Chosen : Assassin Book 1

Chosen - chapter twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-Five

I took one of the towels brought to me and dunked it in the warm water. My downcast eyes searched for soap to scrub off the dried blood. The water turned red after the second dunk. I sighed heavily and continued scrubbing. A physician entered the room with a bag in his sleeping gown. He looked at my bloody gown and the seeping wound I had exposed, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Majesty? What happened?"

"Attend the lady, please."

"Are you injured, sire?"

"I'm fine! I said tend to the lady."

"Of course," he said, approaching me.

He took the towel from my hand and pressed it hard to the wound. I grimaced and bit my lip to refrain from shouting out. After a few moments, he pulled away the towel and examined the hole in my shoulder. He dug through his bag and pulled out a vial of liquid, pouring it on the wound I watched as it bubbled and burned into me. He threaded a needle and handed me a bottle of amber liquid.

"Drink this."

"Why?" I asked.

"I have to sew that wound. Drink that, it will help numb the pain."

I nodded and took a long swig of the drink. It burned going all the way down. "Oh, what is that?"

"Whiskey." While I wasn't paying much attention, he jabbed the tip of the needle into my flesh.

Startled, I yelped and stared down as he pierced me repeatedly, stringing thread through each hole, pulling the skin back together.

"Guard!" Cassius hollered to anyone standing outside the door.

"Sire?"

"Remove this body. Be sure nobody sees it."

"What shall I do with it?"

"I don't care. I just want it out of my castle. Then arrest the princess."

"The princess, sir?" the guard asked, furrowing his brow.

"That's what I said. I want her arrested immediately."

"Of course, sir. Shall I await an arrest warrant?"

"Dispose of the body and I'll have it ready when you return." Cassius crossed the room and began scrawling on a piece of parchment paper.

"I'm sorry, Cassius."

"For what?" he asked, spinning on his heels to look at me. "You didn't make my sister a treacherous snake."

I pursed my lips for a long moment. I couldn't even imagine what was going through his mind. "No, but I'm still sorry. You shouldn't have had to worry about your own sister trying to kill you."

"It's something I was prepared to deal with. Most monarchs are murdered by family. I never really imagined my sister would..." his voice trailed off as he turned back to his writing

"Ma'am? Are you all right?" Angeline asked, bursting through the door and seeing me covered in blood.

"I'm fine. There was just an accident," I murmured

"An accident?" She arched an eyebrow at me.

"An assassination attempt."

"I presume you took care of the assailant?" She strode toward me, cupping my chin in her hands, turning it to the right and left checking my skin.

"I did."

"Any injuries to you or the king?"

I motioned to the physician, who was still working, and nodded. "Just a scape. We're both fine."