Cannon Fodder To Villainess

🏮69. Poison and a Pain

Amber weakly laid her head down and closed her eyes, motionless. She lightly peeked through her eyelashes, stealthily looking at Duke Dreyfus.

A smirk shone on his lips while he walked over to the side of the bed and set a black bag on a wooden stand near the bed. First, he pulled out a whip. A genuine short, black leather whip, with tiny metal spikes. Then he pulled out some matching cuffs, a gag, and another pink candle. Then he continued to pull out objects that Amber had no idea what they were.

[ Are you just going to lay here and allow us to get attacked?] Said the same voice from before. [If you're not going to do anything about it, I will.]

Amber could feel her whole body start to feel like it was falling asleep, with tiny pin pricks covering her from head to toe.

Don't you dare, thought Amber. Hoping that this odd voice in her head could hear her.

[Why wouldn't I dare? If you won't save us, I will! I probably won't be able to get us away, but I'm going to at least fight. I won't just lay here helplessly and allow us to get attacked!]

Could you please stop being stupid for once? Thinking about it...it was you, wasn't it? Every time that it was difficult to control my body it was you.

[So what? Like I said before, we belong to the First Prince, and I won't allow us to be tainted by any other man.]

Amber peeked back over to the Duke who wasn't paying any attention to her. He was still pulling out objects from a big black bag, but Amber no longer knew what any of them were.

Another wash of numbness poured over Amber.

Stop trying to take control! I don't know who you are, but I have a plan to get us out of this. If you don't want us to get royally screwed, then sit back, and let me take care of this.

[You really have a plan? You're not lying to me?]

I'm not lying. Let me take care of this.

[Alright, I'll listen to you; for now.]

Amber closed her eyes in relief, while the numbness over her body receded.

[I'm Arabella, by the way. Arabella Amber Frost.]

Amber's brain went blank while her mind tried to process this new information.

So, you didn't die? If you're Arabella, then who am I?

[Wouldn't you know who you are better than I would? I just woke up one morning and couldn't move anymore. I'd been laying there for almost a week when you showed up and started moving my body. I've been so weak that I've had a hard time being able to communicate with you. After you started to drink mana water, I slowly gained more strength. I thought that you finally decided to leave my body, that night when you floated away. I rapidly gained strength while you were gone, but soon you came back, and tried to fight my darling.]

[Initially, when you entered my body, I was kind of grateful, because it meant that I wouldn't lay still until I died from dehydration or starved to death. But, you're a monster; you know? I had to watch you use my body to kill so many people and do other despicable things. I couldn't even stop you. Why did you come to haunt me? What kind of evil specter are you? You even changed my looks. I used to have the most beautiful periwinkle blue eyes! They were my favorite shade of blue, but you changed them. Now every time we look in the mirror, I have to look at that freaky purple. Someday that's going to get us in trouble.] said Arabella into Amber's mind.

If you don't like it, why don't you get out then? said Amber in her mind.

[Me get out? You get out! This was my body first, you know!]

You're body first, it may have been, but you obviously weren't taking care of it. Tell me, why weren't you able to move your body initially; before I entered it I mean?

[...That's none of your concern.] said Arabella.

I thought that's what you'd say.

[What's it to you? I can treat my body however I want.]

Normally I wouldn't care, but I've become quite attached to this body. Since you'll just kill it by lack of care or doing something stupid that gets your head cut off; I'm keeping it. You can either stay or you can go, but I'm not going anywhere. Although I'd prefer you get out, since you've been detrimental to our survival thus far. Thanks for giving me that tip though, said Amber in her mind.

[What tip?]

That I shouldn't drink any more mana water until I can figure out how to get you out of my body.

[It's my body!]

Not anymore. Sit back and have a good look; things are about to get interesting.

[What are you going to do?]

You know all of that violence you complained about? There's about to be more of it.

Amber felt another wave of numbness shoot through her body, but this time she was ready for it, and pushed it back.

[Why would you be violent? Why can't you just use your words?]

[Let me take over our body so that I can talk to him.]

See? This is why you're the passenger here instead of the driver, you're trying to get us assaulted. Just stay out of my way, moron. And keep your emotions to yourself; I'm tired of them leaking into my consciousness and confusing me.

[Not all of those emotions were mine, you know. Granted, all of the feelings of love towards the First Prince are mine, but the feelings of affection towards the people we live with? Those are all yours.]

Amber glared in annoyance, but didn't say anything more. She looked over to the Duke who was done pulling out odd objects. He had started straightening them into neat rows on the large wooden nightstand. Amber silently slipped her hand under her wrap dress and pulled out a large needle, like some sort of freaky magician. The needle had been strapped to her inner thigh, beneath her dress. This was an emergency needle that she had hidden on her person. It was as long as her hand. The needle had a small handle on one side and a clear stopper on the other. She didn't need to accidentally get stabbed with paralyzing poison. Her space bag and her other items had been taken away by Jessera. Who had given them to the Duke, by the looks of Amber's warp ring wrapped around his pinky finger.

The duke was happily humming while paying no mind to Amber. He felt secure in knowing that he'd taken away Amber's things, drugged her, and suppressed her magic.

By this point, Amber had quite a high tolerance for many different types of poisons, and was even completely immune to some. The poison that the Duke used was quite strong, most other people would be completely immobile by now; Amber was not like most other people. After having been around the poison for a while, her body got used to it, and the effects lessened. She silently slunk forward, towards the Duke. With the needle tightly held in her hand, she gently pressed the sharp end of the needle into the Duke's temple, at the side of his head.

He stilled his movements when he felt a sharp stab at his temple. The cold metal easily entered his flesh and scraped his bone. Blood trickled down the side of his face, along his jaw, and dripped off of his chin. Still, he didn't move a muscle; he couldn't. All of his muscles were strained, keeping him perfectly in place. Where he would remain, until the effects of the poison wore off.