Authors: Dena Garson
Danet jerked awake and found herself sitting up in the
middle of her own bed. Based on the way the shadows were forming on her wall,
she knew it was nearing dusk. She must have dozed for at least an hour.
She scampered off the bed and grabbed her bag of clothes.
Just before she left her room, she remembered to grab her mother’s journal. She
tucked it safely in her bag then rushed down the stairs. Using her fingers, she
quickly smoothed her hair and retied the ribbon.
“Father, I need to go,” she said as she burst into her
father’s study.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I—” She gulped in a mouthful of air. “I heard Ceros in my
dream. Something is wrong.”
“Then you must go. Here,” he grabbed the piece of paper he
had been writing on and handed it to her. “It’s the list of places the
Aspenadder can be found. If I learn of any more, I’ll send word.”
“Thank you.”
“And Ryana packed that for you.” He pointed to a small sack
sitting near the door.
“Give her my thanks also.” She grabbed Ryana’s treats as she
rushed to the entryway.
“Be careful,” he shouted as she ran to her escort.
The return to the palace took longer than she cared for.
Even though the crowds weren’t thick, Danet had no patience for anyone standing
between her and her destination.
She needed to see Ceros and know everything was okay.
As they passed through the palace gates, she tried to reach
him.
Ceros? Are you there? Is everything all right?
There was no response. She tried to tell herself he could be
sleeping.
Panic made her rush through the hallways. When she reached
his chambers, she found the queen on her lounge, speaking with Darius.
She forced herself to slow down and catch her breath.
Nothing could be amiss as far as this crowd was concerned.
“My queen.” Danet bowed her head. “Master Darius.” She
looked at Ceros. He appeared to be in the same position as when she left. “How
is the prince?”
Her heart still drummed against her chest.
“I was hoping you would arrive before I left.” Darius stood.
“I have concerns.”
“About?”
“Yesterday, when I examined Prince Ceros, I saw improvement
in his movement and his responses. But today he seems to be worse than he was
when he first arrived.”
“He is?” Danet set her bag of clothing on the floor and the
sack of Ryana’s goodies on the desk. She hurried to the prince’s side.
She took his hand in hers and placed her fingers at his
wrist where she could feel his heart beating. It was slower than this morning.
Next she felt his brow. He felt warmer than normal. His face was paler than
before she left.
Ceros?
Still, he didn’t respond.
“Something is wrong.” Danet looked to the queen. “What
happened while I was away?”
“Nothing that I know of. Aleric and those councilmen
insisted Master Darius bring them to see Ceros and give them an update. After
they left, Ceros stopped moving but I assumed he had fallen asleep. What’s
wrong?”
Darius spoke before Danet could. “His heartbeat is weaker
and he may have a fever.” To Danet, he asked, “He wasn’t like this before you
left?”
She shook her head. “No. His color was good. His eyes were
clear and seemed to focus occasionally on objects. His heartbeat was steady and
strong. Did anyone give him any herbs while I was away?”
The queen glanced at Darius, but answered, “Not that I
noticed.”
Darius drew himself up to his full height. “I did not order
a change to any of the herbs he should have been receiving with his broth. And
I never dispense them to my patients.”
Helping patients with medicines would certainly be something
Darius considered beneath him.
“What about broth or water? Did anyone give him anything
while I was away?” Danet asked.
The queen shook her head. “You are the only one who knows
how to get him to swallow anything. It would be pointless for anyone else to
attempt it.”
Danet nodded. “Perhaps it is simply a setback or his body
trying to shake off the last of whatever caused the issue.” She turned to
Darius. “I will monitor him closely through the night for elevated fever. I
assume you will wish to be notified immediately if he worsens?”
“Most definitely.”
“Would you like for me to attempt to continue the water and
the broth as well?”
Darius hesitated. “The water, yes. But only small
quantities.”
