Chapter Eighteen
Gilan and his group finally caught up to the assassins just outside of town. They were short and stocky, dressed in soldier gear to blend in with the castle.
Cassandra had made fun of him bringing his weapons to the rehearsal, but now he was thanking his preparation as he slung his bow around and knocked an arrow as fast as he could. Gilan stopped and aimed for the one on the right. A second arrow was well on its way for its partner within seconds.
Gilan had stopped to shoot, but the others rushed ahead, desperate to close the distance.
His arrow arrived before they did, piercing the calf of the fleeing criminal. The second arrow also found its mark, burying itself in the shoulder of the other. The force of it, unexpected, knocked him to the ground. In moments they were surrounded.
Gilan made his way to the front of the group where Horace and Aloom were restraining the two, which upon closer inspection, he saw were Genovesans. They were dressed in soldier gear as a disguise. In the back of his mind, Gilan pieced together what had happened to the soldiers they thought had deserted their posts.
He didn't wait, looking them in the eye, "Who are you? Why did you attack us?"
Neither answered, although he didn't expect them to. Genovesans were notoriously close-mouthed. They did manage to give rather impressive glares through the pain though, which he almost felt impressed by.
Gesturing to his friends, he said, "Let's get them to the castle. We can interrogate them after they're treated."
Once they arrived, Gilan sent for Malcolm, trusting that the healer would be able to handle the injuries. When he was sure that everything was being handled, he, Horace, and Aloom made their way back to the throne room.
When they got there, they found everyone standing outside the door, waiting in the entrance hall. Gilan noted that more had arrived since they'd left, creating a large group that they had to wade through to finally get back to Duncan and the others.
"Did you catch them?" Duncan asked abruptly.
Gilan nodded, "They were injured in the process. Malcolm is treating them now before we interrogate them."
"I should go help Malcolm." Nel said, moving to leave the room.
Pauline held out a hand to stop her, "Malcolm can handle them for a moment. Just wait."
Duncan turned to two others, "Crowley, Halt, I want you two to handle the questioning."
"Of course," Crowley said, "But I want to warn you about getting your expectations up. Genovesans aren't known for sharing information."
"Do what you can."
"I'm sure you understand if I request one of my own there as well?" Atanyan asked, raising an eyebrow at Duncan suspiciously.
"Of course." Duncan replied, "You're all welcome to include your own people in the questioning."
They nodded their thanks, gesturing to whomever they wanted to be included.
Gilan looked around, noting the worried looks on almost everyone's face, "Did something else happen?"
No one answered for a long moment, not wanting to share the bad news.
Halt finally sighed, "Gallica was invaded. It's fallen, along with Iberion."
The three newcomers gaped at them in shock.
"That's impossible!" Horace called out.
"The attack was sudden. It's been four months since they started patrolling the Gallican border."
"Which means we don't have a lot of time until they move against Toscana." Ilario put in, arms crossed and looking worried.
"That's why we're moving the schedule up." Duncan said, "We'll get as much information as we can out of the Genovesans today, but the wedding will be tomorrow. Everyone should be prepared to move out the day after."
"Tomorrow?!"
Gilan was glad he wasn't the only one who yelled out in shock. Half the people in the room were looking at Duncan as if he'd lost his mind.
Duncan simply nodded, looking resigned and yet firm at the same time, "We can't afford to wait any longer. The Temujai have to be stopped as soon as possible. Every extra day counts."
"I agree." Atanyan said, nodding to his fellow ruler, "We shouldn't waste anymore time."
'You're one to talk,' Gilan thought bitterly at him, 'If you hadn't demanded this ridiculous wedding in the first place, we could've been fighting the Temujai two months ago!'
Unlike the majority of people, Gilan placed more blame on Atanyan than Duncan for the arranged marriage. The Emrikir had insisted upon it, never mentioned a word until after the negotiations were done, and then hadn't even had the decency to bring the groom with him, forcing them to wait another whole month before he even got there, even though marriage had obviously been his plan to begin with. He'd pushed Duncan into a corner with the whole situation and Cassie…well Cassie certainly wasn't going to marry a complete stranger, Gilan would make sure of that. Nel had been the only choice.
Which meant that the Emrikir got most of Gilan's hate and anger.
He really hated politics.
"Is it even safe to have the wedding tomorrow?" Will was asking, bringing Gilan back to the present, "After the attack?"
"Trust me, I'm not letting my daughter die on her wedding day." Halt growled, standing behind Nellie protectively. She turned, placing a hand on his arm soothingly. Only someone who knew Halt well could see him soften slightly at the touch.
