Chapter 16
"Come on," Zane said to Lavender, leading her up the steps. "I want to know what Paige plans for the prisoner."
"Zane, you can't be serious?" She stopped at the top of the steps to look up, studying him. "You are acting very strange lately."
"Darling, if she can get us answers to help stop Balaan, then I intend to stick close to her and help however I can."
"And put yourself in danger in the process? She is reckless, and obviously has no regard for her title or her positon."
"I'm with Zane," Ryder said. Apparently, he hadn't gone far when he left the presence of the queen.
When they reached the kitchen, Dean and Paige were sitting at the same table Zane used when he'd staked out the kitchen for the Bluescales. He could hear Dean telling Paige the story of what had happened from his perspective as he approached.
"...Zane grabbed me so fast and we flipped upside down." He rolled his hands in the air to emphasize the summersault. "Then whoosh! We were in the water. There were bubbles everywhere." Dean's eyes danced with excitement as he held Paige's full attention with his story.
"Yeah, I saw. I never knew when Dad said the Blacksin's were the fastest, that he meant they were that fast."
Dean saw Zane walk up. "Zane, how did you know something bad was going to happen?"
"I saw Paige's face when she saw the attacker," he explained as he sat down. Lavender and Ryder joined them, though they were both quiet. Lavender was stewing over Zane's decision to help Paige, and Ryder was quiet because he didn't want the queen to target him again.
The same cook Zane had asked to take food to Paige last night brought over drinks and sweets for the queen and Dean.
"Thank you, Gabriel."
"Thank you," Dean echoed, reaching for one of the colorful cakes on the platter. An odd thought struck Zane as he watched Paige interact with the staff. BlackskinCastle, and he'd lived there his whole life. This was the first time he was aware of that Paige had been to the kitchen; already she was addressing the staff by name.
"Is there anything else, My Queen?" Gabriel asked without bowing, though his hands were clasped tightly behind his back.
"Who is that boy over there?" Paige pointed to a boy with soft brown curls and a round face splattered with freckles. Zane hadn't noticed him until Paige pointed him out. He was standing on a stool, diligently drying dishes with a cloth before carefully stacking them.
Gabriel looked suddenly guilty, but answered the queen's question. "He is my grandson, August. My daughter had to travel to visit her cousin, who has taken ill."
"Is she going to be okay?" There was genuine concern in Paige's voice, and Gabriel's eyes softened at his new queen.
"I'm sure she will recover nicely," he assured Paige.
"If you need anything, let me know. I could send Maze if there's something seriously wrong."
"No, My Queen, Maze is needed here to look after you." Gabriel started to back away.
"Gabriel," Paige called out, stopping him before he could turn to leave. "I'm sorry, I know I'm keeping you from your work, but I was wondering if you would allow me to invite your grandson over to join us."
"Join you?" Gabriel asked, as if he misunderstood her request. A flicker of dread creased his eyes, and Zane could understand why. How often did a royal request the presence of commoner's child? If they did, the results were rarely favorable to the commoners. A royal could demand a commoner to relinquish the rights to their children to become lifelong servants for a royal's child. There were many that considered it a great honor to have their children chosen to work in the castle for a royal, but it seemed that Gabriel was a part of the group that felt the royals overstepped in their positions, and shouldn't have the right to request something so precious from the commoners.
Of course, Gabriel wouldn't want to see his grandson sent to work for the new prince at such a young age.
"Dean has not had any playmates his age since we got here, so I was thinking if it was all right with you, they might be able to keep each other company for a while. He will of course be returning home with you. I don't wish to take your family from you," Paige assured him.
"Yes, My Queen, I think he would prefer that to drying dishes." Gabriel still was not quite sure if he would be losing his grandson today.
"Thank you for indulging me," Paige said.
Gabriel moved slowly over to August and spoke quietly to him. A moment later, Gabriel escorted the boy over and he sat shyly next to Dean, muttering a small "My Prince." Paige offered him one of the small cakes on the platter, and he accepted more out of politeness and duty than hunger for sweets.
"August, do you know any games you and Dean can play?" Paige asked the boy after he finished his cake.
He named some games Dean was not familiar with, so Paige encouraged him to learn them.
"Dean, you need to make sure that Gabriel knows where you are at all times, so if you're going to run off to another part of the castle you need to come tell Gabriel where he can find August if he needs him."
"Okay," Dean agreed. Just before the two boys left the kitchen, they stopped at Gabriel's work station. Zane saw the surprise in the dragon's face when Dean let him know where they were going. When the boys left, he looked at Paige curiously for a moment before he returned to his work. Paige didn't notice, since she was watching Dean with the same indulgent smile she'd had when Dean asked to go flying.
She closed her eyes for a moment, as the late afternoon sky was casting shadows on her face. Sitting in the shade of the overhang did not help, and as the light faded, her skin looked ghostly pale. Her dark hair looked black, washing out her face even more.
It was an unsettling sight. She was already ill and speaking of her death, so seeing her like this made her prediction a possible reality. Zane felt sick. The thought was so disturbing, it made him physically uncomfortable. He started to fidget in his seat.
"Paige, what's next?" he finally blurted out, only as a reason for her to open her eyes and speak, to do the things the dead could not, just to prove she was alive.
"I'm waiting on Maze," she said without opening her eyes. "But I suppose you could get Byran and bring him here so I can tell him my theory."
"Lady Queen, you seem like you are pushing yourself too hard," Ryder stated.
"Lord Prince of Blackskin, how do you plan to accomplish your goal if you keep addressing me so formally?" Paige asked, opening her eyes. Zane could see the mockery there. Did she really understand Ryder's position as a royal, and only continued to address him as higher than his status as a joke? Whether she did or not, it was obvious she had no interest in Ryder or getting to know him.