“I have successfully used cold water-soaked linens at major
junction points to treat fevers. If his takes a sudden turn for the worse, do
you wish me to proceed or would you rather examine him first?”
“Without knowing how quickly I can get here, proceed with
the linens. They can do no harm and may help until I can arrive.”
“Very well. Is there anything else I can do for him?”
“No. I believe that will be all.”
She dipped her head to Darius respectfully, even though it
galled her to do so. “I am sure you have other patients to see before you
return home. I hope the rest of your evening goes well, Master Darius.”
“Yes, actually I do now that you mention it.” He gathered
his robes and made a bow. “My queen. As always, at your service.”
“Thank you, Master Darius. I bid you a good evening. We will
send word at once if we need your services.”
He made one more bow and scurried out.
After the door clicked shut behind him, the queen turned to
Danet. “All right, what’s going on, Danet?”
“I don’t know but I do not like how he looks.” She pulled
the sheet back to reveal Ceros’ chest. It was still a rather magnificent chest
to look at. Only now it was paler and covered in perspiration. “I want to check
him again for thorns.”
“I thought you said you extracted it.”
“I did, but someone could have put another in, or used
something else poisonous on him. I won’t know until I check.”
“What can I do?”
“Have Hesina bring a few more lamps. The first sun is almost
set and I’m going to need as much light as we can get.”
“I will have them here in moments.”
“My queen. Do not forget that this must be done quietly.
There are a great many reasons to not let word get out.”
The queen stiffened but then nodded. “Of course. I will be
cautious.”
Once the queen left, Danet took Ceros’ hand in hers and
concentrated on reaching him through their connection.
Ceros? If you are
there, please wake up. You are scaring me.
Still nothing.
She opened her mind and tried to sense what he was feeling
or thinking or, well, anything. So much of her time had been spent building a
barrier between their minds to avoid intruding on his feelings and memories it
was uncomfortable to drop it.
She sensed the thread of connection and tried to follow it
but each time she did, the strand would simply dissolve.
Something was very wrong.
Ceros?
Her voice echoed as if she were standing in a
hollow chamber. As annoying as it had been to know he could hear her thoughts,
this was scary.
She calmed herself and opened her eyes. The sight of his
large hand in hers comforted her and reminded her of what she needed to do.
Gently she opened his palm and looked closely at each
finger. Every bump, blemish and line was inspected. She also checked under each
fingernail and in the webbing between the fingers. Nothing. She continued up
Ceros’ wrist to his elbow then to his shoulder. Still nothing.
Before she could finish checking through his hair, the queen
returned followed by two of her attendants. They were all carrying lamps. Danet
directed them to place the lamps about the room near the bed.
“We need to get a message to Gehiji,” Danet whispered to the
queen.
The queen nodded. “I’ll write a note and have one of the
girls deliver it.”
After her attendants left, the queen came to stand next
Danet. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You look more worried than when I left. Why?”
“I…” She couldn’t tell her the truth about her connection
with Ceros. The queen was unlikely to believe her and with Ceros being
unresponsive, she had no way to prove it. “I don’t like his lack of response.
After making so much progress this morning and now almost nothing, I am
worried.”
The queen patted her shoulder. “You’ll figure it out.”
“I’m also worried about what I might find when I do.”
The queen nodded. “What do you need me to do?”
Danet knew she needed to give the queen a task. One thing
she had learned while working in the clinic was, most mothers tended to hover
in the way because they were so worried. It was usually better to give them
something to keep busy. “You can check his other hand while I check his hair.
Just be careful. If you find something that feels like a large splinter, let me
know. If there is another thorn, it is poisonous and shouldn’t be handled with
your bare hands.”
“All right.”
They fell silent as they worked.
Danet instructed the queen check his arm and shoulder. They
finished about the same time. Together they examined Ceros’ feet.
There was no thorn or any marks on his skin. The queen
helped Danet turn Ceros onto his side so they could check his back.
Still nothing.
