Chapter 79
CAMILLA’S PO.V
It took two days and a written letter from the physician for Ryker to even consider letting me out of bed. He was worried- anyone with eyes could see it. The only people he allowed within reach of me were Christine and the girls. Speaking of the girls, Audrey had all but launched herself into my arms when she saw me. She muttered something about being happy that I didn’t go with my mother and I teared up.
Audrey wouldn’t even go for her lessons yesterday, she spent her entire time by my side. Neither Ryker nor I had the galls to tell her to do her lessons. As someone who had lost my mother twice, I knew how she was feeling. I wanted to assure her that I was never going to leave her but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words because I knew they were a lie. Sooner or later, I was going to leave- I just hoped it was later.
“Your majesty,” I looked up at the elders who I was currently in a meeting with and I suddenly realized that being in a coma for three days had its benefits because I could avoid them. “You did not answer our question.”
“What question was that?”
He pursed his l*ps in annoyance but he managed to hide it well. “We were able to narrow down the names of the potential helpers that Frederick could have in the palace. We took out the names of the people who were fiercely loyal to your mother and the older people who could not help even if they wanted to.”
“What are we left with?”
“Mainly guards and maids. It is impossible to know for sure that they are helping Frederick unless we catch them in the act. The first idea was to put guards to trail them, if you agree with that then-”
“No,” I shut the idea down immediately. “If you pick wrong and miss a spy then you could ruin all of us. Find another way to follow and track them down without potentially putting the entire operation at risk.”
I could see they didn’t agree but they couldn’t speak against me. I wasn’t there to cater to their needs and wants, they were to cater to mine and my want was that Frederick and his allies were found with the least possible number of casualties.
Once that was settled, I cleared my throat. “The poison that was used on me, did the physician find out anything about it? If we know what it is then we might be able to find out where it came from and by extension where Frederick might be.”
“That is a brilliant idea, I don’t know why we never thought about it,” I turned to Ryker and I saw him sporting a look of pride on his face. I couldn’t stop the small flush from creeping up my cheeks at his appraisal. “According to the physician, he used a mixture of wolf’s bane and a rare poison called anathis. Anathis is so rare and difficult to come across and also illegal because of its properties.”
“That narrows down our search by a lot. Find out how many people in the palace will have access to anathis and if Frederick was part of their buyers. If he wasn’t, find out who was.”
When I was done, I stood to my feet. There was no need spending more time than necessary with them. Ryker followed behind me with a hand at the small of my back. Ever since that incident, he was always touching m
‘t sure if it was his of telling himself that I was alive or his way of telling me that he was there but I loved it. W
t to be overly affectionate in public because apparently it wasn’t decent for the royal couple but lately, neither of
way
ed to care.
The rest of our day went by very uneventful until sometime during the evening when I felt Ryker’s presence invade my mind. Hi voice was soft and like velvet in my mind. “The physician found someone who might have access to anathis.”
I was out of my seat in an instant and I made my way towards the front of the palace where they were readying the carriage. Ryker was standing there with the physician who looked a little worried and out of place. They were talking and as I got closer, I got an idea of the conversation.
“I’m not sure if he would have,” the physician began slowly. “But if anyone will know where to find anathis then it has to be him. He dabbles in a lot of things but he is my friend. Will he be fined for dealing with illegal substances? I know it is wrong but he has never hurt anyone before.”
“If he is able to help us find who is responsible for harming the Queen then he will be let off with a warning but should he be found dabbling in illegals again then he will face the full extent of the law. I believe that is a fair enough exchange.”
I could tell the physician would have liked to say more but he was aware that we were already doing him a favor and it was unwise to push further. He got into the carriage with the guards while Ryker and I went into one alone. The ride was quiet. but he had our fingers intertwined the entire time. The guards didn’t act as if they knew anything had happened to me and I couldn’t help but turn to Ryker.
“How many people knew that I was unconscious?”
He paused before speaking again. “None, it would have been foolish to inform the public that the crown was weak. They think you took a break to heal from the injury.”
“What if I never woke up?”
The carriage went deathly silent and I saw Ryker breathing deeply through his nose. I knew it was something he didn’t want to talk about but I also needed to know what he would have done.
“You would have woken up, even if I had to crawl into the afterlife and bring you back myself”
There was no bluff to his words, he spoke with fierce determination and I was certain that he would have done that. I suddenly remembered the goddess’ words. When she had said them, I hadn’t paid more attention but now, they held new value to me.
I stayed quiet for the rest of the ride. It seemed longer than it actually was. We ended up in front of a small wooden shop. There were a bunch of carvings lining the entrance and some knitted fabrics. The store was so congested that we had to maneuver around the wares to get inside. The inside was even worse with dust coating the ceilings. It looked almost abandoned, like no one had been there for a while.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” I asked the physician who nodded.
“This is his shop, it is where we always meet up.
I walked further into the shop and got to the front desk. I didn’t notice the movement from my left until a hand wrapped around mine. It happened so fast that I barely had time to process but within a second, all the guards behind me had their weapons drawn. The man was covered in dust and soot and wearing grey clothes that were falling apart from the seams. I didn’t know if his hair was naturally that shade of black or if it was because of the dirt.
“It would be in your best interest to release me,” I began slowly and he swallowed but slowly let go. I saw him eyeing the back door and I shook my head. “We have guards surrounding this shop. If you run you will get caught. All we want is your co- operation.”
He looked like he would have rather swallowed glass but he nodded and took a step back. “My apologies, your majesty. I had no idea that you were the one. The areas have been unsafe recently and I didn’t want to be a victim. What can I help you with? I have the best hand carved furniture and knitted rugs.”
I smiled coldly. “I need the name of the person who bought anathis from you.”
”
There was a flash of guilt in his eyes but it quickly disappeared. He looked over my shoulder and his eyes met with the physician’s. There was anger and betrayal in them and I knew that if he weren’t currently trying to would have attacked him. From the look being leveled, I knew there was more to the story than w curiosity was piqued.
“I don’t know what my brother has told you but I do not deal in anathis, it is illegal for a reason”
own life, he
new and
my
My brows rose as he spoke. I looked between them once more and I could see the similarities. They had the same nose and the same curve of their l*ps but it ended there. The shop owner turned to leave but I stepped in his way. His hand twitched with the urge to move me aside but being Queen came with its own perks and unless he wanted to die a slow and painful death, he had to stand still.
“Were you at the town square a few days ago?” I asked and he nodded. “I am sure you saw the part where I was shot with an
arrow,”
He hesitated before nodding and I could see the wheels in his head turning. “That is the reason I said the area was not safe. If they could attack in public then they will attack me. It is getting late, you do not want to be out by the time it gets dark.”
“Spare me the fake sympathy,” I brushed him off immediately. “The arrow was dipped in wolf’s bane and anathis. Wolf’s bane is illegal but very easy to obtain while anathis is rare. The preparation is so delicate that one wrong move could kill the handler. The way I see it, you could either tell us who bought the anathis from you or I can take you in for a conspiracy to murder the Queen. It is your choice.”
