Page 104 of Tashama
“Truly?”
“The marriage was arranged. Neither in stature nor in character did the man ennoble himself with me.”
“The one you will marry will please you, I’m certain.” Tashama turned away from Listra.
“Who is he?” Listra hurried over to the chair where Tashama sat.
“You do not know him, and I cannot say anything further.”
“I will do anything for you if you will only tell me.”
“I cannot, Listra. I beg your forgiveness, but I just cannot. If it weren’t for Carissian’s meddling ways…”
Listra stood. “Oh, Tashama, I cannot disobey Aleron again. You mean to say I will do such a thing again?”
“I’m sorry, Listra. Devil intends to kill us both. I didn’t want to say this to you, and you must never think of this while Carissian is nearby. But she intends to kill us so Aleron will be free to wed her.”
“But there are others on the list.”
“She is at the top of his list. Who is it he always spends time with? Who was sitting with him at the high table in the last three days? She feels her position is secure, only if I am out of the way.”
“And me?”
“She has already threatened you once. If I should die, you will undoubtedly be able to convince Aleron she was the cause of my death. You will not be allowed to live either.”
“But how?”
“I’m not sure. You saw how the lady of the Bachavin order was able to slip past the guards with their consent. Perhaps they’ll see fit to allow Devil or her henchmen to do the same. In any event, I believe she will make a second attempt.”
“But Carissian said the lobster wasn’t poisoned.”
Tashama shook her head. “The lobster was never tested for the poison.”
“He said…”
“Yes, well, what he said and what truly happened are two different stories.” Listra stared at the floor for a moment, and Tashama took her hand. “What, Listra?”
“Thinking there was truly no threat, I’ve let my guard down.”
“Why? Has something happened we should be concerned about?”
“A girl brought flowers into the bath, but I had not asked for them. I always use Jasmalange, roses, or the water lily. These are a different variety, and I thought since they looked stunning…”
Tashama jumped up from her chair, then hurried into the bathroom. She stared at the violet orchard-like flowers withtheir spotted burgundy throats tilted in her direction. “I don’t know about the local floral life here. I wouldn’t be able to tell if these are poisonous or not, though I have seen no sign of them in the gardens.”
“Perhaps Aleron sent them to scent your bath…”
“Perhaps not. Is there a way for us to drain this water and the flowers from the bath without touching them?”
“Certainly.” Listra hurried to a lever on the wall. “This will flush everything from the bath down into the sewers. But shouldn’t we tell Aleron about this first?”
“Let us play a game on the party that wishes us injury. If Aleron is made aware of this before nightfall, she will know she wasn’t successful and will have to come up with another plan. This way, if we should take our baths late, as is usual, no one would discover our bodies until the morning when breakfast was served.
“This way, we should be safe for another night, and at breakfast, we will wait until someone comes to check on us. Would it not be justice to walk into the great hall late and see how she takes our rather healthy appearance as we sit at our usual seats? I, for one, would enjoy such a thing.”
“You mean Daveal, do you not?”
“Yes, she is the one most likely to be at the top of my list.”
