Chapter 55: Near death
The sharp scent of wolfbane hit Yuki like a warning. Whatever was in that bottle was laced with it. She tried to protest but her body felt like lead. Every muscle refused to move no matter how hard she willed it. The maid opened the bottle and turned it over pouring the liquid directly across the mangled wounds on her back. "Let’s see how these injuries heal without scarring," the maid said with a light chuckle.
The moment the medicine touched her skin a wave of fire exploded through her wounds. It felt as though someone had poured molten metal into every cut. The toxin spread through her veins like liquid lightning burning everything in its path. Yuki thought she had no strength left to scream but the sound that tore from her throat was raw and broken. It echoed off the stone walls like something from a nightmare. Even the guards outside the heavy door shifted uncomfortably.
The scream sounded like something straight out of a horror movie.
Their hands drummed against the heavy door as their voices boomed. "What is going on there?"
The maid was slightly shaken by Yuki’s outburst but she quickly regained her composure and immediately gagged Yuki’s mouth with a piece of cloth. She was too weak either way to fight her.
"What is going on there?" The guards demanded. The maid cleared her throat and immediately spoke up.
"Nothing important. Just her reacting to the medicine. Her wounds are pretty bad." The maid explained still putting the Wolfbane-laced drug on her wound. The poison seeped into her wounds burning her inside out.
The pain grew worse. It clawed deeper into her muscles and bones until she could not tell where her body ended and the fire began. Her vision blurred at the edges. She tried to reach Aevia through their mind link but the connection slipped away like sand through her fingers. The world tilted. Darkness swallowed her whole.
******
When Yuki opened her eyes again the room was dark. Pale moonlight streamed through a narrow window high on the wall casting faint silver patterns across the stone floor. From somewhere far away the sounds of the festival drifted in. Music, laughter and the distant hum of celebration. Her back still burned but the pain felt dulled now as though Kieran’s earlier potion had fought against the wolfbane and weakened its bite.
She tried to move but it felt like hell. Her torso was bound tightly by bandages that were already soaked with fresh blood. She fell back against the bed with a weak groan. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room. She could not recognise it. Her lips parted and a raspy sound came out.
A middle-aged lady stepped closer. "Be careful," she said, pushing Yuki gently back down onto the bed. "They just wrapped you up."
Yuki’s eyes settled on the woman. In the dim room, she tried to make out her features. From her outfit, it was clear she was not a maid. "Who are you? Where am I?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
The lady’s face remained stern. "I am the doctor and personal healer to the Ravencourt family. You are in a guest room of the Obsidian Palace." She explained then set her medical box down beside the bedside stand.
"The maid was given the wrong drugs. It was a torture potion heavily laced with wolfbane. You almost died because of a mistake." She said.
Yuki almost laughed but the sound died in her throat. It was not a mistake but she could not say that out loud.
"Luckily for you, you had taken a heavy rejuvenating potion earlier. That is what saved your life. If not you might have been disabled or worse dead." She said and Yuki’s stomach twisted. Eloise had really gone after her life. Her hand trembled as her chest tightened.
"What do you mean by disabled?" Yuki whispered.
The healer’s expression remained unsympathetic. "Wolfbane does not just attack the body. That is why it is so potent. It is among the few things that can kill your wolf. In small doses, it weakens your wolf while endangering you." She explained. "As a medical student you understand the reason werewolves heal faster and are agile is because of our wolf. If your wolf is weak you are no different from a human." The healer paused and her expression changed slightly. "But the potency of the wolfbane in your body was enough to kill your wolf leaving you disabled. Which was ironic. Losing your wolf at your coming of age ceremony."
Yuki felt cold to her bones. Real terror toward Eloise settled deep inside her. "Where is my sister? Is she aware of what happened?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"Lady Aevia was not informed. She was swamped with the festival preparations and it was not suitable to inform her." The healer said plainly. She adjusted her coat then grabbed her box.
"That leaves one thing. You should head out for the festival." She finally said heading for the door.
"Does anyone else know about what happened?" Yuki asked stopping the healer.
The healer glanced over her shoulder. Something close to pity crossed her eyes but it quickly disappeared. "My duty was to make sure you are strong enough to attend the festival. I do not know much but you should ask fewer questions." The door was pulled open and the healer stepped out, shutting it behind her.
From outside the music played louder. It was getting close to midnight. The festival had started at dusk but the main event the coming of age was at midnight. A mocking smile crossed Yuki’s lips. She had to go. It would be a mess if she had her first shift here.
Well, that is if her wolf was strong enough for the shift.
*******
The festival grounds were brightly lit and filled with music, food and drinks. The place was completely filled and everyone was letting loose. It was an open-air event, where the werewolves celebrated Nyxoria, their goddess, under the moonlight by the burning fire.
Amidst the festivities, Kieran felt unsettled like something bad was about to happen. It was the same feeling he had the day Yuki was trapped in the cold room.
He didn’t want to link the feeling to Yuki yet his eyes couldn’t stop searching for her in the crowd.
