But Lilette had never given up before, and sheer habit kept her moving when nothing else would have. She turned and lurched back the way she’d come. But death grew more bold, more ominous. She tried to bat the darkness away with her hands, but it only laughed as it came swarming in.
She fell to the ground, her whole body convulsing. Death leaned over her, and its breath puffed against her face. It smelled of orchids.
Chapter 6
With complete power comes pride. Pride breeds corruption. Corruption begets vulnerability, which pride refuses to see. And so begins the vicious cycle of destruction. ~Jolin
Lilette wasn’t sure how long she’d been lying on the ground before death’s arms reached beneath her and picked her up. She struggled against it, willing her body to fight the poison coursing through her.
“Be still,” said a deep voice.
She immediately relaxed. Not death, but a man. Had he fought death off? She rested her aching head against his broad chest. “Hurts.”
“What happened to you?”
Rain began tapping against her skin. “Woman. Poison.”
“Hold on, little dragon.” He took off at a run. Later, she would remember little of it. Mostly just sensations. The muscles of his arms relaxing and contracting with each of his running steps. The steady beat of his heart, so different from the occasional thump of hers. The scent of his damp leather armor.
The way he held her and his smell tugged at the fraying edges of her memory, but she didn’t try to weave the threads together. She didn’t care enough to try.
He paused twice—the last time to slide open a door. A woman gasped. “What are you doing here? You can’t be here!”
He grunted, the sound vibrating against Lilette’s forehead. “Apparently I can.”
She struggled to open her eyes as he set her on a sleeping mat. “It’s her, isn’t it? Lilette?” said the woman.
“She’s been poisoned,” he replied.
After a moment’s hesitation, delicate hands pressed against her chest. “She’s cold. Her heart is weak.”
Lilette finally managed to blink her eyes open and stared up at one of the most beautiful faces she’d ever seen, pale green eyes a shocking contrast to her dark features. The woman’s eyes were round, her face longer. She was definitely not Harshen.
She pried open Lilette’s mouth and sniffed. “She’s vomited.” She came eye level with Lilette. “Were you pricked or did you consume it?”
Lilette’s body didn’t seem to be connected to the rest of her. “The spring rolls.”
The woman nodded. “What did it taste like?”
Everything was so blurry. She squinted, but it didn’t help. “Like . . . spring rolls.”
The woman disappeared and the man leaned over her. It was Han, his scarred face twisted with concern
This didn’t surprise her. Some part of her had recognized him when he picked her up. And somehow she didn’t want to kill him.
From close by, a bell rang. Lilette glanced out the window. It was full dark now. The woman came bustling back into the room. She positioned Lilette’s head on her knees and held a cup to her lips. “Drink it.”
Lilette didn’t have much of a choice as the liquid was poured into her mouth. She immediately gagged. She recognized the taste from a lifetime of clearing out old fire pits. A sludge of ashes mixed with water.
“Keep it down,” the woman warned. “It will absorb the poison.”
Lilette swallowed to keep her gorge from rising, but as soon as the mixture hit her stomach, she immediately threw it up.
“You want to live, you’ll keep it down.”
The cup was tipped back again. It was gritty and horrible, with chunks of charcoal sticking in her throat. Lilette swallowed, and with everything she had left she fought the urge to vomit.
The woman just kept pouring more down her throat. “I’ve summoned my eunuch. You better slip out of here before anyone sees you,” she said to Han.
He scoffed. “I think I can handle your tailless dog.”
The woman’s eyes hardened. “He won’t keep your secrets, and they’ll kill you if they find out you set foot in the harem.” Her face softened and she reached out and touched the jagged scar that stretched from his cheek to his mangled ear. “My son, I’m so sorry.”
He pulled away from her. “I don’t want your pity.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “Go. Before it’s too late.”
He cast one last glance at Lilette, his gaze unreadable, then turned and strode out.
The woman held the cup to Lilette’s lips once more. Tears dripped from her face onto Lilette’s cheeks as if they were her own. Lilette was certain the tears were not for her.