The Poison Prince
Chapter XVIII
MISTHAVEN was flooded with darkness when they arrived there the next evening. Night time always fell in Misthaven before anywhere else in Lyris, despite it being far from the north of the kingdom. Superstitious rumours of a curse had existed about it for years, and some of the warier merchants avoided it for those very reasons. At times Misthaven could be a spooky place, but the people overcompensated for its reputation and tried their best to disprove the tales of ancient curses by being a little too friendly and welcoming. That was before nightfall though. Once the sun had set it paved the way for Misthaven’s shadier characters. There was a high level of violence and crime after dark in Misthaven, and many of the inns wouldn’t open their doors to guests after a certain time in case it was a ruse by criminals who hoped to raid their rooms and rob their customers.
“We best hurry if we hope to find beds tonight.” Taiden whispered, keeping close to Xylia’s side just in case of any danger. In Misthaven he wasn’t afraid to reach for his sword and think about it later.
He had experienced Misthaven’s trouble first-hand when he had been thirteen. He had been on a royal visit with his father when a man dressed in black had tried to knock him to the ground and mug him. It hadn’t mattered that he was the heir to the kingdom. The man had only seen the gold on him, and had been transfixed by how much coin might be in it for him if he could grab something from the young boy. Julius had put his sword right through the man’s throat and watched him bleed out. The memory had given Taiden nightmares for the best part of a month and he didn’t return to Misthaven until he was eighteen and needed to take care of business there. On that trip he had undone the enchantment upon the Lord of Misthaven. If they became desperate he supposed he could call on him to provide shelter and beds for the night, but Taiden would rather not pull anyone else into this fight now; not when Devanna was bold enough to try to kill him and anyone with him.
There was a scream in the distant streets, followed by a loud bang and footsteps running in their direction. Taiden wrapped his arm around Xylia’s shoulders and ushered her quickly down the paved walkways.
“The last thing we want now is to be noticed.” He told her quietly, keeping his head down and his hood up.
“I feel like we’ve been trying that this whole time and it’s hardly worked.” Xylia mumbled, though she followed suit and kept her hand closed around her dagger just in case she might need it.
“In Misthaven after dark it doesn’t matter if you’re the prince or in the gutter. If someone thinks they can earn coin by robbing you or slitting your throat they’ll do it.” Taiden explained seriously, his eyes constantly glancing around for a moving shadow in an alley.
However, it was Xylia who tugged him up a side street just before a trio of men came striding along the main street in the opposite direction. They spoke in hushed tones about their take, and in the glimmer of the moonlight the smallest of the three could be seen wiping blood from the blade of his dagger. Taiden waited until they made a left and were well out of sight again before he turned to Xylia with wide, curious eyes.
“Where did-“
“The window up there. I heard them opening it from the inside. Windows often creak, even slightly.” Once again her hunter’s senses had outshone his own and saved them.
He nodded, checking that the coast was clear again before leading the way back out.
A little further up the street he pointed to a stable. “That belongs to the inn. We can use it as a shortcut to get to the front door. I just hope they let us in at this late hour.”
Quickly and stealthily they crossed to the door and Xylia opened it after insisting in angry whispers to Taiden that she was better equipped to watch his back than he was to watch hers. As she closed the door and turned she almost crashed into him. He hadn’t moved forward at all and for a second she feared they may have walked straight into trouble.
“That’s my horse!” Taiden exclaimed louder than he probably ought to have. “And that’s Julius’!” He rushed forward to pat the neck of his own stallion, though the fine beast showed little interest in the prince and continued to eat the hay before him.
Xylia raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in confusion. “So who’s with him?” She asked.
“What?”
“Well, I assume Julius rode his own horse. Who rode yours? You left him back in the village of The Draca.” She tentatively walked forward, unsure what to feel at the idea that Julius was back in the picture now and that he had someone else in his company.
“Huh. Good point. Maybe it’s your uncle.”
“My uncle would never leave home.” She said quietly, feeling worried. Julius being here meant that her uncle was dealt with. It could be good news or bad news and while she hoped for the former she wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to move any further and find out at all.
Taiden didn’t give her a choice. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along through the straw covered floor of the stable. “Come on. We best get inside and find Julius.”
Xylia shuffled along behind him, her free arm wrapped tightly around herself as though it could fight off the nerves she was feeling. She hovered behind Taiden as he banged on the inn door loud enough to wake anyone inside, though it was too early for anyone to be asleep.
“We’re not taking guests now!” A gruff voice called back.
“We already have someone inside!” Taiden replied quickly.