"I'll go get Byran," Ryder said curtly, wanting to get away from the queen and her constant rejection.
Zane heard the clatter from the trinkets on Maze's robe before he turned his head to see the Bluescale seer approaching with one of her heavy dragon hide bags slung over her shoulder.
"My Queen, I have been researching your symptoms, and I have it narrowed down to three poisons.
"Poison?" Zane asked. Why hadn't he thought of that?
"Yes. The queen asked me to research the possibility when I came to check on her this morning."
"What have you found?" Paige interjected, cutting Zane off as he opened his mouth.
"So the three are Heartsbane, Dragon's Eye, and Fire Ivy, which are all slow acting and cause fatigue. They can't be cured with dragon fire, and can enter through the blood system." Paige patted the cut on her arm before any questions could be asked.
"Drake poisoned his sword." Zane deduced as he quickly realized that Drake was not trying to protect him from Paige the night she arrived. Drake had actually been looking for his opportunity to attack the remaining Bluescales.
"Yes, it appears so," Maze sighed.
"The cure?" Paige sounded like she was asking about the dinner menu rather than her life.
"Dragon's Eye and Fire Ivy both have antidotes, but I have to administer them separately. If the ingredients are mixed, they would be deadly."
"Which one are you going to start with?"
"Dragon's Eye. It reacts the fastest to the cure, so we will know sooner if it's the wrong one and can switch to the cure for Fire Ivy."
Ryder returned with Byran as they were talking about the cures for the queen. He stood quietly, listening. Ryder's concern was evident to Zane, but he didn't seem willing to speak around the queen any more.
"And if the poison is Heartsbane?" Zane asked, since Maze didn't mention the cure for the third poison.
"There is only one cure for Heartsbane."
"Let me guess, some rare plant that only grows once every seven years on the peaks of some remote mountain," Paige scoffed.
"How is it you always find the energy for snide remarks?" Ryder asked. Zane wished he'd stick to his silent treatment of the queen.
"It's called sarcasm, and I wouldn't have made it this far without it."
"Nothing that dramatic, My Queen," Maze advised, putting an end to Ryder and Paige's dialog. "You would simply have to take a companion. The ritual of the Desma will cure the damage the poison has caused."
"I think I'd rather go for the rare plant on the mountain idea." Paige turned a hard gaze to Ryder. "What's the cure for Dragon's Eye?" she asked, turning her focus back to Maze.
"You will need to drink this antidote five times a day." Maze fished in her bag for a vile filled with a thick, dark liquid. "We should know within a day if it's working."
"Let's get started." Paige reached for the vile. Maze pulled the cork off and passed it to Paige, who drank it quickly, making a face of disgust as she reached for the other drink on the table. She drank it until her face relaxed, and she could open her eyes that were now watering. "Oh, that is foul."
"Maze, can I have more of those herbs that gave me energy this morning?" Paige looked at Byran. "If my theory is correct, it's going to be a long night."
Maze again reached in her bag, pulling out some herbs for Paige. Paige thanked her, and Maze left, promising to find the queen in a few hours for another dose.
"Byran, is your new prisoner a talkative individual?"
"We can't understand him, so why does it matter if he talks?"
"I want to hear the language he's speaking, so I was wondering if he was saying anything, or if we'll have to find a way to make him talk."
"Oh, I see. He said a few things. I'm sure we can get him to repeat them with little effort. I think they are mostly angry swear words anyway."
"I think it would be best if I could be someplace where he can't see me, but I can hear him."
"Yes, we can arrange that," Byran surmised.
"I'll meet you tonight after I put Dean to bed."
"Yes, My Queen. If you come in the back door of the guard station, I can arrange your request."
"Thank you." Paige dismissed Byran, and when he was gone, she stood. "Ash, please help me to my room." The tall guard stepped forward and took her arm gently. There was tenderness in his actions, as if Paige would shatter if he didn't treat her like the finest hand spun glass.
"Are you coming to the guard station?" Paige asked before she left.
Zane and Ryder said they were, but Lavender didn't want to be anywhere near the vial criminal. Paige turned to Lavender and again studied her with bright yellow eyes.
"You don't want to see me. I guess we won't be friends, but that doesn't mean we have to be enemies."
Lavender was speechless as Paige walked away. "What did she mean by that?" she finally asked after Paige disappeared.
"I have no idea," Ryder mumbled. "Who knows what she's thinking. She just said she would rather die than be my companion. You know she could do worse."
"She's just mad at you because Dean wouldn't have been out flying today if you didn't put the idea in his head," Zane reminded him.
"You're the one who said to get on the kid's good side."
"I didn't say to do it at the expense of his safety." It sounded harsher than Zane had intended.
"Blazes, Zane, calm down. He's not even your family," Ryder grumbled.
"Well, if you want to have any hope of winning Paige over, then you better start thinking of him as your family.
"You're awfully defensive of her," Lavender asserted.
"She saved my life."
"You saved her life last night," Ryder quipped. "You should be even now."
"No, we're not even yet." Zane felt like he still owed her something more than a life debt. He couldn't put it into words, and he knew if they found out she'd almost killed him last night, they would have more to say on the subject than he wanted to hear. Since he couldn't explain his own feelings to himself, then he didn't want to confuse the situation even more. Was it because she'd seen the darkness that lived in him? A darkness she understood because it lived in her as well? Is that why they kept choosing to overlook the other's faults and accept each other for who they were? He knew she saw him more clearly than those closest to him.
The idea made him sad, thinking that Paige understood him more than Lavender did. She'd learned in their first encounter what Zane was sure Lavender never had. He looked at Lavender, and she returned his look, her eyes questioning, like she was asking who he really was. For the first time, he was afraid of their Desma, when she would learn his every thought and memory.