She spun to face me as I entered, her eyes widening in amazement on my singing self, then cringed back when she spotted my entourage. I let go of the magic and stopped singing. The music faded as I glanced back at Verin and nodded. That's when I saw the servants who had followed us. They peered around the shoulders of soldiers and advisers, eyes wide with curiosity. Savassa noticed them then too and sent them scurrying away with an imperiously pointed finger. But I only noticed that out of the corner of my eye. Verin took most of my attention as he stormed past me to grab the woman by the front of her tunic.
“Why?” Verin snarled in her face.
The woman whimpered.
“Why did you poison us?” Verin shook her. Then he roared, “Answer me now!”
“I didn't know it was poison!” She screamed. “He told me it was a potion that would break the love spell cast upon you.”
“Did you poison my cake as well?” Verin snarled as he narrowed his eyes at her.
“No, only Queen Elaria's.”
“Then why would you expect this potion to break a spell that affects two people if you fed it to only one?” Savassa asked coolly.
“I thought Queen Elaria had cast the spell upon the King?” Her words rose at the end—a statement transforming into a question.
“Who told you that?” Verin demanded.
“It's been said all over the palace, Your Majesty,” she stammered.
“It's a lie,” Savassa proclaimed crisply. “You are either a fool or a very stupid assassin.”
“He said it was just a potion,” she whimpered. “He promised me that I'd be helping and there was no reason for him to lie to me. You trust him, Your Majesty. How could I not?”
“Who?” Verin demanded. “Who gave you the potion?”
“Lord Chan,” she whispered.
Verin's head swung around and Savassa executed a full-body turn.
“Lord Chan, as in the guy who told us that only basilisk venom could kill a dragon?” I asked as Verin shot past me like a heat-seeking missile.
“The same,” Savassa confirmed. “And it appears that he has slipped away while we were distracted.”
I followed Savassa into the hall, where servants were once again bolting out of the way but this time, it was for the Blue Dragon. And I mean that as more than his title. Verin ran down the hallway, his roar gaining depth and power as he shifted into his dragon form. His beautiful tunic exploded into scraps along with everything else he was wearing.
I wasn't sure the narrow corridors would be large enough for the Blue Dragon, and they did test his ability to maneuver tight spaces, but Verin knew his palace better than anyone and he slipped through the passages as if they'd been built to accommodate him. Which, I assumed they had been—or for someone his size at least. His claws left gouges in the floor and his horns scraped the ceiling as he disappeared up the stairway, roars echoing down to us.
“Not even a full day here and one of his advisers has tried to murder me,” I mused as Savassa and I followed Verin at a more sedate pace.
I wasn't sure if I wanted to see what Verin did to Chan when he caught him. And I was certain Verin would catch him. That dragon wouldn't stop until he had Chan's corpse beneath his claws.
“Are you upset about the attempted assassination or that it wasn't Meilen who committed the crime?” Savassa asked shrewdly.
“A jealous ex is something I can deal with but an assassination attempt from someone Verin trusted?” I shook my head. “Chan must really hate me and if he feels that way, it's likely that several other members of the court do too.”
Savassa glanced back at the remaining advisers, causing them to stumble to a stop. “Has no one stayed with the maid? She's a witness and a possible conspirator!”
They spun about and rushed back to the maid's room.
Once they were out of earshot, Savassa turned back to me. “This is adragoncourt, Elaria. There is always a bit of blood in the water when power is at stake. I must be honest with you; although I support your match, most of the kingdom will protest if Verin proposes to you. Having you as his consort is one thing but marrying a woman with multiple husbands—even a queen—will cause an outcry.”
“It seems as if the outcry has begun early and has taken a violent turn,” I muttered.
“Possibly, but Verin is handling it exactly as he should; he's meeting a cowardly attack with bold aggression. And when he finds Chan, he will add chilling savagery to it as well. Once the court sees that he's serious—that you are cherished—they will back down.”
I gaped at her. “Are you implying that this is normal?”
