Chapter 7
Viggo Visc, the Central Warden,109Please respect copyright.PENANA0skOSax37R
was not someone to be taken lightly.
“Now listen here, Visc.” Charles109Please respect copyright.PENANAVSyT4t8X6Y
slammed his hands on the desk and stood up. “You don’t get to decide who is109Please respect copyright.PENANA1eEITuBH8v
apart of the Blades and who isn’t. You might the Warden, but that doesn’t give109Please respect copyright.PENANAbHaiYkipmP
you the authority to interfere with the King’s guards.”
“This says otherwise.” He reached109Please respect copyright.PENANAraDKKn7vUZ
into his coat pocket and removed a sealed letter with the council’s crest109Please respect copyright.PENANAUIfQbEQODm
stamped on the front. Charles snatched it from his outstretched hand. Grabbing109Please respect copyright.PENANAwIzLm9KJuZ
a letter opened, he tore the paper open then began to read. Vander could see109Please respect copyright.PENANAFhgVjTUiZI
the anger on his grandfather’s face as he finished reading. Then, he crumpled109Please respect copyright.PENANAA0dxHj7Vha
it up in his hands.
“How long have you and the council109Please respect copyright.PENANAH2X84z7RDj
been conspiring to undermine my authority Visc?” Charles tossed the crumpled-up109Please respect copyright.PENANAlGHPVipotT
paper back at the Warden.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Visc109Please respect copyright.PENANAfxbmS65oxp
didn’t even flinch. “It just calls for the investigation into my son’s injury109Please respect copyright.PENANAnPhqLMsne4
and that the guilty party be punished. That’s a standard proceeding.”
“You expect me to believe that you109Please respect copyright.PENANAcX9MkYHKJK
managed to get all of these signatures in a day?” Charles glared at the smaller109Please respect copyright.PENANAHizPDzupDf
man. “Most of these nobles have been out of the city for weeks.”
“It doesn’t matter what you109Please respect copyright.PENANASN4dY5ry7g
believe, Commander.” He said. “This is now a council matter.” Visc turned to109Please respect copyright.PENANAQHV6i6VEwk
look at Vander. “Now, explain yourself.”
“About what?” Vander asked. “Your109Please respect copyright.PENANAcVPXCP5jzN
son came to the Inn a couple days ago, made a huge stink because his fiancé109Please respect copyright.PENANAbJT6Xj5cez
came to visit me then he got physical. Shea only bit him to protect me. Then,109Please respect copyright.PENANA3f9gInBuqb
while my back was turned, he stabbed me through the side.”
“Lies!” Leon jumped up from his109Please respect copyright.PENANAhZ6HHFBMb5
seat, his face red with rage. “Nothing but lies.”
“Sit down!” Visc shouted. He109Please respect copyright.PENANA96FVwTvAqq
turned back towards Vander once his son took his seat. “Do you have proof to109Please respect copyright.PENANA2vXfdRnvL6
back up your claims?”
“Other than the dozen eyewitnesses109Please respect copyright.PENANAUWtIEj7Z2y
including the four Blades Leon brought with him?” Vander asked. “I was also109Please respect copyright.PENANAUsCmsuCdkd
with Alexander last night and our trainees celebrating their return from the109Please respect copyright.PENANAmtGlQG4iCi
forest. I’m sure the innkeeper will also back up my claims.”
“And this injury you sustained?”109Please respect copyright.PENANAA6rY4GglSt
Vander turned towards his grandfather. “You didn’t look injured when you came109Please respect copyright.PENANAJQ7aA6Mb9E
in. Where did he hurt you?”
“Here.” Vander lifted his shirt to109Please respect copyright.PENANAFyxokARSx4
reveal a mostly healed wound, but where the thread had been still left an109Please respect copyright.PENANAdFBwVG07HK
obvious mark.” Visc walked over to inspect it.
“That looks like an old wound that109Please respect copyright.PENANA8hqGBZGqYa
had long since healed.” He explained. “That proves nothing.” Vander and Charles109Please respect copyright.PENANArYafDyl1C5
exchanged glances. To them it proved enough, but outside of them and the109Please respect copyright.PENANAqmUrpImzJF
prince, no one else knew about his pact with Unna.