“I don’t care! I’m not opening this door for anyone at this time of night!”
“Wait, sir, he’s with me.” The familiar voice interjected the conversation before it became an argument, and the bolt of the door creaked painfully as it was twisted.
“I’m not happy about this. It could be anyone out there.”
“I assure you, it’s not anyone.” The door was pulled open and Taiden beamed a huge grin at Julius before hugging him tightly.
Xylia noticed the innkeeper’s scowl turn into a look of surprise before he ushered everyone inside and made quick work of securing the door again.
“It is good to see you again, Julius! So good!” Taiden said, the grin still firmly in place.
“You, too. I wasn’t sure if the Queen would try to harm you again.”
“Oh, she certainly did, but Xylia saved me. We have quite the tale to tell, my friend.”
“Later, perhaps, your highness. We need to get you a room settled first.” Julius looked over at the innkeeper who was fast enough at producing two keys for the last two rooms he had to spare. He offered them to Taiden and Xylia with a sloppy bow to both despite not knowing who Xylia even was.
“My uncle?” Xylia asked, unable to contain herself any longer as they turned towards the stairs.
Julius turned to her and opened his mouth before closing it again. He cast his eyes to the ceiling and then back to Xylia. “Perhaps we should go upstairs first. We all have a lot to talk about.”
Upstairs, someone hurtled at Xylia and engulfed her in a tight hug. It knocked the wind right out of her and for a second she didn’t have a clue who was clinging to her. Then she recognised the crop of black wavy hair against her shoulder.
“Zechariahs!” She gasped, wrapping her arms back around him for a moment before prying him away and holding him at arm’s length. “What are you doing here?”
He smiled a tired smile and shrugged. “I wanted to help you while I still could.”
“He talked me into bringing him along, and I needed someone to ride your horse or I’d have still been travelling.” Julius was speaking to Taiden, but he spoke loud enough for them all to hear.
“My uncle-“
“Let’s get inside one of these rooms. We don’t need to put on a show for the guests.” Julius cut Xylia off and opened a door, holding it ajar until everyone was inside.
It wasn’t much, and with four of them in the single room it was a little claustrophobic. No one moved to sit down, much to Julius’ chagrin. Everyone seemed to be as stubborn as each other in a moment when he wanted them all to be cooperative.
“Julius, my uncle. Please.”
He sighed and picked up a cream envelope from the dresser. He glanced down at it once before offering it out to her. “I’m sorry. He had passed two days before I returned with the healer. This was left for you.”
Xylia paled, hesitating before she took the envelope from him. For a long moment she just held onto it, staring at her name written in her uncle’s scrawl. Taiden’s hand came to rest on her shoulder.
“I’m so very sorry, Xylia. I wish we could have done something.”
“We tried everything for him. In the end he made a choice to let go. He told me everything you needed was in that letter.” Zechariahs added quietly, coming to stand on Xylia’s other side.
Suddenly, Xylia shoved the letter into her satchel and sniffed loudly, rubbing the heel of her hand against her cheek to catch the falling tears.
“Aren’t you going to read it?” Taiden asked her gently.
“Later.” She answered, blinking harshly. “We have more important things to deal with.”
“Xylia, it can wait until morning at the very least.” He whispered, turning her to face him completely. “Nothing will change tonight.”
“And a letter won’t bring my uncle back either.” Xylia retorted, lifting her gaze to meet Taiden’s look of concern. “Nothing will.”
Zechariahs harsh cough snapped them both back to the room and Xylia twisted her head to check on him. He raised his hand as he wheezed. “I’m okay.”
“He’s not.” Julius sighed, “but he’s been like that since before he left the village.”
“He’s dying.” Xylia told them. “He’s one of The Draca who has caught the disease fatal to their kind. He doesn’t have very long left.”
Zechariahs looked ashamed and lowered himself to the edge of the bed. It wasn’t by choice but rather because he was too weak to remain standing after that short coughing fit. “It’s why I wanted to leave. I wanted to do something meaningful with my life before I died. I didn’t want to pass in my sleep and just be another part of our extinction. If a mutt could go off with the prince and be someone then I wanted to see that.” He confessed quietly.
“First things first; Xylia is not a mutt.” Taiden said, barely holding his temper in check. “Understand?” Zechariahs nodded uncomfortably, glancing at Xylia afterwards. “Secondly, we appreciate all the help we can get. Welcome.”
“But, your highness-“
“Tomorrow.”
“Taiden-“ Xylia stepped forward.
“Tomorrow.” He looked at her and smiled wearily. “Let’s rest up, eh?” He rested his hand on her arm and rubbed it affectionately. “We have had an exhausting couple of days and we finally have real beds again. Let’s leave all the worries and talk until the morning.”
