Sin: Path of Poison

Chapter 16 Part 3

Lei's hair was pulled completely up, held up by the same silver hair clasp and pin as before. I rested my hand behind his neck for a moment before setting him down. My fingers gently touched the hair clasp, I willed my fingers to move away. A part of me wanted to see him with his hair down. I smiled gently, this single dose of medicine should be enough to free him from his over sensitivity to my scent.

Lying on the floor not far from pools of blood and dead bodies, Lei still looked upright and pristine. His robes lay perfectly around him, only marred by a slight wrinkle on his chest. My hand reached out unconsciously, I gently ran my fingers across it to smooth it out. Removing my hand, I stared at his chest while wondering which was worse. The wrinkled fabric or the invisible touch of a monster I left on his robes?

He rested not too far from the Crown Prince and Nomi. I knelt beside the Crown Prince, observing his closed eyes. I brought the tip of my finger closer, touching his eyelashes lightly. He didn't move. I gently ran my hand down his cheek and stared for a moment. What had he been thinking when he touched me in the carriage? His handsome features were relaxed and gentle.

It was obvious the Crown Prince doted on me, but he didn't know the real me. Would he still feel the same later? A part of me hoped I could disappear completely when the time came, leaving behind a bittersweet memory of someone he adored. Would General Bai have preferred to remain ignorant as well?

I walked to the other side of the room where I noticed the Crown Prince's robes and underclothing hanging. Several boxes of other robes were stacked to the side, they probably rotated his robes out. Nearby I found a small stack of white silk handkerchiefs. They were probably not sentimental since they all looked the same. I carefully picked one up.

Walking over to the writing desk, I placed the silk cloth in the center. The desk was beautifully crafted out of a single piece of wood. I sat down on the embroidered pillow and carefully picked up the ink stick, gently rubbing it on the stone until a dark black color of ink puddled in the center.

I carefully recalled the writing style I used while in disguise under General Bai, using that hand writing after all these years was somewhat nostalgic. It made me laugh inside knowing I was using it to communicate a message about his son. With a slight smirk on my face I wrote a simple message.

"I've already given him the cure, he'll wake up tomorrow night when the moon is at its highest. Medicate him if you don't care about his life. The other two will wake up on their own before the sun rises." The message read.

The only tragic thing about tonight was that I wouldn't be able to see the General's expression when he read this. I cleaned the brush and put it back in its place, leaving the ink on the grinding stone as proof I wrote the message here. I picked up the handkerchief and placed it on top of Lei's torso, where it was easily visible.

I stood naked as I dropped the towel to the ground, with only my hair providing sparse coverage. Gathering my energy and channeling, I erased any traces of my scent in the room. It took more energy than killing the assassins on the ground, which irritated me slightly.

I used light step to jump from the window and land below then immediately shadow stepped to the hidden clothing. I quickly dressed in the white night robe, then covered the night robes with the patrol robes. Hurriedly putting my hair up to look like a boy, I shadow stepped through the courtyard towards Blake's room. Gathering energy and channeling, I moved quickly as a group of four guards patrolled not far from Blake's window.

I kept my face hidden as I caught them by surprise. I had no intention to actually kill them, I just needed to get Blake's attention. After a few swings I downed them using a swift chop to the backs of their necks. Confident they hadn't seen my face, I quickly tore a piece of one of their robes off. Feeling Blake approaching as fast as he could, I tied the fabric around my face while on the run. Not wanting to get too far ahead, I kept a steady pace in front of him. Leading him carefully back to the Crown Prince's rooms. I rushed inside the door and quickly shadow stepped through the building then jumped out the window near the bath and light stepped down.

Quickly shadow stepping far from the Crown Prince's room, I heard Blake calling for guards from the window. I paused briefly to remove the patrol robes and drop them nearby before turning back in the correct direction. Carefully staying in the shadows while all guards focused on reaching the Crown Prince's room, I made an easy escape despite wearing all white. Ducking back through the window in my room, I lay in my bed.

Calls could be heard in the distance, waking everyone in the room. Many of the girls gathered to speculate over what happened. Wanting to make myself seen, I removed the makeshift curtain from the ceiling then stared blankly out one of the windows. We stood together looking in the same direction.

Mere moments went by before the door opened, the elderly Midwifes' guard burst in. Her eyes quickly scanned the room then rested on my face. I blankly stared back at her while the other girls backed away slightly.

"Have you been here the whole night?" She asked me.

"Yes." I replied. Unable to tell if I was telling the truth or not, the other girls all nodded their heads to vouch for me. Ignorant, I thought to myself but outwardly did not give anything away.

"Go back to sleep." She ordered. The girls quickly vacated their places at the window and ran back to their beds as if they'd never thought of getting out. Nobody watched as she left and nobody dared to get back out of bed again. For the rest of the night it remained quiet.