“I heal quickly.” Vander109Please respect copyright.PENANAmFfWM1pEVq
explained. “But if you’ll allow me to inspect your son’s sword, I doubt he was109Please respect copyright.PENANA0zehZv08uT
smart enough to clean the edge of my blood.” The three of them looked at Leon109Please respect copyright.PENANAOuciE2sgZn
who had grown quite pale.
“Son, give me your sword.” Visc109Please respect copyright.PENANANyjORSxCl0
held out his hand.
“Are you really going to take his109Please respect copyright.PENANA7dN0IN5UVo
word for it?” Leon stood up. “I’m injured,” he held up his hand. “And there is109Please respect copyright.PENANAPZHV8mwB4h
no evidence that he was attacked. Arrest him and-“ Visc’s hand caught his son109Please respect copyright.PENANAOu9JM42xcK
in the face causing him to quiet down.
“Your sword, now!” Visc shouted.109Please respect copyright.PENANA56PsAHOLMz
Without another word, Leon thrust it into his father’s chest. With the deft109Please respect copyright.PENANAnlvGp7LOcE
hand of a swordsman, Visc removed the sword from its sheath and held it up to109Please respect copyright.PENANA9NtsY9XrE1
the light. Without a word he handed it over to Charles. Within moments109Please respect copyright.PENANAWIaemxGXaK
Charles’s face was bright red.
“It seems as though you brought a109Please respect copyright.PENANAReqSQyfBoj
liar and a backstabber into my Blades, Visc.” Charles’ voice remained steady.109Please respect copyright.PENANA6bcQ4Jm2g4
Vander looked at the edge and sure enough there were flecks of dried blood109Please respect copyright.PENANAVqNE7kfJAX
alongside it. “You’re lucky this wasn’t in winter. Your sword would have gotten109Please respect copyright.PENANAB0G9k4v6wr
stuck inside it sheathe.”
“How can you be so stupid.” Visc109Please respect copyright.PENANA5gMUrhPD2w
smacked Leon upside the head. “Come on, we’re going.” Leon sulkily got up from109Please respect copyright.PENANAfBA5QSkO6C
his seat to walk towards the door, but Charles’s voice halted him.
“Give me your jacket.” Charles109Please respect copyright.PENANAQPe9EyTAhy
said.
“What?” Leon looked confused.
“Did you think there would be no109Please respect copyright.PENANA2K1BXUGH4I
consequences to attacking my grandson and a fellow Captain of the Blades? If109Please respect copyright.PENANAABMr4KVb8w
you are then you truly are an imbecile.” Charles held out his hand. “From this109Please respect copyright.PENANA46VNaF113F
point forward, you are no longer welcome here and there is nothing your father109Please respect copyright.PENANANY4O4mTuUa
can do to change that.”
“Not that I would anyway.” Visc109Please respect copyright.PENANACaeVPYpPau
snorted. “He’s outgrown this place; I have something else in mind. Give him109Please respect copyright.PENANADKWfBa7i1V
your jacket and let’s go.” Grumbling under his breath, Leon removed the jacket109Please respect copyright.PENANARoelDVJahT
then threw it at Charles. Without another word the two of them headed towards109Please respect copyright.PENANALBhgU9TtID
the door.
“Wait.” Vander said. The two men109Please respect copyright.PENANAdXtUbOtGRm
paused before slowly turning around. “How about we settle our differences like109Please respect copyright.PENANABrpfYVtcpv
Blades?”
“What do you have in mind?” Visc109Please respect copyright.PENANArKJc76CcWv
asked. Vander ignored the glare from his grandfather as he continued.
“A duel once he fully recovers.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAypTejfKZJ5
Vander explained. “Loser leaves the Blades.”
“But what do you get out of this?”109Please respect copyright.PENANAfBvP1FNUgI
Visc asked. “Leon has already been kicked out, so you have nothing to lose.”
