Dark Prince & the Doe

Chapter Fifty-nine: An Uncomfortable Table

Chapter Fifty-nine: An Uncomfortable Table

Anne

Embria returned to Anne's door defeated, unable to find any pink speti. She helped Anne lace up the back of her dress, but it was clear she was delaying speaking with the Remerians. It would be cruel to make Embria, of all people, ask them for something. Anne began working up the courage to do it herself, but it was only making her more nauseous.

A knock sounded at the door. Embria tightened one last knot, then went and opened the door. Daniel and Darius stood side by side. A large wooden box was tucked under Darius's arm.

"I overheard someone was in need of herbs," Darius said, gesturing with the box. It was huge. "May we come in?"

"You may enter," Embria said, then glanced back at Anne guiltily for answering in her place. Anne gave everyone a weak smile and stepped out of the way. The tip of Darius's cane clinked against the stone floor as he placed down the oversized box on the table. The top of the box had the Penshaw family crest in gold gilding.

"I don't imagine you have any pink speti?"

"No," Darius said, leaning his cane against the granite table, the golden yagr bird's beak clanked against the stone. "But, if you're in pain, I can fix that."

He flipped the lid and a horrid smell accosted everyone in the room. Both Embria and Daniel made little gagging sounds and turned away. It was a good thing Anne hadn't eaten breakfast yet, elsewise she would have just lost it all over the floor.

Hundreds of conflicting herbs, powders, potions and tinctures battled for aromatic dominance. Little glass bottles in varying sizes and shades – plain clear glass to fancy cut blue crystal bottles – all clinked together pleasingly as Darius sifted through little sachets with handwritten descriptions.

He muttered to himself as he pulled out a bottle and put it aside. Holding up two sachets of powder, he began hemming and hawing between the two. "This will do it," he mumbled, selecting a green paper sachet with a scrawl of illegible writing across it.

He unfolded the paper and dumped a white powder into the glass, poured in some water and mixed it with a little glass rod. "There you go, your pain will lessen within the hour."

She took the glass carefully. "What exactly is in that," Daniel asked, voicing Anne's concern.

"Don't worry," Darius said, taking the glass back. He took a sip to prove it wasn't an assassin's poison. "They are pain and inflammation relievers. They aren't the strongest I have but most of the stronger pain relievers cause drowsiness," he tapped a little glass bottle, "confusion," he tapped a red sachet, "dizziness," he tapped a green glass bottle. "Or worse..." he tapped a nasty looking black bottle. "Honestly, I'm surprised the barbarians let me bring everything in this box. Some of these medicines can be quite potent, but that triturate is very safe. A common mixture every good apothecary has on hand."

"There will be no adverse effects?" Anne asked, examining Darius's hazel eyes for any glint of deceit.

He shrugged. "As long as you don't plan on drinking it every day, you'll be fine."

Fully prepared for it to taste nasty and bitter, Anne drank down the water all in one go. It was surprisingly pleasant, barely any flavor at all, aside from a mellow sweetness and slight spice – like a watered-down tea.

Darius nodded and closed up his medicine chest. "If that doesn't lessen the pain enough, or the pain gets worse, let me know. I have other remedies you could try."