The Unexpected Heir: A Tale of Alus (28 page)

Philip knew that in certain situations he could hide his emotions, but matters like this were hard to keep from his face. Shaking his head slowly, the man finally just had to say it. "Unfortunately, Needaly passed away about four days ago."

Gasping in shock, Tareina jerked back against the chair. Her hands covered her mouth and tears that had already sensed something bad released down her cheeks.

"No!" the girl exclaimed in a muffled tone through her fingers. "But she... Oh, I should have checked on her. What kind of friend am I?"

He let her cry and run through her emotions for several minutes. A pretty girl, mourning reduced her to a red eyed mess shaking with her sorrow.

Moving to sit on the table to her side, Philip placed a hand on her shoulder. He doubted that such emotion could be faked by a heartless assassin. Even Needaly was likely just a victim of someone else's machinations. Everyone that he had asked about the woman had merely said that she prayed for help, but not that she was angry about anything that might make her try and harm the king or his family.

This girl was as close as anyone, maybe closer to her than Kiely her younger sister. Tareina was actually about the sister's age, he had found out. Their work and location of their homes had brought them together. A decade's difference in age didn't lessen the relationship, which didn't surprise him. At his age, there were few that were his peers; but Philip had many friends much younger than he was now.

As she settled down a bit; Philip decided to ask a few questions. It wasn't ideal, but Tareina had already leaped towards the possibility just from bringing up her friend and the supposed illness in the castle.

"Have you been suffering from this illness floating around the castle, Tareina?" he asked using her name to try to set her attention on his words.

Another gasp preceded her near wail, "Oh no, am I going to die as well? Is there a plague? Most people joked that it was running through the staff like a plague!"

"It is not a plague," Philip said confidently enough to make the girl stop and stare at him. She sensed he spoke the truth.

"Sometimes I cough, but it isn't as frequent as Needaly was coughing last I saw her."

"Did you handle any of the flowers in the garden or in the vases?"

She shook her head. "I tried to avoid them after a time. They made me sneeze or cough if I stood too close for too long. I must have allergies, but I never did before this season."

"Needaly worked with the flowers in the garden. Do you know if they started working with any new chemicals or anything to help make the garden grow recently?"

Her eyes opened wider. She knew something, but held back. After a pause, Tareina replied, "I never worked with Needaly in the garden, so I don't know what they used. I am just a maid in one of the less used wings. I keep it clean for visiting family and ambassadors."

He could tell that she was dodging the answer. It had truth in it, but wasn't telling him what he wanted. Playing her game, Philip asked a more delicate question potentially, "Had she ever said anything about wanting to get even with someone in the castle or maybe been angry at someone?"

"Needaly was the sweetest person I knew. She would never harm anyone; but I know that Kamaal, the head gardener, you know, had been quite hard on her when the garden wasn't growing very well. Well, it wasn't that he was mean to her in particular. She said that he was angry at all of them when he couldn't figure out why the gardens couldn't grow properly.

"It is obvious that some of the plants requiring more sun were simply put in the wrong places. Needaly even told me that a few times herself."

"Did she mention that to Kamaal?"

Frowning at the thought, Tareina retorted, "You couldn't tell that man anything. He thought that he knew everything about plants, but Needaly knew enough about flowers to know that high walls around the gardens cast differing amounts of light. Anyone used to trying to grow plants among the buildings knows that, but Kamaal didn't want to hear it.

"Anyway, something finally went right and most of the weak spots grew in making him bearable to work for after that."

Her attitude towards the head gardener wasn't surprising. Those who he had interviewed had all said the same thing. There were still some surviving garden help. Not everyone worked in the gardens that had grown so well and those had managed to avoid the poison which had taken Kamaal and the others. Others had suffered, but were being cared for by the city's healers and wizards. A cure of sorts had been developed once the wizards had a sample of the poison harming the gardeners.

Though the flowers and ground around them had diluted the strength of the original poison, the wizards seemed to believe that it was intentional. The soil was poisoned, by some chemical, but remained somewhat safe in limited exposure; while the poison seemed to bond with the flowers giving off a scent that was damaging to their lungs. No one was likely to die from the scent in the air, but touching the stems and petals transferred the poison with contact to their skin.

