The Husband Poisoning Society, Chapter Forty-Four: Meeting our Fate

“Kill the lights. Douse the fire. And then hide.” I said to the rest. 

I took Amy’s hand in mine. 

“You don’t have to do this.” I said. “I’d rather you stay safe.”

“There is no safe. I’d rather be with the women I love.”

“You could die.” I said.

“So could you.” Amy said. “I’d rather die with the women I love.”

“Okay.” I said. “You win. I can’t argue with that. Let’s go get ourselves killed trying to save Leon.”

“At least I’ll be with you and Fiona.”

“And Vincent.” I added.

Amy blushed. “And Vincent.”

“Then let’s go find them.”

We marched out to meet the soldiers. Actually, Amy marched. I limped. I leaned on my cane and Amy’s shoulder as we made our way to our fate.

“How did you plan to do this without my shoulder?” Amy asked.

“With a large loss in dignity.” I answered. 

We entered the intersection of two muddy roads. Shouts went up from many directions.

“Halt, in the name of the King!”

Amy raised her arms. I took a second to lean my cane against my hip and then followed Amy’s lead. In seconds the soldiers surrounded us. They put us into manacles and marched us back to the castle. I slowed the process trying to use my cane with my arms in chains. The soldiers displayed a mix of caution and derision. We were women. We were foreigners. But we were also nobles. And the soldiers were commoners. I noticed that they hadn’t even searched us. That gave me some hope that we would succeed in smuggling the antidote into cure Leon. 

Still, I knew that my chances of surviving this hung by a thread. I was probably going to die in a strange land surrounded by enemies. I smiled. I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that I now considered Ys home, and further considered it familiar. Ys felt like home. Technically dying anywhere in Ossedei would be dying in a strange land. But now, I miss Ys. Ys had become home. At least if Xander follows through, I’d be dying to prevent a war that would destroy Ys. So that was something.

Once we reached the castle, most of the soldiers vanished. Four soldiers remained and delivered us to Duke Xander. He loomed before us, with a dour expression peeking from under his facial hair. 

“This could not be more of a disaster.” He said. “You have accomplished nothing. And you have caused much damage and confusion.”

“Did you expect us to do nothing while you tortured the woman we loved?” Amy asked, staring up the human mountain before her. Amy didn’t speak without raising her hand first. She was furious. 

“I did not wish to do that. But I am his majesty’s servant.”

“We defied our duke to do what was right. Are you less brave than mere women?”

“You are not mere anything. I see that now. You are formidable. But now that is at an end. None of us will get what we want.”

“What we want is to see our loved ones. We want to see Fiona. And Vincent. And Leon.”

Duke Xander sighed. “Then you will get one thing that you want.”

= = = 

Xander and the four guards led us back to the cell I had occupied before. Fiona lay on the cot in the cell. Vincent and Leon lay in the cell opposite Fiona. Vincent lay sleeping. And Leon’s skin had gone pale, and his cheeks lay sunken on his face. His eyes were open, but he didn’t appear to be looking at anything. I wasn’t sure he was conscious. But he did appear to be breathing. 

Fiona stood as we approached.

“Beloveds! What has happened in my absence?”

“We burned a church down.” I said.

Fiona’s eyes widened. 

“Didn’t the soldiers burn the church down, Dearest?” Amy said. 

I nodded. “Okay, yeah. I guess we were only in the church as it burned down.”

Duke Xander coughed. Fiona turned to face him. The duke bowed.

“We have not had a chance to speak since they captured you. I wish to thank you, your excellency, for not killing me. That was a mercy you did not have to perform.”

“If I had thought it necessary to kill you in order to save Ren, you would be dead. Be grateful I judged your survival better for her chances.

“You three are terrifying. I wish it did not have to come to this. 

“It doesn’t.” I said. “You know I didn’t do this. You know who poisoned Leon. You could use them as your scapegoat. A minor noble, now dead, is a perfect person to blame things on. Nobody would go to war over Sven.”

Xander shook his head. “Hyperborea cannot be seen to have poisoned her own duke.”

“Better a miscarriage of justice and a war that nobody will win, than losing face?” I asked. 

Xander rubbed his eyes. 

“Again. I am sorry. For all this. This would not be how I would do this. But this is not my choice.”

“But you are doing it.” I said.

“I have a loyalty to my king and my country.”

“Even when they are wrong?”

“Especially when they are wrong.”

I let out a frustrated groan. 

Xander unlocked the cell and ushered us inside. Once inside a guard removed our manacles. Then the guard exited. Xander closed and locked the cell door. I stepped forward. 

“Are you sure you want to go through with the show trial?” I asked. “You know what I saw. The Husband Poisoning Society? My vision showed that they will do something dramatic. And you’re going to put the men all into one room? And you’ll be a possible target as well.”

“Then I will die for Hyperborea.” Xander said, meeting my gaze and not blinking.