"No one is doubting you, Halt." Duncan said, "Safety will be our first priority tomorrow. In fact, moving it up may help ensure that."
"How so?" Cassie asked, looking up curiously.
"Any plans to attack the wedding will be for this Friday." Will explained, catching onto what Duncan was saying, "They won't be expecting anything for tomorrow, so they might not be able to adapt their plans in time. That's if they even sent anyone other than the first two assassins."
Crowley nodded approvingly at him, "Not to mention all their plans would be for the Throne Room. They'd have to change them even more for the new area. It's not impossible, but very difficult."
"New area?" Horace asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the Commandant.
"Well, we can't exactly hold a wedding ceremony in a room with a giant broken window, now can we?" he said with a smirk.
"I…suppose not." the young knight said, obviously having forgotten about that, "Where is it gonna be then?"
Everyone fell silent at his question, looking around awkwardly. Apparently no one had thought of that part.
"The gardens." Nellie said suddenly, blushing when everyone turned to look at her. "Th-They're big enough, right?"
Duncan nodded again, thinking it over, "Yes, they are. We've had plenty of weddings there before."
"Grandpa was married out there, wasn't he?" Cassie asked.
"Yes, he was. Both he and my mother loved the gardens." Duncan replied, smiling fondly as he remembered his parents.
"That settles it then." Erak huffed, "We should all start packing, get ready to leave."
"The interrogations?" Shigeru asked, glancing at Crowley.
"As soon as Malcolm and I are done." Nel assured them, finally leaving the room.
It was hours before Malcolm and Nel finished with the surgeries.
The group, consisting of Svengal, Selethen, Shukin, and Ilario, as well as the two rangers, waited patiently outside of the room until the two healers finally exited. Malcolm huffed, "They need rest."
"We'll make it quick." Crowley promised.
"How bad are the injuries?" Halt asked curiously.
"The arrows were easy to remove, but the one will have a limp, probably for the rest of his life." Nel answered, scratching her hands.
Selethen frowned at the action, "Are you alright?"
She nodded, looking closely at her hands. They looked very red, some of the skin starting to peel where she had scratched, "I'm fine, I probably just didn't dilute the oil properly in the salve I used. Too much can cause a reaction like this."
"I have some cream to fix that." Malcolm offered.
"I do too. I'll get it when everything's done."
Crowley nodded and led the way into the room.
The room itself was bare, furnished with the two beds that were occupied by the Genovesans. Their wounds were bandaged tightly and Malcolm and Nel had left their medical supplies on a table in the corner. It was obvious that they had tried making the two assassins as comfortable as possible, pillows to prop them up and blankets covering them.
They watched suspiciously as everyone entered the room. The one with the bandaged shoulder, sitting on the bed to the right, had a trimmed mustache, but the other man was clean shaven. Their weapons had been removed as soon as they had been caught.
"So," Crowley started, "You two attacked the wedding rehearsal."
The man on the left looked at them in confusion, but neither said anything.
"Want to tell us why?"
Still nothing, although the mustached one began glaring at them.
Crowley sighed to himself. He hadn't expected them to be forthcoming, but it was worth a shot. One day he swore he would find someone who was easy to interrogate. But, until then, they'd have to go the long way round.
"We have witnesses. You killed two of our knights and disguised yourselves as them to get close and then try to shoot the bride and groom. You do know what that means, right?"
Their expressions didn't change, not saying anything.
"It means that no matter what, they're going to jail and will most likely be killed for their crimes." Halt put in.
Crowley nodded, "That's right. They will. That is, unless they cooperate."
He leaned forward, keeping eye contact with both of the assassins. "Tell me who hired you and I can make sure that the king doesn't kill you. You can live out your days in the dungeons, three meals a day, for the rest of your life. You'd get to live."
One of them smirked, turning to look out the window as if bored.
The other one, with the one on the left scoffed, "Pensi che siamo degli idioti? Ci ucciderai qualunque cosa accada."
Halt turned to Ilario, "My Toscan is a bit rusty. Could you translate?"
"Gladly." he said, "'Do you think we're idiots? You'll kill us no matter what.'"
"Unlike you two, we are men of our word." Crowley assured them, "When I say that you'll live, then you will. We like to avoid killing actually. No one in this castle wants anyone dead."
He laughed, a deep belly laugh, at Crowley's words.
The ranger looked at them in confusion, "What's so funny?"
