Page 119 of Rook of Ruin
The queen begins fidgeting with her rings, and surprise flits over her face for only a second. “Poison you? I was merely joking.”
“Well, I like jokes. How about this one—I did not successfully poison you.” My lips curl into a cruel smile. “Now, beg for the antidote.” I hold out a vial, and Callan shoots up off the sofa again, staring at me.
“What?” she whispers.
“This, my queen, is the antidote to the poison I had placed in your port, similar to the one you gave me, but not quite. The same port you enjoy consuming every time you leave your chambers.” Swift panic goes across her face, and she reaches for the vial, but I hand it to Callan. “Beg your son for it.”
He looks at the vial and then to me. “Give me a life debt, Mother.”
“Callan,” the queen chokes out.
I sip my tea, watching the events unfold. I wish Paul were here. Tess would be laughing too much, doubled over on the ground. Hells, I think even the dreaded Spider would be proud. For some reason, I know he would be. I almost smile at the thought of Ossian being in this room, tearing through the queen’s mind, just like he did to mine. Callan grins at his mother with pure hate. I’m curious about how this will work out. I thought one must have power to—
“My life, I give—”
Her voice cuts off, and I see the twisted pain in her face as Callan accepts her life debt. My mind blurs, a feeling like lightning surging down my body, but it’s Ossian’s voice screaming, “Fight for me,” which frightens me the most. A headache blooms, and I set down my teacup quickly, wishing I could heal this feeling.
Callan hands her the vial, and she drinks it quickly.
Queen Ffion throws the glass vial and yells at me, “I will fucking kill you!”
“No, Mother, I don’t think you will. You can only honor the life debt by fulfilling the debt. You will never harm Orlaith or anyone she loves. You can’t hire someone either. I know how you think. That is the debt,Mother.”
The queen’s eyes narrow, and she stalks out.
Trying not to panic, I look at him. “Callan, you—”
He interrupts me. “Yes, Orlaith. But I need to know, do you love me?”
I rub my temple—my mind is a chaotic mess—and swallow the feeling of extreme unease. “You are part of our family. Of course.”Truth.
“Then I am safe and I can finally do what I please without fear of retaliation. Years, O. I’ve been frightened for years of what she would do to others, my father included. I’ve tried so many times to—fuck, you just waltz in and—how were you able to poison her?” He is dumbstruck, in shock, still confused. Above all, he is grateful.
“Remember the woman you offered a job to?” He nods, and I sit back to explain. “Her name is Rashel. She was tasked with serving the tea, and because she is new, no one would have believed her if she said it was the queen who poisoned it. She took a chance on me, and I will be forever grateful. I had Bow send her and her child to our estate. She works for me now.”
Callan laughs. He laughs so hard, he begins to sob. Feeling sorry for him, I wrap my arms around him. I let him cry for what was, what is, and what could have been. I did not realize how far the queen’s cruelty went. After the things Callan tells me, I can only hope she will try to break her life debt. Queen Ffion deserves to have her mind broken, she deserves to have the Spider break her into a million pieces, worse than he broke me.
Callan leaves hours later, his heart lighter and happier, but there’s a deep, uncomfortable nagging that something isn’t right. Perhaps it’s the tug I feel in my chest. Again, I think of the man with golden eyes who was a prisoner in the Locker . . .No. I try not to allow my thoughts to linger on him.
The nagging feeling leaves as realization hits hard. Callan is smart—he was biding his time. If he wanted to kill someone badly enough, he would find a way. He would have made one damn good Rook.
“You did what?” Simon pulls his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair as I explain in detail what happened. “What were you thinking, Orlaith? What a reckless thing to do! What if my father finds out?”
“I thought you would be happy that none of us, not our warriors, not your brother, not your father, none of us will have to worry about her ever again. You should have seen Callan. He fell apart.”
Simon rolls his eyes. “If he were more of a man, he would have just allowed her to die.”
“But he didn’t, and for good reason. I could have hanged for poisoning the queen even though—”
Simon interrupts me and paces the floor. “I’m going to tell my father. It’s the best thing to do.”
“Fine. Go right ahead. I’ll go with you.” I pull on my long black silk nightdress to cover the short lacy one. He opens our bedroom door, and we descend the stairs.
Simon doesn’t hold my hand, frustration pouring off him as he opens the door of our wing. If roles were reversed, I would have hugged him, kissed him. I huff. I at least deserve a pat on the ass for a job well fucking done.
Servants sprint past us. “Ruin!” We turn as Bow comes running up the stone hallway. “The queen! She’s dead!”
Simon looks at me, his face filled with fury. “Get Orlaith back to the estate. If you don’t hear from me within a day, take her back to Acros.”
