Dr. Wyeth met them outside the makeshift hospital, his gaze flying to Lileth’s prone body. “Not Lil!”
“She’s been poisoned,” Raff said. “I’m not sure how much was in the wine, but she drank the whole thing. I smelled bitter almonds and a sharp medicinal tang in addition to the fermented grapes and the essence of the wood cask—”
The doctor shot him an incredulous look. “You got all that in one whiff?”
Thalia might’ve been amazed if she hadn’t watched the cats sniffing for mines ahead of her convoy. “Animari senses are incredibly sharp. Help her, please.”
Responding to her urgency, Dr. Wyeth took command of the scene. “Get me bloodwork and pump her stomach.”
The nurse leapt to do his bidding, taking samples even as the rest of the medical team hurried around the infirmary. Thalia barely noticed when the wolf lord took her arm, but she did resist when he tried to pull her from the room.
“I have to be here.”
“We’re in the way. Let’s not hinder the rescue efforts.”
“Then you go,” she said sharply. “This woman practically raised me, and I will not leave her.”
His hand dropped away. “I didn’t know.” It was an indication of his character that he didn’t force the issue. “Then let’s move to the doorway. You can still see everything from there, but we won’t interfere with treatment.”
“Fine.” Thalia let him lead her that far. Her heart thundered in her ears, an infinite onslaught of dread.
Raff turned to his people. “Please go check on things in the dining hall and work with the head Noxblade to figure out who did this…and why.”
“I’m the target,” Thalia whispered.
“Why would you assume that?”
“Because poison just makes your people sick. It’s not an efficient means to eliminate a wolf, but our people have been ending each other this way for centuries. We’re good at it. And it doesn’t make sense that they’d strike at Lileth…she’s a low-value target. Therefore, they must not have realized that you’d detect the toxin before we all ingested it.”
The whole time she spoke, she didn’t take her eyes off Lil’s pale face. It was terrible to see the tube go down her throat, worse to imagine the worst coming to pass. This is because of me. My choices. This nightmarish tableau also summoned diabolical images, those she’d spent a hundred years trying to forget.
He didn’t respond to her assessment, which probably meant he agreed.
“It seems like she’s very special to you.” It was an invitation to talk, open-ended.
Normally she wouldn’t be drawn so easily but it felt like her tongue was unhinged. “I barely remember my mother, only how she died. Lileth was always there.”
“How your mother died…?” He trailed off, gentle but curious, and she supposed discretion didn’t matter.
He’ll learn what sort of unholy bargain he’s made, soon enough.
“She was poisoned by my father’s mistress,” Thalia said. “Right in her afternoon tea. By nightfall, she was foaming at the mouth. By sunrise, she was gone.”
“Shit,” Raff said.
It was the first time she’d thought of him by his first name instead of his title or what he represented to her people, but there was no point in mental formality when she was making such revelations about her family.
“How old were you?” he asked.
“Ten. Scarcely more than an infant.”
“We’ll agree to differ there, but…I’m sorry. This must be bringing back some dire memories.”
“That’s true enough.”
Thalia watched as Dr. Wyeth worked frantically to save Lileth, trying every hope they had. The dialysis setting on the IC machine didn’t seem to be helping fast enough, as Lileth lacked the supernal Animari recuperative process. The older woman was paler than death, so still that she scarcely seemed to be breathing.
Raff tugged lightly on the bond that connected them at the wrist to draw her attention. “What happened to her? The mistress.”
“My father had her publicly executed, head on a pike.”
His eyes widened. “You mean that literally?”
She sighed, wondering why she’d thought it was wise to open this Pandora’s box, especially now. “Yes. The birds ate her eyes, pecked away at her decaying flesh, until she was only a skin-pocked skull with tufts of hair. An example of what happens when you’re caught going against the hierarchy.”
“Caught?”
Each of his questions underscored how different they were, how little he could understand her. “Tradition is valued here. The same four families have held power for generations. Nobody escapes their birth rank, outside of truly diabolical scheming.”
“I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at.”
“If she’d succeeded, she would’ve married my father and become my stepmother. People judged her more harshly, not for committing the crime, but for leaving evidence. A whisper of unprovable suspicion probably would have enhanced her reputation.”
Raff let out a slow whistle. “That…is deeply fucked.”
“I know.” She would change that, if she could—so it didn’t require a perfect crime to change your social status.
Lileth still hadn’t moved. The wine was out of her system, now swirling in the IC machine. Dr. Wyeth didn’t appear hopeful; Thalia watched his mouth tighten, the pleat between his brows deepening. She dragged the wolf lord over to join the doctor, unable to stem the questions.
“What have you learned? What are her chances?”
“It’s bad.” The bald words nearly made her knees buckle, but the wolf lord grabbed her elbow and held her up with such casual strength that gratitude suffused her.
I’m glad he’s here.
“Tell me,” she ordered.
“We’ve identified three separate toxins: chokevine, widow’s veil, and some kind of venom. The database can’t tell if it comes from spider, snake, or reptile. I’ve given her the first two antidotes, but if my hypothesis is right…” He hesitated.
“Just fucking speak,” Thalia snapped.
“I believe these substances were specially chosen because they blend into a fast-acting super poison, and if we can’t identify the last one, it’s impossible for us to counteract. And that’s not even the worst news in this situation.”
“Breathe,” Raff said.
His arm went around her because she suddenly had no strength in her legs. How can I lead? I can’t