"Tu e la tua ingenuità." he was ouright smiling, his partner joining in with him. "Inoltre, che tipo di reputazione otterremmo se tradissimo il nostro datore di lavoro? Come te, siamo uomini di parola. Chi si fida di un assassino che non sa mantenere un segreto?"
"'You and your niavete. Besides, what kind of reputation would we get if we betrayed our employer? Like you, we are men of our word. Who trusts a killer who can't keep a secret?'" Ilario translated.
"Everyone has a price." Crowley said calmly, "Just tell us yours for the name of who hired you."
"Either that or we beat it out of you." Svengal growled, glaring at them and cracking his knuckles.
They gazed at him, eyes widened in fear. The Skandian smirked, happy at the response.
The proud look slipped from his face as the terror on theirs only grew.
The Genovesans' faces grew red, almost purple, and they clutched at their throats, shaking violently on their beds.
"They're choking!" Shukin cried out.
Crowley sprang up, running out of the room, calling for Malcolm and Nel. They rushed back in as fast as they could, but it was too late. By the time they had gotten close to them, both of the assassins had fallen deathly still. The rest of the people in the room watched, frozen at the sight.
"What happened in here?" Malcolm demanded.
"They suddenly began choking." Crowley said quickly, "We never touched them."
"Choking?" Nel asked as Malcolm began examining the bodies, "Anything else?"
"They turned red, really red." Halt told her, "But they didn't make a sound and then they started shaking."
Malcolm shook his head, confused, "That almost sounds like…"
"Like what?" Crowley prompted when he trailed off.
"Like a type of poison." Nel answered, moving to the bodies as well, "But for it to be this extreme, it would've had to be a very high dose, administered very recently."
"How is that possible?" Svengal asked, "They've been in custody for hours, without food or drink."
Malcolm's eyes widened as he watched Nel. In a moment, he reached forward, snatching up her hands.
"M-Malcolm!" she cried.
Halt rushed forward, trying to stop the short healer, but Malcolm was already talking, "Your hands Nel, your hands!"
"What do you-" she stopped talking as what he was saying sank in, looking at her own hands in horror.
"What is it?" Selethen asked, worried.
"T-The poison," she whispered, looking nauseated.
"Nel?" Halt tried to get her to look at him. She refused to turn her head, tears filling her eyes.
"I…It was me, I poisoned them."
"W-What?" Crowley sputtered out, everyone else wearing mirrored looks of confusion.
"Not intentionally," Malcolm explained, frowning at Nel's hands and then looking in pity at the dead Genovesans, "The poison was in one of her salves that she used during the surgery. In contact with the skin, it causes a rash, like the one on her hands. However, if enough of it is put directly into the bloodstream, like in a surgery for example, then…"
His voice trailed off again, but no one needed him to finish it this time.
"That makes sense." Crowley sighed.
Nel started to shake and Halt brought her close, wrapping her in a tight hug, "You didn't do this, this wasn't your fault."
"Then who was it?" Ilario asked bluntly. Halt glared at him, but the Senator shrugged, unapologetic, "If it wasn't her, then who was it?"
"Nel came here immediately after you all finished talking, then left to grab her medical supplies for the surgeries. She keeps them all in her room." Malcolm explained.
Crowley nodded, lips pressed in a thin line as he thought it over, "Nel never locks her door and her room isn't one of the guarded ones. Anyone would have had enough time to go in and tamper with her supplies before she got there."
"So anyone could've poisoned it before she grabbed it?" Selethen asked.
"Very possible." Halt huffed. Nel had stopped shaking, but Halt kept a tight grip on her. She didn't seem inclined to pull away anytime soon. "We'll have to question everyone, see if anyone was seen near her room."
"Do it." Crowley said quickly, "I'll inform Duncan and the others."
"Who would want the assassins killed?" Shukin wondered, watching them with trepidation.
"My guess is that their employer didn't like that they failed." Halt huffed, "And it was even worse when they got caught."
"But their attempt was only this morning!"
The two rangers exchanged a wary glance, "Which means that it was someone in the castle."
Nel felt numb as her father and Selethen walked her back to her room. Neither of them said anything, which she was grateful for. Her mind was loud enough as it was. She shuffled along slowly, letting her thoughts overtake her.
She'd killed someone.
Not just someone, but two of her own patients.
Because of her, two people were dead.
She knew, logically, that it wasn't her fault. That someone had gotten into her supplies and tampered with them. Her emotions weren't logical though and she still felt like a killer. At best, she was a weapon that the real killer had used.
