“They’re going to make the commander shit herself,” Cal answered, grinning from ear to ear.
“Senna is a flower that can be brewed into a powerful laxative. It’s used to help with constipation. We sold it as a powder in my family’s apothecary.” Everyone continued to stare at me, listening intently. I spoke each idea as I thought it, the plan coming together quickly. “I’ve seen the commander drinking tea before. Senna can be added to a liquid and it will dissolve. It does have an earthy sort of taste, but if her tea is strong enough she shouldn’t be able to tell. It’s only a matter of slipping it into her cup. From there, we’ll have enough time to get in her office, figure out what she’s up to, and get out.”
“We’re going to poison her?” Elders asked, his brows raised. He’d grown out his stubble and his hair, sporting a full beard and a bit of tightly coiled hair. He looked even more stoic that way, like he saw the world through too-knowing eyes.
“Poison is a strong word. She’ll be fine after a few hours in the bathroom. I grow a direct source, so we can decide how potent it is.”
“So then how do we get senna in her tea?” Otarn asked.
At my side, Azazel uncrossed his arms and summoned something within his shadows. He was writing in his journal before I even realized what had appeared.
“Az?”
“Do you know how long I’ve been watching her?Months.I haven’t trusted her since the day I met her. That woman is very particular about the facade she puts on so that no one else sees what I see. She’s meticulous in how she presents herself.” Words poured out of him as he scribbled across the page. “Because of that, she moves in patterns. Routines. Meetings, I know nothing about. But her public appearances? Those I know.”
“Where are you going with this?” Otarn asked, standing up and walking towards us. She placed her hands on her hips, peeking at the pages.
“The commander has her tea every morning during training. She never leads the exercises, but she always shows up at the start. Her mug is already in her hands at that point. She speaks to the group, then to the training leaders. From there, she’ll talk to Desi and—” he cut himself off, his eyes wandering to me. I scrunched my brows, unsure what he was insinuating. “Sorry, no, that person is on a mission. Okay, after Desi is when she usually leaves. Sometimes she’ll say hi to random rebels, or even come bother me. But that’s less predictable.”
Turning his hand, he faced the pages towards me. There, written in quick, swooping script, was Maitoza’s entire morning schedule. Get tea from cafeteria. Walk to training field. Speak to Soren. Speak to Aldera. And so on and so forth.
Az had memorized it all.
“Perfect.” I beamed as I took the journal, noticing how Azazel seemed to flinch when it left his hands. “I won’t read anything else, I swear.”
Nodding, he leaned in and grabbed one of my curls, twirling it around his long finger. I caught sight of his snake ring, smiling at the memory of the morning before.
“Okay, looks like we all have some work to do then. Who’s ready?” Zura and all three cores nodded Az’s way, earning asharp, wicked smile from him. “Operation Commander Shits-A-Lot is a go.”
***
“Commander!” I shouted, waving her way. She turned, raising a brow as she caught sight of me.
This was going to be so much harder without the stars as a direct incentive. I could already tell she liked me significantly less. Despite her clear distaste, she did pivot and head my way, her chin high and tea tightly gripped in her hand. Hopefully flattery worked on her.
“Nova, what a pleasure it is to see you this morning.”Liar.“What can I do for you?”
“Actually, I wanted to talk with you about the stars.”
“Oh. Is this about your eyes?”
“Yes, actually. You see, I had a bit of a falling out with the stars and they’re being quite…stubborn.”A gasp slipped from between her lips, her dark eyes flitting to the sky as if in penance for hearing me say such a thing. “No disrespect meant, of course. It’s just that I’m struggling with convincing them to speak to me again. I was hoping your expertise would guide me here. I’m sort of desperate at this point.”
Beaming, she nodded. “I’d love to help you, Nova. My admiration and love for the stars was what led me to being so interested in speaking with you. I know I was pushy, but it was just to make sure they supported our cause.”
“You don’t have to explain. I’m just grateful you’re willing to help. I really am sorry for bringing in the other cores without your approval. I swear, I did speak with the stars about it. I didn’t do it on a whim.”
“Well, that is something we can discuss later. For now, I do have quite a lot of information I can share about the stars.”
“Is there somewhere more private we can sit? If I’m being honest, I’m…embarrassed.”
“Oh, Nova. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. It can’t be easy being chosen by our celestial rulers.” She placed her free hand on my back, gesturing with her mug towards a patch of trees nearby. Smiling, I let her lead me, sitting beside her on the icy ground, our breath visible in the frigid air.
In my pocket, the senna powder waited.
“Now, here’s what I’m thinking. In the past, the stars have given people divine messages. These can come in many different forms, but it is most common in suffering. When one suffers, it is a sign that the stars do not like the path the person is taking. Altering your path can change everything. Perhaps this punishment is actually due to them not supporting whatever path you’re presently on.”
She was so deluded that I could tell she actually believed that. That any form of punishment was for our own good and not the stars’ entertainment. Maybe they were being honest and they’d truly change, but even if they did, our suffering would never benefit us.
