As you open your mouth to speak, your jaw seems to lock up, and no matter what you try, you can't move it. You begin to turn to Utrio, but all your muscles have seized up, leaving you completely immobile.
"Death's finger," says Utrio, walking around you to stand next to Vanya. "It's an herb that grows in Blightmarsh—in stagnant pools, or so I'm told. A most fascinating plant. It's not a poison as such—it doesn't do any damage. But it does cause whoever ingests it to enter a state almost completely indistinguishable from death. And of course, it can't be detected in a drink. Curt, I think our good friend Basileios needs to sit down for what he's about to hear."
Curt pushes you back into the chair you were sitting in only moments ago. To your horror, you're completely powerless to resist. Even your breathing is so shallow as to be almost unnoticeable.
"Vanya came to me after his last match," says Utrio. "I offered him freedom, as is customary, but he had another idea. He said that soon the Tribe of the Red Bear would be coming past Anselm's Landing, and that if I could find a way to engineer his return—as a leader—he would give me half the gold from the tribe's coffers as payment. Of course, you had to be out of the picture."
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