Page 76 of Of Stars and Lightning
“Don’t eat too quickly, Phil,” Jonah said. Before Phil could sit, the boy stopped and turned to Sol.
“I—something is strange.”
The people behind them continued feasting, but Sol felt it then. More than felt, smelled. She inched closer to the food, instinctively gliding in front of Phil. His brother did the same.
When Sol was young, Lora had taught her basic healing. Her aunt hoped to inspire a passion for it, but Sol was stubborn, distracted by the colorful flowers, petals, and earthy smells. The one lesson she never forgot, however, was the one on poisons. Primarily due to the fact she couldn't even touch those plants, so she had spent the entire lesson sulking. Secondly, due to the rancid smell. The entire cottage reeked of ammonia for days, a smell Sol grew to associate with the back alleys of the Yavenharrow taverns.
Here, though, it was only a small whiff that lingered. But it was enough.
Sol glanced at Cas who watched her with a small smile. He glanced from her to the food in silent question.
“Poison Savit,” she whispered. “It’s native to the Driodell forest.”
Phil sneezed and grabbed his brother’s hand. “The smell…”
Sol roved over the prospects. Most had caught on. But two, to be precise, had not.
Felice slowed her chewing, dropping the piece of meat she had in her hands. She looked to her left, to her brother, with an expression of pure terror.
At the end of the table, Cattya smiled. She turned to Cas, who sat to her right. “Here I thought the Romalian lands would know most poisons.”
Cas didn’t respond, but his silence might as well have been a slap to the face. He had known, and let the siblings eat anyway.
Returning to herself, Sol shook her head. “The food is poisoned.” The prospects turned to her. She kept her attention on Felice and Lucas, who instantly turned ashen. “It smells like Savit.”
“The Princess has some knowledge, after all.” Cattya tossed her hair over her shoulder. “How very lovely.”
“I—the trials don’t start until the second day,” Felice stammered, her chair screeching as she pushed away from the table. “We—we should have received a warning.”
Sol’s hands shook as she retreated a step. Her instincts told her to run, paranoia squeezing at her as Phil grabbed her hand.
“What’s happening, Jonah?” the boy whispered.
Jonah clenched his jaw but said nothing.
“While we wait for the Savit to kill these fools, I will ask the questions we all wonder.” Cattya glared at Sol.
Felice and Lucas fell to their knees, interlocked in an embrace. Taking a moment to breathe, Sol looked away, willing the tightening in her chest to loosen. She couldn’t bear she was the reason they were here, that now a whole continent was looking so closely at her, and she had no clue what to do.
She closed her hands into fist and clenched her jaw before meeting Cattya’s challenging gaze. “What is your problem?”
With a smirk, Cattya braced her chin atop her hands. “I only think it’s fair, Princess. We are all forced to be here for your hand in marriage, yet your little show of defiance screwed that up completely.”
“Being here is a privilege, Cattyiana,” a prospect warned, standing from his seat. He wore his auburn hair in a low bun and gripped the edge of the table as he inched toward her. “You should be grateful for the opportunity.”
“Grateful?” Cattya spat. “Fuck you, Cade. Grateful we were all shipped away from our lives to kill ourselves so we could rule with someone who clearly has no idea what she is doing?”
Sol bit the inside of her cheek to keep from yelling and fought to keep composure as she replied, “I am new at this. Of course, I can't be excellent at it.”
From the edge of her vision, she saw Cas angle his head toward her.
“Tell us, Princess, what have you been doing all these years? And your mother? There’s so many rumors.” The woman neared her.
“Careful, Cattya,” Cas warned.
“And you, Xanthos? How do you feel about being in this mess, after your father went through the exact same??—”
Cattya was fast in her defense. But Cas was faster.
