Page 12 of Quiver of Cobras
It was almost fifteen minutes before anyone joined me. When the door finally opened, I was so bored that I could have happily chewed off my fingers just to pass the time.
I swung a head lazily in the direction of the incomer. A small bespectacled Fey, whose green eyes were magnified by his bottle-top lenses, edged in. He looked rather young to be Artemesia’s apothecary uncle. All the same, I played along. ‘Are you the mad scientist?’ I asked. ‘You’re wearing glasses, so I assume you’re intelligent.’ I glanced over him critically. ‘Your hair looks a bit too neat and tidy though.’
I jumped off the table and wandered over to him then I reached up and mussed his brown fringe. The fact that he allowed me to do so was telling in itself.
‘N–no,’ he stammered, once I stepped back, satisfied with my hairdressing attempt. ‘I’m Galanthus. We’ve met. Many times.’
‘I have amnesia,’ I informed him. ‘I don’t remember anyone.’
He lowered his voice and swung his eyes from side to side, as if double-checking that we were alone. I watched him carefully. Unless I was mistaken – which was unlikely – he was over-acting. ‘We’re friends,’ he said. ‘Good friends.’
I beamed and opened my arms expansively. ‘Then we should hug!’ I reached forward, drawing him into a massive bear hug. He didn’t resist – but he did have the faintest lingering scent of Rubus’s aftershave clinging to him, like a dissipating cloud. Ha! I was right. This guy was a plant – and I didn’t just mean because of his daft faery name.
I released him from my hold. ‘It’s so difficult to know who’s an ally and who’s not around here. I wish I could remember more.’ I trilled a laugh. ‘I wish I could rememberanything.’
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. ‘There’s not much time,’ he told me. ‘I don’t want Rubus or anyone else to see me here. I had to take this opportunity to talk to you, though. We’ve been working together to bring him down. Even if you don’t remember, you’ll understand how dangerous he is. I really work for Morganus.’ His eyes widened. ‘But don’t tell anyone.’
‘You work for Morgan?’ I repeated breathlessly.
He nodded vigorously. ‘There’s a meeting tonight. It’s only a few streets away. If you can get out, you should come along.’
I did my best to look disappointed. ‘I don’t think I can. They keep locking me in my room and I can’t remember how to use magic to open locks.’
He pointed to one of the bottles nearby. ‘That’s dreadwort,’ he whispered. ‘It’s been imbued with magic. Take three sips and you’ll have the temporary ability to unlock any door. It’ll help you escape.’
I raised my eyebrows and walked over to the green bottle. I had no way of knowing what it really contained so I simply nodded wisely. ‘Excellent! This is just what I need. How long does it last?’
‘At least a day. If you take some now, it’ll still be working tonight. We’re meeting Morganus on the corner of Prue Street and Leith Road. At midnight exactly.’ He gave me a final meaningful look and shuffled out again.
I snorted. If this was the sort of test that Rubus was going to come up with, I reckoned I’d be back in his inner circle within hours rather than days.
I wondered whether the green bottle contained a lethal poison and this was Rubus’s way of killing me while avoiding the strictures of the truce. I uncorked it and sniffed. It was completely odourless. Maybe it wasn’t poison at all; maybe it was nothing more dangerous than water. Either way, hell would freeze over and I’d ice skate a dance with the devil before I’d let any of it touch my lips.
It wasn’t much longer before Rubus himself appeared. An older man hobbled behind him. No doubt this was Artemesia’s uncle in person – maybe he would have a way to cure my amnesia. As nervous as I was by the thought of what revelations might ensue, right now I decided I’d happily snog his thin chapped lips if he could. Amnesia could get rather tiresome after a while.
‘Ah,’ Rubus said. ‘Madrona. You’re here.’
‘You say that like you’re surprised to see me,’ I commented. ‘You did order me here. I was frogmarched all the way on your instructions.’
He waved a dismissive hand. ‘One never knows what might happen. Not every command I issue is followed immediately.’
There was no way that could be true. The arsebadger ran an extraordinarily tight ship. ‘Indeed,’ I said. ‘Or when you might have traitors who pop in and encourage me to flee this place at midnight for secret assignations with your brother. Honestly, between you and Morgan you’re supposed to be the better bet but if you can’t trust your own people then I’m not sure what I’m doing here. I want a general who keeps his troops in order.’
Fury lit Rubus’s face before he quickly shuttered his expression. Hopefully my gibe would at least stop him from using his own people again to try and weasel betrayal out of me. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
I shrugged. ‘Some Fey came in here, told me to drink that potion,’ I pointed out the offending bottle. ‘He said that I’d be able to walk through locked doors and sneak out to meet Morgan at midnight tonight.’ I gestured at myself. ‘Look at me! I need my beauty sleep! I’m not going anywhere at midnight.’
Rubus looked me up and down. ‘Yes, you certainly need some sort of makeover. Have you put on weight?’
‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘I can’t—’
‘—remember,’ he finished for me. ‘Yes, yes.’ He looked at me with malice. ‘What was the name of this supposed traitor?’
‘Galanthus,’ I said, without missing a beat. And then, because I was on a roll and needed to gain Rubus’s full trust, I glanced at the man behind him. ‘I suppose you’re Artemesia’s uncle. She really doesn’t like you very much.’
This time there was real, not faked, surprise in both their expressions. ‘You’ve met her? Recently?’
‘Obviously it was recently,’ I drawled. ‘Morgan took me to her.’