“I’m tired of him saying I don’t109Please respect copyright.PENANACrPjRfbIbj
deserve my position and that I only got here because of my grandfather. It’s109Please respect copyright.PENANAGkuPFWRk9u
time he learned I got here on my own merits.” Vander explained. “If he wins, I109Please respect copyright.PENANANEPa6heYqq
won’t press charges for attempted murder.”
“And if my son loses?” Visc asked.109Please respect copyright.PENANAQrK4kMIS3Z
“What then?”
“I’m not sure.” He admitted.109Please respect copyright.PENANAbMyXVp3yC2
“Never thought that far ahead.” Visc threw back his head and laughed.
“You’re a weird one.” He chuckled.109Please respect copyright.PENANAZwVRDaHgCu
“You have no way of knowing this, but there have been talks about disbanding109Please respect copyright.PENANAbL6VECSEvr
the Blades since we are no longer at war, we believe there is no more use to109Please respect copyright.PENANAXEqLTxiHEM
them. If you win, I will quash any of those discussions in their tracks. The109Please respect copyright.PENANATZu7b34zYi
organization will be safe.”
“Viggo!” Charles got up from his109Please respect copyright.PENANAF0FbpqzN7M
chair slamming his hands down on the desk. “I told you not to tell him.”
“He brought up the wager and109Please respect copyright.PENANAD48JdsXtzm
that’s the only bargaining chip I have.” He shrugged. “I will let you know once109Please respect copyright.PENANA1eWG2ac0qe
my son is recovered enough to duel. We will see ourselves out.” The two of them109Please respect copyright.PENANAuHzdjczegD
walked through the door, Leon shot Vander a sour look, then they closed it109Please respect copyright.PENANAk0XqDPB193
behind them.
Visc shouted109Please respect copyright.PENANA4BqHB7aA2G
orders to the soldiers standing out there and with one loud stomp, they turned109Please respect copyright.PENANAnM8aXk1pys
around and filed out of the castle. Vander could hear him berating Leon all the109Please respect copyright.PENANA5gEwvzIPsN
way through the halls and down towards the front entrance.
“You didn’t have109Please respect copyright.PENANAdRZ61GdBIY
to do that.” Charles sat back down, leaning back in his chair. “Leon is a stain109Please respect copyright.PENANAbAbWgHCy3S
on this organization, and we had a perfect excuse to kick him out. Why give him109Please respect copyright.PENANAAxNyCrNWum
the chance?”
“His father could109Please respect copyright.PENANAv1ZejxcA5Z
bury the entire incident and there would be no punishment for Leon.” Vander sat109Please respect copyright.PENANAqcmowjpVES
down in the chair. “The Blades have always been an organization built on pride,109Please respect copyright.PENANAmdOOIZSQrQ
and there is no pride kicking Leon out this way. If he leaves, I want it to be109Please respect copyright.PENANA68p3b2Ev6z
my hands that does it.”
“Hopefully your109Please respect copyright.PENANAu3QW0rrxPw
pride doesn’t keep a backstabber in our midst.” Charles made a fist. “I can’t109Please respect copyright.PENANAzveCOf8lcL
believe he would do something so blatant in front of all those people. Is he109Please respect copyright.PENANAe2bhoWaIv2
out of his mind?”
“When it comes to109Please respect copyright.PENANABBPaJceK3Q
his pride, he looses all sense of reason.” Vander sighed. “He put both me and109Please respect copyright.PENANAD5tY2wRqXf
Shea in harms way because he thought I slept with Bree upon my return. He109Please respect copyright.PENANAV93AVRPVwO
didn’t want to hear any explanations, he wanted to kill me.”
“Kill?” Charles109Please respect copyright.PENANASxzTvErPtv
looked up. “It was just a scratch on the side, that wouldn’t kill someone.”
“Let me catch you109Please respect copyright.PENANAC28FXZp6T4
up.” Vander told him about the fight from two days ago and the cut. He also109Please respect copyright.PENANAaXMEk2Q32O
explained to him everything that happened while he was talking with Unna,109Please respect copyright.PENANAZQnTI0IrDX
omitting the part about Veyar telling him about the impending end of the world.109Please respect copyright.PENANAwbX9gP2m8Q
There was no reason to worry the older man about something he couldn’t even109Please respect copyright.PENANAQGWKzuO2ks
prove. When he explained about Unna saying he had been poisoned, all the color109Please respect copyright.PENANAqLX3YKfxvB
drained from his face.
