Chapter 36
We got as far as the hallway just beyond the ballroom doors before Casimir hurled up the contents of his stomach onto the floor.
As though he’d been waiting for us, Evren stood leaning casually against a wall, a wolfish grin plastered across his mouth.
Like he was delighted that we’d fallen right into his trap.
“Right on schedule,” he drawled.
The sight of him looking so smug sent a pulse of fury surging through me. I palmed the dagger still strapped to my thigh beneath my silk dress. If it came to it, and I had no other options, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it.
I guess I’m dressed for battle after all. But even if I incapacitated Evren, how would I procure the antidote? What if there was no antidote? Panic seeped in at the edges of my vision—but no, I could not—would not—consider that possibility.
I forced myself to remember that I was the Heir, the Keeper of the council’s secret. If all else failed, I could use that as leverage. The unpredictability of it all made me sick to my stomach, but one thing was for certain: I would see Evren’s blood spilled for what he had done.
The Bloodweaver pushed off the wall and strode over to where we stood, eyeing Casimir’s slumped frame and pale countenance. “Oof, your Darkseer’s not looking too well, is he?” he said, smirking.
I clenched my teeth to stop myself from screaming at him.
“If you want him to survive the night, I suggest you follow me,” Evren said calmly. “There’s an event tonight that demands our attendance.”
“You said the poison wouldn’t kill him,” I ground out, a note of panic beneath the anger in my voice.
Evren clicked his tongue. “No, girl, I believe I said that it wouldn’t kill him as long as you cooperated.”
I waited, hoping to detect some falsehood in his statement, but found none. So, the poison was lethal. My blood ran cold.
My world narrowed to this singular terror, the knowledge that Casimir would die if I didn’t do exactly as Evren bade me.
His sneering face represented my only hope of saving Casimir, which was exactly how he’d planned it.
After months of denying and dancing around my relationship with Casimir, seeing him in danger forced me to confront my feelings.
To make a choice. And in truth, it was no choice at all.
“What do you want in exchange for the antidote?” I asked.
Evren didn’t answer. He stalked over, taking Casimir’s chin roughly between his fingers and examining the sheen of sweat, the blue pallor of his lips.
“You’re looking worse for wear, Darkseer,” he observed.
“But that’s to be expected. Hydra Datura is quite a potent venom, especially when undiluted. ”
My heart stopped. Hydra Datura? I’d never heard of it before.
My confusion must’ve shown on my face because Evren smirked and said, “Don’t delude yourself into thinking it’s anything like the mild hallucinogenic we spike wine with at parties.
” He laughed softly. “It’s a mutation, a more potent version of the flowering plant, grown in Ethervale by our master botanists.
Only to be used on enemies and special occasions. ”
My heart stopped. Oh fucking fuck! The venomous plant had been tampered with so that it was potent enough to poison Daemons. This at least explained why he was so sick, displaying symptoms that encompassed a variety of toxins.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this. It’s truly a delicious moment,” Evren sighed wistfully. “If only there were time to savor it.”
Casimir gave a faint groan.
Evren withdrew his hand and flicked his cold gaze to me. “Too bad time is running out for your Darkseer.”
I ground my teeth together and waited, my legs shaking from the effort of keeping Casimir upright.
With an arrogant smirk, Evren turned on his heel and strode in the direction of the grounds. Over his shoulder, he called out, “What are you waiting for, girl?”
We made slow progress toward the grounds, my anxiety increasing tenfold with every minute that passed.
Casimir was declining rapidly, that much was obvious.
His coordination was that of an extremely inebriated person, and it was all he could do to keep up with Evren’s brutal pace as his feet stumbled over the uneven ground.
We had to stop more than once so he could heave up the contents of his stomach, which was mostly liquor, along with a dark substance that looked terrifyingly like blood.
Finally, Casimir could walk no further. With a groan, he slumped to the cold ground.
The sound was enough to make Evren stop.
“Please, you have to help him,” I begged Evren. “He won’t make it much farther like this.”
Evren stopped and scowled at the pair of us.
It was clear he held little sympathy for Casimir’s plight.
Finally, he relented. “Only because you’ll make us late.
” Plunging a hand into his pocket, he retrieved a second vial containing a pale blue liquid.
Before he handed it over, he shot me a warning glare.
“I will give him a few drops. Just enough to get him to the Grotto. If you try to interfere, I will kill you.”
I nodded. What else could I do but obey? I was entirely at his mercy. “Wait—” I said, putting a hand out to stop his advance. “How do I know this won’t make him sicker?” I didn’t trust the Bloodweaver in the slightest.
Evren rolled his eyes. “You really are daft. Why would I slow us down further? I already told you, we need him for the ritual.”
Detecting no trace of deceit in the air, I allowed him to approach.
Evren helped me lift Casimir so that he was sitting up long enough to pry open his jaw and place three drops of the blue liquid on his tongue.
The effect was immediate. Groaning weakly, Casimir squinted up at us.
His eyes were no longer glazed, but alert and present. I sank onto the cold grass in relief.
“Thank the gods,” I croaked.
“Time’s up.” Evren began walking again, not bothering to see if we followed. “Remember, that potion won’t last long, so get moving,” he called over his shoulder.
Casimir was weak and pale, but alive. A small amount of antidote would give us time.
“How do you feel?” I asked tentatively.
He spoke in a hoarse whisper, “What happened?”
“You were poisoned,” I said. I poisoned you. “I owed Evren a favor, as part of my bargain.” I swallowed heavily. “He told me to slip a potion into your drink. I didn’t know what it would do. I’m so sorry, Casimir.”
Blinking slowly, he absorbed my confession. Did he comprehend the depth of my betrayal between the lines?
He gazed up at me, his expression indecipherable. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he said.
Shame and regret hollowed out my insides. “I’m sorry,” I breathed the apology over and over until the phrase lost all meaning. Tears flowed down my cheeks, salty and hot as an uncontrollable sob broke from my lungs.
“It’s okay, Farrow,” Casimir reassured me.
That only made me cry harder. Nothing about this was okay.
“Oy!” called an angry voice up ahead. “Now is not the time for your little lover’s reunion. Get your Darkseer the fuck up and walking before I come over there and make him.”
I glared daggers at Evren but obeyed his command out of fear that he would make good on his promise.
The last thing Casimir needed in his weakened state was to be tortured.
Stronger thanks to the antidote, Casimir was able to stand on his own, and we followed Evren toward the woods at the edge of campus.
The frozen ground crunched under our feet.
It was quiet, save for the faint screeching of violins and peals of laughter coming from the distant ballroom.
The full moon loomed brightly overhead, and every place its luminosity touched felt like a harbinger of death. There was nowhere left to hide.
“You should go, now,” Casimir whispered into the darkness.
“No way,” I hissed back. “You need the rest of that antidote. Evren says you’ll die without it, so I’m not going anywhere.”
The possibility of eliminating Evren and seizing the antidote was now out of the question.
Casimir couldn’t glamour him without receiving a massive shock to the system, and he was in no state to endure it.
I no longer cared about stopping the ritual.
Getting Casimir that antidote was my sole objective.
Casimir saw the hard resolve etched into my features, his expression wary. Just before we reached the chapel, he held me back with a brush of his knuckle against my elbow and whispered into the shell of my ear.
“Two things. First, don’t take off that necklace, whatever you do.”
My hand automatically darted to the necklace coiled against my throat.
“Second, remember that you are the Heir, and that means your blood will protect you against glamours—at least, to an extent. Focus on escaping.”
He drew back and turned his gaze toward the Grotto, his mask concealing even the faintest trace of dismay.