Page 25 of Tanglewood Magic (The Three Sisters 2)
Rhys smiled warmly. “Circe is powerful and clever, but also the kindest person I know.”
Viktor studied his face for a moment, and Rhys wondered if he’d laid it on a bit thick. Could Viktor see the love he felt for Circe in his eyes?
“Well, come in. Pern will want to ply you with tea and biscuits before you go. She’ll be so happy to hear you’ve found a cure.”
Rhys followed the man into the big red farmhouse and was greeted with a hug by Viktor’s wife before she knew a single thing about what he had in his bag. The elderly woman’s ample frame engulfed him in the same back-thumping embrace her husband had delivered. He was promptly whisked into the kitchen, where tea and treats were already waiting.
“Did you solve the ivy problem?” she asked as she poured.
“I did.”
“Fates alive, Viktor, you were right about this one!” She loaded a plate for him.
Rhys wasted no time pulling the vials of antidote and several large jars of the ivy deterrent from his bag. Viktor left the room for a few long moments and returned with a thick envelope. “We’d agreed on a fee for the antidote. I doubled it in light of the tonic to keep the ivy at bay. Sound fair to you?”
Rhys nodded, a sense of relief flooding him. He’d been willing to simply give Viktor the tonic, considering how dangerous the ivy was. Double his usual fee for custom spellwork meant he’d be set financially for the rest of the season. Right now, when business was slow and a new relationship with Circe meant it was about to get slower, the money was enough to save his hide.
“More than fair. Thank you for your business.” He reached out and shook Viktor’s hand. He tucked the envelope inside his jacket, then took a bite of one of Pern’s biscuits. While he chewed, he wondered the best way to ask about the ivy without sounding nosy and intrusive.Has anyone else visited your farm recently?seemed far too forward and might raise untoward alarm.
Pern smiled at him over her teacup. “Should I send a falcon to Zelaria to let her know you’ve come by, or will you tell her?”
He lowered the rest of the biscuit to his plate. “Why would you need to tell Zelaria that I’ve come by?”
“Oh, weren’t you both working together on the cure? She was here before, right after you were. She took samples of the ivy.”
“Zelaria took samples of gila vine? When?” Rhys had to force himself to swallow what was in his mouth, because his appetite had been replaced by a rush of nausea.
Pern nodded. “Right after you did. Over a cycle ago. Maybe she was working on the problem independently. I should send her a falcon to let her know it’s taken care of.”
“No,” Rhys said quickly, ice forming in his gut. “I’ll tell her myself. I’d like to tell Zelaria what I’ve learned.” Boy would he. Right before he tackled her to the ground and handed her over to the guards.
“One less thing,” Pern said cheerfully.
Rhys hastily finished his tea, said his goodbyes, and hurried out the door. Dark thoughts swarmed like bees in his brain. Zelaria had access to the ivy. She knew it was poisonous. She also had the skills to create the tincture and access to Lazys. The truth seemed so obvious but was also unexpected. The murderer and the mole had to be Zelaria. No wonder Lazys had committed suicide rather than answer; Zelaria was right there, standing beside them all. There was no question she was powerful enough to enchant the man to do her will.
Bile pooled in the back of his throat. It explained so much. Zelaria was the reason Eleanor even knew Tavyss was in Ouros. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? She’d always wanted to be queen. His only question was why. If the Fates hadn’t chosen her last time, why would she assume she’d be selected if Medea was killed?
He had to find Circe and send a falcon to intercept Medea and Tavyss if he could. They needed to know the truth. Whatever her motives, Zelaria was up to no good.
ChapterThirteen
On days like these, all Circe wanted to do was sleep. The sky outside Bloodgood’s was an overcast gray. It was winter in the Dark Mountains, and the clouds threatened snow. But more than the weather was responsible for her foul mood. She’d had a bad feeling all day, a heaviness in the pit of her stomach that made her jolt every time the door opened. Overwhelmingly, she sensed that something bad was going to happen—or had happened, and soon she’d find out about it.
She couldn’t wait for Rhys to get back from Franwise Farm so that she could do her part helping her sister. She planned to disguise herself in a dark cloak and shop the produce carts. It should be easy enough to put herself in a position to overhear conversations. The market was a den of gossip and innuendo. If people were discussing her sister, she’d hear. She might even learn who had poisoned her.
Business at Bloodgood’s was as slow as usual. She sold a tonic for Beverly Coon’s feverhound and healed a rash on Edi Smythe’s arm, but two other customers walked out when they learned Rhys wasn’t in, and one didn’t even come in when he saw her behind the counter.
She hated that she was the cause of Rhys’s business problems. Perhaps when things were settled with Tavyss and Paragon, and Medea was no longer queen, the people of Darnuith would accept her again as they did in their first days in the kingdom. Not that they were exceptionally kind or welcoming, but there was no hate before. She’d be happy with a return to indifference.
The bell above the door chimed, and Circe looked up to find Zelaria standing in the door, flanked by two royal soldiers. She was wearing purple robes in a style far too formal for the time of day, and her staff glowed with latent magic.
“Zelaria, what brings you here today?” The weight in her stomach grew heavier. “Did something happen to my sister?”
The witch’s eyes turned hard and icy as a reptile’s. “Seize her.” The soldiers rushed forward.
Flustered, Circe didn’t even think to draw her wand, just stared dumbfounded, not understanding what was happening. The guards bound her wrists. The only word she could manage was, “Why?”
“Circe Tanglewood, you are under arrest for aiding and abetting Queen Medea’s act of treason.”
