Chapters (46)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
The room was plain for a wallhugger’s. A man breathed lightly on a sturdy four-poster bed. Other than a woven rug on the floor, there was little decoration. Kyra stayed away from the bed, skirting along the edge of the rug. It would be easier to do this if she didn’t see Malikel’s face. Instead, she focused on the herbs. If she took tea every morning, where would she keep it? The chest at the foot of his bed contained only weapons, but a quick search of his dresser turned up a pouch of dried leaves.
Her hands were clumsy as she untied the pouch. All she had to do was put a few drops in there and leave. Maybe he wouldn’t take a large dose. Perhaps the healers would save him in time. She just needed to convince James that she had tried. Again, she forced her mind blank. Leather thongs gave way to her slow fingers and she laid the open pouch on top of the dresser. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before reaching for the vial’s cap.
She couldn’t do this.
Kyra’s hands shook so badly that she’d spill the contents of the vial if she opened it. Spots swam before her eyes. She took a step back, clutching her stomach. But if she couldn’t go through with the kill, what could she do?
Malikel shifted in the bed, and Kyra dove to the floor, digging her fingers into the thick rug. Cursing herself for letting her guard down, she crawled through a back doorway, slipping through just as he sat up.
She huddled behind the open door. Perhaps he would go back to sleep. For a moment, there was silence, and then she heard footsteps. A dim light flickered through the doorway, and only then did Kyra realize her mistake.
She had left his herbs on top of the dresser.
Kyra froze as she heard a knock on the double oak doors, barely breathing as Malikel answered. She heard what must have been Malikel’s greeting, and a younger man answered. The voices grew louder as they stepped back inside. It would be just a matter of time before they discovered her.
She cast around for an escape route. With the candlelight from the next room, she saw that she was in a sitting room off the main chamber. There was a window here, but to get to it she’d have to run past the open doorway. Peering through the crack of the door, Kyra caught a glimpse of the men as they paced the room. She had to time her escape for a moment they both faced away.
Nineteen
N I N E T E E N