Ink

Chapter 34

Klaus's POV
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"How long will it take for you to get a working antidote?" Klaus asks Leona as she continues to add different diluted solutions of the venom into testing pods. With a furrowed brow her eyes squint with concentration.

"If I can get the perfect dilution we will be in the clear." She says."The only problem is that there are so many possibilities-it will be nearly impossible to get the mixture just right."

"That is not exactly reassuring, Leona."

"It is not meant to be reassuring, Klaus. It's meant to present you with the reality of the situation."

Klaus growls and turns away from Leona.

"We don't have much time, Leona." He says."Who knows how long it will take for Mephistor to figure out I'm back in the kingdom."

"You don't think I know that." She responds, her eyes are still focused intently on the microscope in front of her. "This building has some of the best security in the entire kingdom. I'm surprised no one has come for you yet."

Klaus looks around the room. His eyes dart nervously back and forth between the security cameras in the corners.

This is not good. He thinks.

It takes Leona a few minutes of mixing and frustration before she finally calls out.

"I think I've got it!" She says.

He makes his way back over to her and puts a hand on her shoulder in appreciation.

"Finally!"He exclaims. She rolls her eyes at him.

"No need to be rude."

"Perhaps I'll apologize some other time when my life isn't in danger." He sends her a wink.

"You know my life is in danger as well." She says."Once they find out I helped you-"

"Then come with me." He says. "The resistance could use a woman as smart as you. You'll be a valuable asset."

"And betray the king? You cannot be serious."

Klaus shrugs his shoulders.

"If we were to leave there's no guarantee that we would even get out alive, Klaus. There must already be guards that were alerted of your presence. Don't tell me you're not weighing the pros and cons here."

"Worse case scenario we get caught and I die." Klaus says lifting one hand."Best case scenario, we get out, get to the Resistance, and work on getting rid of this virus."

"It's not as easy as a fifty fifty,Klaus." Leona says, face palming."According to my calculations we will only have a twenty percent chance of escape."

"That's better than no chance at all."

Leona stays quiet. Her hands are gripped slightly around the top of the vile. He can tell that she is pondering the options. He knew that it was not an easy thing to ask someone to abandon everything for a cause they were brought up to despise, but, he hoped that she would see that if she remained in the kingdom, the king that swore to protect her would soon become her worst enemy.

Feeling the stress come off of her in waves, he decides to change the subject.

"Are you sure that will be effective?"