Death came unannounced, dressed in velvet and red wine. Lord Elgar, the oldest of the lords of the council, collapsed in the middle of the banquet while reciting a ridiculous anecdote about dragons in heat.
Her glass rolled on the floor, splashing the dress of a baroness who squealed as if she had been stabbed. Some thought he was faking it. Others saw him cough up a blackish foam. No one laughed when his body was covered with a cloth.
By midnight, the corpse lay covered in a silk cloak, and the ballroom had been evacuated.
Hours later, Archie's lab was searched. What they found was enough: Queen Sibylla smelled a dark, withered, paper-thin leaf.
"Hellebora umbra," he murmured. Rare. Lethal. Requires simmering and bitter almond resin to activate...
"A poison," the captain of the guard confirmed. And according to records, only one alchemist in the kingdom has worked with this plant in the past six months.
Sibylla closed her eyes.
"Are you sure of the source?"
"The leaf was found in the cup. And the herbalist's acquisition diary shows that someone from the castle asked for an extract two weeks ago.
The name on the order was written in familiar handwriting: Archie Varnes.
The irruption for his capture was brutal.
Kai woke up with a start to the creaking of boots and the clash of steel. He threw himself into the corridor without thinking, still with his shirt open.
"What the hell is going on?!" He shouted, running towards the screams, his shirt wrinkled and his feet bare.
It didn't take long for him to see the guards with torches.
Archie was on the ground. Half dressed, hands folded behind his back, face against the cold tiles. One of the guards had his knee on his back. Another was already unwinding the chains.
"Archie!" Kai pushed one of the soldiers. What are you doing?! Did they go crazy?!
A warm hand touched his shoulder. Firm. Take it easy. Queen Sibylla, wearing a blue velvet cape and ill-fitting crown over her loose hair.
"Kai, that's enough.
Sibylla walked, wrapped in a gray velvet cloak.
"They hurt him!" Look! He can't even speak!
"I know," Sibylla murmured. I ordered it.
"What?" Those words felt like a dagger. One that you can't scream about, or warn that you're bleeding.
"The alchemist is accused of the murder of Lord Elgar. If you interfere now, you'll sink it further. There must be a trial. We cannot ignore the law.
"It wasn't him!"
"We'll know." Tomorrow we will discuss it in court. It may be a misunderstanding. However, there is a lot of evidence against him, including the handling of the poison.
Kai froze, clenching his fists. But even he knew when there was an impassable wall in front of him.
The guards took Archie away. The alchemist turned his face one last time. She didn't cry, but her look said it all.
That night, Kai didn't sleep.
He circled around like a wolf in a cage, kicking furniture, cursing the tapestry, and ruminating on words he would never say out loud. He spent hours in front of the fire, muttering theories, chewing on rage with Archie's glasses in his hands after the abrupt arrest.
"They locked him up... as if he were a criminal.
He woke up without having taken off his clothes. His tousled hair and pale face did not match well with the pomp of the council meeting.
In court, Archie looked like a shadow. His lips were cracked, his hands trembling, and his robes stained with soot. Still, he raised his head. Murmurs, crooked looks, theories wrapped in perfume and power.
Archie was emaciated. No glasses. With a bruised cheek. When he was pushed to the center, he didn't look like a murderer, but a trapped deer.
"Hellebora umbra was found in Lord Elgar's cup," said the captain of the guard. The extract is extremely rare. And there is only one person in the entire kingdom who has applied for it in recent months.
"I used that plant to research a cure for the plague!" Archie groaned, his voice breaking. The plant is not only toxic! It can also neutralize poisons derived from lunar cyanide. I demonstrated it with mice in December!
—Then confirm the manufacture of the compound. That poison can only be synthesized from the leaves you were growing. Does he also affirm this?
Archie raised his head. Her lips trembled.
"Those leaves were not meant to poison... they were part of a cure. "I was working on the antidote to the plague," he repeated, hoping that his statement would be enough to prove his innocence.
"Where are those records?" asked one of the lords.
"They disappeared last night. My lab was looted.
A murmur spread like poison ivy among the attendees. Kai tried to move forward, but his mother's hand stopped him again. This time, firmer.
"Besides," added the herald with a venomous bow, "we received the testimony of a merchant from Valenys. Apparently, he delivered restricted compounds in exchange for payments... Discrete. The signatory: Archie Varnes.
"I didn't sign that!" I never received that package! It's a fake! Kai knows it!
All eyes turned to the prince, who was standing on the edge of the dais, his fists clenched.
"That's true," Kai stood up suddenly. Archie told me about that flower. Of its use. Of how he thought he would purify the blood. It makes no sense to accuse him of murder.
But the queen rose slowly. His eyes were moist.
"Until proven innocent or guilty, the alchemist will be transferred to the dungeon under guard. And he will remain incommunicado. For safety.
Kai looked at her with contained fury, as if he didn't recognize her.
"You... Do you approve it?
"I am the queen," she said. I can't act as a mother alone.
The room fell silent.
Archie was removed, and this time he didn't turn to look at anyone. Maybe he couldn't.
Kai slumped down. The wood creaked under his weight. He stood there, empty-handed, listening to the echo of his heart pounding on the empty walls of the court.