“Ready?” Naari asked when I had finished. “Ready for Gullen?”
I nodded, and posed. “Oh, another meal with the regent? Two in one day? He’s so handsome, so wonderful. How could I ever be attracted to anyone else? I must have him!” I clutched my pearls and pretended to swoon. Naari let out a shout of laughter.
The door flew open. “Roya, what happened?” Thorn and Kavin both burst inside, scanning the room until their eyes landed on me.
“By the Goddess,” Kavin rasped. “You’re stunning.” I winked at him, loving the way his eyes seemed to heat the parts of my body they touched. I glanced at Thorn.
“You can’t possibly wear that,” he growled. “Every man there will be looking at you. Wanting you.”
“Every man?” I purred, allowing my hip to graze him as I walked past. He sucked in a breath, and I knew they all could smell the honeyed orange blossom scent that filled the room. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Kavin held out his arm and bowed. “You are resplendent, Roya.”
“I love a man with a big… vocabulary.” I winked at Naari, who giggled again. “Shall we?”
Kavin’s hand on mine was warm, but Thorn’s gaze scorched me from top to toe as he stormed past.
“Time to play the fools for Gullen,” I breathed. “Did you drink the water in your room?” Kavin shook his head. “Good.” I slipped the charcoal tablets out of one of the clever folds in the dress and tucked them in his pocket. “Take four, just in case.”
When we entered the dining hall, the eyes of the regent and at least forty other men—no women at all, save the servants who stood near the walls—landed on me. Thorn faced us, one hand in the pocket I knew contained the verlana sap. He was ready. At my side, Kavin went still, the vacuous smile on his face at odds with the keen intelligence that shone in his eyes. The room felt like an avalanche waiting to happen.
I let my hand flutter to my chest, my eyelashes drop low, and sank into a curtsey. “Regent Gullen,” I murmured, my voice demure. “You honor us.”
“Come, dear Omega, and sit by me.” He gestured to a chair by him at the table’s head. “We must continue our conversation from earlier.”
“Indeed,” I agreed, and twirled a piece of hair around my finger, praying that my years of training would see me through the next few hours. I knew I was an expert at poisons, but I wasn’t certain of my skill with seduction. This would have been a much better test than a boiled egg. I let my tongue dart out and fought back a smile as Gullen’s eyes went dark.
Yes, a much better test indeed.
ROYA
Ispent two days flirting with Gullen, avoiding his questions, and staying as close as possible to Thorn and Kavin. None of the other men said more than a few words to me, their eyes always moving to the regent when I addressed them, as if they had orders not to speak.
By the third evening, I was contemplating faking an illness, if it meant getting out of fawning over the lecherous snake for yet another uncomfortable meal.
He hadn’t tried to poison the men, and none of us had had adverse reactions to the food and drink we took in company, though we were always careful only to eat what others had before.
The water in my room was a different story. According to Naari, the mild sedative that had been in all our drinking water at first was still in mine, though in a very low dose. Kavin tested it, and found that it didn’t affect his reflexes.
I asked Thorn what the purpose was. “Possibly to make certain you don’t wander at night,” he suggested. “Or to keep your defenses lowered, make you more prone to provide detailed answers to his incessant questions. Honestly, I think you’ve charmed him, Roya. Of course, he may credit none of us with the intelligence to cause any real harm.” I could see in Thorn’s eyes that he didn’t fully believe that Gullen had been deceived.
I didn’t think so either. Thorn had taken on the role of a greedy merchant, looking for possible trade deals for illicit herbs, while Kavin had acted like such a bumbling fool, I had warned him he was overacting.
“It’s worked,” he countered. “They’ve stopped paying attention to me.” Thorn’s eyes had met mine and I’d seen my doubt reflected in them.
At least the men were allowed to tour the property around the palace grounds and invited to gamble and fish. I was expected to stay indoors, warned repeatedly about insects and snakes and the excessive sunlight. Women in Verdan had more active lives than I was permitted.
If it hadn’t been for Naari, who served me every day in my rooms, I would have been completely alone. She made certain none of my food was tainted, and brought me fresh water every day herself, always drinking it first.
Naari tipped out a cup of the sedated water onto the house plants every night, so if anyone checked, they would think I had been drinking it. I found myself trusting her; even without much of a common language, I believed she was as genuine as she seemed.
I stared out the window, the strange longing that surged through me every few hours hitting again with renewed force. “What is it? What’s out there?” I breathed.
Naari made a questioning sound.
An idea came to mind. Maybe she could sneak me out, just for an hour, so I could explore. Something kept pulling my attention to the grounds, and she might help me solve the mystery.
“Naari.” I beckoned, and she joined me. I leaned to her ear and spoke. “What is that way?” I pointed. “Something is there.”
