Shadow of the Crown Page 16

  Mestre bowed down, the top half of her body parallel with the ground. "Your Grace, I bring good news."

  Kalio raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

  She held up the bottle. "A poison that shadows can't defend themselves against." Before Kalio could ask for more details, Mestre shoved her dagger into her belt and pulled out another large bottle filled with a dark red liquid. "You don't want to know how many shadows I had to drain before I could get this right."

  Kalio's mouth twitched. "I am sure the banks could estimate how many times we had to pay the guild for your experiments."

  Mestre ignored Kalio's comment and sat in the middle of the floor. She crossed her legs and placed the two bottles in front of her. The ren zhe then pulled out a small pipette from a pocket and pulled some of the blue liquid into it. "It only needs a drop, but the results are amazing."

  Kalio stepped forward and kneeled in front of Mestre. If the poison was as potent as Mestre said it was, then she wanted to see this for herself. It would be perfect to use against Anjuu and any others who chose to side with the rebels. Mestre hovered the pipette above the dark red liquid and Kalio realized it was blood that filled the bottle. Mestre was slow and precise. Only a small droplet from the pipette fell into the blood-filled bottle.

  They sat facing each other in silence. The blood wasn't reacting to the poison at all despite Mestre's announcement. Kalio put her hand on the ground to push herself up but stopped as soon as she heard a hissing sound. She looked down at the bottle and the blood inside of it was boiling. After just a few seconds, the blood evaporated, leaving only a thin filament across the glass.

  "Destroys all of the blood inside of the body. Not even a shadow can withstand this poison."

  "Ingenious," Kalio said, still staring at the bottle. "With this we can stop Anjuu and the entire rebellion." Mestre picked up both bottles and corked them before putting them back into bag. "How much can you make?"

  "As much as you need, Your Grace."

  "Empty the smaller wine cellar. Use it. I want every shelf filled with this." Kalio looked up at the guards who were standing by the door. Both were peaking every few moments to get a view at what Mestre was presenting. "At change of guard you will assist her on emptying the cellar. If any drop of wine is spilled, you will be the next test subjects for the poison."

  Both guards straightened out and stood still, neither turning to look back around. They would remain there for the next few hours until the relief came to change positions. In the meantime, she needed to make sure to save a bottle of the poison for them. It was one thing for her keres to know about the poison, it was another to have guards know about it and potentially share it with others. She had been in their shoes when she was a guardian. Everyone talked once alcohol was involved. She would have use of them for labor and then afterward disposed of like the rest of the vermin in her cells.

  Kalio turned back and walked up to her throne. Each step weighed heavily on her, her mind returning when she was younger and had conquered Narishma. It felt like a short time ago, but here she was in full control and bringing prosperity to her people. An act no other drow had accomplished in their history and she did it in one lifespan. There were some negotiations and some who she had to remove from power, but otherwise her rule was just, and the fortune of the kingdom was growing in prosperity. Even the scholars who had wasted so many Drakes while studying away in their colleges were being used in field work that benefitted all.

  In the corner of her eye, Kalio could see Persius walking toward the front door. If he had been in wolf form, she would imagine his tail was between his legs as he escaped the throne room to do what she had said after seeing the poison for himself. If anyone could see the power it possesses, there would be perfect loyalty from all her people. Poison was the way of the drow, and Mestre had simply unlocked its full potential. He continued inching forward until he got halfway into the throne room, their eyes met and Persius burst into a run toward the door. He ran past Mestre and stopped at the door as someone blocked the entryway.

  They turned in front of the throne room. He was dressed in a long black cloak that moved like smoke in the air. The only solid portion of his body was the white mask on his face. So like Anjuu's yet decorated with one large red streak separating the mask in half. Behind the shadow were two more holding onto a person that had a hood over her face and arms tied behind her. The shadow pushed Persius to the side, who gladly escaped the throne room.

  Mestre looked back at what Kalio was seeing and smiled.

