Title: Poison Master
By: Smartkitty314
Synopsis: Poison Study, written from 3rd Person Limited (Valek's) Point of View. The book's events from a different perspective.
Notes:
Rating: Pg-13. Nothing more mature than anything found in the book itself.
Disclaimer: This exists solely for the purpose of me enjoying myself and practicing my writing, not me making any money.
Chapter 2:
Valek's office was large, open, and had very few true hiding places. Carefully strewn documents hid mirrors that allowed the occupant of the main chair to see every corner of the room. Valek carefully straightened his red and black advisor's uniform, then stared at the latest report from Margg about Star's operation. Although his posture exuded a sense of almost boredom, his senses were carefully trained on the door.
He heard them first—the guard's heavy footsteps, and the creaking and clanking of chains. A breeze blew in from behind, masking the scent of urine, vomit, rat, and filth that clung to any inhabitant of the dungeons. They weren't pretty, but they did their job—breaking people down, mentally and physically, until they were too weak to resist. So they could be remolded and sent back into society.
He looked up at the appropriate time, keeping his expression carefully blank. The woman stood before him—Yelena—shuddering in her thin, tattered red prison gown, her skin streaked with dirt, her hair lank and greasy. Nothing he hadn't seen before. He met her eyes, and they flashed like brilliant emeralds. He could see the intelligence inside of them.
Surprising. The dungeons had not crushed her entirely. He would have to keep a careful eye on this one.
"A woman? The next prisoner to be executed is a woman?" He injected icy malice and a hint of surprise into his voice, widening his eyes slightly. All the little signs to better create a lie. She trembled, but otherwise the guards held their ground silently. They were either well trained, or too stupid to decide how to react to him. He absent-mindedly ran his hand through his hair. "I should have taken the time to reread your dossier." He shooed the guards away. "You're dismissed."
When they were gone, he motioned for the girl to the chair in front of his desk. The chains clanged as she perched on the edge.
Opening a folder, he pretended to scan the pages. "Yelena, today may be your lucky day," he said, carefully observing her reaction. She swallowed, and bowed her head.
Interesting. She reacted as if her sense of self had been…broken, yet he had seen the obvious gleam of intelligence in her eyes. This woman just got more and more mysterious, and it became more and more vital for him to solve her. Finally, he decided on a neutral, "Well-behaved and respectful. You're starting to look like a good candidate." No response. He continued, "You've been tried and found guilty of murdering General Brazell's only son, Reyad."
He paused, stroking his temple with his fingers. "That explains why Brazell's here this week, and why he has been unusually interested in the execution schedule." He let the information slip out as if he were thinking out loud, eyes peeled for her reaction. She didn't move.
"I suppose you're going to protest the conviction. Say you were framed or you killed out of self-defense." Now she would have to reply. The excuse she would use could give him insight onto her personality.
"No, sir," she stated softly, yet defiantly. "I killed him."
Well. He knew some assassins who would brag about such a thing, but her self-deprecating tone didn't fit the profile. If anything, the way she claimed responsibility convinced him even more that the situation was extreme. She reacted in such unpredictable ways. He straightened in his seat, then laughed out loud. Life as a spymaster was never predictable. With her intelligence, she might actually be useful. All the hard work put into training her for show might not go to waste if she could find a job in his corps after he sorted out Brazell.
"This may work out better than I'd planned. Yelena, I'm offering you a choice. You can either be executed, or you can be Commander Ambrose's new food taster. His last taster died recently, and we need to fill the position."
Her faced flashed rapidly from pure surprise to hope to suspicion. Cautiously, she remarked, "A fool would refuse the job."
Interesting. Very interesting. Did she simply not trust anyone, or was she under the impression, like certain royalists, that the Code of Behavior allowed for bullies' abuses? Officials didn't sit around all day getting kicks about pulling pranks on soon-to-be-dead prisoners. If she were sent by the royalists…
He'd just have to watch her even more carefully.
"Well, it's a lifetime position. The training can be lethal. After all, how can you identify poisons in the Commander's food if you don't know what they taste like?" He tidied the papers in the folder.
"You'll get a room in the castle to sleep, but most of the day you'll be with the Commander. No days off. No husband or children. Some prisoners have chosen execution instead. At least then they know exactly when they're going to die, rather than guessing if it's going to come with the next bite." He couldn't repress a smirk at that one. Only an amateur food tester would be killed by a poison. Actually, the last two had died because they had gotten lazy and missed one that he slipped into their own food. Really, a true food tester would become a poison master, would learn to appreciate the subtle beauty of the carefully disguised chemicals which could creep through the victim's veins, stop their heart, bond with the oxygen in their blood and suffocate them. To hold the power of life or death in a vial…
This Yelena looked excited, but bit her lip, carefully considering the proposal. She seemed to be bursting with questions.
"Who tastes the Commander's food now?" she finally asked. One of the safer inquiries, although he could see the other ones written on her face: What stops me from escaping? What stops me from killing the Commander?
"I do. So I'm anxious to find a replacement." Having to attend every one of the Commander's meals was a waste of time and an interruption in his clockwork-tight schedule. "Also," he continued, "the Code of Behavior states that someone whose life is forfeit must be offered the job."
Yelena actually stood up and began pacing around his office.
"What shall I tell the executioner?" he asked.
"I am not a fool."