Page 8 of The Poison Within

Inside the dimly lit room, the Nymph lay on a makeshift bed, the side of her face a swollen mass of black and blue. A deep cut ran along her eyebrow, and a black sling covered her right arm. She looked frail and hardly conscious.

“They called her a forest whore. Then they took turns. Said it would teach her to appreciate men.” The Furia’s steel-cold voice lacked inflection. “I enjoyed killing them.”

I swallowed hard. I might’ve been a man of the law, but I understood her actions. At the thought of someone putting their hands on Elly that way, leaving him hurt and violated, a surge of rage iced over my veins. I stole another glimpse at the woman under the blankets.

Damn it all.

“Her name is Caylii,” supplied Ÿben, who’d slipped into the room.

The circumstances didn’t warrant amusement, but his clumsy attempt at psychological manipulation forced a smile out of me. His tactic, intended to make me form a sympathetic bond with the victim and volunteer my help, proved both transparent and redundant. Despite myself, I already felt invested.

A low-grade headache crept up behind my left eye in little pulses. I squeezed my temples. “You need to leave town,” I told the Furia at last. “Hell, the province. They’re looking for you.”

Expressionless, Eryssa observed me as if measuring me up.

“You’ve got a place you can go?” I prompted.

She hesitated before answering, “We’ll be fine as long as I can get her south. My cousin is an enforcer with The Order. They’ve wanted to recruit me for ages.”

I let out a low whistle. The protection of the Assassins’ Guild wasn’t something to sniff at. “She can’t ride, can she?”

“We would’ve been long gone if she could.”

Caylii thrashed and whimpered. Eryssa kneeled by her side and stroked her hair, uttering calming words in a language I didn’t recognise.

I looked at Ÿben. “Did you drug her?”

He almost appeared offended. “Of course. A little something for the pain and to speed the healing. My options are limited; not many things agree with the Nymphs. Different metabolism, you see.”

“What about the good stuff?” I pointed at the Furia with my chin.

“Gods, no. That would surely fuck her up even more. Not that it works on injuries.”

I dragged my hand down my face, trying to see a way out of this predicament. Just like that, an idea dawned on me. “Prepare to leave in three hours.”

The night had fallen when I arrived at the Radvadur Manor.

“His lordship doesn’t receive at this hour, Inspector.” Elly’s old manservant eyed me suspiciously as I brushed the road dust off my clothes in the hall.

“This is an urgent matter of office, my good man. I’m sure the Count will see me if you tell him I’m here,” I said with conviction, keeping my tone firm.

In fact, assurance was the very thing I lacked. I feared Elly might be annoyed at my turning up at his home. Or that he would refuse my request. But before I knew it, the manservant escorted me upstairs to the library. I stiffened, hearing Elly’s cough halfway down the long corridor.

Generous flames roared in the big, ornate fireplace, and he sat by a well-lit desk, bent over masses of parchment, his fingers stained with ink. He greeted me with a smile, his eyes beaming with joy.

My insides melted.

He rose from his seat the minute the door closed behind the servant.

I stood in front of him before he managed to approach me and grasped his hands in mine. “I need your help, Elly. And your mother’s carriage,” I said with no preamble.

Elly showed no sign of puzzlement. “Do you require my presence? Inside said carriage?” Amusement laced his tone.

To be frank, I hadn’t counted on him to accompany me. The last thing I wanted was to drag him into a potential scandal. On the other hand, his participation could benefit the whole enterprise. Not to mention that selfishly, I craved his presence.

“It’s not altogether legal, strictly speaking, my lord.”

His eyebrows rose. “Oh? How fun. Now I insist on going.”