Taiden didn’t want to have to think about her risking her life right now. He also didn’t want to have to listen to Julius lecture him about anything. He just wanted to pretend that everyone would be okay, and things would turn out as they should.
If it was even possible for him to do that anymore.
“We best hurry if we hope to find beds tonight.” Taiden whispered, keeping close to Xylia’s side just in case of any danger. In Misthaven he wasn’t afraid to reach for his sword and think about it later.
He had experienced Misthaven’s trouble first-hand when he had been thirteen. He had been on a royal visit with his father when a man dressed in black had tried to knock him to the ground and mug him. It hadn’t mattered that he was the heir to the kingdom. The man had only seen the gold on him, and had been transfixed by how much coin might be in it for him if he could grab something from the young boy. Julius had put his sword right through the man’s throat and watched him bleed out. The memory had given Taiden nightmares for the best part of a month and he didn’t return to Misthaven until he was eighteen and needed to take care of business there. On that trip he had undone the enchantment upon the Lord of Misthaven. If they became desperate he supposed he could call on him to provide shelter and beds for the night, but Taiden would rather not pull anyone else into this fight now; not when Devanna was bold enough to try to kill him and anyone with him.
There was a scream in the distant streets, followed by a loud bang and footsteps running in their direction. Taiden wrapped his arm around Xylia’s shoulders and ushered her quickly down the paved walkways.
“The last thing we want now is to be noticed.” He told her quietly, keeping his head down and his hood up.
“I feel like we’ve been trying that this whole time and it’s hardly worked.” Xylia mumbled, though she followed suit and kept her hand closed around her dagger just in case she might need it.
“In Misthaven after dark it doesn’t matter if you’re the prince or in the gutter. If someone thinks they can earn coin by robbing you or slitting your throat they’ll do it.” Taiden explained seriously, his eyes constantly glancing around for a moving shadow in an alley.
However, it was Xylia who tugged him up a side street just before a trio of men came striding along the main street in the opposite direction. They spoke in hushed tones about their take, and in the glimmer of the moonlight the smallest of the three could be seen wiping blood from the blade of his dagger. Taiden waited until they made a left and were well out of sight again before he turned to Xylia with wide, curious eyes.
“Where did-“
“The window up there. I heard them opening it from the inside. Windows often creak, even slightly.” Once again her hunter’s senses had outshone his own and saved them.
He nodded, checking that the coast was clear again before leading the way back out.
A little further up the street he pointed to a stable. “That belongs to the inn. We can use it as a shortcut to get to the front door. I just hope they let us in at this late hour.”
Quickly and stealthily they crossed to the door and Xylia opened it after insisting in angry whispers to Taiden that she was better equipped to watch his back than he was to watch hers. As she closed the door and turned she almost crashed into him. He hadn’t moved forward at all and for a second she feared they may have walked straight into trouble.
“That’s my horse!” Taiden exclaimed louder than he probably ought to have. “And that’s Julius’!” He rushed forward to pat the neck of his own stallion, though the fine beast showed little interest in the prince and continued to eat the hay before him.
Xylia raised an eyebrow and tilted her head in confusion. “So who’s with him?” She asked.
“What?”
“Well, I assume Julius rode his own horse. Who rode yours? You left him back in the village of The Draca.” She tentatively walked forward, unsure what to feel at the idea that Julius was back in the picture now and that he had someone else in his company.
“Huh. Good point. Maybe it’s your uncle.”
“My uncle would never leave home.” She said quietly, feeling worried. Julius being here meant that her uncle was dealt with. It could be good news or bad news and while she hoped for the former she wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to move any further and find out at all.
Taiden didn’t give her a choice. He grabbed her hand and pulled her along through the straw covered floor of the stable. “Come on. We best get inside and find Julius.”
Xylia shuffled along behind him, her free arm wrapped tightly around herself as though it could fight off the nerves she was feeling. She hovered behind Taiden as he banged on the inn door loud enough to wake anyone inside, though it was too early for anyone to be asleep.
“We’re not taking guests now!” A gruff voice called back.
“We already have someone inside!” Taiden replied quickly.
“I don’t care! I’m not opening this door for anyone at this time of night!”
“Wait, sir, he’s with me.” The familiar voice interjected the conversation before it became an argument, and the bolt of the door creaked painfully as it was twisted.
“I’m not happy about this. It could be anyone out there.”
“I assure you, it’s not anyone.” The door was pulled open and Taiden beamed a huge grin at Julius before hugging him tightly.
