Page 99 of Poisoned Kingdom
A mischievous chuckle rumbled in my throat at the offence in her voice.
‘I know Viper, but I’d prefer my men alive.’
That seemed to appease her, and she didn’t protest when I opened the flap to shout for a guard to come in.
‘Guard my . . . Lady Roksana. She is welcome to go where she pleases, undisturbed and unbothered by anyone,’ I said, voice low and firm. ‘If someone pesters her, report them directly to me.’
The soldier gave Sana a wide-eyed look. One glance at my face, and his hands started shaking as I wrapped my cloak around Roksana before they left.
‘Have fun, Viper, and try to spare my poor soldiers.’
An hour later, four units had been dispatched, and the only thing I had left to do before heading home was find my woman.
I ordered the guards to prepare the horses and went looking for her. It didn’t take long to spot the man I’d assigned her standing by the stables.
Sana sat on a haystack with a scrawny garrison cat on her lap. She looked deep in thought, and I stopped to enjoy the view. Her expression was so serene, her fingers trailing over the animal’s back as a dreamy smile played across her lips. Eventually, a horse snorted, dragging her attention back to reality.
‘Rey! I-I mean, Your Majesty. Is it time to return?’ she stuttered, correcting herself.
I came to sit next to her, but when I reached out to pet the animal, it bolted, using Sana’s lap as a launching pad and leaving a deep scratch on her forearm. She hissed, immediately grasping my arm despite the beads of blood appearing on her skin.
‘Don’t hurt him, he was just scared.’
‘I’m not going to,’ I said.
What did she expect? That I’d chase after the ragged wretch?
‘I’m sorry. The way you talk sometimes. It just . . . made me worry.’
I watched her pull a vial from her belt and pour the contents onto the wound. The blood sizzled, and judging by how her jaw tightened, it must have hurt.
‘Will you be alright or should I kiss it better?’ I teased, ripping a strip from my shirt and bandaging her forearm.
She smiled and rolled her eyes. ‘It’s literally just a scratch. As long as it doesn’t get dirty from all the dust and horse sweat, itshould be fine. But yes . . . you can kiss it better. Actually, I think it would help a lot.’
Roksana’s shy smile and luminous eyes were my doom, and when I brushed my lips against her skin, I was sure this wolf had lost his soul to the viper.
I almost killed my sergeant when he came to tell us the troops were ready to go.
1.Bies (s.)/biesy (pl.) /pron: b-yes/— Massive bipedal bison-line beasts with horns and thick hide resistant to most types of weapons. Their habitat is mainly woodland areas, and they are aggressive and territorial.
Chapter 35
Roksana
The city infirmary, a massive stone building next to the magistrate’s office, was busier than the town centre on market day. Ciesko had assigned me to the group of healers looking after those with minor injuries but had failed to mention that there would be so many patients.
Countless people came and went, but after dealing with the injured miners in Wiosna, none of my current patients’ injuries were much of a challenge. After several hours, the voices of passing citizens and the stench of blood faded into the background while I worked instinctively.
‘My lady, is everything all right?’ my patient asked. ‘Did you find something else?’
The question shook me out of my stupor as the man on the cot looked between me and his aether-infused wounds, the blood already clotting.
‘Everything is fine, but the spell needs time to settle in,’ I lied, forcing a smile to my lips. ‘Let me suture it, and your arm will be healed in no time.’
My patient quietly hissed when I sprinkled a little nivale powder on his wound, but as the pain-numbing herb began to work, his face smoothed into a blissful expression. I could see the change in him, that hundred-foot stare that always glazed their eyes when the narcotic took effect.
I worked swiftly, closing the edges of his wound while my thoughts drifted to Tova.
