A month passed, and the cold of winter finally made way for the first signs of spring to appear. The flowers in the courtyards began their shy bloom, nurtured by the intermittent rains of the season that melted the snow.
"How are you feeling today?"
Davina laid on her bed with her back to the door, hiding her silhouette amidst the covers. The doctor frowned at her lack of response, but relaxed his brows when he felt the sour smell coming from a basin at the corner of the room.
"Did you vomit your food this morning as well?"
Again, Davina didn't answer.
The attendant picked up the container, carrying it outside the room. On her way to the door, she couldn't help but notice the contempt in her boss' eyes. The doctor's grudge towards the Ronna woman shone in his gaze as he relished in her pitiful state.
"I'll leave some medicine for nausea on the table, please take it to improve your condition as soon as possible."
Having learned what he needed, he swiftly followed after his assistant, walking directly to the Viscountess' quarters to report the situation. The savage was showing the late symptoms of poisoning. With the amount of blood mixed with the vile in the basin, there was no way she would make it past the end of the week.
Silence fell, and Davina finally peeked from beneath the sheets.
"You can come out now."
Dark tresses and a red bow emerged from underneath the mattress, followed by a pale blue dress.
"It appears we were successful this time as well."
For the past month, Neera had sneaked some food into her room unbeknownst to the guards by hiding it in her shawl and stockings. The menu was not varied nor plentiful, but it was enough to satiate her hunger and avoid the lavish plates being brought in thrice a day.
"Yes, it seems the pig's blood fooled them."
Neera patted her skirt down to rid it of the dust from the floor, turning to look at Davina's pale face.
So far, her concoctions and odd methods had proved effective to provide the symptoms of the poisoning Davina was supposedly under. Feeding her peppers to raise her temperature for a fever, and mixing all types of herbs to force her stomach to return its contents, she managed, after an arduous trial and error, to replicate the intended ill state.
"Here, have this."
The girl pulled some fruits from underneath her skirt and half a bread hidden in her shawl and passed them on to Davina, who thanked her with a nod.
"Has the other side contacted you?"
Between mouthfuls, the Ronna answered.
"Yes. They have offered an antidote for the poison in exchange for me taking the young lord's life. I think they're getting anxious since I still haven't done it, so they are tempting me with this after making confirming my health is past the turning point. I made sure to sound reluctant when I accepted their suggestion."
Neera nodded in agreement and waited for Davina to finish her meal. Once she was well enough, the woman stood up from the bed, gesturing for the child to follow her to the side of the room outside the view from the window.
Their training had gone past maintaining postures and mimicking movements, and now sparring was their main activity, resulting in Neera laying on the floor with heaving breaths and a bruised body. Despite having to stand the regular sickness from the girl's concoctions, Davina still managed to move quite efficiently, demonstrating her fearsome battle prowess in every one of their sessions.
Feeling her throat burn, Neera focused her eyes on the ceiling, trying to regulate her erratic breathing.
"You have shown some improvement this week as well. Your core strength is still lacking, but you're beginning to make up for it with your quick witted responses. If we keep going like this, in a couple of months you might be able to take on a trained adult and not lose."
"I'm guessing you are referring to a normally trained adult, right?"
Davina chuckled while holding her stomach.
"Yes, ha ha ha. You are still too new to stand a chance against a trained Ronna, but maybe if you were confronted by a young trainee you would be able to win."
Although she felt frustrated about not being able to improve any faster, Neera still felt quite comforted by these words. All these weeks of effort had not been in vain. She felt her movements had become faster, more agile, and she didn't tire as easily as she did before. Still, she had not landed a single hit on Davina yet. Whenever she finally managed to escape from the flurry of graceful swings she lunged at her and saw an opening, the woman's body simply seemed to shift away on its own before her fist reached her. Everything was so fluid that she barely managed to catch her ever-changing footwork with her eyes, and if she was distracted even for a second, a firm fist would ruthlessly strike her body before she managed to understand what had happened.
Davina stretched her hand to help the child back on her feet. Sighing as her eyes drifted towards the window.
"Sadly, I doubt we will have enough time to get you up to that level."
"Yes. I was informed that the Duke will be coming back to Singre soon."
The mere mention of that vile man sent shivers down Davina's spine, igniting a visceral rage in her eyes. The fire inside her was short lived though, as she soon reigned in her emotions. She had to prioritize what was important now, revenge was worth nothing compared to what she could loose if she went on a killing spree.
"Have you finished your preparations?"
"Not yet, but it won't take too much longer."
"Are you sure there will be a big enough commotion?"
Davina felt unsure. This was the cornerstone to their escape, and whether they managed to leave with their lives relied on the fact that most of the city's manpower would be somewhere else.
Neera's face turned serious, her voice didn't resemble a child's when she answered.
"Don't worry. We will be the least of anyone's worries that day."
In another part of the kingdom, resting comfortably on a lounge chair, the Duke, Asmodeus Laurendt, traced his mustache with his fingers while sporting a stern look on his face.
He had recently been informed of the birth of a new company under Count Evernon's name, which was in the process of purchasing every available commercial ship on the market as fast as it could. It would only take a couple of weeks for the recently acquired fleet to set sail and open the doors for international grain trades, upsetting the thin power balance that now reigned over his territory.
Countless letters had been sent regarding this matter to prevent any damage to the court's already strained wallet, and he had even tasked an emissary to relay the message of the harsh punishment Count Evernon would face if he chose to progress any further, but the Count refused to meet him.
The Duke had never expected the young man to be so stubborn. He couldn't help but feel that if his father was still at the head of the county, he wouldn't be having the intense migraine that tormented him now.
Asmodeus stood up and began pacing, with his steps being muffled by the rich carpet beneath his feet.
"We can't afford the drop in grain prices if they succeed, " he muttered.
He had wanted to avoid this situation at all costs, but the Count's adamant attitude left him no choice. He would have to be disposed of if they didn't want the dukedom to fall, specially with the instability brought by the power struggle surging back at Singre due to his absence, accompanied by the citizen's looming revolt. Finally cementing his resolve, the Duke called for an attendant.
"Bring me pen and paper. I have some urgent letters to write."
He dedicated vague words to the most relevant figures in his court, implying what had to be done. Asmodeus let out a dark chuckle. He had to force this job upon them so that they would not gain an upper hand against him, and maybe this would distract those vultures that always glanced over his shoulder from their schemes back at Singre in his absence.
The Duchess, his wife, had told him about the plans to assassinate his heir, which infuriated him. It wasn't a surprise that some were against the idea of Elron being his direct successor when he had a daughter close to a marriageable age. He had actually expected it to happen, and if it turned out the boy was unable to surpass a simple assassination, it would only mean he was unworthy of the position bestowed upon him. He didn't lack any offspring after all, so all he would need to do would be to recognize one of his many bastard children and plant them as a new heir. Some had even begun taking lessons years ago to prepare for this specific scenario. What Asmodeus refused to accept was the fact that those cocky roosters believed they owned the henhouse after the fox was gone, which was a direct hit to his pride and reputation. Those bastards were crazy if they thought the Laurendt duchy would ever be passed down to someone who didn't have his blood running through their veins.
How the Duke would take care of them would have to wait though, as there were more pressing matters like the civil revolt in the capital of the dukedom. His intelligence teams had made some progress, but they still couldn't find the heads of the movement. With the populace getting more agitated by these undercurrents, time was quickly running out. The terrorists had to be uprooted fast.