Xylia noticed the innkeeper’s scowl turn into a look of surprise before he ushered everyone inside and made quick work of securing the door again.
“It is good to see you again, Julius! So good!” Taiden said, the grin still firmly in place.
“You, too. I wasn’t sure if the Queen would try to harm you again.”
“Oh, she certainly did, but Xylia saved me. We have quite the tale to tell, my friend.”
“Later, perhaps, your highness. We need to get you a room settled first.” Julius looked over at the innkeeper who was fast enough at producing two keys for the last two rooms he had to spare. He offered them to Taiden and Xylia with a sloppy bow to both despite not knowing who Xylia even was.
“My uncle?” Xylia asked, unable to contain herself any longer as they turned towards the stairs.
Julius turned to her and opened his mouth before closing it again. He cast his eyes to the ceiling and then back to Xylia. “Perhaps we should go upstairs first. We all have a lot to talk about.”
Upstairs, someone hurtled at Xylia and engulfed her in a tight hug. It knocked the wind right out of her and for a second she didn’t have a clue who was clinging to her. Then she recognised the crop of black wavy hair against her shoulder.
“Zechariahs!” She gasped, wrapping her arms back around him for a moment before prying him away and holding him at arm’s length. “What are you doing here?”
He smiled a tired smile and shrugged. “I wanted to help you while I still could.”
“He talked me into bringing him along, and I needed someone to ride your horse or I’d have still been travelling.” Julius was speaking to Taiden, but he spoke loud enough for them all to hear.
“My uncle-“
“Let’s get inside one of these rooms. We don’t need to put on a show for the guests.” Julius cut Xylia off and opened a door, holding it ajar until everyone was inside.
It wasn’t much, and with four of them in the single room it was a little claustrophobic. No one moved to sit down, much to Julius’ chagrin. Everyone seemed to be as stubborn as each other in a moment when he wanted them all to be cooperative.
“Julius, my uncle. Please.”
He sighed and picked up a cream envelope from the dresser. He glanced down at it once before offering it out to her. “I’m sorry. He had passed two days before I returned with the healer. This was left for you.”
Xylia paled, hesitating before she took the envelope from him. For a long moment she just held onto it, staring at her name written in her uncle’s scrawl. Taiden’s hand came to rest on her shoulder.
“I’m so very sorry, Xylia. I wish we could have done something.”
“We tried everything for him. In the end he made a choice to let go. He told me everything you needed was in that letter.” Zechariahs added quietly, coming to stand on Xylia’s other side.
Suddenly, Xylia shoved the letter into her satchel and sniffed loudly, rubbing the heel of her hand against her cheek to catch the falling tears.
“Aren’t you going to read it?” Taiden asked her gently.
“Later.” She answered, blinking harshly. “We have more important things to deal with.”
“Xylia, it can wait until morning at the very least.” He whispered, turning her to face him completely. “Nothing will change tonight.”
“And a letter won’t bring my uncle back either.” Xylia retorted, lifting her gaze to meet Taiden’s look of concern. “Nothing will.”
Zechariahs harsh cough snapped them both back to the room and Xylia twisted her head to check on him. He raised his hand as he wheezed. “I’m okay.”
“He’s not.” Julius sighed, “but he’s been like that since before he left the village.”
“He’s dying.” Xylia told them. “He’s one of The Draca who has caught the disease fatal to their kind. He doesn’t have very long left.”
Zechariahs looked ashamed and lowered himself to the edge of the bed. It wasn’t by choice but rather because he was too weak to remain standing after that short coughing fit. “It’s why I wanted to leave. I wanted to do something meaningful with my life before I died. I didn’t want to pass in my sleep and just be another part of our extinction. If a mutt could go off with the prince and be someone then I wanted to see that.” He confessed quietly.
“First things first; Xylia is not a mutt.” Taiden said, barely holding his temper in check. “Understand?” Zechariahs nodded uncomfortably, glancing at Xylia afterwards. “Secondly, we appreciate all the help we can get. Welcome.”
“But, your highness-“
“Tomorrow.”
“Taiden-“ Xylia stepped forward.
“Tomorrow.” He looked at her and smiled wearily. “Let’s rest up, eh?” He rested his hand on her arm and rubbed it affectionately. “We have had an exhausting couple of days and we finally have real beds again. Let’s leave all the worries and talk until the morning.”
Taiden didn’t want to have to think about her risking her life right now. He also didn’t want to have to listen to Julius lecture him about anything. He just wanted to pretend that everyone would be okay, and things would turn out as they should.
If it was even possible for him to do that anymore.