like a new adviser, I’m coming here to study.” Ferrick’s awe as he eyes the ointment is undeniable. “There’s so much here. So many herbs and plants for tonics, and medicine, and—”
“Poison.” I lift my brows while Ferrick’s furrow.
“Yes … And poison. But there’s good on this island too, Amora. Those herbs have done a lot of amazing things.”
“I should have alerted you the first time I heard about it.” Ilia’s voice is fraying at the edges, her sorrow and guilt easily the most palpable emotion I’ve yet to see from her. “For every incredible medicine we create, there’s someone out there who finds a way to make it into something foul. I had soldiers scouting, some of them even undercover, and we’ve made arrests of our own. I thought we could handle it internally; we didn’t want to scare anyone.” She pauses. “But I see now that it wasn’t enough. As good as we’ve gotten at hunting them, they’ve gotten even better at hiding. I never thought my brother would involve himself in something like that.”
“You’re right,” I say. “You should have alerted us the moment you discovered this was an issue. But now all we can do is find ways to control these substances. We can shut down access to the jungle. Put soldiers on patrol, and ban access to anyone who isn’t certified to use the herbs for the development of medicine. Even then, no one should be able to journey into the jungle alone; they’ll go in teams.”
“Amora.” I only notice how heavy the bags are beneath Bastian’s eyes when he rolls them. “You nearly bled to death. Policy can wait until you’re feeling better.” Carefully, he lifts himself with a wince and reaches his hands out to me again. “I think we should heal up and get moving. The less people who know about this incident, the better. The only ones who ever need to know are here in this room.”
Get moving.
I tense.
Four days on Curmana. Four wasted days, no closer to finding Ornell Rosenblathe. It’s not an outcome I can accept.
“Where do my people think I am?” My words are hesitant, almost afraid to ask.
“We told them you had a horrible case of food poisoning,” Nelly says softly, “and that we were busy trying to nurse you back to health and keep you inside, because all you wanted to do was see them.”
“All the parchments are talking about it,” Shanty chimes in. “It’s a good thing. People are angry at Curmana, not at you. It’s created sympathy among Visidians.”
Grateful as I am, that doesn’t stop the aching in my chest. In every regard, I’m failing miserably. Whether I’m to meet my people and put on a show for them, or find Ornell and the artifact, nothing I’ve attempted has gone right.
On Kerost, I was challenged for engaging with my people.
On Curmana, I was poisoned by someone who wished to end my reign.
I don’t even want to imagine what might happen at our next destination.
I’m half tempted to give up now. To accept my curse and my lost magic, and sit on the throne until someone comes for me. I can leave it up to the next poor bastard to fix this kingdom’s mess.
And yet I can’t convince myself to take that step. I can’t convince myself not to care.
Because to my core, I am still Visidia’s queen. My people deserve everything and more for what my family has done to them, and unfortunately, I’m the only one with the power to give that to them. Until my last breath, I must keep trying.
“Elias told me you were good with names,” I say to Ilia. It feels like I’m swimming in muddied water trying to find my words, but I get there. “Have you ever heard of someone with the surname Rosenblathe? There’s an adventurer by the name of Ornell Rosenblathe, and I have reason to believe he’s here on Curmana. Before I leave, I need to meet him.”
The moment Ilia’s eyes widen, relief bursts within me so fiercely I could cry. Silently, I thank the gods for taking pity on me just this once.
Ilia recognizes it. I don’t need her to answer to see that. But, curiously, her eyes dip to Nelly, whose tearful eyes have gone owlish.
“How,” Nelly asks, “do you know my birth name?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I was a fool for assuming Ornell was a man. All this time I’d been expecting a bachelor, and here she was, right under my nose.
“If you want