lute.
Footsteps faded down the corridor, Jagon’s furious voice trailing behind them, still demanding Irsha retract his ‘slander’ or face the consequences.
I slid out from my little nook and walked towards the door, only hesitating for a moment before I turned the handle.
It was like travelling back in time to a place I still saw in my nightmares.
I promptly glanced around the shelves where various ingredients were stored, neatly organised. They had clearly been set out by an apprentice who knew that if they made the slightest mistake, Jagon would force them to test his newest poison.
‘The old bastard hasn’t changed,’ I muttered, quickly scanning the notes left on his desk, careful not to make a mess. Unfortunately, all the schemata and notes were just old recipes used for teaching the basics. I hadn’t expected much, but I still peeked at Jagon’s journals. Again, there was nothing out of the ordinary, although one thing caught my attention: There were far too many orders from the South, and one of the poisons requested affected a mage’s ability to use aether. Frankly, it was the largest order of lanara poison I’d seen in my life, and I took a mental note of the date and quantity.
In the hidden compartments of his desk, I found a second ledger, full of names I didn’t recognise, so I used a quill to record those which sounded vaguely familiar or important on my arm. Still, there was no signed confession or any trace of the small box with the lip gloss I had made several years ago.
When I’d finished with the desk, I moved on to Jagon’s favourite picture, a gloomy landscape of his homeland. I was rummaging through the potent concoctions hidden behind it when I heard noises outside.
My former master was returning, and I was elbow-deep in his precious inventions.
‘Fuck,’ I muttered, rushing towards a hidden partition I vaguely remembered.
The hidden passage opened when I pressed the last petal of a rose carved into the wall, and I slipped inside, stifling my relieved sigh. Jagon had never revealed this space to me, but after he’d forced me to drink a particularly lethal poison, I’d awakened on the floor earlier than he expected and played dead. He must have forgotten about me, but I’d watched him, noticing the catch he used to access the secret room.
‘Check everything. That bonehead wouldn’t have dragged me out of here if he weren’t planning something. Ensure all the orders are coded and secured.’
My breath hitched at hearing Jagon’s words until I reminded myself that Irsha and Jagon had equal power in the Brotherhood.
‘The orders are untouched, my lord. Are you sure it was a ploy?’ a much younger voice answered.
‘Of course it was, and I’m betting Roksana’s behind it. That idiot Blade hasn’t communicated with his chapter since she reappeared in Truso, and I’m betting he’s spending his nights with her.’ Jagon released such a theatrical sigh, I could almost see him rolling his eyes. ‘My Nightshade used to love to use him against me, and I can’t even blame her for taking advantage of the sentimental fool,’ Jagon said with such disdain that I wanted to throw something caustic in his face.
‘Nothing seems to be touched or moved. I’ve even checked the shelves of rare ingredients and poisons,’ the apprentice said, andI congratulated myself for carefully placing every bottle back in its place.
‘Good, fine. You’re free to go,’ Jagon said.
After a moment, I heard a door close, followed by footsteps approaching my hideout. I was in a narrow corridor that led to a cluttered room with no windows—at least, that’s what I remembered from my one and only visit. I started to panic when I heard the clicking of the carved petal and grabbed a handful of sleeper’s ash, ready to blow it into the poison master’s face when a voice rang out.
