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Content that she would be occupied for a little while, I brushed my lips softly against hers and retreated from the main hallway, leaving her with the guards.
“Don’t let her out of your sight,” I told Drakias, and he nodded affirmatively. Until I knew definitively what had caused the fugue state, I needed Maren watched as closely as possible.
“No, Alpha. I won’t.”
“Have one of the other guards find a female guard to be with her when she’s alone in the bedroom,” I added on a whim. Maren wouldn’t want Drakias watching over her in the privacy of our closed room.
“Yes, Alpha. Right away.”
“If there’s a hint that something’s amiss, find me. Immediately.”
“Of course, Alpha.”
“I won’t be gone long.”
He nodded and stood straighter, staring straight ahead as I took off down the stairs, developing a plan in my mind as I moved.
First, I had to locate Odette. I had to catch her up on what was happening. She could help test that food and find out what was in it. If my theory was correct, it had been tainted with something that had lowered Maren’s guard to nonexistence.
I retraced my steps down the stairs and out the front door, where the SUV remained exactly where we’d left it, boxed in now by the moving trucks on both sides.
“Are you going out, Alpha?” one of the guards asked worriedly. “I’ll send for another vehicle, or would you like to have the movers adjust their trucks?”
Shaking my head, I opened the backseat to pull out the takeaway container, slamming the car shut behind me. “No. I’m not going anywhere. One of you find me Odette. I’ll be in the labs. Have her meet me there.”
“Yes, Alpha,” he replied.
Inside again, I made a left and headed through the west wing toward the furthest end of the castle. The basement’s entrance was purposely hidden in this corner of the house, where no one would accidentally stumble upon it. In their wisdom, my forefathers had secluded the spot to avoid curious staff members or their children from wandering through on a whim. Not to say that it didn’t happen, but it deterred most from venturing down those days.
The bottom floor of the castle was a dismal place, filled with a maze of rooms, the barracks, a cellar, among other forgotten garbage that no one remembered. It also included the laboratory where the healers and enchantress ran tests and practiced magic as to not disturb anyone else. Keeping the entrance removed from the rest of the castle had been an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.
But today, I needed it, and I unlocked the door with a brass key I hadn’t touched in years. I was mildly surprised when it worked.
Glancing behind me to ensure I wasn’t being watched by a nosy maid or a curious guard, I let myself into the bowels of the basement, the takeout container still firmly in my hands.
It smelled just as musky and rotting as it always had, the scent jolting me back to early childhood when my father would lock me down there as punishment for some small infraction. Ishoved the unbidden memory aside and shut the door behind me with a click.
Using my lupine vision, I didn’t bother fumbling for light switches whose location I couldn’t recall, anyway, and forged my way down the narrow steps into the clammy darkness toward the cold cement floor at the bottom. Once my foot touched the ground, I headed further west, through one of the long, tunnel-like corridors toward the lab.
The sterile, state-of-the-art room was such a stunning contrast to the rest of the dingy, spider-webbed subfloor. It was the one part of the basement that was salvageable, upkept only by Odette and the healers.
Lights flicked on upon my entry, displaying a pristine array of test tubes and microscopes on metal tables, At the far end, a small, protected greenhouse grew a variety of herbs and plants for potion making, vials and jars glowing in different colors as they lined the many shelves against the walls.
I set the takeout container on one of the metal countertops and began to roll up my sleeves, and I glanced toward the magnificent fae-sized machine between the magic section and the science section.
It had been a long while since I’d used the tester. I hoped I wouldn’t screw up the process as I waited for Odette to show herself, and I gritted my teeth as I slid on a pair of latex gloves to avoid cross-contamination. Wedging open the lid of the container, I stared at the remnants of Maren’s curried vegetables from the night before, shaking my head.
I inhaled deeply, trying to sense any indication of spoiling, but all I could smell were the fragrant spices of Maren’s favorite restaurant in my nostrils.
If something happened, it had to have happened when the fire occurred. Is that why the fire occurred? As a distraction to poison Maren and our child?
A fusion of shame and sorrow twined in my gut. I had been so elated about our child, so eager to spread the news to the entire kingdom and beyond, I hadn’t considered the evil that still floated amongst us, no matter how much I struggled to keep Steelshire protected.
Another wave of fury shot through me, but I stuffed it down, refusing to let it overcome me. I had to run these tests, not lose control. There would be time enough later to scream about the injustice of it all.
I found a small, sterile slide and gently cut a piece of cauliflower off to spread evenly over the glass before ambling over to the huge tester. The piece had cost more money than my favorite sportscar in the multicar garage outside, but the former enchantress had insisted on it, claiming that it was imperative to the wellbeing of the kingdom. I was glad I’d listened to her. She had been a wise soul before she’d died. Odette could have learned from her.
It was a daunting unit, big and clunky, fueled half by magic, half by science, pulsating neon cords shimmering next to an electrical one as the machinery powered up. A gentle hum filled the laboratory, and a cloud of glitter appeared overhead, causing me to exhale. It appeared to be in working order still, all the mechanical and magic components intact.