With a deep breath, Danet sat on the side of the bed and
looked at Ceros. The queen sat on the other side and held his hand.
“I felt certain his reaction was due to more toxin. Which
would mean another thorn.”
“Is there any other way to give him the poison?” the queen
asked.
“Yes, but they would need extensive knowledge of the plant
and how to extract the poison from the thorns.”
“How else could they give it to him? Maybe we’re not
thinking of something.”
Danet shrugged. “I would have to confirm with Father to be
sure, but they could probably make a tonic that could be added to food or
drink.”
“He didn’t have anything to eat or drink that you didn’t
give him.”
“I suppose they could try to pour a liquefied version of the
toxin on his skin, but his reaction would more likely be a rash or skin
irritation than this. I didn’t notice anything like that.”
“I didn’t either. What else?”
“Maybe a poultice. But again, that would have to be added to
food or drink to do anything.” She considered the possibilities. “Unless…”
Danet scooted closer, thinking of the places she hadn’t checked.
“What?”
“I didn’t look in his mouth.” She looked to the queen. “Can
you grab that lamp and hold it over his head for me?”
Danet said a prayer of thanks the queen was comfortable
dropping formalities and helping. She pulled Ceros’ jaw down and peered inside.
There was nothing on his tongue. That would have been way too easy.
When she pushed his tongue aside, she found a small thorn
pushed into the soft underside.
“There you are,” Danet whispered.
“You found something?”
“I’m afraid so.” Not bothering with a linen, Danet pulled
the sleeve of her tunic over her hand as protection and slid the thorn out. She
examined it in the light.
“Is it the same kind as before?” the queen asked.
“I believe so, but Father will have to confirm.”
Danet took the thorn to the desk and put it on a piece of
parchment. She folded the edges of the parchment around the thorn to secure it
and tucked it into a pocket of her bag.
“While I’m glad you found it, I’m very disturbed someone was
able to get to him and leave it.”
“Who was here after I left?”
The queen grimaced. “Several people, I’m afraid.”
“We need to let Gehiji know who.” Danet rummaged through the
basket she was using for supplies and found the bottle of medicine her father
had made to get rid of the poison. Next she grabbed a couple of clean linens
and the pitcher of water.
“Do you need help with anything?” the queen asked.
“Not that I can think of. I was going to rinse out his mouth
to make sure there are no lingering poisons from the thorn. But I have to be
careful because I don’t want him to swallow the water. Unfortunately I can’t
think of anything to put on the puncture that wouldn’t be bad for him to
ingest.”
“What is that?” The queen pointed to the bottle in Danet’s
hand.
“It’s what Father sent to counteract the toxins from the
thorn.” She lifted the glass decanter up to the lamp. “Thankfully there is
enough left to get him through the night. I should probably send a note to
Father to have him make some more just in case.”
“I can write the note while you take care of Ceros.”
Danet nodded. “Thank you.”
The queen went to desk and searched for parchment and ink
while Danet set the things she needed on a small table next to the bed. It was
surprisingly difficult to push aside her fears for Ceros and concentrate on
what she needed to do.
Deciding it would be easier to keep the water from pooling
at his throat, she rolled Ceros onto his side then added a few linens beneath
his head and neck. She swabbed his mouth out with a damp rag to make sure there
were no large particles then poured a bit of water in from the side as a rinse.
He had to be pushed onto his back again in order to give him
the antitoxin medicine. As she spooned in the first few drops she remembered
how much he complained about the taste. Maybe the bad taste would be enough to
jolt him out of his stupor.
She hoped anyway. Right now his complaints would be a
blessing.
It was a slow process to get the medicine down. Gehiji
arrived before she finished. He came to the bed and looked down at Ceros. “He’s
a lot more pale. What happened?”
“I’m not entirely certain. I went home to check in with
Father and get clean clothes, and quite honestly, to have a nap.” Danet’s guilt
over her nap hung heavy about her neck. “When I returned he was like this.”