Page 85 of Bride of the Black Dragon
Still, I must try to defend myself.
“That’s not true! I didn’t?—”
Dorian talks over me.
“I caught her in the act! Standing over the King’s lifeless body with this in her hand!”
He shakes the vial for emphasis, the dark liquid inside sloshing ominously.
A cold sweat breaks across my forehead and blooms down my spine.
No one will believe me. Not over him. Not over the golden son with his angel’s face and devil’s heart.
“I wasn’t even near him,” I blurt desperately. “He was already— I didn’t know he was?—”
“You were in his chambers,” Dorian hisses. “Why? Why would you be skulking in the secret halls, if not to sneak poison into his cup?”
I open my mouth, but no words come. I can’t tell them why I was there—not without confessing I was trying to steal the key to free Xaren.
Damn it, Elaina, think!
The throne room doors open again and the Court Physician enters, flanked by guards. A long chain of office swings from his neck over his long black robes like a noose.
“Well?” Queen Virelda asks sharply.
The physician bows deeply, then straightens.
“It is true,” he intones. “His Majesty is no more. His heart ceased… unnaturally. I believe poison was involved, though we’ll need more time to confirm the precise substance.”
Another round of horrified murmurs ripples through the nobles. A lady nearby fans herself rapidly, her face pale beneath her powdered cheeks.
The Queen turns to look down at me, her expression unreadable.
“Princess Elaina,” she says coldly. “Do you deny these charges?”
“I do!” My voice shakes but I lift my chin. “I didn’t poison him—I swear it. I—I stumbled into the room by accident! I was trying to—” I stop myself just in time. “I was lost in the passageways. I didn’t even know where I was until I saw—saw Dorian forcing something down the King’s throat.”
“You lying little whore,” Dorian snarls, stepping toward me.
The Queen raises one hand and he freezes.
She studies me with narrowed eyes, her jaw tight.
“Whether you are guilty or simply foolish,” she says at last, “The court will decide.”
She rises slowly from her throne, her black gown spilling like ink down the stairs.
“There will be a trial. But until then, you are not to be trusted. Take her to the East Tower. To the old cell. Let her sit in the dark for a few days and think about the consequences of treason.”
“No!” I cry out, twisting as two guards close in on me. “Please—you know I wouldn’t?—”
Their hands clamp down on my arms and I’m hauled upright and dragged backward with all the Court watching.
The Nobles part like the sea, none daring to meet my gaze. I glare at them anyway.
Cowards—all of them. Afraid of the Queen. Afraid of Dorian.
Tears sting my eyes but I don’t let them fall.
