Chapter Twelve – Scarlett
Chapter Twelve
Scarlett
‘Scarlett?’
At the sound of Aric’s voice, I raised my head, running a hand through my matted red hair. Dried blood coated the ends, which had faded to white after I had resurrected Lillian. Subtly, I shifted to hide my trembling hands, but Aric had already seen them. He was trained to notice detail.
He took a seat on the edge of my pallet. ‘How are you feeling?’
I tried to summon the conviction that had held me together in the arena, allowing me to return to my tent without assistance. But I was too tired, and in too much pain, to pretend to be invincible now. And with Aric, I didn’t have to.
‘Honestly? Terrible.’ I smiled weakly. ‘How long were the healers working on me?’
‘Almost five hours.’
‘That long. It must have been serious.’ I tried to sit up, but Lillian was there in an instant, a delicate hand pressed against my chest to stop me from moving.
‘You’ll tear your stitches,’ she told me, her face set in a frown. ‘You’re in so much pain. You shouldn’t have refused the verdine root.’
‘It’s addictive. And even if it wasn’t, I won’t have medications clouding my mind. I need to stay sharp.’
‘You need to stay in bed,’ Lillian said with unexpected authority.
I expected Aric to chastise her – she was addressing her princess, after all – but he only smiled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. And something else. Relief.
He was relieved to see proof of Lillian’s spirit, I realised. It had been months since she had died and been brought back to life, but I suspected it would take years before he stopped looking at her like a miracle. If he ever did.
To my surprise, Lillian avoided her brother’s eyes. It must be difficult being treated like spun glass, something beautiful and fine that could shatter under the slightest pressure.
Someone – most likely Aella – had removed my bloodstained clothes. I lifted my chemise and peeled back one of the bandages covering my stomach. The stitches were small and neat, almost unnaturally so, as though they had been done by–
‘I hope you don’t mind,’ Lillian said anxiously. ‘Perhaps I should have let the healer stitch you up, but they can be a little . . . inelegant, and I didn’t want it to scar.’
I looked up at her. ‘You didn’t have to do that.’
‘I wanted to.’ Lillian met my gaze boldly. ‘I know I question your methods sometimes, but I am alive because of you. Consider this a small expression of my gratitude.’
‘Thank you.’ It was all I could think to say. Even though Lillian’s friendship was based on a lie, and Aric’s too, it still warmed my heart.
It doesn’t matter , I thought, moving to sit up. This time, Lillian didn’t try to stop me. Sentimentality is something I can’t afford.
‘Where are we with the Zigilians?’ I asked, trying to conceal my wince as the stitches pulled. Lillian, feeling it too, gave me a sharp glance. I ignored her.
‘No important decisions have been made during your absence. I’ve been focusing on establishing my authority as General Harte’s replacement.
’ Aric’s mouth turned downwards, and I wondered what kind of pushback he had received.
But his voice was self-assured as he continued, ‘That task will be easier once you’re recovered.
You won the respect of your army by defeating Cade; when the other officers see you at my side, they will fall into line. ’
‘What about Langton? I saw him standing with Cade during the fight.’
‘I’m sure he regrets that now. Langton’s an opportunist, and he made the wrong call. If anything, he’s been one of the easiest officers to deal with. I think he believes that by supporting me, he can redeem himself with you.’
‘It’ll take more than that,’ I muttered, thinking of how quickly he had turned against me.
‘Good. I’d hate for you to make it easy for him.’ Aric smiled, but it was short-lived. ‘It would be wise to make a public appearance soon. There are rumours that your wounds could prove fatal.’
‘The healer recommended a few days of bed rest,’ Lillian said, then sighed at my expression. ‘You remind me of Mira. She was stubborn too.’
Was . As if Mira had died – or perhaps Lillian, like Aric, believed she hadn’t truly known Mira at all.
When I looked at Aric, his face was grim. Lillian went quiet, probably regretting making the comparison. Or perhaps she was reading my emotions even now, reacting to my own unease.
We moved on to discussing strategy, but Aric had to stop regularly to gather his thoughts. The third time he did this, my eyes went to the sweat glistening on his forehead.
‘Perhaps you should take a break,’ Lillian said to him with concern. ‘You’ve been pushing yourself too hard as it is.’
Aric rose to his feet – only to groan and double over. Lillian was at his side before he could fall, and I noticed the way his head lolled forward as she eased him back down.
‘I’m fine,’ he tried to say, but his voice was thick, the words sluggish.
Fear speared through me. Lillian’s eyes darted to mine, her face almost as drawn as her brother’s.
‘What is it?’ she asked urgently. ‘What’s wrong with him?’
I touched his forehead. It was searing hot.
