The Traitor

knock echoed through his door, Kai hopped onto his bed just as the door swung open. He expected to see Kendra, but Nola stood in the frame. “I hear you are unwell.” She approached his bedside. “The council kept me very busy today, or I would have come sooner. Maybe we can have dinner together.” She stood at the foot of his bed.
“Your Highness,” Kendra called, entering with a small silver tray. She placed it on the table and approached Kai, holding a wet cloth in her hand. “Please excuse me, your Majesty, Queen Nola.” Kendra put a cold compress on Kai’s head and slipped a vial into his hand. “Prince Kai complained of a headache and stomach cramps. Sigry has sent me with a compress, bread, and water. He will prescribe a tonic if the prince continues to feel unwell.”
Kendra feigned concern as she glanced from Kai’s eyes to the tiny vial.
Kai wrapped his hand around the dark green vial, trusting Kendra knew what she was doing. Ready to play his part, he sat up and coughed profusely. “May I have some water, Kendra,” he begged.
Nola held up her hand and turned back to the table. “I can pour water, Kendra. You are no longer needed. Go.”
With the Queen’s back turned, Kai drank the contents of the vial. The contents burned down his throat. While he had never had lobelia, he was sure he never wanted to drink it again. He hated the taste, and he could only hope Kendra supplied the right amount as he did not know how she managed a liquid form in only a few hours.
Before Kendra reached the door, Kai became sick. He vomited all over his bed coverings. Red wine from the previous evening stained his white bedding. Queen Nola shouted, “Kendra, come back!” Nola backed away, disgusted, covering her nose and mouth. He noticed a brief look of concern as she turned away. “You should send for Sigry,” she motioned and left.
The door slammed shut, and Kendra gave him another vial. “Drink this down,” she insisted.
He did as she instructed, and he felt the cool liquid squelch the fire in his throat and belly. Next, she handed him water, and he downed the entire glass. “What was that?” he held up the two glass vials, one green, one blue.
“I tried to get the lobelia,” Kendra confessed, “but Sigry no longer has any. Riome’s room on the other hand contains many poisons and cures. In Riome’s absence, I have been studying her notes, hoping to find a cure for Iver myself. She wrote about these two potions in a recent journal entry; I could only hope I understood the mixture and grabbed the correct amounts.”
She handed him some bread, and he nibbled it slowly. “So, you poisoned me?” He felt nauseous and covered his mouth, but nothing new came up.
“I did what was necessary; Sigry is not the right person to trust with this. He might have suspected something if I had asked for lobelia.” Kendra removed the soiled linens and headed to the door. “I will be back with fresh bedding. Riome’s diary recommends plain bread and water for the next hour. The effects may linger if I gave you too much. Should you feel sick while I am gone, use the waste bin by the bed.”
The door closed with a thud, and he looked at the bin. The very thought of being sick again made him retch, and he was thankful the container was close.
The next knock at the door was a maid Kai did not recognize. She was a brute of a woman who refused to make eye contact. Her beefy hands yanked the remaining linens from Kai’s bed, and she replaced everything with new gold and blue coverings.
“May I get more water?” Kai rasped, tugging the fresh quilt over his chest after he climbed into the freshly made bed.
Her only response was a curt nod. By the time the maid returned with more water, he felt surprisingly better, but he hid his progress by keeping his eyes closed as she came and went.

Chapter 8
Little Sister
Once Kai was sure his room would remain undisturbed, the secret passageways and underground tunnels made escaping the palace easy. The memory of the first night he discovered the corridors made him chuckle. He missed the old days of ditching guards and running spy missions with Riome. Tonight would be anything but fun. This time, he searched for his teacher and friend in a city he hardly recognized, hoping to save her life.
Much had changed about Diu in the time Kai was away. Rimtown never looked this dirty. Trash and mud littered the streets. While parts of town had always been rough, he did not remember hungry beggars. Homeless people sat on corners and lay in alleyways. Pickpockets bumped into unsuspecting travelers, stealing what they could. Only a few random guards patrolled, and they steered clear of dark alleyways and hot spots. Kai could not believe what he saw.
Riome once taught him that the old and poor go unnoticed. She was right. The outskirts of the city were falling apart, and nobody seemed to care. Kai could feel the tension within the crowded streets; men mumbled under their breaths, disgusted with life. The scowls on their faces seethed with anger—and a hint of pending treachery. Most wore threadbare clothing, pulled tight around their hunched shoulders.
Disguised in a dirty shirt and rugged pants, Kai blended in; even his thin overcoat had patches and several holes for good measure. He kept his eyes down and his hands in his pockets. He padded through the streets, muttering under his breath. If Riome was indeed back, there had to be news of her return. There were three inns she frequented when she