“That little109Please respect copyright.PENANASU4Oa8DCKA
bastard.” He slammed fist on the desk knocking over his quills and ink well.109Please respect copyright.PENANAE0Y0hzA8fZ
“Now I’m even more confused as to why you wanted to give him another chance.”
“Gramps, think109Please respect copyright.PENANAZCBDpwv7ml
through it carefully.” Vander said. “We believe that the King had been109Please respect copyright.PENANAzslGSbYv7m
poisoned, waiting to verify, but then Leon shows up with poison to try and kill109Please respect copyright.PENANAHCpntmVluk
me? Surely it’s not a coincidence.”
“We don’t know109Please respect copyright.PENANAnzINtIZg1T
what it is yet and we’ve lost a day because of your injury.” Charles stood up109Please respect copyright.PENANAOJaGBZYPi5
from the chair. “If you are up for it, I will bring you to see the King then109Please respect copyright.PENANAgi8tHxu1uy
you can start your investigation.”
“And if the two109Please respect copyright.PENANABUDLWGpc1N
are linked?”
“Then we will109Please respect copyright.PENANAD0QkQZK4BC
find out who they are and crush them like insects.”
Charles led the109Please respect copyright.PENANAmtVIWjQZLQ
way out of the room and down the hall towards the secret staircase that only109Please respect copyright.PENANAX29Cpcy6HD
he, Bernard, and Peyton knew about. He swore Vander to secrecy before showing109Please respect copyright.PENANA1s8OgAsO5x
it to him because only those in the King’s inner circle should know about it.109Please respect copyright.PENANA0XsL0Cfbsx
The justification was that when it came for Charles to retire and the King, if109Please respect copyright.PENANAvcupNIrfjm
he lived, to step-down, Vander would be the one to serve the prince. Vander109Please respect copyright.PENANAgCII9cuBXm
swore then Charles pulled down a torch holder and a partition of the wall109Please respect copyright.PENANAANCcuh4TtH
opened revealing a cold, damp passageway leading up into the darkness.
Despite the109Please respect copyright.PENANAlU4I9rSVkc
passage being known, it didn’t appear as though it was well used. There was109Please respect copyright.PENANAr3NerjLFOe
dust and cobwebs everywhere, probably because servants couldn’t clean it109Please respect copyright.PENANAMCUqmoGagL
because they didn’t know about it and Bernard wouldn’t do anything with it109Please respect copyright.PENANAuqS2Bl7rgv
because it might reveal the secret to others inside the castle. Vander slapped109Please respect copyright.PENANA8SjkCJJgsU
cobwebs out of his face as he climbed up behind his grandfather. He could see109Please respect copyright.PENANAZ1kVUBaWlN
well enough in the dark to not need a torch, but his grandfather carried one109Please respect copyright.PENANA3Bg9D6f1Uj
anyway just to be safe.
At the top of the109Please respect copyright.PENANA7jzGwTAkLf
stairs was another wall, but this hand a thick rope hanging from the ceiling.109Please respect copyright.PENANARm63BeKWyz
Charles reached out to pull it down which opened the wall in front of them.109Please respect copyright.PENANABrkNt53j9Y
Once he stepped out, he knew where he was, inside the King’s bedroom right next109Please respect copyright.PENANATOUlGiYoqW
to the fireplace. Bernard and Peyton were already there with another, third109Please respect copyright.PENANA1hQ6vmKOY7
figure, that Vander recognized.
“Is it alright109Please respect copyright.PENANAGlrSVPqc8N
for the doctor to know?” Vander whispered to his grandfather.
“He’s been taking109Please respect copyright.PENANAOzJW4eT8o2
care of the Kings and Queens for fifty years,” Charles laughed. “It would be109Please respect copyright.PENANAMGJ5LC44ro
weird if he didn’t.” Vander walked over to standing close to the doctor so he109Please respect copyright.PENANAbxAvRgFQTO
could study what he was doing.
