The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Luckfish

"What did you see?" Duke Xander loomed over me.

I pushed myself to a sitting position and met the duke's eyes. "I saw a tribunal. Chaos. Diplomats from many nations."

"Damn. That is the last thing Hyperborea or his majesty will want."

"You can't stop it now. The visions don't lie. All you can do is shape it, respond to it."

"Was that all you saw?" Leon asked.

"No. I saw more. And I heard more. Somebody said the following: None of you are safe from the Husband Poisoning Society."

Duke Xander took a startled step back. "The Husband Poisoning society. What is that?"

"I haven't the faintest idea." I answered. "The voice belonged to a woman though. I didn't see the person saying it or a scene of any kind. Only the words. I also saw an immortal of some sort, a man-bat thing. It yelled about how somebody would die for Hyperborea."

Leon looked at Duke Xander. "Hyperborea employs immortals, correct? They don't carry the stigma here that they have in Ys."

"Yes. Such an immortal, one with a bat's form, would likely be an assassin."

"The last thing that I heard was your grace saying this: There is only one way through this. And I expect that none of us like it."

"This is not good, but also unclear. It tells us very little."

"It tells us that the culprit did not act alone." I said. "One person does not make a society."

“This Husband Poisoning Society,” Lynn said. “Are you sure you didn’t miss hear?”

I shook my head. 

Duke Xander frowned. "The Husband Poisoning Society, yes. I have never heard of such a thing. Although there is something."

"What?" Leon asked.

"Hyperborean women are known to poison abusive husbands."

Amy tapped her teeth. "I thought you said Hyperboreans didn't use poison?"

The duke squirmed, and then sighed. "Hyperborean men do not use poison. Women of the north are known to retaliate with luckfish poison, when a husband goes too far."

“How does that work? Doesn’t the woman get executed for the murder?” Amy asked. 

Xander nodded, “Yes. But every man knows that if he pushes too far, his wife may decide to respond. She may decide that the pyre is an acceptable price to pay for her vengeance.”

“The pyre?” I said. “You burn them at the stake.”

“It is not a perfect system.” Xander said. 

“You could try not striking your wives.” Fiona said.

“We must enforce discipline. Women are flighty and irresponsible.”

“Are we indeed?” Fiona crossed her arms.

Xander coughed, “I meant no disrespect.”

“What did you mean then?” I asked.

Xander didn’t answer. He looked away and silence stretched out. 

Finally the Vosling Duke spoke. 

“This is of grave concern. I must report to his majesty. Hold off on further investigation until I return.”

The duke bowed to us and departed. We stood around like awkward chess pieces with no board. 

“What do we do?” Amy asked. “If this is something involving the women of Hyperborea should we even be involved?”

“I don’t like the idea of leaving abused women.” I said. 

“Indeed. But what can we do in such circumstances? Might it not be best to leave this to Hyperborea?”

Lynn shook her head. “And leave Monique to Hyperborea as well? Whatever this Husband Poisoning Society is, Hyperborea may still hold Monique responsible. We should take her home. Leon, we should hide her.”

Leon grimaced. “We risk quite the diplomatic incident if we do. Even if we deny that we have her, they will suspect.”

He paused and paced the room.

“I will do it, for you Lynn. But it is a risk.”

“No.” Monique stepped to face Leon. “Your Grace, I cannot dishonor House Voxcaelli. I will not marry Agnar if he is not cleared of guilt. But I will not flee. I have my own solution in such cases.”

“A bodice dagger is not a solution.” I said.

“It most certainly is a solution. A definitive solution. They cannot get me where a dagger will send me.”