The mission was supposed to be simple. All he had to do was deliver one message. That was it. He hadn’t planned on getting lost. Or attacked. Or captured. By the gods, why did he ever have to run into that woman? Damn him and his absurd sense of nobility. He should have just left her. As if he could. How was he to know she was a Paladai? He had not seen her back with its tattoo or her drak that must have been lurking nearby. He should have suspected it. How many women traveled with a small arsenal of weapons?

If only he’d had sense enough to not let those thugs attack him again. He would be half way to Avar by now, if it weren’t for them. Now the letter was in the hands of that bastard Kade, and he was being forced in the opposite direction! And with that damned woman, no less. No. He could not damn her. She had saved his life. Never mind that she had turned and tried to kill him when she found out the truth, but she had spared him. And watching her fight…it was like nothing he had ever seen before.

She had such grace, such fluidity in her movements. He couldn’t help but be entranced by her. It was like watching a dancer who had practiced years for a most coveted role, every form requiring master precision, else the dance be ruined and the role lost. But it would be no part in a performance she would lose. No, it would be her life. He couldn’t imagine the life she must have been forced to give up as child to become what the Paladai wanted. What would it be like for someone to never have a proper childhood? Maybe that was why she was so cold. Maybe that was all one could expect when a child is raised by a pack of wolves rather than loving parents. He couldn’t picture what his life would be like without his mother and father. At least they wanted him. Had hers? They couldn’t have, if they left her to the Paladai.

“Stop looking so grim, boy.” Jarin turned to see Kade come inside the house.

“You’re not the one who’s a prisoner.”

“Being sour about it isn’t going to a change a thing. As long as we’re stuck with you, you might as well make the best of it,” he said and went about serving himself a bowl of stew from the pot Naiara had made.

“Make the best of it? I intended no harm towards any of you. I even saved your friend’s life, and this is how I am repaid?”

“The Paladai served the two kingdoms faithfully for over a century, and all they got was stabbed in the back by your king. How’s that for repayment?”

Jarin had no answer. He couldn’t believe King Ari would have ordered Alran, or any other Paladai for that matter, to be murdered. There was nothing to gain by the death of one person. There had to be more to the story, something the Paladai Order should have realized and not have acted so impetuously. They were supposed to be peacekeepers. Weren’t they supposed to be the bigger man?

“As for ‘saving’ Ashea, you were a distraction at best. Though the gesture was appreciated.”

“Both of you need to simmer down,” Naiara scolded. “I’ll not have any fighting under my roof, if I can help it.”

“Apologies, Naiara,” Kade said as he moved to take a seat at the table. He got as far as setting his bowl down before the sound of screeching outside drew all of their attention. Kade darted to the window. “It’s Ashea!” His tone filled with worry as he charged out the door.

Jarin made his way behind him, Naiara at his side. Zeru was on the lawn with Ashea thrashing to get off his back, babbling nonsensical words. Kade was trying to talk her down, but she stared at him with wild eyes, the look of a scared, cornered animal. Kade approached carefully, but it made no difference. She lunged at him, wildly slashing out with her knife. He grabbed her by both wrists, twisting her around until she was locked in his arms, her back pressed to his chest.

“Ashea, stop. It’s me, Kade.”

She wasn’t listening. She stomped on his foot before ramming herself against him, her elbow going into his gut, her head making a resounding ‘crack’ as it hit Kade in the jaw. He lost his grip and released her. She quickly turned and ran for Naiara. Jarin was about to pull the woman away when she reached for a pouch at her hip and tossed a dark powder in Ashea’s face. She sputtered and coughed for a moment before turning again to attack Naira. She only made it two steps before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed on the ground.

“What was that?” Jarin asked astounded.

“It will only keep her asleep for a few minutes. Bring her inside,” Naiara ordered and retreated back into her house.

Kade did as ordered and carried the unconscious woman inside. They both followed Naiara to a small room in the back of the house where she ordered Ashea tied down to the bed and the shutters pulled closed.

“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” Jarin asked.

Kade looked over her, forcing her eyes open to inspect them. Something on her must have caught his attention as he inhaled whatever scent was lingering on her. “She’s been poisoned.” He paused and looked to Naiara. “It’s datura.”

“You’re sure?” Naiara asked.

“I am,” he answered gravely.

“It would be a kindness to kill her now,” Jarin suggested. In small doses, datura would cause powerful hallucinations, the user completely unaware of what was and wasn’t real. It would take little more to make the dose lethal, leaving its victims in a violent delirium until their heart gave out or paralyzed until the poison stopped their breathing. The only time he had heard of someone surviving was after accidently making tea with the herb, and they had been left permanently blinded. A blind Paladai was a dead Paladai.

Kade was on him in an instant, pinning him to the wall with his arm pressed against his throat.

“Say such a thing again, and I will rip your throat out.”

“There is no cure,” Jarin ground out. “She will die, whether you want it or not. The question is how much will you let her suffer?”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

At best, the poison would kill her in hours. At worst, days. Datura was too unpredictable to be sure of how strong the effects would be. If it were a loved one of his, Jarin thought, he’d rather not watch them die in such agony.

“That’s where you’re wrong, boy,” Kade growled before releasing him and turned back to Ashea. “The Paladai Daktari have one.”

Jarin tried not to gape but was sure he had failed. How did they have a cure for such a poison? It had to be impossible. There was no such thing!

