Chapter Two
I snapped the folder closed and walked to the door. The guards waiting hall snapped to attention as soon I opened the door.
"Yelena has accepted the job." They had done this many times before so I no longer needed to tell them to remove the chains.
"Yes sir," they nodded in response.
One of the guards walked towards Yelena, she scanned the room and I could tell from her expression she was planning to escape. She obviously believed that I was sending her back to the dungeon. I knew that I'll have to spend the time to earn her trust before she would tell me anything about Brazell.
While she was adapted from being freed from the weight of the chains, I took the opportunity to walk to my poison cabinet and spike her drink without her noticing. I wasn't poisoning her, just adding flavouring to her drink to make her believe she had been poisoned, which I can then use to keep her from escaping or committing any crimes or treason. She killed Brazell's only son Reyad for no apparent reason. However she doesn't seem the type to commit a murder just for the sake of it. Something must have triggered it off, and that's what I'm aiming to find out. But until then I'm going to need to keep a close eye on her.
She looked up as I poured the two drinks and locked the cabinet.
"While we're waiting for Margg, I thought maybe you could use a drink." I handed her a tall pewter goblet. Raising my own goblet, I made a toast. "To Yelena, our newest food taster. May you live longer than your predecessor."
Her goblet stopped short of her lips.
"Relax," I said, "it's a standard toast."
After she took a long swig, I asked her to identify the ingredients of the drink. She took a smaller sip.
"Peaches sweetened with honey."
"Good now take another sip. This time roll the liquid around your tongue before swallowing."
"Orange?" she asked.
"That's right. Now gargle it."
She looked at me incredulously, "gargle?" I nodded; once she had gargled the drink she almost spat it out shouting "Rotten oranges!"
I laughed before handing her my drink and asking her to repeat the experiment.
She hesitated before taking a sip and gargling the drink. She was expecting the rancid flavour of rotten oranges and was pleasantly surprised when it was only a strong orange flavour.
"Better?" I asked as I took back the empty cup.
"Yes."
I sat down at my desk, opening her folder, writing about today's lesson, and that she had taken her dose of "Butterfly's Dust", my made-up poison. I talked to her while writing. "You just had your first lesson in food tasting. Your drink was laced with a poison called Butterfly's Dust. Mine wasn't. The only way to detect Butterfly's Dust in a liquid, is to gargle it. That rotten-orange flavour you tasted was the poison."
She rose from her chair "Is it lethal?"
I smiled inside although on the outside I remained serious, she was taking the bait. "A big enough dose will kill you in two days. The symptoms don't arrive until the next day but by then it's too late."
"Did I have a lethal dose?"
"Of course. Anything less and you wouldn't have tasted the poison." This was going better than I had first thought. I was lucky that Brazell's tutors didn't educate his orphans on poisons.
She started to gag. I lifted my gaze from the stack of papers. Looks like I had spoke too soon when I had said it was going so well, as now it appeared she was about to vomit over my desk. I studied her face. She seemed to have now gathered some control over her stomach.
"I warned you the training would be dangerous. But I would hardly give you a poison that your body had to fight while you suffered from malnutrition. There is an antidote to Butterfly's Dust." I held up a small vial containing White Fright. It's a white liquid that I use to put someone temporally out of business without killing them. It produces stomach cramps worthy of a day in bed. I use this substance to keep the food tasters from escaping, as funnily enough it's the antidote that would cause the stomach cramps not the so called poison. The stomach cramps are forestalled until the 'antidote' White Fright is stopped being taken. The stomach cramps take effect the day after White Fright has stopped being taken, causing one to believe it's the poison "Butterfly's Dust" and making them believe that they are dying. That conviction alone could kill them.
Yelena collapsed back in the chair, Sighing. Moments later she realized that I hadn't actually offered her the antidote. All the while I kept a straight face.
"In answer the question you didn't ask but you should have this," I raised the small vial and shook it "is how we keep the Commanders food taster from escaping."
She stared at me. Trying to understand what I had implied.
Looks like I'll have to break it down for her. "Yelena, you confessed to murder. We would be fools to let you serve the Commander without some guarantees." Did she really believe that I would be foolish enough to let anyone serve the Commander? I have been working with him for over 20 years. It's my duty to protect him. The food Taster is the ONLY job offered to prisoners. Therefore I need something to keep the food taster from doing any foolish or at the very least run away. With the threat of being thrown back into the dungeon without the antidote once they committed a crime and be faced with what they believe to be a slow and painful death. With that threat in mind, there is less chance of the food taster doing anything rash and try an assassination attempt to the Commander, but as there is still the tiniest possibility that it could happen I keep an eye out and test the food taster at all times. I can never be too cautious. "Guards watch the Commander at all times and it is doubtful you would be able to reach him with a weapon. For other forms of retaliation, we use Butterfly's Dust." I picked up the vial of antidote and twirled it in the sunlight. Just for added effect I thought to myself. "You need a daily dose of this to stay alive. The antidote keeps the poison from killing you. As long as you show up each morning in my office, I will give you the antidote. Miss one morning and you'll be dead by the next. Commit a crime or act of treason and you'll be sent back to the dungeon until the poison takes you. I would avoid that fate, if I were you. The poison causes severe stomach cramps and uncontrollable vomiting."
My eyes slid past Yelena as Margg entered my office. "Yelena, this is Margg, she will be taking care of your basic needs." I explained once Yelena had turned around. Margg strode out of the door, expecting Yelena to follow her. Before leaving, Yelena glanced at the vial on my desk. "Come to my office tomorrow morning. Margg will direct you." I dismissed her. She left hesitating at the door before closing it behind her, as she hurried after Margg. I doubt Margg would have stopped to wait for Yelena. Knowing Margg the first place to stop will be the baths. I wondered what Yelena would make of the Commanders famous baths. I expect that she was educated about them at Brazell's orphanage. I shook my head. Removing any remaining thoughts of Yelena. I shouldn't be thinking about her, she was just the food taster, the key to many puzzles involving Brazell.
Realising I was late for lunch I hurried out of my office. Leaving any thoughts of Yelena behind me as I rushed to the Commanders Office, I doubt that he'd be very happy with me; I know how much he detested cold food. I tried to keep a straight face as I entered his office and his disappointed gaze pierced me. I tasted his food in silence but as soon as I mentioned Yelena any annoyance of my lateness left. I tried not to laugh, he was always very eager when I informed him of the next food taster, oh how he hated cold food.
"I see she has taken the offer, not a surprising since not many prisoners would refuse a second chance on life, even if it does mean they taste for poisons."
I nodded. "Margg is giving her the uniforms. I will start the training tomorrow."
"Good," he replied, he smiled deep in thought. "Dinner is in the war room. Don't be late!" He dismissed.
I nodded again "Yes sir."
I left his office and headed back towards my own. There was some work I needed to finish before dinner. Since I have to rearrange my schedule to make sure there's enough time for training these next few weeks. Well there are still a few steps for Yelena to take before becoming the Commanders food taster, and one of those is to survive tasting poisons. The main one being My Love, many food tasters haven't jumped that hurdle successfully. Much to the Commander's annoyance. That's why I make sure I leave the poison tasting lessons as early into the training as possible to I don't end up wasting my time training them only for them to die at the end.
