The Autumn Prince

10. A Little Bit of Poison

My godmother burst into the room and pushed me aside, kneeling next to Katherine who had become completely unresponsive. "How long has she been like this?"

"What?" I struggled to guess where she'd come from or why, but my mind was just as off-balance as my body.

She stared hard into my eyes, her gaze cutting like diamonds, "Pay attention, Thomas! How long?"

"Uh... maybe five minutes? Ten?" I had no concept of time. It might have been hours.

"You must focus," She hissed, ice and steel in her tone. "If you want to help the girl, do as I say."

I stood and nodded.

"Get water. Boil it."

"Where am I going to..."

"If you would save her life, you will obey me now and without question!"

Her words vibrated along my spine, wrapping around my brain until all I could see was Miss Gold's sharp, yellow eyes. I couldn't speak. I could barely think.

"Water. Now!" she barked.

I found myself down the hall at the second-floor vending machine fumbling for my credit card to buy a bottle of spring water. Then I stood in front of Katherine's mini fridge waiting for the microwave on top of it to finish heating the bottle's contents in an over-sized soup mug.

Miss Gold gently stroked Katherine's hair, mumbling quietly to herself, then she stopped and spoke without turning. "She touched you, yes?"

I nodded.

"Anything more?"

"She kissed me," I replied before I thought it.

"Mhac na galla," the woman cursed under her breath. "Is the water hot?"

"Only just."

"It will have to be enough. Take this." She handed me a small plastic bag full of herbs that looked exactly like the tea she'd given me. "You know what to do."

I dumped the contents into the mug and let them settle, watching the rose-rust dye diffuse throughout the liquid, its spicy, minty odor filling the air. I couldn't have said how much time passed, but I somehow knew exactly when to hand her the tea. Miss Gold lifted Katherine's head effortlessly, never losing eye contact, still mumbling those barely audible words, and trickled it into her mouth.

After several seconds, Katherine seemed to come alive. She coughed, blinked, and looked up into Miss Gold's face with something like wonder, then spared me a glance before closing her eyes and falling into a restful sleep.

Miss Gold set her gently on the floor and sat back with a sigh, deep in thought, then she seemed to remember me and held out the mug. "Drink it, Thomas. Finish it off."

I did as I was told then set it aside. As soon as it touched Katherine's desk something let go of me, as if I were a marionette and my strings had just been cut. I felt drained.

"What," I panted, leaning heavily on the desk, "the hell is going on?"

Miss Gold stood so effortlessly she may have simply floated off the floor. She remained deep in her own thoughts for a time, but when she replied her voice was calm and deliberate.

"Thomas, this is not as I planned. You are clever, but not as inquisitive as I had hoped."

Anger rose in me like bile. "Look lady, I don't know who you think you are, but I don't give a damn about your plans! My friend is hurt—"

"The girl is unharmed."

"Like hell!" I began, but I'd apparently crossed a line.

"Silence!" She held up her hand as if to stop me from approaching and her words gripped me with an almost physical force.