  "No, Mestre. These are not new test subjects for you. Now do as I told you as well."

  The ren zhe turned to look over at Kalio and bowed with a muttered “Your Grace” before walking out as well. Her eyes darted between the three shadows, but she didn't attempt anything with them. Kalio was thankful Mestre didn't say anything regarding the poison. She didn't know what these shadows were here for, and them knowing there was officially a poison that worked on them needed to remain a secret.

  "So," she leaned forward to get a better view of the three shadows and to see who their captive was, "what do I owe the pleasure of an unannounced audience?"

  "We bring news." The shadow in front turned his head to the side and nodded. The two shadows behind him tossed the captive forward so they were now kneeling next to the leader of the group. Now that the captive was closer, Kalio could detect a feminine figure underneath the rags, but it was someone younger and not nearly as fully developed of a woman.

  "And?"

  The leader pulled the hood off the captive revealing a cait shidhe. "Your orders were to keep an eye on Azrael. Your assumptions were correct." The cait shidhe refused to look up. Her fur was matted with blood and mud, but Kalio could see the distinct resemblance to the previous chieftains of the cait shidhe. "She has evidence to prove Azrael plans to betray you and join the rebellion."

  Kalio stiffened. She had assumed he might after his failure to report and how long he stayed with his people. She had trusted him and was betrayed. "Give me this proof then, girl."

  The cait shidhe spit on the ground in front of her. "I won't tell you anything."

  "Oh?" Kalio leaned back into her throne. The cold of the steel and stone underneath her welcomed her back into the reality she knew all too well. "Fine, dispose of her. I'll just kill Azrael. Whether he is innocent or not. I have little use for him anymore if this is indeed his sister. Execute the entire chieftain line and before they can put someone else in power, I will just destroy all of them." The cait shidhe's eyes widened. Exactly what Kalio was looking for. "You, shadow. You have it right? The one that brings out fears? The hallucinogenic needles?" The shadow nodded and revealed a small bottle filled with tiny needles dipped inside of a brown liquid. "Good, use it."

  "With pleasure," the shadow said. He popped open the bottle and pulled one of the needles out. In a quick movement that even Kalio almost didn't see, the needle was struck into the cait shidhe's neck.

  "Now, let's continue this conversation. I'm thinking I fly on the back of Ream. I still have access to your home, so I won’t need to force my way in. Then I can simply go inside and burn the entire city down. If I miss them, well you don't exactly have the best ventilation down there so it will be a simple plan of smoking them out until every single cait shidhe falls."

  Kalio waited for the impact of the hallucinogen to take effect. The poison would take Kalio's words and warp them into a reality the chieftain would see in front of her, helpless on doing anything. Added with the fact that in the actual world the cait shidhe was tied up made the vision far more terrifying. She had experienced this exact fear once before when she was younger and knew the horrors and pain it could put across someone.

  She let the hallucination continue for multiple minutes. In the cait shidhe's mind it would seem like hours. Perfect for what she needed out of the woman in front of her. Kalio raised her hand, indicating the hallucinations were enough. The shadow complied and pulled the needle out and re
placed it with an antidote that pulled the cait shidhe out of the hallucination trap.

  "So, now that you've seen what I will do. If you talk, all I will do is eliminate your brother. Sound reasonable, no?"

  The cait shidhe slumped over. Her eyes were dull and filled with tears. "You can't do this. We have a treaty. You promised my parents."

  "And you broke that treaty when you stopped paying and your brother betrayed me. Now talk. Where is he?"

  "The mountains.” She let out a deep breath. “Near the Dragon's Pass."

  "Was he meeting a shadow there?"

  "I don't know. He just said there was a way he could stop you if he got there in time. There was mention of a scholar. That's all I know."

  "Good, we will send for someone to kill him. Until then, you should remember your people's sacrifice they made for your survival. I won't kill them, but your people will be a rare breed indeed come the start of Winter and no one to send supplies to them."

