Chapter 5: The Poison
803 Words
I didn't sleep the night the moonlight bent toward me.
I stayed by the window until dawn, my hand outstretched, watching the silver light pool in my palm like water. It didn't burn. It didn't sting. It felt like warmth — like sunlight, but softer. Older.
I should have been terrified.
Instead, I felt something I hadn't felt in years.
Hope.
Morning came too fast. I dressed in my new clothes — made by the castle seamstress, dark wool with silver threading, fitted perfectly — and went to breakfast.
Damon was already at the table. He looked up when I entered, and something flickered in his eyes.
"You look different," he said.
"I slept well."
"That's a lie."
I sat down across from him. "How can you tell?"
"Because I also didn't sleep." He pushed a plate toward me. "Eat. Training starts in an hour."
I picked up my fork, but my appetite was gone. The memory of last night sat heavy in my chest — the moon, the light, the way it had answered me.
"Kael said something yesterday," I said carefully. "He said you don't want me to be Elena."
Damon's hand paused mid-reach for his tea.
"Did he."
"Is it true?"
He set down his cup. For a long moment, he didn't speak. Then: "Elena was gentle. Soft. She trusted everyone, even the people who hurt her." He met my eyes. "You are not soft, Aurora. You are hard where she was fragile. Sharp where she was smooth."
"Is that a compliment?"
"It's an observation." He picked up his tea again. "I loved Elena. I will always love her. But I don't need you to be her ghost."
I didn't know what to say to that. So I said nothing.
Training was brutal.
Kael pushed me harder than before — longer drills, heavier weapons, faster sequences. By the time he called a break, I was drenched in sweat, my muscles screaming.
"Better," he said. "But not good enough."
"I know."
"Then keep going."
I reached for my waterskin. Took a long drink.
The water tasted strange.
Metallic.
I looked down at the skin. The water was clear. Normal.
But my fingers were starting to tingle.
"Aurora?" Kael's voice came from far away.
I tried to answer. My mouth wouldn't move.
The world tilted. The ground rushed up to meet me.
And then — nothing.
I woke to voices.
"—can't be sure what it was—"
"—she's human, for the gods' sake, a human wouldn't survive—"
"—the Alpha will kill someone for this—"
I opened my eyes.
I was in my bed. Firelight flickered on the ceiling. Someone was holding my hand.
I turned my head.
Damon sat beside me, his face pale, his eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my chest ache.
"Don't ever do that again," he said. His voice was hoarse.
"Do what?"
"Almost die."
I tried to smile. "Wasn't intentional."
He didn't laugh. His grip on my hand tightened.
"The water was poisoned," he said. "Slow-acting. Meant to look like a heart failure. If Kael hadn't gotten you to the healer in time—"
"But I'm fine."
"This time." His jaw was tight. "Someone in this castle tried to kill you. And I'm going to find them."
"It could have been anyone."
"It wasn't anyone." He looked at me, and I saw something in his eyes I hadn't seen before — anger. But not at me. "The poison came from the kitchens. From a servant who's been here for forty years."
"Forty years? That doesn't make sense."
"She's dead." His voice was flat. "By the time we found her, she'd already taken her own life. Someone ordered her to do it. Someone she was afraid of."
A cold knot formed in my stomach.
"There's a traitor in the keep," I said.
"Yes."
"Do you know who?"
He was silent for a long moment. Then: "I have suspicions. But I need proof."
"Then let me help."
"No."
"I'm the target. I'm the best bait you have."
"No."
"You said I was stubborn." I held his gaze. "You're not going to change my mind."
He stared at me. The fire crackled. The silence stretched.
Then, slowly, the corner of his mouth moved.
"Stubborn," he repeated.
"You noticed."
He shook his head. But the ghost of a smile stayed.
"Fine. But if you're going to be bait, you're going to do it properly." He stood. "Starting tomorrow, you train with me."
"Not Kael?"
"Kael is too soft on you."
I blinked. "Kael almost killed me today."
"Exactly. I'll be worse."
He turned to leave. At the door, he paused.
"Aurora."
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For not dying."
He was gone before I could answer.
- Writer
