No. 19: Floral Bouquet

Zoya followed Nikolai into his study after a long day of meetings. "General Markovich is a pompous ass who is trying to sabotage the Second Army at every turn," she griped.

"That's hardly grounds to put him before a firing squad," Nikolai casually replied.

"Demote him."

"If only it were that simple. And if it weren't for his prejudiced ambition, I would put him in charge of the operation in the north. As it is, I need to keep him close to keep him in line."

Zoya grumbled under her breath. She'd have to find a way to deal with the man herself, then.

"These are new," Nikolai commented, pausing by a vase of flowers sitting on his desk. He reached into the flora bushel and pulled free a small note card. "'To the golden son of the double eagle crown,'" he read. "It's not signed. A secret admirer, it seems."

"Sounds more like someone trying to suck up to the king," Zoya replied.

"Flowers is an odd overture for that." Nikolai gave her a sly smile. "Are they from you?"

She snorted; as if.

Nikolai took a sniff of the blossoms. As a gardener, Zoya had to admit they were a beautiful arrangement. He then picked up the vase and moved it to another surface so he could work at his desk. Zoya sat on the settee at the smaller coffee table to review the various military reports that Nikolai wanted her input on.

A few minutes in, Nikolai began making sniffling sounds, followed by some shallow coughs. Zoya glanced over and noticed he was looking rather peaky. She got up to get him a glass of water.

"Are you coming down with something?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied and took a long swig of the water. "This just came out of nowhere so quickly…"

"I'll call for a Healer," she said and turned away, but a hitched sound had her twisting back around just as Nikolai abruptly fell. He smacked his head against the desk before hitting the floor in a massive seizure. Zoya flung herself down next to him, reaching for flailing limbs in an attempt to hold him still. "Help!" she yelled. "We need help in here!"

The guards stationed outside hurried in, only to pull up short and stare.

"Get a Healer!" Zoya ordered, and they both went running. Zoya struggled to keep Nikolai from thrashing about, and she noticed the swelling welt on his forehead from where he'd struck the corner of the desk.

Tolya and Tamar arrived next and immediately joined Zoya, using their heartrending to settle the convulsions. It looked like it took quite an effort for both of them. Then the guards returned with Genya.

"What happened?" she exclaimed.

"I don't know," Zoya said. "He was fine until just a few minutes ago and then this."

"Something's wrong," Tamar added, hands still poised over Nikolai's chest. "His entire system is going haywire."

Genya used her own abilities to assess the situation, and after several long moments, she pulled back in alarm. "He's been poisoned."

"What?" Zoya snapped. "How? With what?"

Genya shook her head. "I don't know. What has he been exposed to today?"

Zoya straightened and snapped her gaze to the vase of flowers. "Those were here when we arrived. With an unsigned note addressed to Nikolai. He sniffed them."

Genya jumped up and went to examine the flowers. "I'll have to get them to David to be sure."

"Go," Zoya urged. Poison was the one thing Grisha Healers couldn't fix. Only a Durast could remove a foreign substance from the body—and only if they were willing to take it into themselves, which was a death sentence.

The seizure had stopped, and Zoya directed the twins to bring Nikolai to his chambers. By the time they got him there, he was deathly pale and drenched in a cold sweat, and there were red flecks around his nose and mouth, further evidence that the flowers were the delivery system. Tolya and Tamar got his coat and boots off before laying him on the bed, then they went into the lavatory and came back with a basin of water and several hand towels. There was little that could be done at the moment, but they took the warm damp cloths to Nikolai's face and neck, attempting to soothe the symptoms while simultaneously using their heartrending to try preventing his heart rate from spiking too high. Zoya could only stand there, waiting tensely and planning their next move.

It was an hour before David and Genya arrived.

Zoya straightened expectantly. "Well?"

"The poison was fabrikated into the flower pollen," David reported.

"Whoever did this couldn't have known he'd smell them," Zoya started.

David shrugged. "Pollen would have infiltrated the air after time. It would have been slower, and affected anyone in the room, but it still would have worked."

Zoya mentally reeled. "So by smelling them, he got a lethal dose immediately."

David nodded grimly. "I can try to make an antidote, but it will take time."

"We don't have much time," Tamar spoke up from where she and Tolya literally held Nikolai's fading life in their hands.

"I'll work fast," David promised.

"I'll help you," Genya echoed and they both left.

Zoya turned to the twins. "Stay with Nikolai. I'll have guards posted outside but I don't want them in here."

"Where are you going?" Tolya asked.

"To find who did this."

She began with questioning all the servants who could have made the delivery to the king's study, or seen anyone near it earlier that day. But she found no answers, even with half the servants cowering under her fierce wrath. Zoya believed that none of them were behind this, which was both good and bad—good that none of them had betrayed Ravka, but bad because it meant an outsider had been able to gain entry to the palace without being noticed. She was going to have words with the palace guards later.

She returned to Nikolai's room, hoping David and Genya had already developed an antidote. To her disappointment, they hadn't, and Nikolai was in a poor state, barely breathing it seemed. Tamar and Tolya were positioned on either side of him, hands extended over his torso and eyes closed as they poured their full concentration into keeping him alive.

Zoya tried not to disturb them as she walked over to the head of the bed and gazed down at Nikolai. She felt a strange pang in her heart at the thought that they could lose him…and it wasn't only for Ravka's future. "Don't you dare," she leaned down and whispered.

She paced the room after that, hating feeling so helpless. She considered rounding up the palace guards to give them that reprimand, but she was loath to leave Nikolai in case…

But then the door burst open and Genya and David came barreling in.

"Here," David said breathlessly, as though they had both run straight here from his workshop.

"Will it work?" Zoya asked, taking the vial he held regardless.

David grimaced. "I can't be sure…"

"It will work," Genya said confidently. "It has to."

Zoya went back to Nikolai and cupped the back of his head, lifting it so she could pour the contents of the vial into his mouth. Tolya and Tamar opened their eyes, and then Tamar was manipulating Nikolai's throat so he would swallow all of the antidote.

Unfortunately, now came more waiting. But after an hour, the twins reported his heart and breathing were slowly improving. Genya used her power to scan his body and declared the poison was being countered.

"He should live."

The wash of relief almost felt like a kick to the chest, and Zoya nearly sagged visibly.

"Good work," she told them.

"Any leads on who left the flowers?" Tamar asked.

Zoya shook her head. "Not yet. But I won't rest until I find them."

With that, she turned on her heel and strode out, a veritable storm of vengeance and wrath.