  The cait shidhe put one foot onto the ground, trying to stand up. "You can't do that! You promised you wouldn't kill them."

  Kalio smiled. "Oh, I did promise I wouldn't destroy them by fire. I didn't promise that I would cut all supplies just as you cut your payments to me." She turned to look at the shadow. "Take her to the cells below. My guards will show you the way."

  The shadow nodded and pulled the cait shidhe up. She pulled her shoulder away but was grabbed by the other two who held a firmer grip than he did. She attempted to squirm but to no avail. Instead she retaliated by screaming at the top of her lungs.

  "Damn you, drow. We should have killed you when we had the chance. All of your people deserve to be chattel to the elves!" She continued to scream more obscenities at Kalio as the shadows pulled her out of the throne room. All Kalio could do was smile as she watched them move her with ease despite her rash threats.

  "Oh Azrael, you couldn't have just been a good boy and done what you were told. You truly are stupid."

  Eighteen

  The city was still quiet when Tosh finally reached the basin of the mountain. The small hole in the cave had thankful gotten wider and reached an area of the mountains that held few dragons, if any. Even Hartiel was impressed by their luck of dodging being caught by Azrael. Now he had to hope that the dragon guardian hadn't tipped the town off to his arrest.

  Most of the people in the city were home by now asleep. The street fair had long since ended, leaving a trail of trash scattered across the ground and left-over pamphlets that others tossed to the side. He picked one up that mentioned a bar that was open for an after party to the public.

  "I would say we deserve a drink, don't you?" Tosh asked, opening his pocket to see Hartiel sleeping inside of it.

  The sprite looked up and made a soft grunting noise. "Go for it. Just don't let people know you have a dragon egg."

  "Don't worry. I won’t."

  Based on the image in the corner showing an anthropomorphized female dragon, he assumed the bar was going to have far more than just drinks involved. He had the funds, and it was his right to have some fun after all of what happened. If no one detected him, he would be fine. At least, it was what he convinced himself of for now.

  He walked around the streets toward a building that was brightly lit up. It was only a block away from where the street fair was, a surprising fact despite them being in the middle of the city. He at least expected to find some cabs that would drive him to the outskirts or a more adult area of the city.

  It was loud inside, even the dragons couldn't compare to the cacophony that was brought upon him from inside the bar. Many elves were walking outside, unable to stand straight as they made their way to cars to pick them up so they could get home. He was thankful at least they were smart enough to do that. All too often he had heard of someone deciding that their intoxication could still handle a car. Then again, there were guards inside too, judging by the open window. One of the guards looked like the one from before, the distinct smile still etched into his memory.

  "Well, if everyone's here then I might as well be too."

  He took a deep breath and walked in, bombarded with cheers all over the room. Women in tight-fitted clothing were walking around with trays covered in filled glasses and empty glass alike, navigating the maze of people. One of the women had a darker skin tone compared to many elves he had seen. Her sun-kissed skin glistened in the lights from above. He imagined she was possibly part drow somewhere down the line and felt a confusion as he admired her hourglass figure. The drows were the reason for his predicament currently, yet here he stood, wishing he could take the woman out of the bar now and ravish her.

  "Don't let her beat you!" a voice rang louder above everyone else and broke Tosh from his musings.

  Although there were crowds everywhere, the biggest one was near the wall closest to him. Muscular men surrounded a small table. Some of them were rubbing their wrists, shame spreading across their face. Whatever was happening, Tosh wanted to see. Blending in with a crowd was only so good if you knew what everyone else was doing. If you were lost, people knew you didn’t belong, and he needed to belong.

  Jeering erupted from the table followed by cries of frustration. Two men stood up on chairs, taking money and dispersing money out to others from the unknown betting.

  "Who's the next challenger?" a female voice boomed from the center. The crowd separated and seated at the table Tosh could now see a drow woman sitting cross legged on one of the chairs. Her elbow lay on the table, her hand outstretched. They were arm wrestling and somehow, despite how small the woman was, she was winning.

