The Sorrow of Shadows (Crimson & Shadows #1)

Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

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“ Y ou ready for this, General?” Jade asks.

Jade, Aurelius, and I had been interrogating the kitchen staff for hours. I would ask the questions, Aurelius would subtly alert me if he sensed a lie, then Jade would use her compulsion Gift to get the truth out of them. Or that’s how it would have gone if we had talked to anyone who knew something about the attempted murder. We are no closer to an answer now than when we started.

“We only have a couple servants and the cook left, correct?” I ask with quiet desperation for this to be over.

“Correct. The cook is coming in now,” Aurelius says as he lays a hand on my shoulder. It’s meant to be supportive, but I can’t help the reaction my body gives to the warmth where our skin meets. Arousal isn’t what I should be feeling, but the goosebumps pebbling my skin suggest something is wrong with me. I know he feels it when his hand tightens slightly on my shoulder before it drops away entirely. I should be relieved, but disappointment is all I feel at the loss of his touch .

I roll my shoulders, trying to work out the knot forming between my shoulder blades. An older male enters the room, his apron covered in flour and other various ingredients for cooking. He sits in the empty chair before us, folding his hands in his lap. His hair is graying, and the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes show his age. I don’t really know him, but he has cooked for the palace since my father was a child.

I smile softly at him. “Do you know why you’re here, Mino?”

“I assume it had something to do with the poisoned eggs one of the kitchen girls ate?” he guesses.

“That would be correct. We have questioned most of the kitchen staff but have learned nothing of value. We’re hoping you can help us determine the source of the poison meant for Lord Aurelius.” The last part comes out almost like a plea.

“I’ll do what I can. What would you like to know, Princess?”

“Start at the beginning of the day. Tell me everything you did, people you spoke with, anything unusual or out of place?”

“The day started the same as every other. I woke before dawn to prepare the bread and pastries for the day. The rest of the servants get there right at sunrise most days. They help with plating and delivering the food, some minor cooking if I trust them.”

“Was there anyone new that day? Or just new in general?” I question.

“No one new in several months. All servants are vetted by Commander Nolan first and then assigned by Lord Elijah. We haven’t seen a new face in the kitchen in quite some time.” I had already guessed as much but wanted confirmation.

“And you didn’t see anyone unfamiliar in the kitchens that morning? Someone who didn’t belong?” Aurelius butts in.

“No, M’lord. No one except the kitchen staff and myself.”

“Let’s try something different. Mino, can you tell me where the food you use for the castle comes from?” I’m grasping at straws to get any kind of lead .

“Well, that’s easy enough; most of our food comes from various farms and vendors in Ciyoria. Although...” he bites his lip as something occurs to him.

“Although, what?” I prod.

“Lately we’ve been getting more and more produce from one vendor than we have in the past. In fact, I don’t recall them providing much until the last few months.”

“What’s odd about that?” I question.

“Nothing odd per se, but a few times I’ve caught them trying to sell us poisonous mushrooms that were mixed in with the rest. It’s not so strange on its own—they look similar and grow close together. An honest mistake, but one that needs close watching. The most recent shipment we received from them was several days before the bad eggs, but I usually oversee and inspect the delivery to ensure no mistakes like that are made. I could not be there for the delivery that day, so I don’t know who did the inspection.”

That was finally something I could work with. I turn to Aurelius, and he gives me a slight nod. Everything Mino has said thus far has been the truth.

“Okay, Mino. Can you tell me exactly what was in that shipment?”

“Mostly produce. No livestock or eggs, I’m afraid.”

“Specifically, what produce?” My tone is slightly elevated as I try to contain my enthusiasm for finally getting somewhere.

“Carrots, potatoes, celery, some parsnips I believe.”

Alarm bells go off in my head. “Did you say parsnips?”

“I did, Princess. I use it in my stews.”

“Please take me to where you store the produce. I need to see it now.”

“Of course. Right this way.” He looks slightly confused but leads us to the pantry. He gestures to a section of the wall. “This is all the produce, and right there,” he points to the shelf third from bottom, “are the parsnips. ”

I lean down and pull out the box. It only takes me a moment to find what I suspected was there. “This whole box needs to be disposed of, Mino. These aren’t parsnips—they’re hemlock root.”

