I clenched my teeth to stop myself from screaming at him.
“If you want him to survive the night, I suggest you follow me,” Evren said calmly. “There’s an event tonight that demands our attendance.”
“You said the poison wouldn’t kill him,” I ground out, a note of panic beneath the anger in my voice.
Evren clicked his tongue. “No, girl, I believe I said that it wouldn’t kill him as long as you cooperated.”
I waited, hoping to detect some falsehood in his statement, but found none. So, the poisonwaslethal. My blood ran cold.
My world narrowed to this singular terror, the knowledge that Casimir would die if I didn’t do exactly as Evren bade me. His sneering face represented my only hope of saving Casimir, which was exactly how he’d planned it. After months of denying and dancing around my relationship with Casimir, seeing him in danger forced me to confront my feelings. To make a choice. And in truth, it was no choice at all.
“What do you want in exchange for the antidote?” I asked.
Evren didn’t answer. He stalked over, taking Casimir’s chin roughly between his fingers and examining the sheen of sweat, the blue pallor of his lips. “You’re looking worse for wear, Darkseer,” he observed. “But that’s to be expected. Hydra Datura is quite a potent venom, especially when undiluted.”
My heart stopped.Hydra Datura? I’d never heard of it before.
My confusion must’ve shown on my face because Evren smirked and said, “Don’t delude yourself into thinking it’s anything like the mild hallucinogenic we spike wine with at parties.” He laughed softly. “It’s a mutation, a more potent version of the flowering plant, grown in Ethervale by our masterbotanists. Only to be used on enemies and special occasions.”
My heart stopped. Ohfucking fuck! The venomous plant had been tampered with so that it was potent enough to poison Daemons. This at least explained why he was so sick, displaying symptoms that encompassed a variety of toxins.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this. It’s truly a delicious moment,” Evren sighed wistfully. “If only there were time to savor it.”
Casimir gave a faint groan.
Evren withdrew his hand and flicked his cold gaze to me. “Too bad time is running out for your Darkseer.”
I ground my teeth together and waited, my legs shaking from the effort of keeping Casimir upright.
With an arrogant smirk, Evren turned on his heel and strode in the direction of the grounds. Over his shoulder, he called out, “What are you waiting for, girl?”
We made slow progress toward the grounds, my anxiety increasing tenfold with every minute that passed. Casimir was declining rapidly, that much was obvious. His coordination was that of an extremely inebriated person, and it was all he could do to keep up with Evren’s brutal pace as his feet stumbled over the uneven ground. We had to stop more than once so he could heave up the contents of his stomach, which was mostly liquor, along with a dark substance that looked terrifyingly like blood. Finally, Casimir could walk no further. With a groan, he slumped to the cold ground. The sound was enough to make Evren stop.
“Please, you have to help him,” I begged Evren. “He won’t make it much farther like this.”
Evren stopped and scowled at the pair of us. It was clear he held little sympathy for Casimir’s plight. Finally, he relented. “Only because you’ll make us late.” Plunging a hand into his pocket, he retrieved a second vial containing a pale blue liquid. Beforehe handed it over, he shot me a warning glare. “I will give him a few drops. Just enough to get him to the Grotto. If you try to interfere, I will kill you.”
I nodded. What else could I do but obey? I was entirely at his mercy. “Wait—” I said, putting a hand out to stop his advance. “How do I know this won’t make him sicker?” I didn’t trust the Bloodweaver in the slightest.
Evren rolled his eyes. “You really are daft. Why would I slow us down further? I already told you, we need him for the ritual.”
Detecting no trace of deceit in the air, I allowed him to approach. Evren helped me lift Casimir so that he was sitting up long enough to pry open his jaw and place three drops of the blue liquid on his tongue. The effect was immediate. Groaning weakly, Casimir squinted up at us. His eyes were no longer glazed, but alert and present. I sank onto the cold grass in relief.
“Thank the gods,” I croaked.
“Time’s up.” Evren began walking again, not bothering to see if we followed. “Remember, that potion won’t last long, so get moving,” he called over his shoulder.
Casimir was weak and pale, but alive. A small amount of antidote would give us time.
“How do you feel?” I asked tentatively.
He spoke in a hoarse whisper, “What happened?”
“You were poisoned,” I said.I poisoned you.“I owed Evren a favor, as part of my bargain.” I swallowed heavily. “He told me to slip a potion into your drink. I didn’t know what it would do. I’m so sorry, Casimir.”
Blinking slowly, he absorbed my confession. Did he comprehend the depth of my betrayal between the lines?
He gazed up at me, his expression indecipherable. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he said.