Treacherous Witch

31. Mercy

"What is the ultimate power? Mercy."
Interview with Queen Shikra III, as told to Master Anwen

In the moments between the goblet leaving Lady Ophelia's startled grasp and it crashing to the floor, Valerie reflected that perhaps this wasn't such a good idea. Ophelia squealed. Red wine spilled out like blood. Murmurs and whispers followed as the lords and ladies around them noticed the kerfuffle.

Lord Avon grabbed her shoulder. "Valerie!"

Lord Dryden stood up. "What on earth are you doing?"

"What..."

If Kreios had been about to reprimand her, the impulse soon vanished. He stopped, his hand flying to his throat.

"Valerie?" A tiny crease smudged Ophelia's brow.

Next to her, Avon stepped forward. "Lord Silver, what's wrong?"

Kreios was wheezing, his face turning red. His fingers kept clawing at his throat, as if to pull away a cloth that was squeezing his neck.

"He's poisoned!" said Valerie. "Wait—I can help."

She started forward, but Avon pulled her back before she could get further than a step. Valerie turned back, furious, but he met her eyes with equal ferocity before shouting out to the crowd:

"Fetch a doctor! Now!"

The servants responded at once. Meanwhile, the lords and ladies crowded around Kreios, who had collapsed into a chair. Dryden helped him sit up; he was now blue in the face. Ophelia clutched at his hand. Valerie looked for Iora, but there was no sign of her in the chaos. Had she seen what had happened?

Avon barked at the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, give him space! Step out of the hall, all of you—the doctor needs space to assist Lord Silver."

The Drakonian doctor had arrived. He rushed over to Kreios while the palace guards ushered the lords and ladies out, Ophelia refusing to leave until her brother snapped at her to go. Avon held her hand tightly. Dryden supported Kreios, the doctor getting ready to administer what looked like a breathing tube.

"I could heal him!" Valerie hissed.

He looked at her. "Are you sure?"

Maybe, maybe not. She'd never healed anyone else before, but she was twice-blessed by the silvertree, and there was a first time for everything.

"At least let me try!"

"Wait!" said Avon. "Step back."

The doctor stared at him. "My lord—"

"I said step back."

Avon let go and Valerie rushed forward, kneeling beside Kreios to grab his hand.

Dryden hissed. "You'd let your witch work her evil here in our halls?"

"My lord, I must protest—"

"No, you must not. Let her work."

Valerie only half-heard them arguing. She was overwhelmed by the poison eating its way through the man's body and destroying his lungs. It had already spread through his bloodstream.

She'd been healing herself ever since she was first blessed by the silvertree. It was one of the first things she had learned to do. But awareness of one's own body was quite different from awareness of another, particularly a stranger. And he was dying. Instinctively, she held herself back. The slightest adjustment of her senses would make his pain her own.