Chapter
12 Life Changing Decisions
Entering the corridor, he realized the voices were coming from the make-shift sick room, so that is where he headed.
Ecris was here. He was leaning over the human, Naeva, whose eyes were wide open and unblinking. He turned to Nuada as he entered, giving him a quick nod, but was obviously too involved to be more respectful.
'What is wrong,' Nuada asked. 'She was conscious, Sire, and able to speak. She wanted me to allow you to see her, but it appears that something is causing her to relapse. It has come on very suddenly. I cannot understand it.' He pulled down her lower eyelids and scowled, then he opened her mouth and sniffed her breath. 'It cannot be!' he said, a look of horror on his face. 'There is no way…no-one…'
'Ecris, what is it?' Nuada demanded. The Mage looked at him, disbelief and horror mingled. 'Sire. She has been poisoned.' Nuada's blood ran cold. There is only one way that could be possible… His eyes flashed darkly. 'WHO?!' he demanded. 'Ecris was shaking his head. 'I do not know. No-one has been left alone with her but myself, and….' His words trailed off as he remembered.
Nuada saw the look on his face and followed the Mage's disbelieving gaze to the only other person in the room - who was now standing close to him with dagger in hand. It was one of the Elves who had been helping him with his work.
He didn't hear the rasp of metal as Nuada unsheathed his spear blade, or see it when it extended to full length at his will as he ran across the room. He did, however feel it when the pommel of the spear connected with his jaw, sending him spinning back against the wall, dropping the blade as he fell. And as he lay sprawled on his back, shaking his head to clear his blurred vision, he did finally feel the silver spear tip that pressed sharply into his throat as Nuada stood over him, glaring down with red amber eyes that blazed with fury. The Elf's eyes were wide, pale with fear.
'Can you do anything for her?' Nuada asked the Mage, not taking his eyes off his prisoner. 'I need to be absolutely sure that I am correct as to which poison was used.' Nuada applied a subtle increase in pressure upon the spear tip. 'Tell him!' he demanded. He stared down at the prone Elf. He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. The longer he looked at him… 'There is something not right here,' he said, eyes narrowed.
The Elf swallowed hard, causing the blade to nick his skin. A bead of blood welled and a tiny trickle ran down the side of his neck. He lay trembling on the floor as he felt the warmth of it move across his skin. Nuada eased the pressure slightly so he could speak. 'Fuilbrin! It was fuilbrin!' he stammered. The Mage stared at the Elf, a look of disgust on his face. 'I feared as much,' he said. 'Is there not an antidote?' Nuada asked, still glaring at the Elf. 'There is, but I do not have it with me, and there is not enough time to find it. This poison will cause her blood to clot in her veins. She has very little time.'
Nuada was incandescent with rage. 'Is there nothing more you can do?' he asked, still staring down at the prisoner who had robbed him of his only source of information regarding his uncle. Ecris stood and stared at the woman for a moment, then looked up at Nuada, wearing a strange expression. 'Perhaps there is one last possibility…though I do not think you will want me to use it,' he said, a nervous tone to his voice. 'How so?' asked Nuada. This answer was not at all what he would have expected.
'The only other antidote will have a side effect that I fear you will not appreciate or allow,' said the Mage. 'Please, Ecris…Do not be cryptic. What is this side effect?' asked Nuada impatiently. Ecris regarded the Prince with a very serious expression. 'The only other antidote would be another herb – mixed with a little Elf blood.' Nuada frowned. 'The side effect would be…to give her a greatly extended lifespan.'
Nuada was shocked. Now this was something to consider. 'When you say 'greatly extended - by how much? Decades?' He was unsure what to think. Ecris shook his head. 'Centuries,' he said simply. 'Centuries?!' Nuada reeled with the shock at hearing the words. 'Yes, Sire,' said Ecris nodding. 'In a human it will impart far more than the healing an Elf could expect. This is magical healing as old as that we used to bring you back.'
Nuada was stunned. He looked at the woman and stared, letting his guard down for a split second. The prone Elf saw this and made a grab for the dagger he had dropped, almost reaching Nuada's thigh with the blade before the Prince's own had hit the flagstone beneath him as it pierced his throat and exited the back of his neck. Nuada yanked the blade out before the Elf turned to stone around it.
But he did not turn to stone. Instead, the pale-skinned form turned to black slime, which had an iridescent sheen, reminiscent of oil on water. It writhed on the floor for a moment, before shuddering and finally becoming still. 'Shapeshifter!!' Ecris gasped in disbelief. He looked to Nuada. 'You knew something was amiss. How?' 'His eyes,' said Nuada. 'There was something behind those eyes. I have seen it before, but long ago. I could not quite remember…' He was annoyed at himself for not realising soon enough.
He stood for a moment looking down on what had moments before been a body. This was hardly the way he had expected to begin his leadership of their world – by having to kill another Fey. It did not sit well with him, even though he had been given no choice. He held out the spear, shortened it, then slid it back into its sheath.
Turning again to the woman he stared at her in disbelief of the predicament he was now in.
'I can only assume that Bres has moved further forward with his ambitions than could have been foreseen,' he said to Ecris, who stood silently looking from dead shapeshifter, to woman and to Nuada, in total shock. He must have made the decision to act as soon as I sent word to the rest of the Court. He was obviously prepared to die rather than risk giving us any information, and to ensure her silence too.' They both regarded the still staring human.
'Sire – Nuada,' said the Mage. 'Time is short. I am afraid you must make a decision.'