Topal Lohsyn, the109Please respect copyright.PENANAlVw64hqTTx
cities premier doctor, had been caring for patients since he was a teenager in109Please respect copyright.PENANAa7bgiH9Ugg
his grandfather’s practice. When he was young he was quiet the handsome man,109Please respect copyright.PENANAzlvRDc8Ise
but now pushing eighty, his eyesight was starting to dim and he did a lot of109Please respect copyright.PENANAQRMMhZwLTC
his work using his sense of touch, sense of smell and his hearing. It was very109Please respect copyright.PENANAskLGh3hY74
rare for the old man to miss a diagnosis, so his skills were well valued. He109Please respect copyright.PENANABxGhXiL2WQ
spent most of his time caring for those who couldn’t afford to see doctors109Please respect copyright.PENANAHhVC1Ym8yM
normally, not charging them more than they can afford. He had thinning white109Please respect copyright.PENANA9xDIKiVANV
hair and blue eyes. He wore a white coat, shabby brown pants, and black shoes.109Please respect copyright.PENANAeWxvxD00yV
He used a cane to get around and hand a small curve to his back.
“Charles,109Please respect copyright.PENANAijuSqavBCG
Vander.” Topal said, not even turning around to greet them. “Stay there for a109Please respect copyright.PENANARJledSnDbx
moment, I’m almost done checking Malcolm over.”
“Yes sir.” Vander109Please respect copyright.PENANA1NZ8771GoV
said. They only had to wait a few more minutes for Topal to squeeze Malcom’s109Please respect copyright.PENANAJLW5HYmSeL
legs and feet. Once satisfied, he nodded his head then walked slowly over to109Please respect copyright.PENANArvZHspCAO5
the chair next to the king to sit down.
“He hasn’t109Please respect copyright.PENANA8gdM5I69TH
worsened, but that is starting to change.” Topal explained. “I felt some109Please respect copyright.PENANAZqUNS019Pg
atrophy in his arms and legs. If it works its way into his chest he will die.”
“Is there anyway109Please respect copyright.PENANApcJfdENSdl
to keep it from spreading, Topal?” Bernard asked.
“Short of109Please respect copyright.PENANAEBHOy9zihf
figuring out what’s poisoning him?” Topal shook his head. “I can only keep the109Please respect copyright.PENANAaYm2gE1WDQ
effects from spreading quickly. We need to figure out what was used on him to109Please respect copyright.PENANAPi8w4FryRj
make an antidote.”
“That’s why109Please respect copyright.PENANAdXg5PUX3nf
Vander is here.” Charles said. “Are you ready to get started?”
“Why is he here109Please respect copyright.PENANAX3lw4kJuAh
again?” Bernard asked. “He’s not a doctor nor an alchemist. How will he be able109Please respect copyright.PENANAJbWPSGfZhY
to discover something not even Topal can find?”
“He’s here for109Please respect copyright.PENANAsAF5eN68MS
another reason.” Peyton wrapped his armies around the worried servant. “Allow109Please respect copyright.PENANAqcxFdvTOR2
him to do his job while you and I gather some food for the doctor as a thank109Please respect copyright.PENANArCA5GGTp0m
you. Would you like to come with us Topal?”
“No thanks.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAgZQtPXBUJb
Topal waved them off. “I want to see what this young man is up to.”
“I don’t think109Please respect copyright.PENANAy8ZucDe262
that’s-“ Charles started, but Vander cut him off.
“It’s alright.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAjZsNJolbuV
He said. “I don’t want people thinking I’m doing something that could harm the109Please respect copyright.PENANAfm6jsgY9cA
king, so if the doctor wants to be here that’s fine with me.”
“Then I will109Please respect copyright.PENANAWcnH6xHFdG
stand outside the door to make sure no one gets inside.” Vander thanked him109Please respect copyright.PENANAHmDjLSkv0r
then Peyton ushered the three of them outside leaving just Vander and Topal109Please respect copyright.PENANA9cfIpbWCUP
there alone.
