"1 poison" - читать интересную книгу автора (Snyder Maria V)

While I finished the pastry, Rand continued. УDonТt tell Medic Mommy I gave you that. She doesnТt like her patients eating anything but a thin gruel. She says the gruel promotes healing. Well, of course it has an effect!Ф He threw his arms up, exposing several burn scars around his wrists. УIt tastes so terrible that anyone would get better just to get a decent meal!Ф
The wild gesture caused the other patients to glance our way. Rand leaned in closer to me and asked in a quiet voice, УSo, Yelena, how are you feeling?Ф He looked at me as though he was appraising a selection of meat, determining which one would make the best roast.
I was wary. Why would he care? УGambling again?Ф I asked.
He leaned back. УWeТre always gambling. Gambling and gossiping is all we servants do. What else is there? You shouldТve seen the commotion and betting that went on when you were spotted being chased by BrazellТs goons.Ф
Appalled, I said, УNobody came to help me. The hallways were deserted.Ф
УThat would be involvement in a situation that doesnТt affect us directly. Servants donТt ever do that. WeТre like cockroaches scurrying around in the dark.Ф RandТs slender fingers waggled. УShine a lightЕpoof!Ф He flicked his long fingers for emphasis. УWe disappear.Ф
I felt like the unlucky cockroach that got caught by the light. Always scrambling to stay one step ahead while the shadow of a boot crept closer.
УAnyway, the odds were against you. Most lost big, while only a fewЧФ Rand paused dramatically УЧwon big.Ф
УSince youТre here, I suppose you won big.Ф
He smiled. УYelena, IТm always going to bet on you. YouТre like one of the CommanderТs terriers. A tiny, yappy dog you wouldnТt look at twice, but once it grabs your pant leg, it wonТt let go.Ф
УPoison the dogТs meat and it wonТt bother you anymore.Ф
My sour tone deflated RandТs grin. УTrouble?Ф
Surprised that the castleТs gossip network hadnТt already started laying odds about ValekТs test, I hesitated. Rand liked to talk, and he could get me in trouble. УNo. ItТs just being the food taster and allЕФ I hoped that would satisfy him.
Rand nodded. He spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between reminiscing about Oscove and digressing about potential new recipes. When Valek appeared, Rand stopped talking, his face paled and he mumbled something about having to check on dinner. Lurching from his chair, he almost toppled in his haste to flee the room. Valek watched as Rand staggered out of the infirmary.
УWhat was he doing here?Ф
ValekТs expression remained neutral, but the stillness of his body made me wonder if he was angry. Carefully choosing my words, I explained to him that Rand had come to visit.
УWhen did you meet him?Ф
A casual question, but again there was an undercurrent to his words. УAfter I recovered from My Love, I went in search of food and met Rand in the kitchen.Ф
УWatch what you say around him. HeТs not to be trusted. I would have reassigned him, but the Commander insisted he stay. He is a genius in the kitchen. Some kind of protщgщ. He started cooking for the King at a very young age.Ф
Valek stared at me with his cold blue eyes, warning me away from Rand. Maybe thatТs why Valek hadnТt liked Oscove. Being allied with someone who had been loyal to the King could cast more suspicion on me. But letting Valek scare me off rankled. I stared back at him with, I hoped, an indifferent look.
Valek looked away. I was jubilant. In my mind, I had finally won a round.
УYou leave the infirmary tomorrow morning.Ф Valek was curt. УGet yourself cleaned up and report to my office to take the test. I wonТt think youТre ready even if you pass, but the Commander ordered me to have you available by lunch.Ф He shook his head in annoyance. УItТs a shortcut. I hate shortcuts.Ф
УWhy? You wonТt have to risk yourself anymore.Ф I regretted the words as soon as they had left my mouth.
ValekТs gaze was lethal. УIn my experience, shortcuts usually lead to death.Ф
УIs that what happened to my predecessor?Ф I asked, unable to stifle my curiosity. Would Valek confirm or deny RandТs theories?
УOscove?Ф Valek paused. УHe didnТt have the stomach for it.Ф
Chapter Eight
W hen I awoke the next morning, ValekТs list of poisons was still clutched in my hand. I reviewed the poison inventory until the medic discharged me.
Bruised muscles protested every movement as I headed for the door. I should have been happy to leave the infirmary, but my nerves preoccupied me. My stomach felt as if it contained a live mouse, trying to chew its way out.
The guards stationed outside the infirmary door startled me. But they werenТt wearing BrazellТs colors, and I belatedly remembered that Valek had assigned them as protection until I reported to his office.
I glanced around to get my bearings, but had no idea which direction led to my room. I had been living in the castle for eighteen days, but I was still uncertain of its inner layout. The basic shape of the castle itself eluded me, having never seen it from the outside.
The prison carriage that had brought me to the castle had been a square box with airholes. I had refused to peer out like some caged animal. When I reached the castle, I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to block out the anguish of being chained, groped and dragged to the dungeon. I guess I could have focused on potential ways to escape, but I had accepted my punishment when I had killed Reyad.
As much as I hated to ask the guards for directions to my room, I had no choice. Wordlessly they guided me through the castle. One walked in front, the other followed. Only after the lead man inspected my room was I allowed inside.
My uniforms hung undisturbed in the armoire. But instead of being hidden inside a drawer, my journal lay open on the top of the desk. Someone had read my impressions of poisons and other information. The queasy feeling in my gut was replaced by a cold, hard sensation. The mouse had died, reflecting my sour mood perfectly.
I suspected Valek. He was bold enough to have gone through my personal papers. He had probably even reasoned that it was his duty to make sure I wasnТt plotting something. After all, I was just the food taster, and not entitled to any privacy.
Grabbing the journal and uniforms, I left my room and headed for the baths. The guards waited outside while I soaked in the water. I took my sweet time. Valek and his test could wait; I wasnТt going to carry out his orders like some idiotic drone.
Chased by BrazellТs guards, finding poison in almost all of my meals, and being wagered on like some damn racehorse didnТt cause me to be as angry as I was about Valek reading my journal.
Arriving at ValekТs office, I cut off any smart remark he could make by demanding, УWhereТs your test?Ф
Amusement touched ValekТs face. He rose from behind his desk. Sweeping his arm with a dramatic flourish, he indicated two rows of food and drinks on the conference table. УOnly one item isnТt poisoned. Find it. Then eat or drink your selection.Ф
I tasted each item. I sniffed. I gargled. I held my nose. I took small bites. I spat. Some of the food had grown cold. Most of the meals were bland, making the poison easy to spot, while the fruit drinks masked the poison.
Finishing the last item, I turned to Valek. УYou bastard. TheyТre all poisoned.Ф What a nasty trick; I should have suspected he would pull a stunt like that.
УAre you sure?Ф
УOf course. I wouldnТt touch anything on that table.Ф
ValekТs gaze was stony as he walked toward me. УIТm sorry, Yelena. YouТve failed.Ф
My heart plunged into my stomach. The dead mouse resuscitated and began to gnaw holes in my gut. I searched the table. What had I missed?
Nothing. I was right. I challenged Valek to prove me wrong.
Without hesitation he raised a cup. УThis one is clean.Ф
УDrink it.Ф I remembered that cup. It was laced with a bitter poison.
ValekТs hand wavered a bit. He sipped. I bit my lip. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was the cup next to it. Valek held my gaze as he rolled the liquid around his tongue. He spat.
I wanted to jump, to cheer, to dance little circles around him. Instead I said, УBlackberry poison.Ф