This was a far different summoning than the last one I'd witnessed. I suppose it helps to summon a willing spirit.
“Who murdered you, my friend?” Verin asked gently. “Tell us so that I may avenge you.”
“King Verin, it is the strangest thing.” Chan frowned and shook his head. “I can't explain it.”
“Try, Lord Chan,” Savassa urged.
“Well, it seems to me that I killed myself.”
“You committed suicide? Were you forced to do it?” I asked.
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Explain further,” Verin demanded.
“A man who looked like me came into my bedroom. He wore my face—I'd recognize it anywhere.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing inappropriately.
“He was impersonating you. Most likely a spell of some sort,” Savassa surmised. “What did he do next?”
“I believe he poisoned me.” Chan frowned. “He had a syringe full of blue liquid. He injected me with this liquid and a horrible pain consumed me. I started to tremble and then I couldn't breathe. I suffocated.”
“Did he say anything or do anything else that you remember?” Verin asked.
As he gave it some thought, Chan scratched at his chin and displaced the water briefly. Droplets burst outward but were immediately sucked back into place. “Hedidsay something and he said it in my voice!” He straightened importantly. “He said, 'It's nothing personal.'”
“Nothing personal,” I huffed. “Chan was only a means to an end.”
“Thank you, Lord Chan,” Verin said sincerely. “You have been a loyal friend and a wise adviser. I am grateful for your service and wish you peace in death.”
“It has been my honor to serve, Your Majesty.” Chan bowed again and as he did, the water collapsed into a puddle, then flowed off the table the same way it had come.
“Thank you, Mother.” Verin took his mother's hand and kissed it.
“My magic is ever at your disposal, Son.”
I sighed deeply and sat back in my seat. The King and Queen of the Azure Court turned to look at me askance.
“I'm so sorry,” I said softly. “I've brought death to your kingdom.”
“If you recall, it was I who brought you here,” Verin said gruffly as he took my hand. “And we don't know for certain why you were targeted.”
“No, but I think we can safely say that it has nothing to do with you or your people,” I countered. “Someone invaded your court, killed your friend, impersonated him, and convinced some poor, stupid girl to help him poison me. Oh, and let's not forget the soldiers he murdered to escape. This is on me. This is someone I've wronged. I can't see how it could be anyone else.”
“How would they know to attack you here?” he argued. “I think you're jumping to conclusions too quickly, Elaria. But it doesn't matter who they are or why they're after you. I love you. Therefore, anyone who tries to hurt you is my enemy. So, we will find and killourenemy together.”
“Does this mean we're going hunting, Dragon?” I grinned.
Verin grinned back and grunted.
Chapter Fourteen
Verin, Savassa, and I met with his remaining advisers in a room on the second floor of the palace. Large enough to hold a long table and a sideboard, the room had no windows and very few decorations. I assumed it was used for meetings like this one and that was all. Meilen and her maid were released with an apology but the palace remained under lockdown and extra guards were posted outside the King's and Queen's suites.
Verin shared what little we knew about Lord Chan's killer with his advisers, then one of them pulled forth a document from his robes and offered it to Verin.
“The report on the poison found in Her Majesty's dessert,” Lord Li Wei explained as he waved a hand at the papers. “I will sum it up for you, Sire. It wasn't basilisk venom. The Royal Chemist says that he can't be completely certain without a sample to compare it to, but based upon the strength of the tetrodotoxin he found, he's confident in his conclusion.”
