Page 81 of A Dark and Lovely Devastation

Morrigan, wait. Badb’s voice sounded in my mind.

I hesitated, my eyes flicking around the room, settling on Roisin.

She smiled wanly. “Drink up, your majesty.”

My heart raced. Was this it? I’d figured it would be some sort of poison. If I was mistaken and this wasn’t the plan, but an assassination attempt by a member of the Fomori... Fear built in my stomach.

But if I allowed Macha and Badb to warn me, it was over before it began.

I needed to decide.

Sister, Macha said, her voice urgent.We think that your—

I tipped the glass back and downed its contents.

Badb and Macha went silent. I sensed their wariness.

What’s wrong, sisters?I thought.

By the goddess, Morrigan, is listening to us for a moment so hard?Macha raged.

I set down the cup.What do you mean?

You may have just poisoned yourself,Badb growled.

I let the fear and anxiety from those words course through me. I forced a gasp and jumped to my feet. How long would it take before the first side effect? What would… searing agony sliced across my abdomen.

Roisin's head tilted. “Is something wrong, your majesty?”

The pain ratcheted higher, causing me to bend double. My vision clouded, and it felt as if a javelin lodged itself in my brain.

“Roisin, help.” The words were a gasp I didn’t have to fake. My whole body convulsed.

“Hush, now, your majesty. It shan’t be long before the Adernin takes you.”

The muscles in my legs gave, and I landed on my face on the floor. “You did this?” My voice rasped out, a fire already gathering in my throat, making it impossible to call for Palon. I should have been more clear. I’d thought they’d give me something like Rowan smoke—something that would just make me pass out. Had Roisin actually given me a substance that mightkillme?

“Oh, your majesty, the most common faerie poison is Adernin, taken from the cockatrice. A faint whiff of it would not have fooled the youngest of faeries. And yet you are not only young, but you know nothing about us. You think you deserve to be queen?”

My limbs tingled as numbness set in. Roisin had done her job too well. Whatever the plan was to get me out of this predicament, I’d be dead before it ever got enacted. I opened my mouth, my panic deepening.

“Help,” I rasped.

Roisin stared at me with that cool gaze.

“Help,” I rasped again.

Roisin’s eyes drifted to Morrigan’s medicine cabinet.

The medicine cabinet. Get to the medicine cabinet now!Badb roared.

Yes, yes,Macha said.Find Tolarin. Everyone knows it counteracts Adernin. Morrigan must have had some on hand.

I tried to pull myself along the floor toward the cabinet, but the edges of my visions grew fuzzy and I lacked the strength in my arms.

Roisin laughed and stepped up to the medicine cabinet, drawing a bottle of burnt yellow liquid. “Is this what you are looking for, your majesty?”

She approached. Her hip bumped the table, knocking the table cloth askew. She squatted next to me and shook the liquid contents. “So close and yet so far,” she murmured.

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