  Tosh felt a twinge in the back of his mind like he had seen the woman before. She resembled the queen, but so did so many other drow if you were just looking for the eyes that curled up on the outsides, dark skin, and white hair. No, there was something else about her. He continued to stare at her until someone bumped into him from behind, jostling the egg nestled in his bag. Tosh then realized how he recognized the drow. She looked like the woman he had seen in his vision. The one that had been riding on the moon dragon. She had to be the one Devata had sent him to find. He just needed proof that she was Devata’s chosen.

  Another man stepped up to the table and sat across from her. "You'll wipe the smile off your face."

  "Don't worry, I'm sure I will when I break your tiny wrist." The drow whipped her long white hair out of her face. The two clasped hands and a small bell rang for them to begin. Tosh watched as the man strained to maintain his strength with the wrestling. If someone had asked Tosh to place bets when he had seen the two, he would have imagined the drow's arm would snap in half as soon as they began. Instead, the drow was winning and her arm was folding his own over. "Sure you don't want to keep your wrist safe?" The man only replied with a grunt. "Fine, suit yourself." In an instant, her arm pushed his down and landed on the table with a loud thud. The crowd cheered again with many laughing at the challenger.

  He stepped forward, reaching for his bag so he could present her the egg. It was now or never. If he started drinking, then the drow may leave and he would lose his chance at finding her again. Devata was counting on him. No, the entire country of Narishma was counting on him.

  "Don't take another step," another woman hissed. Tosh jumped and turned to see another drow towering above him. Her golden eyes reflected an evil that he knew meant she was ready to kill him right there. He wanted to see what the rest of the woman looked like, but her entire face was covered with a balaclava. If she knew the other drow was a shadow, it was all too simple to realize that who he was talking to one as well.

  "If you're planning on pulling that egg out, then I suggest you rethink what you are wanting to do." She pulled out a small slip of paper. "She's a shadow trained to kill anyone on the spot, and I have no doubts that if she sees you with an egg, she won't need a contract to remove you. Now," the drow pointed to a small table on the opposite side of the room. "How about you come with me and we can chat before either of us get killed
tonight."

  "Why are you trying to save me? Who are you? Tosh asked, leaning forward so he could still talk with her without anyone hearing them.

  "Anjuu. A former shadow. Someone's placed a target on me and I plan to find out who it is."

  "And your purpose with me?"

  "You're a scholar. And you have a dragon egg. So, either you're babysitting it or Devata sent you to collect it for someone." Anjuu slumped into her chair at the table. "I highly doubt what Devata wanted was for that shadow to have it." She pulled the balaclava down to reveal a surly face covered in fresh cuts and bruises from a recent fight. "I want to hire you for a research project that I'm sure you can solve. I need to know who is hiring them to kill me."

  "I can't do that unless I have a—"

  "A contract stone? Don't worry. She has one. She's been following me for the last few days now. A lot more skilled than the one who had scribbled me down on a piece of paper. She knows what she is doing, but she's arrogant. Simple enough to get rid of her but I need the stone to be deciphered."

  Anjuu held her hand up, waving for one of the waitresses. "Two drinks. Make them virgins."

  Tosh held his hand up. "Actually, I would like—"

  "Make them virgins," Anjuu growled. The waitress looked at Tosh and then back to Anjuu, who was still glaring. Her fist laying on top of the table. The waitress didn't try and ask again and took off.

  "Can I at least request the type of virgin drink I get?"

  "You get what you get." She looked over the shadow at the other table. "Don't throw a fit."

  Tosh followed Anjuu's gaze and saw the arm wrestlers were finally done with their challenges and most had dispersed to different parts of the room to enjoy a drink that didn't involve hurting themselves. The shadow, on the other hand, seemed to be unfazed by the constant use of her arm and just sat silently at her table, sipping on a dark liquid. He imagined it was a beer but based on Anjuu’s reaction to alcohol he wondered if instead it was just a soda that she pretended was alcoholic.