Chapter 17 #2
Sensing what was coming, Norah tried to lean away, but as she was still bound and locked inside the tiny room, there was nowhere to go as the woman pulled a little bottle from a bag that was slung across her shoulders.
Removing the lid, she dumped a little pile of orange powder into her hand.
Then she tossed it in the air above Norah, and with bright eyes, watched it all descend.
Norah tried not to breathe the powder in, but Willamina grabbed her by the hair and pinched her nose shut, forcing Norah to breathe through her mouth. As soon as she took a breath, she began coughing and choking on the powder. It tasted of dust mixed with curry.
“You’ve given me Kempter!” Norah shouted. “You wish me to forget!”
“It’s a pity it has to be this way,” Willamina said, stepping back and surveying her work.
“But you’ll be much happier for it in the end.
And so will my son. Oh, I suppose I’d better lay you down so you don’t hit your head before you come to.
” She came forward and gently pushed Norah sideways so that she lay on the bed.
Then, after another look, she removed Norah’s wedding ring before turning and exiting the room, locking the door behind her.
As soon as she was gone, Norah began struggling against her bonds. Not because she was worried the Kempter would knock her unconscious the way Willamina thought it would, but because she wanted to be on her feet and ready when the door opened again.
Kempter, as Norah’s mother had taught her, was one in a large family of plant-derived poisons. Only, if given in small doses, this poison didn’t kill. It destroyed memories. Which was a great danger to humans in general, as it could destroy both the mind and the body if ingested liberally.
But Norah, as Willamina must have forgotten, was no normal human.
The healing power inside of her was already fighting the poison as it rushed through her system, just as it had already healed the laceration Willamina’s knife had made on Norah’s neck.
Really, Norah thought, it was almost insulting that they thought such a paltry trick could remove her memories.
But then another thought struck Norah, and she stopped struggling.
What chance did she really have of escaping, or even trying to fight her way out of the room? She hadn’t been able to overpower Willamina. And it was highly unlikely she would be able to escape any of the other pirates. But if she pretended that the powder had worked…
If she pretended to have lost her memory, and that she was docile and frightened, there was a good chance they wouldn’t watch her as closely.
Norah did her best to free her hands so she could hold the ropes to her wrists and make it look like she was still bound.
But the knots were tied too well, so she would simply have to wait for her moment of escape, wrists bound or unbound.
She might not have been able to heal him, but she wasn’t about to abandon the man she had just pledged her life to.
Unless… Did he want her to? She had failed him after all. Norah’s stomach turned, and it wasn’t from the bobbing up and down of the boat. Would Phillip possibly be relieved when he returned to the palace and found her gone? If he returned?
She had to abandon her morbid thoughts then, however, as a key slid into the door and it clicked open. Norah lay still and closed her eyes just before heavy boots stepped inside.
“What… Mother!” The man’s voice sounded furious, and Norah was reminded that Willamina had mentioned that he didn’t want his mother interfering. Maybe this would be easier than she thought.
The boots came closer after a moment, and Norah felt herself being lifted gently into an upright position.
“Norah?” said the man’s voice. It was soft and gentle as though he were talking to a baby. It was also familiar. This was definitely the man who had tried to take her from her cottage. “Norah, can you hear me?”
Norah tried to remember the way people would wake up after being exposed to the plant.
Some were children who had gotten into the wrong part of the forest or into an herbalist’s garden.
Others were victims of nefarious attacks.
In the end, she simply fluttered her eyelids and hoped the pirates hadn’t seen many Kempter victims before.
“What… What happened?” she whispered, looking around as though confused.
Her act must have been decent because the pirate beamed.
And now that she could see him in the light of day, she knew that he most definitely was the pirate who had tried to woo her in her house in the middle of the night.
His long, dark hair had been braided into small, neat braids all over his head, and his eyes appeared even darker in the day than they had seemed at night.
They would have been deep and alluring, had he been an honest suitor to an unattached girl.
His clothes were neat, if a bit ostentatious, and he wore the expression of a concerned lover.
But just as his mother had said, he bore dark circles beneath them, betraying evidence of the illness’s effects.
“It’s all right, Norah!” he crooned. “You had a nasty fall, but you’re safe now!” He touched her head. His acting was so good that, had she not known better, Norah would have easily believed she’d actually fallen. Then he took her hands. “Come. Let’s get you some fresh air.”
Norah nearly smiled at the opportunity, but instead forced herself to frown down at her hands. “But why am I tied–”
“Oh, that.” The pirate hurried to cut her free, nearly fumbling his knife in his haste.
“I’m so sorry, love. After you fell, the doctor was afraid you might hurt yourself, so he had us bind your hands so you couldn’t reach up as easily to touch your head.
