Shadow Weaver (Back on Wattpad 2020!)

Chapter 40

The door to my chambers whips open. Tug sweeps in, hand on his scabbard, every muscle tensed. He takes in Lady Calmi and me, my knife still inches from her throat, my fingers wrapped around her hair. As the guard appears behind him, Tug kicks the door shut in his face.

"You're putting the knife to good use, I see," he says. Unlike the soldier, Tug's scabbard lies on his belt at a horizontal angle. The hilt meets the blade in a small fold of metal rather than a cross. He stands steadfast, taking in the smear of blood between Calmi's eyebrows, the basket of herbs, Lady Calmi's beauty. My heart pounds, but the adrenaline rush is over. I am starting to tremble. My body is still weak with poison.

Lady Calmi and the Prince betrayed the King and his army so they could kill Lord Strik. Should I believe her? A lifetime of brutality and fear might explain Lady Calmi's decision, but what reason could the Prince have for such a treacherous endeavour?

"Lady Calmi?" Tug says. I clench my teeth. How did he know it was her, yet I missed it? Frowning, I release her hair.

"The assassin's assistant," she says to Tug, stepping back from the divan, lowering her eyes in a greeting of respect. Tug's gaze flicks to mine, trying to catch up with what is happening. "The Prince should not have hired you," Calmi continues. "It makes no difference you are a girl. You will not get near Grandfather. He has four skilled assassins guarding him at all times."

Energy drains from my body. I sink to the divan. My forehead burns. A cold sweat breaks across me.

"It's the poison," Calmi says. "The antidote needs more time to neutralise the effects. You gained mobility far quicker than expected."

Tug straightens, left hand moving for his scabbard.

"Otherwise," Calmi continues, oblivious to his reaction, "you would not have caught me by surprise." She brushes a finger over the cut between her eyebrows. "I will not underestimate you again."

Tug sweeps the scabbard to his side, pops the guard, twists the sword away from his body and draws it without a sound. The curved blade swings high in the air and comes down as he lunges towards her.

I bite my lip to stop myself from shouting. I don't want the Queen's soldier bursting into my chambers. Tug means to scare Lady Calmi, not injure her, but the strike is startlingly close.

Calmi flinches, wide eyes fixed on the silver steel, which is now a fingernail's width from her neck. Tug's grip is steady, not a shadow of a doubt in him at the skill he wields, or how close he has come to drawing blood.

"What is the name of the poison?" he demands.

"Blue Death."

"Show me the antidote."

She glances at the blade, expressing her will with nothing but a look. Tug understands as well as I do. He arcs the sword away, his movements precise, smooth, though I imagine it has been half a lifetime since he last used such a weapon.

I notice now he is close-shaved. His long hair washed and trimmed. He wears black trousers and a white shirt, wide sleeves drawn in at the wrists. It is the traditional dress for Carucan mourning, reminding me we are expected to attend the King's ceremony of departure in less than an hour.

Lady Calmi hooks out a necklace from beneath her dress. A thumb sized phial dangles on the end. She unscrews the lid and hands Tug the miniature bottle. He sniffs, dabs the liquid on his tongue. Then hands back the bottle, neither of them saying a word. But he is satisfied, because he returns the sword to its scabbard. He withdraws from the center of the room to stand before the closed bedroom door.

I wonder if he's playing his role as assassin's assistant. Calmi takes his retreat as a signal to continue talking.

"The Eteans were supposed to capture the King, not kill him," she says. "But Prince Jakut knew the risks. My grandfather is not a man of his word. And when he arrives, he will want to know what happened to the men he placed inside the Prince's escort. If he suspects Jakut had anything to do with their disappearance, he will be displeased."