A Whisper to the North

Chapter XXXVII ✠ Deliverance of Darkness

Alaric got up and walked back to his shelf. There he stared up at the collections of botanicals in the various bottles.

"I'm sorry, Ingrid."

"You weren't sorry when you forced me to take that herb with Wilona watching."

Alaric bit his lip as he pulled down the bottle of pennyroyal on the top shelf.

"I had no choice! She would kill you if I didn't administer it." Alaric said, biting his lip so hard a bit of blood was tasted.

"I wish you would have let her do it. If the town knew, an uprising would ensue, and she would be burned at stake for dark magick work." Ingrid hissed.

Alaric took the bottle and went over to Ingrid, and gently placed it in her hands.

"I promise I will never take another one away. You have my word, God as my witness." Alaric said with a gentle but forced smile.

Ingrid looked down at the bottle and then looked up at Alaric with a glare that could pierce iron.

"You're a fool, Alaric, for not doing this sooner." Ingrid stood up and placed the bottle in her leather satchel.

"Tell me you will stay inside tonight," Alaric said.

"I'm banned, remember, Alaric? My blood is no good now that it has been tainted with the essence of man. Who knows, though, these demons might be useful if they can sever her head for us." Ingrid laughed.

Alaric looked down and said nothing. He turned around and went back to making another concoction for the queen to drink. Ingrid stared at it and had a brilliant idea.

"What's in this sedative? Is it for another girl tonight?" Ingrid said, walking over to it and smelling it.

Whatever it was, it was too abhorrent to smell.

"What herbs are in this!?" Ingrid said, darting her head away.

"Don't stick your nose to it. It is an antiemetic. The highness is sick again." Alaric said and turned to look at a recipe scroll.

"Tell me what's in it, Alaric, I'm curious," Ingrid said, trying to make him distracted.

The moment he turned away and started listing off the ingredients, Ingrid very quickly and gently pulled the cork from the pennyroyal bottle. She dumped the entire contents into the mixture. She stuck her hand in the mortar and pushed the herb to the bottom so Alaric could not see it. From the amount she put in the battery, she hoped Wilona would die. Alaric only gave her a few leaves in her tea, and that was enough to induce abortion.

"Get your hands out of there!" Alaric exclaimed, pulling the mortar to him.

"What, I like the scent of wild clary and spearmint?" Ingrid laughed.

She knew what she had done.

"This is not for you to touch. I have specific quantities in here, and I don't need you meddling with them. They might have a different effect." Alaric said.

Ingrid rolled her eyes and concealed her smile. Wilona will definitely get a different effect from this batch.

"If you want the clary or spearmint, ask me first. Don't go digging in someone's medicine for it." Alaric said as he pulled off two bottles from the shelf.

"Take two or three, no more," Alaric said, setting them on a table and turning around again.

"Maybe later, but thank you," Ingrid said with a grin as she left.

She had no regrets.

"Una, come quickly!" Una shot her eyes open out of a deep and dreamless slumber.