"We know that something was introduced into the flower beds. It was dangerous and poisonous to humans. While the flowers grew very well, they became toxic to the touch.

"Maybe you noticed that all the flowers were removed from the halls?"

Refusing to speak, Tareina merely nodded. She had also noticed less coughing, but hadn't put the connection together. Spending her free day with Karlaan, the girl had been coughing less anyway. She hadn't noticed whatever made her cough around the flowers anyway, so the thought had barely registered until pointed out now.

Philip pulled away and walked towards the wall to her left. A painting of a rider on a white horse rearing up on a hill was his focus, though he didn't truly see it as much as he looked towards it.

Turning to look at the woman still sitting nervously, the lord tried a new question. "Needaly's family said that she prayed at the temple for Sordrian, you know that one run by the Brothers of the Blood."

Her eyes betrayed the knowledge and waiting a moment to reply, Tareina answered, "Of course, everyone knows the temple. It has been a boon to the poor for awhile now. The brothers offer food and sometimes coin to the needy."

"They try to answer the penitent prayers for the god. Some might say that is cheating, isn't it?" he retorted with a smile. "Do you know if any of the brothers have tried to help answer whatever needs Needaly might have had?"

"Many of the brothers will speak with those who come to pray. I suppose if helping others for your god is cheating then I suppose that you are right. On the other hand, you could say that they are doing the god's work because he sent them. Is that wrong?"

Shrugging, Philip kept his smile as he paced slowly before the table. "Did someone try and help your friend? She was a single mother trying to raise two girls."

"Her husband set sail on a merchant ship. You never know. He might return someday. The gods might bring him back safe and sound any day."

"But not before Needaly needed someone to help make her life more bearable. The girls needed clothes and food. Her house is a simple shelter, but at least she could afford that.

"She didn't pray for help or ask any of the brothers to help her?"

A wall was building. He had pushed too hard, but Tareina steeled herself to answer the question and he sensed that it held truth as she stated, "Needaly received some food, but she didn't beg and took no other help from the Brothers of the Blood."

There was no show of the pain she felt for her friend's death now. She was refusing to give up whoever might be involved. Whether it was meant to guard her dead friend or the person responsible, he wasn't quite sure. Either way, it reinforced his thought that someone at the temple was involved.

Pulling back from the girl, the smile remained on his face as he tried not to show any other reaction to her comment. "Well, I guess that is all I can think to ask, unless you can think of anything that might tell us how this poison got into the flowers."

The woman's cheeks were flushed again, but worry remained barely covered by her sudden defiance. Standing up steadily, the sadness for Needaly had been pushed back. Tareina shook her head and replied, "No, my lord, I am afraid that there is nothing else that I can tell you. I am not a gardener, so I wasn't there to know anything about it."

"Well, thank you for your time then." He paused before adding, "Oh, you should know that Needaly's sister is taking the girls to live with her now that she is no longer with us thanks to this poison. If we ever find the culprit, we'll let them know... and you, since you were such a close friend. The girls call you aunty, don't they?"

The young woman's back stiffened as he sought to push her buttons. It wasn't likely to get her to confess right away, but if his words lingered there long enough, they might eat away at Tareina over time. She didn't seem to be a bad person, but if she was showing loyalty to someone that had caused this disaster, he needed to try.

"Yes, my lord, we're very close," Tareina answered through gritted teeth.

"I hope that we can give them closure with the answer to their mother's killer soon. Wish them my best. Nora seems like a sharp young woman, don't you think?"

"Yes, my lord," she answered tightly once more before leaving through the doors as the lord pushed them open. The guards gave way seeing Philip at the door and his nod allowed the woman her freedom. She had a shift to work, so that gave him time to set up a contingency plan he had in mind.

While Tareina was hiding something, perhaps she would lead them to the person involved or to someone who could lead them to him. He stepped back into the room and watched as a part of the wall holding the horse riding painting moved forward on a pivot like a stone door.

Lord Denefar stepped from the hidden room and said bluntly, "She's lying or at least holding something back."

Nodding, Philip replied, "Of course, but whatever she's hiding, if I just continue to attack she'll just continue to keep the truth to herself. We don't need her putting up defenses. She obviously knows something, but we'll have to be more subtle than just interrogating the girl."