“Has anything in109Please respect copyright.PENANAXAXS8mAUCx
this room changed since the King’s illness?” Vander asked.
“Aside from the109Please respect copyright.PENANAqCzLJC5u7j
linen after Malcolm uses the bathroom, nothing.” Topal said. “Even the plate109Please respect copyright.PENANAoo2LsJvuVF
and cup of tea he drank stuck around. We had to throw out the food because it109Please respect copyright.PENANAcWaHSmbLOa
was moldy, but we had a tester try it, but there were no ill effects.”
“Was the tea also109Please respect copyright.PENANA5aNQTr9N1D
tested?” Topal said that it had been. Vander picked it up to make sure, but109Please respect copyright.PENANAWO33AHICY6
there was nothing off about the smell that he could find. Confused, he sat109Please respect copyright.PENANA1Z7jtzJcqI
around staring at the King’s body.
Like most of the109Please respect copyright.PENANAY209r7rn9Q
King’s, Malcolm had served in the military and fought in campaigns against109Please respect copyright.PENANAybppoa1UAQ
their southern neighbor for decades earning his stripes and becoming one of the109Please respect copyright.PENANAxA2Mpbjz1D
most well-known fighters in the country. Once his father had died, he had taken109Please respect copyright.PENANAT567MJu24Y
control of the Kingdom and immediately sued for peace making him loved by the109Please respect copyright.PENANApI41xZBxr4
people but hated by the soldiers. There had been talk from the war profiteers109Please respect copyright.PENANANqCJT0yVQe
about removing him from power, but they had been foiled time and time again109Please respect copyright.PENANASAQXdTeMmQ
because they were the minority. Would that be drastic enough to try and kill109Please respect copyright.PENANAtgzuVqYLEW
the King? With the marriage between the crown prince of Eluvia and princess of109Please respect copyright.PENANABxw9nFkhMN
Bricen, peace was on the horizon so if they wanted to act it would have to be109Please respect copyright.PENANALkNoxpBYHg
now.
“Tell me what the109Please respect copyright.PENANAjashsyLtzB
King ate shortly before falling ill.” Vander asked as he stretched. He closed109Please respect copyright.PENANAoNfMcDwkmB
his eyes to summon the abilities given to him as Topal talked.
“It was a109Please respect copyright.PENANA4HlVM8Ceiw
sandwich.” Topal explained. “I believe of beef and some vegetable. The tea was109Please respect copyright.PENANAjnxkJkB5XO
mint I believe. It had a strong odor to it, but Malcolm liked his tea strong.”
“Okay.” Vander109Please respect copyright.PENANAcKml3PVDkM
frowned. “I’m going to start looking around, whatever you see, please keep to109Please respect copyright.PENANAzaoyjYjTe8
yourself.”
Vander removed109Please respect copyright.PENANAWDm6eD0UA6
his jacket draping it over one of the chairs. He got down on his hands and109Please respect copyright.PENANAm5fBnwYksB
knees then started to sniff around. Some of the stronger scents were from the109Please respect copyright.PENANAYm5GXQI5Hf
people who had been here since the beginning. Malcolms was the strongest scent,109Please respect copyright.PENANAR7bBbEthMZ
followed by Bernard which made sense since one served the other. Next came109Please respect copyright.PENANAJ3pmiboxBO
Cranton then an oily smell which reminded him of Visc. He closed his eyes,109Please respect copyright.PENANANZw624TLvM
pushing those smells away. They didn’t matter to this investigation. He doubted109Please respect copyright.PENANAGnzI0weE0r
any of those people close to Malcolm would poison him. He focused on the King’s109Please respect copyright.PENANA483tT4flmW
body first because sometimes the poisons smell lingered around after being109Please respect copyright.PENANAhkdnw68Zwl
absorbed in the blood stream.
