Poison by Megan Derr

Author:Megan Derr
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: M/M romance, series, fantasy, book 4
Publisher: Less Than Three Press
Published: 2012-07-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven: Madness

Gael limped through the palace, ignoring the looks cast his way save to smile politely. He knew he looked a fright—clothes torn, dirty, bloody, and for once in his life, not remotely white—but he did not have the energy to go upstairs to his room to change.

Instead, he slowly made his way to the private gardens and collapsed on the ground in front of the fountain. The sound of the trickling water was calming, the scent of flowers and sunshine soothing. His ankle throbbed, and his left arm sported a nasty cut, but he was in no mood to be fussed over.

Closing his eyes, Gael just enjoyed the piece and solitude of the garden. He reached out, feeling for the minds of the remaining Beasts, grateful that he could feel them. Only five remained, and Gael despaired they would not solve the mystery of the poison in time. It was as if some obstacle was in the way, something that kept them from figuring it out ...

A thought flashed, but then was gone, and Gael was left feeling more tired than ever. Less than a month until the ceremony, and they still had five Beasts. Gael hoped the long period between poisonings meant whoever it was had finally stopped—or perhaps been stopped by the riots. Pain twisted in Gael's chest as he thought of all the blood and mayhem of the past weeks. There had been no time for anything else, just calming, fighting, and healing over and over until he wanted to drop.

The last straw had been the attack on the carriage that had been taking him home. Thinking it belonged to someone else, as Gael had not wanted to summon a royal carriage and had thus traveled in a plain carriage, vigilantes had mobbed it. All he remembered was the scream of the horses when they were incapacitated, the crack of the wood, the smell of it burning, and the acrid tang of blood. By the time he had emerged from the burning wreckage, it had been too late to do more than use what remained of his energy to put the attackers out, then pull on a stolen cloak and limp home.

At least being back in the palace was enough to start healing his flagging energy. He would need to go to the Sanctuary, soon, but he preferred the garden for a little while longer. He felt out Freddie and Etain next, comforted by his sisters as always, even if they were all so exhausted that sleeping for a month sounded merely like a good start.

Footsteps drew him out of a light doze, and Gael yawned as he dragged his eyes open to see the remaining Beasts walking toward him—well, toward the garden. It was clear they had not yet noticed him, too worn out themselves to notice if the whole of the palace burst into flame.

"Greetings," Gael said as they drew close, startling them all—then they laughed tiredly and collapsed on the ground all

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