Chapter 13
My mouth dropped open. “But it wasn’t your fault!”
Cassian closed his eyes, and his face was a picture of sorrow. “Fear and sadness breed anger, and I can’t help wondering myself if God had tested me and found me wanting. I was slow in mobilizing the army against the nethral, and my mistake cost many lives.”
I slipped around in front of him and grasped his shoulders.
“Listen, Cassian. I know I only just, well, arrived here, but I already know that you’re a good person.
Even good people make mistakes, and from what I’ve seen, you always try your hardest to fix them.
Maybe your people just need to be shown the you that your men see every day.
If they did, then I’m sure there wouldn’t be any more grumblings about you not being good enough. ”
A playful smile danced across his lips. “What do you recommend I do, my counselor?”
I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest. “Well, do you tell them about these operations? I’m not saying bring some of them along for the ride, but maybe telling them you’re in the neighborhood helping them would show them you care.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “That is astounding.”
I blinked at him, and my crossed arms faltered a little. “What is?”
“You have given me the exact opposite advice as some of my other counselors.”
I snorted and readjusted my arms. “Well, maybe they need to get out and see the people, too. And maybe you can throw parties for the people where you mingle with them. People always like someone who’s willing to drink with them over a barrel of whiskey, especially if you paid for it and not them.”
He stared at me for a long moment, long enough that I began to squirm beneath that steady look.
Then the smile returned, curling onto his lips with a warmth that made me blush.
“You’re quite right, of course. I shall have to throw a party upon my return, and such a celebration the people shall remember for many years. ”
I snorted. “Just don’t break the royal treasury doing it. They might expect it every year.”
He didn’t take his eyes off me as he slowly shook his head. “No, I don’t expect it to happen every year.” He shifted and winced.
My eyes widened. “I’m so sorry! All this talking and I haven’t even finished cleaning you up!”
“The job is just about finished,” he assured me as he raised his arm to inspect the wound. “You need only bandage the wound, and we shall set off.”
My legs twinged at the thought of more riding. “To get me fixed up?”
“Exactly.”
I plucked the bandages from the ground and a roll of tape. “Where are we going to get rid of this ghast stuff in me?”
“Those most capable of removing such poison are the adders of the Whispering Scree.”
I paused midway through unrolling the tape, and my face drooped. “Snakes?”
“Yes. They are the best equipped to remove deadly poisons and the like from us.”
I hunched over and grumbled a few words. “Of course it would have to be snakes…”
“Is that a problem?”
I froze and hung my head. “I, um, I’m not fond of snakes.”
Cassian chuckled. “These are not as fearsome as the wild ones that roam the land, but you’ll see. Here, let me help hold one end of the bandage.”
With his help, he was soon partially mummified.
The dark night sky had faded into the soft glow of twilight.
The forest came alive, not with the nightmares of darkness but with the sweet chirp of birds.
Squirrels skittered about across the trees and glared down at us on high. I even glimpsed a few deer.
The sight of familiar animals soothed my mind, but not my body. That didn’t take kindly to the brightening day at all.
“Are you feeling well?”
The sudden question caused me to jump. I twisted my head around and blinked at my companion. “What do you mean?”
“You’re shifting in the saddle quite often,” he pointed out as his mesmerizing blue eyes examined me. “And your face is rather pale.”
“Is it?” I wondered as I reached up and brushed a few fingers across my cheek. I gasped and jerked my hand back.
“What is it?” His question was sharp.
I stared bewildered at my fingers. “M-my cheek feels like ice.”
“Niveus!” Cassian shouted.
The horse flipped its head and broke into a sprint. We vaulted over huge logs and stones, and I clutched onto the horn even as Cassian looped an arm around my midsection.
My heart pounded in my chest as I turned my head around. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
His grim expression didn’t help my frazzled mind. “You have the symptoms of pitchghast.”
My blood-pumping organ decided to skip a couple of beats. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’ll be a pitchghast by nightfall if we don’t remove the filth.”
The color drained from my face along with the warmth. “How far away are those snakes?”
“Half a day’s ride.”
Oh God. Only a few hours stood between my slithery salvation and eternal doom. What little warmth I felt seemed to be sucked out of my body as the sun rose above the horizon. I was shivering two hours later, and a hideous clamminess crept over my flesh.
Cassian tugged on the reins ever so slightly, and Niveus slowed to a quick trot. He drew off his coat and draped the heavy cloth over my shoulders. The king also reached into one of the small parcels and pulled out a package of paper. He opened the parchment and revealed some dried meat.
Cassian held out the bit of cured meat. “We can’t stop, so this will have to do for our meal.”
I took the meat and nibbled on the edges.
However, when I tried to swallow, the food stuck in my throat.
I choked and coughed until the meat came back up, along with some unbecoming spittle.
I caught the food in my hand and stared in bewilderment at the meat.
There wasn’t anything wrong with the flavor, my body just refused to swallow it.
“How much did he force you to ingest?”
I shuddered at the memory. “A lot.”
Cassian gently brushed the food off my outstretched palm and placed a water flask in it. “Drink some water instead.”
I stared in bewilderment and worry at the water can. “I…I can’t eat right now, can I?”
He set his hand on my arm and offered me a smile. “You’ll eat soon enough.”
I realized he was trying to cheer me up, but reality kept foiling his plans.
I took a swig of the water and found myself drowning.
My throat refused to down the liquid, and I ended up spitting it out.
The water dribbled down my cheek and dripped onto the saddlehorn like tears.
They were soon joined by my own tears. Fear and frustration were my companions now.
Cassian took the water flask from my shaking hands and tucked it away with the rest of the meal. I was more than dissatisfied with the course. I was terrified. I grabbed hold of my trembling shoulders and tried to stifle the sobs that threatened to overwhelm me.
The king’s warm, strong arms slipped up on either side of me, holding me in his gentle grasp. His whispered words floated around me in my dizzying cloud of terror. “Don’t despair. I’ve sworn to you that I won’t let you become a ghast.”
A bitter laugh escaped me. “Does that mean you’ll kill me before I do?”
He grasped my arms and leaned forward to catch my gaze in his beautiful eyes. “I won’t allow that to happen. Now hold on.”
Cassian cracked the whips. Niveus neighed and flew through trees. I yelped and clutched onto the horn as the horse leaped over a log and didn’t return to the ground for another twenty feet.
“Is this horse about to fly?” I shouted at my driver over the thunder of the hooves.
“No, but he can get close to it!” Cassian yelled back.
Niveus had the stamina of a donkey as he flew on and on, taking us over many miles of rough terrain in only a few hours.
I was grateful for his speed, as every minute that flew by had a new tinge of suffering.
I began to shiver uncontrollably, even against the efforts of Cassian’s body and his heavy coat.
The sun didn’t help matters. I found myself squinting in the bright light, and every beam we traveled through caused my skin to itch. It made me grateful for the deep darkness of the woods.
And yet, I was more terrified than ever. The clock was ticking, and the symptoms were growing worse. I now clung to the hope that these snakes could somehow remove the poison that infected my body, before I became a hideous creature of the night.