” He gave Norah a guilty smile as he held out his hand. “How are you feeling?”
“I…” Norah tilted her head slightly, the way she had seen puppies do when they were confused.
Hopefully, she wasn’t adding too much drama to the act.
“I can’t remember…” She sucked in a deep breath.
“I can’t remember!” Then she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet, pretending meanwhile to hyperventilate.
“Air. Yes, that’s it! I need fresh air! Fresh air will help me think! And–”
“You can have fresh air soon,” the pirate hurried to take her hands again. “But not until after we’ve set out. The men won’t like it if we’re in their way.”
So they hadn’t set out yet.
“Please.” She took his rough hands in hers and had to keep herself from shivering as she did. After taking Phillip’s hands so many times, holding another man’s hands felt wrong.
But the pirate couldn’t know that.
“Who are you?” she asked. It was a legitimate question. After all, Willamina had referred to him only as her son, and Norah couldn’t remember if she had been told his name at any of the palace meetings.
The man’s face fell as though he had expected her to remember. But Norah didn’t know if this expression was truly from hopes being crushed, or if he was acting as well. “My name is Jameston Gast, love. And I’m your betrothed.” He drew closer so his hands slid from Norah’s hands up to her elbows.
Norah instinctively stepped back. “Please,” she said. “I don’t know if you’re my betrothed or not, but I don’t wish to be so close. Not yet.”
But he stepped yet closer, not quite the gentleman, it seemed, that his mother had painted him.
“If you just give your mind time, you’ll begin to–”
He was interrupted by the door swinging open and hitting the wall with a BANG.
Phillip stood in the doorway, his hands and face smeared with dirt and his sword in his hand. His brown eyes were darker than Norah had ever seen.
He was out for blood.
Jameston shoved Norah back toward the bed so hard that she fell onto it. Then he turned to face Phillip, drawing his own sword.
The two men engaged in combat, which must have been difficult, as the room was so small. Norah huddled on the bed and prayed, trying to stay out of reach of their swords.
Jameston was quick and nimble, moving in ways that Phillip was too big to even try.
But while his large frame kept him from moving quite as quickly as Jameston, he made up for the loss with power.
Every full blow Phillip delivered to Jameston’s sword sent the pirate stumbling back.
And he would have easily bested the pirate except for the whistle that Jameston sent out as he began to tire.
Pirates flooded the hall.
“No!” Norah cried, giving up all pretense of having forgotten. “No, that’s not fair!”
But no one paid her heed. Half a dozen men poured into the little room. To his credit, by the time they had managed to subdue Phillip, he’d laid out at least four.
Phillip was only one man, though, and the room was far too full for him to fight to his best ability. In what felt like seconds, his sword had been taken, and six men pressed him against the wall so he was forced to face Jameston.
“Please!” Norah screamed. “Don’t kill him! Not here! Not without honor!”
Jameston turned slowly to stare at her, seeming for the first time to hear her pleas. “You… know this man?” he asked slowly.
Norah nodded miserably. “He’s my husband.
” As she spoke, she met Phillip’s gaze. If only she could express to him how truly sorry she was for failing.
She only hoped the look she gave him now said so.
Because the failure of her love really did break her heart.
And no escape was worth letting him think she’d forgotten him just before his death.
Jameston stared at her for an interminable moment before something in his countenance changed. No longer was he Jameston, the lover who sought to woo his childhood love. Now he was Jameston, the pirate with eyes hard and dark, gripping his sword so tightly his knuckles were turning white.
“You… you love him?” He stared incredulously at Phillip before looking back at Norah, his eyes a strange mix of wrath and hope. “But all those times we shared–”
“I was nine!” Norah exploded. “How in the depths could you have believed I was in love?” She got to her feet, glowering up at him. And for a moment, she wondered if he would lash out in anger against her, too. Instead, however, after a long moment, Jameston only choked out a strange chuckle.
“You truly have a will of fire to match your hair.” He reached out to touch her face with a trembling hand, but Norah jerked away.
“You want to see my temper?” Norah let out a half-crazed laugh. “You’ve seen nothing. You know nothing! But you’ll know exactly how fiery I can be if you keep on with this charade in which you–!”
“Take care with your words,” Jameston growled, suddenly stepping closer to her. Phillip jerked forward, but the pirates pushed him back. Once he was secure, Jameston went on. “You seem to have no idea–”
“Then let me be clear!” Norah spoke through her own clenched teeth. “I couldn’t love you even if Phillip were gone! And I wouldn’t if given the chance!”
Jameston stood there, staring at her as though he had been turned to stone. But then he whirled around, and with a shout of rage, ran his sword through Phillip’s heart.