‘It might just be a fever,’ I said at last. ‘But Aric wasn’t a popular choice to replace General Harte, and his new position comes with enemies. There are plenty of toxic plants native to Zigilia, and there’s always the possibility that someone could have brought poison from the Ravalian Court.’
‘Poison?’ Lillian’s voice was high and thin. ‘Are you sure?’
‘I’m not sure of anything. All I have are suspicions.’
I checked Aric over, taking note of his dilated pupils and rapid breathing. He tried to push me away, mumbling something about this being unnecessary, but I persisted. Only my grip on his shoulders kept him from toppling over.
‘We should call for a healer,’ Lillian said, standing.
I grabbed her wrist. ‘No. Not yet.’ Ignoring Lillian’s protests, I asked Aric, ‘Have you eaten?’
He blinked rapidly, as if he was trying to focus on my face. ‘No.’
So it wasn’t food. That left water, which wasn’t a good choice for most poisons. But if it was water, the poisoner would have had to use something that was clear and easily dissolvable. I ran through what Zandri had taught me about poisons, trying to think of one that might fit.
‘Scarlett!’ I glanced reflexively up at Lillian. ‘Aric drank from this,’ she said, passing over the water pitcher.
My water pitcher.
Perhaps Aric hadn’t been the assassin’s target at all. I cast my mind back, thinking of how no one except the healers had been allowed in to see me. Thinking of how they had poured me water and even helped me drink it–
It had to have been one of them. Which meant I had been exposed to the poison too.
My body was a little warmer than usual, and the pain was bad – but it would be, given my wounds. Could that pain be clouding the true impact of the poison? Or perhaps it hadn’t been the water at all, and I was wasting precious moments while Aric became steadily weaker.
I studied the water pitcher. Then I pushed through the tent flap and addressed the Warriors stationed outside.
‘I want every healer to be brought to my tent, under armed guard. Do not let them leave for any reason. Do not provide them with any food or water except for this.’ I gestured to the pitcher.
If the Warriors thought my request was strange, they didn’t comment on it. ‘Yes, Your Highness,’ they said, bringing their arms to their chests in the Ravalian gesture of obedience.
I helped Aric to his feet. He was lucid enough to stand on his own, which was a relief. I wasn’t strong enough to carry him out of here, even with Lillian’s help.
‘Steady him,’ I told Lillian when Aric swayed.
I didn’t feel much better. The wound in my stomach was throbbing, and I was dizzy and light-headed.
It occurred to me that it might be safest to summon the Masks and rely on them to fix this.
But though Zandri had blood rubies for everyone in the Orders, Mira’s mother had once found a way around her magical control.
Right now, I couldn’t afford to trust anyone.
‘What did you say to them?’ Lillian asked, her arms wrapped around Aric. Her stare burned into me as I retrieved my dagger and sliced through the back of the tent.
‘I ordered the healers held here, with only my pitcher for water.’ I didn’t look at Lillian. ‘My Warriors will observe them. If it’s poisoned, and a healer is responsible, they will avoid drinking it. Given the heat, that should narrow down our suspects quite well.’
‘Scarlett, they have families.’ Lillian sounded aghast, but surely this was nothing worse than the bodies piled up outside Damar’s walls. ‘Most of them are loyal. They worked night and day to help you, and you’re talking about murdering –’
I climbed outside, deliberately muffling Lillian’s last words. My order could condemn innocent people to death, but I didn’t have time for a crisis of conscience. I needed to focus on survival.
Lillian and Aric stumbled out of the tent after me, but I didn’t turn. My eyes went to the Zigilian stallion tethered just outside. With night falling, and no fire braziers around the back of my tent, at least we had the cover of darkness on our side.
Which didn’t mean we were safe. My would-be assassin could still be close – and they might decide to take a more active role in killing me. I didn’t like my chances of fighting an assailant in my weakened condition in the middle of the desert. But I liked the idea of staying here even less.
I mounted the stallion first, before helping Lillian hoist Aric into the saddle. He swayed, but remained upright.
‘Hold onto my waist,’ I told him, and his hands tightened instinctively around me.
‘Your turn,’ I told Lillian, who climbed up as well.
‘Are you sure about this?’ she asked, holding Aric tightly. ‘He’s getting worse. We need to get him somewhere safe. Somewhere he can be looked after properly.’
‘I am looking after him,’ I said, and jammed my heels into the stallion’s side.
I clutched its mane as it moved into a canter, directing it between the tents and towards the desert beyond.
It wouldn’t be easy to locate the tribal people of the Red Dunes, but I remembered Severin’s descriptions of their camps.
More importantly, I remembered how he had praised their knowledge of medicine and ancient remedies.
If anyone could save Aric, it would be them. The only problem would be giving them incentive to do so.
And staying alive long enough to find them.