Nadiyah sauntered away from Athello, and I didn’t like the sour look on his uncle’s face.
“Would you mind if we got something to drink for a moment?”I asked.
I needed to ensure his uncle downed the glass.Everything would happen quickly after that.Something flit across Valeris’s face before he agreed, dropping his hand from mine and leading me off the dance floor.He steered me toward the fountains of drinks, but I pivoted to the right.
“Oh, is that your uncle there?Perhaps we should say hello.Give the audience more of a show?”
He threw me a suspicious glance but altered his stride, following behind me as I grabbed a glass of punch from a passing tray.
“Uncle.”Valeris dipped his head in greeting, grabbing a glass for himself as well.
“Valeris.”Athello’s eyes passed over me, lingering on my face once again.
I forced a smile to my lips.“Lord Athello,” I said.“What a pleasure to see you here this evening.”
The fake politeness in my voice made me want to vomit.I hated catering to pompous nobles and couldn’t wait to be done with this nasty business.All I needed was for him to drink from the glass, and this could be over in minutes.
His uncle dipped his head in acknowledgment, but no friendliness radiated from him.He knew, or suspected me of something.It took everything in me not to physically force the contents of the glass down his throat myself.I waited for him to drink, but he didn’t, and the level of the liquid indicated he hadn’t touched it yet.It wouldn’t kill him, just disorient him enough to allow us to ghost him away before it fully knocked him out.
I let out a slow breath, fingers twitching at my side.
I took a sip of my drink and then lifted it.“A toast to you, Valeris, and for the solving of our many riddles.”
Valeris sighed and lifted his glass, chugging the liquid down.
His uncle didn’t move.
Sweat broke out across my brow, and I hesitated.Why wasn’t he drinking?
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Athello finally grunted and brought the glass to his lips, tipping it back.I watched him from the corner of my eye, triumph bubbling within me as I took another sip, but I almost choked on it.
He didn’t drink.
Right before the liquid touched his lips, he froze, tilting the glass back down.
He stared at it, a strange expression on his face.
And then he sniffed.
I felt the color drain from my skin as my heartbeat slowed.
The lines of his face hardened as he set the glass back on the table.
No.
My hands grew slick with sweat, my fingers shaking.
It was undetectable.
No color.
No odor.
Yet he knew it had been tampered with.My mind raced, trying to think of a way to get the cup from him without drawing attention.He couldn’t be allowed to examine the contents of the glass.If anyone figured out what ingredients were used, they could trace it back to—
Athello searched the room.He would know.Nadiyah was the only one who had spoken to him, who had been close enough to tamper with it.He would know it was her.
