Venomous Gaze - Chapter 10 - Capital Bound (Patreon)

“Here’s the last batch,” Marielle declared, slipping a handful of vials into the specially designed carrying box. “It took us a while, but hopefully it’ll be worth it.”

I ran a finger across the top of each vial in the box, mentally going over the uses for each before nodding slightly. “Combined with the commonly available herbs and what I have in my private stash, I should be able to whip up whatever I need,” I said before flipping the box closed and securing the latches. 

“Thanks for your help. I probably would have had to pick and choose, leaving most of these behind, if I had to do all the work myself,” I said, glancing at the ornate clock built into the nearby wall. It had taken us far longer to prepare than I had expected, so I immediately scooped up the crate and headed to the door. “I’d love to stay and chat, but we’ve been here for nearly two hours, so there’s a good chance everyone’s waiting for me.” 

“Let them wait,” Marielle snorted. “The two of us are the most experienced Alchemists in the family. If the capital’s alchemy guild couldn’t figure out what they were poisoned with, there’s no chance the meat heads around here would be able to figure it out.”

“That might be true, but I doubt most of them actually care that our own people were poisoned,” I said. “I was the one that was assigned to figure out the cure, so if I miss the gate and everyone dies, I’m the one that’ll draw Aunt Helena’s ire. I can think of quite a few people that would go out of their way to leave me behind just for that reason.”

“True,” Marielle sighed. “In that case… shouldn’t you be running right now? Just in case?”

“Don’t worry, I will when I get outside. See you later; I’ll talk to you when I get back,” I called over my shoulder.

“Have a safe trip!” Marielle called back.

Tucking the small crate under one arm, I slammed into the front door with my opposite shoulder, throwing it open so I could step through. It was dark enough that the automated oil lanterns around the main paths had ignited; However, the fastest way to the portal was through the unlit areas.

I didn’t even hesitate, immediately taking off down the back paths while there was a little natural light left. I knew the paths back to the house off by heart, so even if the sun completely disappeared before I got back, I could make my way in the dark, and it would be faster than taking a detour to the windy, unnecessarily long main road.

I didn’t slow until I was only a few steps away from the front door, and by the time I stepped through, I’d dropped to an easy pace. I’d expected dinner to be finished by the time I got back, but I hadn’t expected to see so many family members lounging around the foyer and attached den. Either dinner had gone long, or Aunt Helena had made some other announcement after Kathrine, and I left, and everyone else was making plans. I made a note to find out later. 

A couple of my cousins glanced my way as I strode through the center of the room, and I could hear a couple of others start to whisper furtively, but none of them tried to intercept me. Something was definitely going on.

I strode confidently through the back of the foyer, through the manor’s back doors, and into the back gardens. Since this area was designed for entertaining guests, it was filled with a ton of rare flower species that were maintained with the same care as the rarest specimens in the greenhouses. It was always a beautiful sight, but I didn’t have time to take a look around. Instead, I headed to the back of the area where a small group had gathered in front of a massive white stone arch.

“You took your time,” Kathrine hissed as I walked up. “I don’t know if I would have been able to convince the others to wait much longer.”

“Sorry, I wanted to make sure I had something capable of countering most esoteric poisons,” I replied. “If I didn’t, and I couldn’t at least alleviate the symptoms, I’m sure the other houses would claim that we weren’t making a proper effort.”

Kathrine frowned. “That’s true. We tend to have a little bit of a reputation, and it's going to be an uphill battle to win their trust.”

“It’s about time you joined us, Dahlia,” someone called from across the small clearing, causing me to turn. “Are you finally ready? We’ve been ready for close to an hour, and waiting for you.”

Pierre, Monique,” I said, nodding to my cousins who were standing on the other side of the small clearing, in front of a group of brethren. “So you’re the ones that were assigned to clean up this mess?”

“Disappointed?” Pierre asked.

“On the contrary, I’d rather have you two than half the idiots running around here tonight. At least I know you two can act subtly,” I replied. “I assume that, assuming your mission doesn’t conflict with ours, you don’t mind working together?”

“As long as you don’t get in our way,” Monique muttered.

“That works for me,” I said. I glanced back at Kathrine and the pair of maids standing behind her. “Do we have everything?” 

Anna nodded nervously, but it was Kathrine that answered. “Of course. I double checked everything while you were away.”

“In that case, who has the mana crystals?” I asked.

“Her grace has entrusted me with them,” Terrance announced as he crossed the garden, leading a small group of my Aunt’s personal guard. “She gave me two stones, enough to ensure a priority connection to the capital’s central gate. There should already be a set of ducal carriages in the square, waiting to take you to the estate.”

I leaned closer to Katherine. “Isn’t the central gate located right in front of the council building?” I asked quietly.

“It sits on the opposite side of the square,” Kathrine confirmed. 

“Perfect,” I muttered. “I think I have an idea on how we can start building our reputation with the other houses.”

“Tell me on the other side,” Kathrine replied as Terrence stepped up to a small altar sitting a couple feet in front of the gate. 

One of my aunt’s elite guards stepped forward and held out a small chest for the old man. Terrance pulled out a small silver key hanging on a delicate chain around his neck, unlocked the box, and carefully pulled out two purple gemstones roughly the size of a fist. He stepped over to the altar and slid one stone into a small indent right in the middle of the altar, and the second into a second indent marked with a crown carved above it. Once he was done, he stepped back.

“The gate will activate the instant the arrival gate is available, and will only stay open for two minutes, so make sure you cross the instant it’s open,” Terrance explained. “Don’t miss the window, the mistress won’t be impressed if she needs to waste two more large mana stones.”

“Like she’d authorize another set of stones,” I muttered. “I’m guessing she was barely willing to part with this set.”

“Not the time, nor the place,” Kathrine hissed. “My mother’s guards are right there.” 

“She already knows what I think about her,” I replied quietly. “She’s not going to retaliate for a couple of backhanded comments.”

“Not right away,” Kathrine said. “But she might assign you some unpleasant place once we finish this assignment.”

“Please, she’d probably send us to some shithole even if I didn’t badmouth her,” I replied, ignoring the glances I was getting from the nearby guards. 

All of a sudden the two gems on the altar flared to life, illuminating the area in a warm orange glow. That light seemed to seep into the stone around them, got channeled into the various lines engraved around the structure, before being whisked away to the portal.

The energy then flowed equally into the various engravings around the arch, causing them to glow softly at first, but slowly becoming brighter and more vibrant as more energy was sucked from the gems. 

Just when it seemed the lines couldn’t get any brighter all that energy was shunted into the middle of the arch. Our view of the hedges located behind the portal distorted, twisting until it was unrecognizable and once it began to straighten up and clear, the view was no longer of the hedges, but a vast ornate stone square full of people.

Terrance watched the gems closely until they stopped glowing, then stood up straight. “The portal is now stable, please make your way to the other side before the power begins to fade.”

Kathrine stepped past me, striding confidently towards the portal before looking back at me over her shoulder. “You heard the man, let’s get moving. We’ve got lives to save, and friends to make.”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see about that,” I muttered, before falling in behind her.