“Maybe just a drink then?” Princess Dorelea insisted with a smile, waving in a servant with a tray of tall glasses.
The man put a glass in front of me, and I didn’t refuse it, feeling that it would be rude to keep declining everything. At the very least, I could have a small talk over a drink with my hosts. What harm would that do? They deserved a chance to get to know someone they opened their house to.
The milky liquid in the glass shimmered with pink, which caught my attention.
“What kind of drink is it?” I wondered, lifting the glass for a closer inspection.
“Oh, it’s just fruit-flavored kelpie milk,” the princess explained with a bright smile. “We always drink it before bedtime, don’t we, Tal?”
Her son nodded, raising his glass too.
“Its calming qualities are beneficial for one’s health and well-being.” The princess brought her glass up for a drink. “It has a pleasant taste. Have you had kelpie milk before?”
“No. I haven’t.” I brought the glass to my nose for a sniff. It smelled nice, fruity and fresh with a hint of creamy sweetness.
The princess smiled at me over the rim of her glass. “Try it. Let me know what you think.”
I took a small sip. The taste proved better than pleasant. A wonderful bouquet of flavors exploded on my tongue, leaving a lovely creamy aftertaste.
“It’s very nice,” I murmured, licking my lips.
“Good.” The princess put her glass on the table and, in a suddenly far less friendly voice, ordered, “Now drink it all. And quickly.”
“I...” I tried to protest, taken aback by the sudden change in her tone, but my hand wouldn’t obey me, carrying my glass back to my mouth.
My lips opened as if on their own, and my head tilted back, then I gulped the drink as if my life depended on it. For some unexplained and highly disturbing reason, my body did exactly what Dorelea told me. Following her orders suddenly became the most important thing in my life.
Tal put down his glass, then shoved it away from him with a grimace.
I jumped to my feet. “What did you do to me? What did you put in that drink?”
“Oh, stop asking questions. And don’t move.” Dorelea waved me off.
Anger rushed me. I tried to open my mouth to argue or scream, but not a word came out. I couldn’t even part my lips. She told me not to move, and now I couldn’t move a single muscle.
Fear doused me with freezing cold, but I couldn’t even shiver without Dorelea’s command.
What did she do to me?
And why?
“You didn’t actually drink any, did you?” Dorelea asked her son.
“No. You said not to,” the lord replied.
“Good.” She collected the remaining glasses and waved to the server to come closer. “Take these and make sure to keep the milk. The pollen of glacier saffron is too rare and precious to waste.”
The servant put the glasses back on his tray and left the room.
Prince Arnon entered it next. I couldn’t even turn my head to look at him directly, watching him only in my peripheral vision. Did he know what his wife was up to? Would he help me?
“And how is our lovely houseguest doing?” Arnon asked brightly.
“Fine. She drank the glacier saffron,” his wife updated him.
“Already? You didn’t waste any time,” he chuckled.
Clearly, no help was coming from him.