"I don't know. I think a little time with some of my interrogators would get her to talk," the light haired man replied. He was older and some of the brown had gray adding to the lighter shade. His green eyes were unusual for Malaiy as well, but he was a lord from an older house. He was also a trusted friend of the king.

His dark offer given, Philip shook his head. "We don't need to treat her like a criminal yet. I don't think her friend's death was something that she had expected. Needaly wouldn't have been poisoned if she had known exactly what was happening."

"You really think that her allergies kept her from touching the flowers?" the master of spies asked folding his arms and giving him a smirk that said otherwise.

"She wouldn't be the only one. Her duties do keep her from the royal wings. The princesses decorated the areas that they visited most. Other servants interviewed had allergic reactions to the flowers also. Even Princess Galina made her maids work on the flowers for her. She touched a few, but thought that her pregnancy had made her sensitive to them."

"How are the princess and the babe in her womb?"

"Better than Persimee and Deeanne, the wizards and healers aren't sure that they can save Persimee even with the antidote. She's close to death's door and hasn't woken for two days. Only magic from wizards rotating in day and night have managed to stay death for now; but if she doesn't get better..." he shook his head before continuing on.

"Deeanne is better, but she miscarried already because of the stress."

"At least she and the prince are still young enough to try again," the older looking lord stated soberly.

"I wouldn't say it that way before them or the king, my lord," Philip cautioned the man. Emotionless or apathetic, Denefar would end up on the end of a sword talking like that in front of Orlaan or Jeremiah, even if he was an old friend.

A brief nod gave his only response to the warning. "How are you going to proceed then?"

"Have her followed. If she goes to the temple, she will speak with someone. Anyone she talks to is a potential lead or the one who actually convinced Needaly that what she was doing was right."

"The wizards tracked the poison to a few buckets and sprinkler cans used by the gardeners. Where it came from before that is unknown."

Philip nodded. "There are few stronger leads than this one that I have found. Can your people find out anything within the temple?"

"To a point, the areas open to the public are easy enough, but there are too many brothers to sneak past them all to find private areas. I have to say that I am less sure that we will find anything more obvious than men standing on the corner shouting for the king to step down, but they continue to try.

"If it comes down to it, I have a few men that can try to join the brothers; but we are unsure that messages can get out easily while undercover."

"Do what you can." Looking thoughtful, Philip asked, "Have you sent anyone to check on Earl Carland's accident?"

A nod to Philip from the head of a network of an unknown size was the start of his answer, "How much we will be able to discover from someone being thrown from his horse is questionable, but they are on the way. You think that the earl's accident was another plot?"

"Don't you?" he countered. "There are too many royals dying all of a sudden to overlook anything."

"There were eyewitnesses to the earl's accident from what I gather. My men will do what they can to discover the truth."

Philip believed their talk finished until Denefar surprised him with a new piece of information. "The wizards discovered a different trace element in the duke's body. Most of it had broken down already, but there was just enough to be sure. A needle point was found using magic. No human eye was able to discover it. Whoever did it is a master assassin, my lord.

"If they could sneak into the duke's castle, perhaps the rest of the family should seek to increase their protection."

"I worry about that too, but I am hoping to find the one aiming the weapon. With the finger off the trigger, the crossbow is considerably safer to handle."

"I hope that we are quick enough then."

Philip echoed the sentiment before leaving the chamber. The temple seemed to be the source of danger, but how would a group of helpful monks employ trained assassins of this caliber? It was worrisome if they had men like this in their employ.

It led him to wonder if his home was safe and his family. Serafene and Alicia remained in the house. Alexander was far enough away to think he was safer, except Carland had been almost as far away and had an accident.

If someone was capable of hiding murder in such a way, he feared for the entire family. Trying not to show his worry, Philip went on with his day.

Chapter 16- Cursed

Though his relationship with Tareina was mostly for fun and there was no commitment between them, Karlaan noticed her prolonged absence from the temple. While most of the monks abstained from such relationships, he was no monk. The young man hoped to be king not someone trapped in the simple robes of the brotherhood. Part of that came from what he had learned from Caldrefan, but of course, most rested on the man's promises for his future.