Part of my training as a soldier was how to survive off the land. I was taught common poisonous plants and berries to ensure I didn’t accidentally poison myself or others by eating the wrong thing. It’s not a skill set needed at court, so I wouldn’t expect most of the kitchen staff to recognize the difference between parsnip and water hemlock.

He stares at me wide eyed, “Of course, Princess. I—I had no idea. I n-never would have allowed for the delivery had I known.” He’s panicking, but I know it wasn’t him. It might have been a slight oversight on his part, but it wasn’t his fault it made its way into Aurelius's breakfast.

“I know, Mino. Thank you for helping us figure out what the poison was. Perhaps cut ties with this vendor.” If I could figure out who the vendor was, I might be able to figure out who was behind this.

Once he is gone, I turn to Aurelius and Jade. “That’s it for today. We’ve done enough for now.”

“Perfect timing, because Julian will be here momentarily,” Jade says matter-of-factly.

“How—”

“That twin thing still freaks me out,” I say at the same time as Aurelius.

Jade just shrugs as Julian opens the door and strides in. “Made any progress?”

“As a matter of fact, we have,” I tell him. “We still don’t have a ‘who’, but we know what the poison was and potentially where it came from.”

“Intriguing. Well, at least you have more information than you did yesterday.” Julian rubs his chin, deep in thought. I take a moment to look him over. He, like his twin and myself, is dressed in fighting leathers. I typically only carry daggers when I’m at court—my shadows being the real weapon—but he wears weapons like noble ladies wear jewels. He has a dagger strapped to each muscular thigh and another smaller blade tucked into his right boot. Strapped to his back is his preferred long sword, Bella, her sapphire encrusted handle gleaming in the light. He named every blade, but I only remembered Bella because there were hundreds of them. I’m sure there were more that I couldn’t see, knowing him.

I’m leaning against a kitchen counter, Aurelius to my left doing the same. “Now that we’re all here, let’s talk without the prying eyes of the council,” I announce and clap my hands together. “Tell me everything you didn’t say in front of Lord Smelly-us.” I chuckle at my joke.

“That joke was exceptionally bad,” Jade says.

“Did you really just call him ‘Lord Smelly-ass’?” Aurelius looks at me incredulously.

“No, I called him Lord Smelly-us, but I think I like Smelly-ass better. It suits him.”

“But why?” Aurelius side eyes me like I’m the crazy one.

“Because he’s always got his nose in other people’s business,” Julian says as if that was obvious, which it is of course.

Aurelius rolls his eyes at the three of us and pushes himself off the counter. “Of course, why didn’t I think of that? Now if you’ll excuse me?—”

“Not so fast, pretty boy.” Jade puts a hand on his chest to stop him. He gives her a confused look, then looks over to me.

“You summoned them here to get an account of the current state of the armies. That’s what they’re here to discuss with me, so this is your meeting, too. Unless there was some other reason you pulled my second and third from the front lines,” I challenge while picking invisible debris off my shirt. I glance up at him, waiting for an answer.

“Of course not, Princess.” There’s a glint in his eyes as if to say he’s playing along for now. “That’s exactly why I summoned them here.” He dares to smirk at me, and I roll my eyes.

I catch the twins exchanging a look that tells me they are having one of those weird twin conversations that doesn’t require words.

“Anyway,” I say, dragging out the word. “Please continue, Julian.”

“Prince Ayden is playing with you, B,” he says bluntly. He’s never had a filter and is always brutally honest. It’s one of the things I admire most about him.

“He’s always been fond of playing games,” Aurelius says. Sometimes I forget how many people Aurelius must interact with as part of his position. He would have an insight into the disgruntled prince that most wouldn’t.

“Elaborate,” I say to both.

“The prince may be the one giving the orders, but we haven’t had any reports of him present for any of the attacks. He’s notorious for being alongside his soldiers, but he’s nowhere to be found. It’s extremely out of character for him,” Julian explains.

“And it’s not just that we’re barely able to drive out his troops—they aren’t even trying to advance. It’s almost as if they’ve been ordered not to,” Jade continues.