There were the109Please respect copyright.PENANAzdo9oSotTR
normal scents, then the abnormal smells, mostly from the linens. It smelled as109Please respect copyright.PENANAsPXqJzvZpK
though two servants didn’t do a good job of cleaning these sheets after they109Please respect copyright.PENANAZtEcL1o94E
used it to have sex on. It would have been impossible for others to notice, but109Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8PrkrDjAP
not him. There was also a slight drop of whiskey on the sheet, no doubt from109Please respect copyright.PENANAKbdVxddY4R
Bernard or Peyton looking down at the King’s form and needing to have a drink.109Please respect copyright.PENANAZLg867BYnT
Finding nothing of interest there, he moved on to the body.
He lifted the arm109Please respect copyright.PENANAolnK8VzzbH
to sniff under the arm pits, then lifted the legs to get behind the knees. He109Please respect copyright.PENANAnSP5ZMsjly
moved down to the feet, one of the smelliest parts of the body, but didn’t find109Please respect copyright.PENANAK6yysA7FF8
a thing. Traveling to the King’s neck then Vander placed his nose in front of the109Please respect copyright.PENANAErV7p17zL6
King’s mouth. Pushing gently on his chest, Vander expelled air from the lung to109Please respect copyright.PENANAXHbYa1zGpy
smell what lay inside. As soon as he got a whiff he turned his head then109Please respect copyright.PENANAeb0zS6xVSu
promptly threw up.
“Vander, are you109Please respect copyright.PENANAiS2XySKMFz
alright?” Topal got to his feet to check on him. Vander went to open his mouth109Please respect copyright.PENANABknVF1c070
but moved his head again to finish puking. Topal’s study hand slapped him on109Please respect copyright.PENANALdAE2Jh9x2
the back until his teeth began to clack together.
“There is109Please respect copyright.PENANAvLVa51I84R
something rotting in his chest.” Vander wheezed. “It reminded me of spoiled109Please respect copyright.PENANAIrLMlqhMFj
beef.”
“His breathing109Please respect copyright.PENANAjpSoxnd24D
doesn’t seem labored to me.” Topal frowned. “Could it be impacting the tissue109Please respect copyright.PENANAmaRgawavvU
around it and not the lungs itself just yet?”
“I don’t know.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAVCgZoJtFpj
Vander shrugged. “But that’s one of the symptoms, not a cause. I need to keep109Please respect copyright.PENANAT48VlV5u4K
searching.”
Stepping over his109Please respect copyright.PENANAIul6CAaEdx
pile of vomit, he walked around to the other areas of the room but didn’t find109Please respect copyright.PENANAXGxdmQehwO
anything out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until he reached the King’s cup of tea109Please respect copyright.PENANA62uuVqq7zc
did he noticed something unordinary. He held the cup out to Topal.
“What can you109Please respect copyright.PENANAjspqJPdrSw
smell?” he asked. Topal took it in his hand the wafted the area over the cup to109Please respect copyright.PENANAbZnk8T1fpX
bring the smell close to his face.
“Something109Please respect copyright.PENANABq15dOP6Wp
sweet.” He frowned. “Kind of reminds me of a ripe apple, but that can’t be109Please respect copyright.PENANAZPUUXLm8vu
right. Malcolm only drinks mint tea.”
“Mint is a strong109Please respect copyright.PENANAPfhSoIfcyd
smell that can easily hide another.” Vander explained. “Typically, it wouldn’t109Please respect copyright.PENANAn2BdVKuotn
matter because you would throw it away and clean it immediately, so the other109Please respect copyright.PENANA71yidNJB1r
smell wouldn’t matter as much.”
“But apple109Please respect copyright.PENANAOw0bfG8Vly
doesn’t mean anything.” Topal shrugged. “As far as I know, apple hasn’t109Please respect copyright.PENANArQcygnXNIx
poisoned a single person.”
“No, it hasn’t.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAQkF61FvhiE
Vander frowned. “You wouldn’t happen to remember the king of lettuce or sauce109Please respect copyright.PENANAr7f52WxLGL
on the sandwich the king ate did you?”
“Not sure.” Topal109Please respect copyright.PENANADN3V53CeH3
thought for a moment. “Usually, he ate it with watercress because he liked the109Please respect copyright.PENANANEZpuFQKJU
strong taste, why?”
“Watercress?”109Please respect copyright.PENANAM264SoyzX2
Vander frowned lost in thought. “Was there anything strange about it?”
