“I don’t want to know how you know what that feels like.”
He doubled over with a groan again, and my own stomach dropped as he clutched his.
Dread gripped me, but it was more than just the self-serving dread I would feel if I returned his dead Captain to the Viceroy.
There was something familiar in this dread, the feeling that I didn’twantsomething bad to happen to him, I didn’t want him to be in pain or in mortal danger.
“Kiyan.” I crouched down beside him, my hands on his shoulders. “Look at me.”
His dark eyes met mine. “I’m fine. It’s poison. But a natural one. What limited power I have can fight this, but it’s taking everything in me.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Do you have anything cool? My magic is purging the poison from my system.”
I ran back to the lake, pulling out a handkerchief from the pocket of my canvas skirt and dipping it in the cool water, praying the jaipari hadn’t forgotten her pact in time to grab my wrist and pull me under. Then I raced back to Kiyan, who was laying on his back in the chamber, his eyes unblinking.
“Well, that doesn’t look healthy.” I ran over to him, laying the wet cloth on his forehead. “Kiyan, can you hear me? Have I finally killed you?”
“I’m not that easy to get rid of, scholar,” he croaked.
I wiped his brow with the wet cloth, watching as his eyes refocused. “How do you feel?”
“Like I’ve been poisoned.”
I let out a laugh. “And does that happen often?”
He gave a weak smile, and then his face turned serious. “More than I’d like to admit. The Viceroy enjoys how my magic purges most poisons from the body. Having a connection to the natural world benefits him.”
“He makes you consume poisons for him?” Revulsion curled inside me, and I’m sure it was reflected on my face.
His eyes met mine, his lips twisting. “On occasion.”
He grimaced, holding his middle, his body jerking. “More frequently than I’d like. At least that method of torture doesn’t leave a scar on my skin.”
He doubled over, retching against a carved pillar.
“It will pass,” he groaned out. “It always does.”
He pulled himself up and leaned heavily against the pillar, his eyes glassy and sweat dotting his upper lip. “I’m lucky it’s a natural poison. But don’t let me suffer in vain.” He nodded toward the basin. “Have a look inside.”
I sat back on my heels in surprise, realizing that I had completely forgotten the reason we’d come here while I was focused on Kiyan.
Running over to the pedestal, I bent over the basin, where all my magic had gathered.
The threads of gold coiled along the bottom had slowly begun to fade. There below them was a carving of jasmine flowers, set above the rest of the basin like a switch in the stone. I reached down and pressed it.
The jasmine flower sank all the way into the stone, disappearing into the recesses of the pedestal.
Nothing happened at first, and I peered into the square hole in the center of the bowl.
Then I heard it, a deep rumbling noise and then a series of snaps, as if a dozen mechanisms were clicking into place. The wall behind the pedestal began to shift, dust rising in a cloud around us. The dust hung in the air for a minute before dissipating and revealing a doorway.
“The ancient peris really loved their doors, didn’t they? I bet there’s five bloody more through there.”
“Hopefully not, we don’t have enough of you to drink all that poison.”
He snorted weakly, still collapsed against the pillar at the edge of the hall. Then he nodded at me. “Be safe, though I don’t think there’s any such thing here.”
