Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 84

Chapter 84: The Poison
Trace followed Anaisa and Sapphira through the halls with mounting concern. His wife’s face betrayed intense weeping, and he wondered what the king could have said to upset her so.

He dreaded it. Anaisa wasn’t given to strong displays of emotions other than anger, but she didn’t seem angry. She seemed broken.

He couldn’t abide it.

His own dire situation was pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on Anaisa’s slow, halting steps. They were getting less even, and she didn’t even seem to realize it.

Something was terribly wrong.

If it weren’t for the stares of servants and the fact that she was currently impersonating the princess, he would have carried her from the beginning. But finally, when she reached the door and stumbled against it, his self control was at its end.

Scooping her up into his arms, he shouted at the nearest servant.

“Send for a doctor, immediately.”

The young woman scampered off, hopefully to obey and not to hide from his anger. He carried Anaisa to one of the sofas in the princess’s chambers and laid her down gently.

“What happened?” He turned and demanded of Sapphira, who looked terrified.

“She had a bit of a shock, but I don’t think that could have caused this. I don’t know!” The princess shook her head in disbelief. “She was fine, only upset!”

“What kind of shock?” Trace couldn’t imagine it was medically relevant, but he wanted to gather as much information as possible before the doctor came so he could speed up the process of getting his wife well.

“It’s… I don’t think she would like me to say. She received some distressing news.” The princess hedged. It was unlike her to have so much restraint in what she said. Normally the outspoken young woman would have been yelling and blaming someone by now, even her own father.

“And then she fell into this catatonic state?” Trace narrowed his eyes at her.

“My stepmother offered her something to eat from her personal tray to cheer her up, and then..”

The princess’s eyes widened.

Trace swallowed. “Get another servant to report immediately that the queen’s food might be unsafe.”

He watched Anaisa’s face and took her hand. Her startling blue eyes were open, but she seemed absent, unreachable.

“Please, speak to me,” He whispered. “Don’t leave.”

Sapphira fled to the hall, screamed at a few people with authority, and returned, panting.

“The doctor is on his way, he is gathering his bag. I shouldn’t be out there without you,” She said with fear in her voice. “I wanted to take care of Annie, but if there’s real danger, Papa will have your head for letting me out alone.”

Trace nodded curtly, receiving the mild censure without other reaction. She was right.

“You really care for her,” Sapphira looked at their joined hands, and Trace was too concerned about his wife to deny anything.

“How long until the doctor arrives?” He snapped.

A knock at the door made him bolt to his feet as Sapphira answered it, and a short old man with a wrinkled face and white fringe of hair bustled in. An assistant behind him toted an enormous bag.

“I hear the princess has fainted,” He pursed his lips.

Trace didn’t correct him, and neither did Sapphira. Neither was given orders on how to handle a situation like this.

“Please, heal her!” The real princess begged.

“Well, let me see. A fainting fit isn’t so bad.” The doctor mused as he settled himself on the table facing Anaisa. He pulled out some tools and began examining the woman, taking her pulse, and listening to her breathing.

“Can you hear me, Your Highness?” He remarked in a normal speaking voice, his tone clearly indicating he did not expect her to respond. “What was the last thing she ate?”

“A treat from the queen’s personal jar.” Sapphira answered anxiously.

“Please send someone to retrieve any other samples immediately. Do not let Her Highness touch them, and anyone else should wear gloves.” The doctor advised. “I suspect there is poison.”

“Poison?” Trace went cold. “How bad is it?”

“I think the king should be informed immediately of his daughter’s state of ill health.” The doctor pursed his lips together. “Go,” He said to the assistant.

“Make sure you inform him that her highness collapsed in the hall on the way back to her chambers,” Sapphira added as the assistant disappeared. The king would figure out that it was the double who collapsed, and not the real princess.

Trace closed his eyes. The king wouldn’t care nearly so much about Anaisa’s life as his own daughter’s.

“What can you do?” He asked gravely.

“I need to turn her on her side and induce vomiting. It is not ideal that she is unconscious, but we must get what we can out of her stomach.”

Trace moved to hold her as the doctor directed, while Sapphira raced for a pot to hold the toxic contents of Anaisa’s digestive system.

“It was only a few minutes ago, right before we walked back,” She told the doctor, “What kind of poison works so quickly?”

“I’m not sure yet,” The old man muttered. “But the color may give me a clue, and examining any other food with the same properties.”

He took a vial out of his bag and waved it in front of Anaisa’s face. Trace caught a whiff of the smell and nearly lost his own breakfast.

But he had the self control born of a farm life and being covered in countless unspeakable smells in the past. He held himself together and kept Anaisa stable as she convulsed and emptied her stomach into the pot Sapphira had brought. Several times the process was repeated, until only dry heaving remained.

“All right,” The doctor nodded, “Now sit her up gently and hold her still. If we can persuade her to drink some of this, it will help neutralize the poison already in her blood.”

Trace responded without question, lifting Anaisa by her shoulders and pulling her against his shoulder. The doctor slapped her face gently, coaxing some semblance of coherence out of her as she groaned.

“Drink,” He commanded, lifting a bottle he produced to her lips. Almost miraculously, she obeyed.

“Will this save her?” Trace asked quietly.

“It might mean both of our heads if it doesn’t,” The doctor replied grimly.