Sin: Path of Poison

Chapter 9 Part 1

Nomi's body twitched suddenly as she jolted awake. She stared at me for a moment, obviously waking too quickly and forgetting where she was. "How long was I asleep?" She asked. The first words that were uttered since we left the resting point.

"About twelve incense sticks?" I tried to sound unsure, actually it had been closer to sixteen. She moved her hand to the curtain and drew it aside just enough to peak out. We were just arriving at a city, roughly another day of travel from the capital.

"Oh." She said flatly. "We'll be staying the night here, Prince Pierce has an old friend that lets us stay over." She seemed happy at the thought of staying the night in the house. Our carriage slowed a bit but continued down a series of streets until finally stopping just as the sun was setting.

"Come, come." She ushered happily. I willingly followed her around to a side door, presumably where the servants entered. Nodding to several of the servants currently bustling around, we made our way upstairs.

This wasn't much like a house at all, but rather a sprawling mansion. Through one of the windows I could see a thriving garden lit up by lanterns, the scenery was beautiful. Finally arriving in front of a door that looked like all the others, Nomi opened it and went inside to look around. She walked this way and that, making small adjustments that didn't need to be made. Satisfied with everything, she motioned to go back out into the hallway where we waited, standing against the wall next to the door.

In the distance I could hear a small group of men getting closer, the Crown Prince took the lead, but just a shoulder's width behind him was a handsome man in the most elaborately embroidered robes I'd ever seen. My eyes blurred as I tried to comprehend what I was seeing. Flowers, birds, dragons, and various designs sprawled in every direction. I lowered my eyes to stare at the ground as they came closer, still trying to sort out the cluster of embellishments.

The Crown Prince slightly turned his head to take a quick glance at me before walking through the door. We stood outside as the entire group of men entered the large room. There was a sitting area to the right, which they headed towards. The Crown Prince sat in a high back chair facing the door as Pierce and the host sat across from him. Blake and Lei stood off to the side, effectively removing themselves from the conversation.

After sitting for only a fraction of a second the host suddenly stood back up and walked around the room. As if searching for something, his head swayed this way and that. After a brief search he came back to look at the men in front of him, dismissing them from whatever he was trying to find.

"Servant!" He called. Two of his personal servants had joined us, standing on the opposite side of the door from us in the hallway. The older one quickly ran in, bowing deeply upon entering.

"Master?" She asked obediently.

"Who was in here last?" He asked.

"Master, you were the last to check the room. I believe the Crown Princes' maids may have checked the rooms just before you came up." She answered honestly.

"Where are they?" He asked.

"Just outside." She replied.

"If it's not a problem, can you call in your maids? I'd like to ask them a question." He asked the Crown Prince. It would have been rude had he questioned us in private, one could get the wrong idea. The way he spoke to the Crown Prince seemed amiable but he didn't appear to be as close as Pierce. Regardless, the relationship was still there.

"Enter." The Crown Prince called. We waited as the one maid exited. With our eyes down, we entered the room in her place. I copied Nomi and bowed deeply. The host noticeably inhaled.