“I don’t think-“109Please respect copyright.PENANArUwtEHbwTr
Topal’s eyes grew wide. “Wait a minute. I remember Bernard asking why there was109Please respect copyright.PENANApVlrqMB3EF
a blue tint to it shortly after the King went unconscious. We just chalked it109Please respect copyright.PENANAGFsfKRszo9
up to a trick of the light.”
“If you’re right109Please respect copyright.PENANADIrtezc74R
then it’s ocecress, a poisonous cousin of watercress, but it wouldn’t be enough109Please respect copyright.PENANAy8U0CObcl3
to cause this.” Vander explained. “They would need something else, like109Please respect copyright.PENANArcbohMubvU
applewood extract.”
“Like the smell109Please respect copyright.PENANAdk8zr5kL2z
from the teacup.” Topal slumped down in his chair. “I don’t know how I missed109Please respect copyright.PENANAKDush0nvOf
that.”
“We don’t know109Please respect copyright.PENANAO1lxPvphdz
for sure yet, but it’s a solid guess. What we really need to do is to check on109Please respect copyright.PENANAd70wTd33u7
the food taster and see if anything happened to them.” Vander explained. “Let109Please respect copyright.PENANAGIVqGfHY1N
me talk to my grandfather.” Vander walked towards the door then knocked twice.109Please respect copyright.PENANANVYNgSi1r9
A moment later Charles opened the door. Vander quickly explained to him what109Please respect copyright.PENANAk6eehQcxkr
they needed. He nodded once then raced down the hall then disappeared out of109Please respect copyright.PENANAh3jIi01hNE
sight. He then walked back into the room to sit down in the chair. He suddenly109Please respect copyright.PENANAPe7CmEggG0
felt very tired, likely from using a lot of his energy to heighten his senses.
“I can’t believe109Please respect copyright.PENANApg15CIXeIr
that crafty old fox has kept you a secret for all this time.” Topal looked at109Please respect copyright.PENANA8TSUCVQjuT
him with a mischievous gleam in his eye. “I thought it was weird for someone to109Please respect copyright.PENANAu2zWI7ZpWH
befriend a shadow beast cub, but now everything makes more sense.” Vander109Please respect copyright.PENANA97Yryeuvng
didn’t even try to deny it.
“No one else has109Please respect copyright.PENANAz6Y5uEDecI
been able to piece it together aside from you.” he said. “Only a couple of109Please respect copyright.PENANAYZnWEVKpCb
other people know, I just ask you keep it a secret for now.”
“Of course.”109Please respect copyright.PENANAt7ivKEz7jG
Topal bowed his head. “No good would come from telling other people, especially109Please respect copyright.PENANA4K3Njb77zB
those maniacs who worship Atza. They will strangle you with rope the moment109Please respect copyright.PENANAwHYSINJi92
they find out.”
“I have Cuvera109Please respect copyright.PENANAm1B5HUsQj5
backing me.” Vander chuckled. “Hurting me would bring the crown prince down on109Please respect copyright.PENANAGTMUqC9QUp
their heads. Not sure is worth the risk.”
“They have some109Please respect copyright.PENANAv4ktG1Bro8
members of the council on their side, it would be a war for sure.” Topal agreed. “I could use109Please respect copyright.PENANACyKcGRITJ6
someone of your talents if you decide you want to be a doctor, I will need a109Please respect copyright.PENANAlbswlkEjaO
successor soon.”
“What about your109Please respect copyright.PENANASBnvBwPCEN
granddaughter?”
“She still has a109Please respect copyright.PENANAvyHZKp4kUi
lot to learn I’m afraid.” He sighed. “And I’m running out of time to teach her.109Please respect copyright.PENANA9L6qdrzVoy
If only her parents were still alive.”
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Vander opened his109Please respect copyright.PENANAT4lilHnx6J
mouth to speak, but the door opened. Bernard, Peyton and Charles came inside.109Please respect copyright.PENANAVDJ50VdbPU
Bernard said: “What did you fi-“ followed by a scream. “Who puked in here?”