“If what you say is true, where do you plan to find one?” Jarin asked. “Your fort is, what, a two day ride to get there and back? She could easily die by then.”

“Zaina will get me there in half the time.”

Naiara regarded Kade quietly but looked unconvinced of his solution. “That’s assuming there aren’t more Hunters waiting out there.”

“If there were, they’d have already killed her or be trying to break down the door,” Kade reasoned. Ashea began to stir on the bed, her eyes fluttering as she slowly came to. He looked down at her with a tortured look as he gripped her hand. “Hold on, Ashea. I’m not going to watch you die.” He then strode from the room and out of the house.

“So you’re just going to abandon us?” Jarin demanded, hot on his heels. “What if the person who did this decides to come back to finish the job? What if it was a Hunter?”

Kade stopped suddenly, turned on his heel and grabbed him by his collar. His eyes had gone ice cold as he seemed to stare right through the man. “Listen very carefully, boy. I know exactly what you are. I will still not hesitate to kill you and send your head back to the Elite Guard’s captain as a warning, if she dies. Try to run, and I will have Zaina tear you to pieces. Are we clear?”

A chill went through him. He thought he had been careful to hide who he was. He should have known that Kade would see through his deception. “And if the poison takes her? What then? You can’t blame me for that.”

“If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be here at all. So, yes, I can blame you for this.” Shoving him aside, Kade turned and called Zaina. He didn’t waste time getting her saddle as he mounted her as soon as she lowered herself.

“Keep her safe. Naiara, if he tries to run–”

“Don’t you worry. I’ll handle him. Go now,” she urged.

He gave a nod before spurring Zaina into a run. Jarin had never seen a drak, or any other creature, take off with such speed. If he could keep that pace, there might be hope for Ashea, if they had this cure. Naiara finally came forward and pulled him toward the house.

“Come, boy. Time to get inside.”

He followed her back in and tried to calm his nerves, but the sounds of Ashea screaming did little to help.

“Is there anything we can do for her?” he asked, sitting down at the table. There had to be something to give her to at least end her screaming.

“We’ve already done it,” she said, stoking the fire, “The best thing for her is to keep her restrained and keep as much light out of that room as possible. It will only agitate her further, make her more violent than she already is.”

“How could she have been poisoned? She doesn’t seem foolish enough to eat it,” Jarin wondered. He had heard stories of people mistaking the plant for an edible herb or making tea with it.

“I have seen it done before. They take well-aged plants and grind the flowers down until they are almost a powder and put it in a jar with their explosive substance of choice. When it ignites, it turns the plant into a smoke that is just as lethal as eating it, but it’s more unpredictable. Inhale too little, you get a deranged fool for a few hours instead of death,” she explained.

“You seem to know your poisons and medicines well enough. Are you not one of their Daktari?” he asked suspiciously.

She turned to him with a coy smile before standing and taking a seat opposite him. “I help them, true enough, but I am no Daktari.”

“What do you mean?” Now he was interested.

“Daktari are a separate sect within the Paladai. They train for years learning about more potions, plants, and medical techniques than you could imagine. They have secret remedies they share with no one outside their group. And they will rarely treat an outsider, so never give one a reason to hate you. They’re as likely to kill you as they are to heal you.”

“So if you’re not a Paladai, why do you help them? They’re killers. They care about no one except themselves and those they think are worthy.”

“They saved your life, didn’t they?” she countered.

“Then tried to kill me when they found out I was a royal messenger.” Granted, he had lied about his identity, but he’d had good reason.

Naiara stood and went about cleaning up the stew pot. “I’d say you’re still lucky for having your head, since we both know you’re no palace messenger,” she threw over her shoulder.

It took him a moment to realize what she had said. Even then he thought he had misheard her. “What did you say?”

She turned back with that same coy smile before returning to her work. “I knew who you were the moment you arrived on my doorstep. I’m impressed Kade didn’t kill you on the spot.”

Jarin was too flabbergasted to respond. How did she know? “If you knew, why didn’t you say anything when we met?”

“It didn’t seem prudent. Considering how Ashea introduced you, she clearly has no idea. When she finds out - and she will eventually - there won’t be much to stop her from trying to kill you.”

That was a problem he would have to deal with when it came up. Given how angry she was when she showed him the Elite Guard knife, he had no reason to doubt Naiara’s assessment.

“But how did you know?” How could this woman he had never seen before, a woman who lived in the middle of the woods, know who he was?

“Believe it or not, I used to work in the palace. You wouldn’t remember a servant, but I recall you as young man during your training. After Alran Valar was killed I tried to remain there to learn what I could, but with bounties placed on Paladai heads I finally had to flee. If they knew I was a supporter, they might have taken my head, too.”

“I don’t understand this. It’s true the king hates the Paladai, but he’s never said anything about a bounty; though I’m sure he considered making an exception for Kade.”

“And the king tells you everything?”

That effectively silenced him. If King Ari was putting a bounty on Paladai, why keep it a secret? What purpose would it serve? And how could he? Few things ever stayed secret in the palace for long. There were too many questions he simply had no answers for.

“Promise you will say nothing. She has Kade’s blessing to kill me for any reason. If she finds out now, she will slit my throat as soon as she’s recovered. Please, Naiara, I am begging you. Will you promise?”

She eyed him warily as if judging his intentions. When she’d finally made up her mind, she said, “I will not say anything, child. But if you are heading back to the capital, you won’t be able to keep your secret for long. All it will take is one person, and your life may be forfeit.”