'I killed them. I'm a killer.'
The phrase wouldn't stop repeating in her mind.
She'd never killed anyone before.
Nel had lost patients before. That was unavoidable. All doctors, despite their best efforts, had patients that they just couldn't save no matter how hard they tried. One of her first surgeries she'd ever assisted with was a man who had been run over by a horse. His ribs were broken, lungs collapsed, blood everywhere. There had been nothing they could do. But they had tried. They always at least tried.
This was different though. This was directly because of her actions. If she hadn't gone into that surgery, hadn't offered any help, they would be alive right now. It was guaranteed.
'I killed them. I'm a killer.'
She wasn't sure how she could ever live with that knowledge.
"Hey, you alright?" Horace's voice broke into her thoughts, startling her.
They'd arrived at her room without her even noticing. Horace stood next to the door, clad in his armor with sword and shield.
"W-W-What are you doing here?" she whispered.
His eyes widened and she got the feeling that he had already explained it. She must've missed it, lost in her thoughts.
'I killed them. I'm a killer.'
"Me, Will, and Gilan were with Duncan when Crowley came with the news. We're gonna start guarding your room. We should've done it the moment you got engaged, honestly. I'm on the first rotation while David works out the schedule."
Nel scoffed, pushing open the door, "Not like it matters now, my supplies were already tampered with."
She led the way into her room, not surprised to see Will and Gilan waiting for them.
"Crowley told us what happened." Will was saying, "Are you-"
She ignored him, grabbing one of the bags she'd used when moving out of the Grimsdell, and making her way to her shelves.
"What's she doing?" Selethen whispered.
Halt shrugged, unsure.
Nel looked over all of her medical supplies. Bandages, salves, poultices, herbs. Bottles and jars filled with them. She had them everywhere, all over her room. Herbs she was in the middle of drying were by the window and fireplace. She'd stayed up late last night working on all of those, comparing the different methods of drying them out. She'd wanted to experiment to see if it affected the potency.
She took a deep breath, grabbing the herbs first and shoving them into her bag forcefully. They crunched with the movement, almost crumbling in her hands. Handful after handful went into the bag.
"Nel!"
"What are you doing?!"
"Stop!"
Someone grabbed the bag out of her hands. Nel huffed, turning to yank it back. Gilan met her gaze evenly, despite the intense glare she sent him.
"Stop Nel, you're going to regret this."
"No I won't."
"Yes, you will." he said firmly, "This wasn't your fault and I'm not letting you make this decision when you're this angry."
"I'm not angry!" she yelled. "That's not what I am!"
'I killed them. I'm a killer.'
Gilan scoffed at her.
"Look, I have to do this, alright?!"
"And why is that?" Halt asked, crossing his arms as he looked at her. Horace awkwardly peaked his head in from the doorway, watching the scene unfold.
"Who knows what else they tampered with?!" she cried out, waving to all her supplies, "I can't risk using any of this anymore! They could've messed with any of it! All of it could be poisoned now! I can't let any of this near anyone in case it kills them too!"
Their eyes all widened as what she said sank in.
"I-I don't want to throw it away," her voice caught as she felt the sob built in her throat. She desperately pushed it away. "This is years of my life, right here. Some of these medicines are so rare…and I can't trust any of them."
"Nel," Will said softly.
"What if it was any of you?" she whispered. "What if one of you were injured and I used one of these medicines on you? What if you were the next one I killed?"
'I killed them. I'm a killer.'
Selethen lay a gentle hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him. He was a little blurry and she realized that her eyes were starting to tear up again, but she thought she saw him give her a small smile.
"You aren't a killer…but you make a good point. So, if this is what you need to do, then let us help."
He took the bag from Gilan, moving to the window to get the herbs she had drying there, stuffing them in the bag far more gently than she had.
Her family exchanged a look before nodding in agreement, moving to gather the supplies.
Nel took a shuddering breath, watching for a long moment as they each grabbed a bag and began cleaning up her life's work. She smiled slightly at the sight, heart swelling with affection for all of them. Grabbing another bag, she joined in.
Professor: And the wedding is officially set for the next chapter! I'm so excited! I've been waiting so impatiently to be able to do the wedding chapter!
Anyway, for the translations, I used Italian for Toscan in this story. The translations are done through Google Translate, so if I have messed anything up, please let me know! I won't include the translations down here as they were all put in the story itself.
Hope you enjoyed it and see you next chapter!