“Ayden will try anything to get your attention. That is very in character for him,” Aurelius adds. “If it were anyone else, I would advise you to ignore his games, but I think that might cause him to increase his efforts.”

“Then perhaps it’s time we have a chat with him,” I suggest. “Find out exactly what it is that he wants.” I see Aurelius tense next to me.

“Maybe it’s time to negotiate terms of peace,” Jade adds. “Gods know I’m tired of camp food. I would love some peace.”

“You’d be bored within a month if there wasn’t a battle to fight or soldiers to train, Jade,” Julian teases, but he’s also not wrong. They were both busy bodies and couldn’t stand sitting still. Case-in-point, Julian was currently using his power to bend the metal of one of his daggers into different shapes, while Jade paced back and forth.

“Alright, you two are too fidgety. Go find someone to train with and work off that energy.”

“That’s not exactly how I planned to work off the energy.” Jade’s tone is full of suggestion.

“Maybe you can find Elijah to ‘train’ with,” Julian suggests using air quotes.

“Okay, that’s enough of that conversation!” I am physically pushing them out the kitchen doors now. They both chuckle loudly before finally leaving to do whatever they needed.

“They are something else,” Aurelius says once they’re gone.

“Just remember, you are the one that brought them here. If the castle burns to the ground, you were warned.” I fold my arms and stare him down.

“Princess—”

“Stop calling me that,” I grit my teeth.

“Never.”

I turn to leave, but he catches me around the waist and pulls me back against his chest. “What do you want, Aurelius?” I try to ignore how good it feels to be pressed against him, how well his body fits around mine, and how intoxicating his spiced bergamot scent is. “Let me go,” I say, but there’s no force behind the words.

“You don’t actually mean that, Breyla.” He presses his face into my hair and inhales deeply.

“No, I don’t,” I confirm quietly. “But I should.”

“You can’t bring Ayden here.” He says it like a command, as if he has any say over my actions.

“Actually, My Lord, you’ll find that I can.” I pull away and turn to face him. “In case you’ve forgotten, not only am I general of the royal army, but I am also the godsdamned princess of this kingdom. It is well within my?—”

I’m cut off mid sentence by his lips crashing onto mine. I push against him, trying to break away, but he just kisses me deeper. His hand weaves into my hair, which he uses to maneuver my head to the side and deepen the kiss. I stop fighting and surrender, parting my lips to allow him entrance. His tongue snakes out, tangling with my own as he backs me up against the counter. He tugs at my hair just enough to make me let out a soft moan, while using his other hand to trail up my side, caressing as he goes. He breaks the kiss suddenly, breathing deeply, and leans his forehead against mine.

“What I meant, Princess, was that it is a tremendously bad idea to bring him here,” he says softly, no hint of a command present.

“Tell me why,” I demand, trying to forget how right it feels to be with him like this. How this intimate position fills me with butterflies. I’ve slept with my share of males, but I’ve never experienced intimacy like this. It was all purely physical before, but I have to fight how right it feels just being in Aurelius’ arms.

“You’ll just have to trust me,” is all he says.

“Sorry, handsome, but I don’t have any reason to trust you so blindly,” I say truthfully. I don’t do secrets, and this male feels like he’s holding more than one.

“You don’t have any reason not to,” he argues.

But I do. I still don’t know his true reasons for accepting the marriage proposal from my mother. It doesn’t make sense, especially with how he kisses me. Then there’s the message I got from the ghost. I’m still not sure if he had anything to do with my father’s death, but he is hiding something from me.

“Please,” he says quietly.

“That almost sounds like begging. Typically, that’s done on one’s knees.” I try to joke, pulling back just enough to look him in the eyes.

“If I’m getting on my knees for you, it will be for an entirely different reason, little demon.” There is heat in his deep brown eyes. They are so dark they almost look black, and this close I can see flecks of crimson amongst the brown. Such a beautiful and unusual color.

“I will consider it,” I say, trying to break the tension.

“Thank you.”

It’s not a promise I’m sure I can keep, and his insistence that I not bring Prince Ayden to court makes me want to do it even more.