Page 107 of The Royal Throne
“Poisons can be tricky,” the healer said. “Sometimes they take hours to work. If there’s an antidote, I need to administer it before the poison kills you.”
“Axel, please let him look you over,” Sabine said. With the recent assassinations, each body had been found in the morning. Maybe they’d been poisoned at supper then died a few hours later in their sleep.
The healer approached him, looking in his eyes, mouth, and ears before listening to his heartbeat. “You appear healthy,” the healer said as he started to pack his bag. “No signs of being poisoned.” Suddenly, he went still, his eyes widening.
“What’s wrong?” Sabine demanded.
The healer stood and took a step back, away from Axel. “I was told the poison found on your plate was a yellow powder?”
“Yes, that is correct.” Sabine set her glass on the low table and stood, facing the healer.
The healer’s eyes darted to Axel before settling back on Sabine. “There is a yellow residue on the prince’s sleeve and a bit on his pants.”
The room suddenly seemed very quiet. Sabine looked at Axel wondering if he’d poisoned her dessert or if he had gotten the poison on his clothes from his own plate. “Did you try to kill me?” They were friends, not enemies. However, something deep inside of her knew the truth.
Axel rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I ask you to marry me if I wanted you dead?”
A deep foreboding filled her as everything began to make sense. It felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest. He probably only asked her to marry him because his attempt to kill her had failed. “You want to rule Lynk.” The realization shocked her since he’d always appeared so aloof.
Axel pushed to his feet, running his hand through his hair as he inched closer to Sabine.
“I need you to move away from the queen,” Drew said, withdrawing his sword.
“I didn’t try to kill her. I like the queen and don’t want her dead.”
“Then why do you have poison on you?” Sabine asked.
“The healer is lying,” Axel said.
“I can obtain a sample of the yellow substance and test it,” the healer offered.
Something flashed across Axel’s face. In the blink of an eye, he lunged for Sabine.
Without thinking, she withdrew her dagger, nicking his thigh as she stepped away from him, out of reach.
“Not enough to do damage,” Axel said, a sly smile spreading across his face.
“The dagger was poisoned,” she informed him.
Drew had managed to move up behind Axel. His sword now pointed at the prince’s neck.
Axel crumbled to the floor, unconscious.
“You almost gave me a heart attack,” Drew said. “Next time, you can trust that I will handle the threat.” He knelt next to Axel, feeling his pulse in his neck.
She shrugged. “I didn’t think. I just acted.” She slid the dagger back in its sheath. “Thanks for that weapon.”
“I’d say I’m glad it came in handy, but I’m still shaken by watching you defend yourself.”
She smiled, thrilled she’d saved herself for a change. “What are we going to do with Axel?”
“He’s going to be taken to the dungeon.” Drew stood. “As is Prince Anton.”
“Did Anton have anything to do with what happened?” The thought that Anton could have been working against her as well was almost too much to bear.
“Prince Axel just tried to assassinate you,” Drew said. “The healer here is a witness. That means Prince Anton will be punished accordingly.”
Guilt filled her. If Anton was innocent, she didn’t want him to suffer the same fate as Axel. It didn’t seem fair. However, the law was the law.
