Page 3 of A Drop of Venom

Lord Vedast regarded the collection, his sword still in Cibran’s shoulder and his half-eaten apple in the other hand.

“Quality workmanship,” he mused. “Whoever made these deserves to work in the royal forge.” He twisted his sword, wrenching a cry of pain from Cibran's lips. “Name.”

The farmer shook his head, his chest heaving so much that I saw it plainly from my hiding place.

“There’s no point suffering to keep your secrets,” Vedast said, sounding bored. “My cousin, the king, is aware of weapons being made for those who oppose him. Nothing happens in this realm without us knowing. People talk. How do you think we knew where to find you?” He gave the sword another twist. “Name the smith who made these and who takes your deliveries in town.”

Cibran grunted and swayed in his seat but remained silent.

Vedast sighed. “A true martyr to the cause. How tiresome. We’ll simply need a different kind of motivation. Jonas.”

The guard snapped to attention. “Yes, Lord Vedast?”

Vedast turned and gestured directly at my hiding place with the hand holding his apple. “Fetch the girl.”

CHAPTER TWO

HAZEL

I gasped and recoiled. I thought I’d escaped their notice or been forgotten, but I hadn’t. Not at all. Around me, branches swayed and trembled as the trees shared my horror.

Jonas grinned and started in my direction, followed by two other guards.

“She knows nothing,” Cibran grated out, his voice rising. “Just a girl who needed a ride to town.”

“Maybe so,” Vedast said with a shrug that jostled the blade in Cibran's shoulder and made him cry out in pain. “You don’t care if you bleed for the cause, but you’ll care if she does. I’m sure you’ll want to talk once she feels my sword—or once we have her spread out on the ground beneath one of us.” He bit his apple with a loud crunch. “Or all of us.”

As the men hooted, I abandoned my satchel and shawl, lurched to my feet, and ran.

Or at least I tried to run, but my ankle was stiff and swollen and agonizing. The underbrush was thick and full of twigs and thorns that pulled at my clothing and hair with every staggering step.

Laughter reached my ears from where I'd left my things. “Oh, come now, little mouse—no need to run,” Jonas called.

I heard swords cutting through the brush, coming from different directions behind me, as if they'd split up to surround me. I bit my lip to keep from screaming at the pain in my ankle and forced myself to hobble faster.

“We’re fine men who protect pretty little mice like you.” Jonas’s tone sounded like he was smiling, which stoked rage in my chest to replace my fear. “You’ll simply tire yourself out before the fun even begins.”

With my ankle injured, I couldn’t outrun all three of them, but if I could find somewhere to hide…

“Little mouse,” Jonas called again. More laughter and grunts came from behind me as their swords cut through branches and brambles, clearing paths that were converging on me.

Ahead, I spotted a dark line through the trees. Thank the Goddess, it looked like a ravine that might offer escape or a hiding place. I veered in that direction as my pursuers closed in.

The tingling in my hands became a steady burning sensation. My vision tunneled. The sounds of the forest and the guards faded until all I heard was my own ragged breathing and the desperate pleas that tumbled from my lips.

“Help me,” I whispered to the forest. “Please, protect your daughter.”

Ahead of me, the underbrush parted as the forest made a path.

You cannot use your magic like this. My mother’s remembered voice in my head was as sharp and cold as a slap. This is dangerous. This will be your doom.

What would you have me do? I wanted to scream at her memory. These men will hurt me.

Better that than what they’ll do once they know you carry magic in your blood…

It was always so easy for her to order me to hide my magic. She’d have bound my magic or stripped it from me if she’d had the power to do so, or the coin to pay someone to do it for her.

Instead, she’d simply threatened and punished me, and used guilt as a weapon until I gave in and kept my gifts hidden from the world.