My Darkening Ember

Chapter Sixty - Four

"Poison," Irma shrieked and backed up, throwing her glass onto the table.

Elijah Barnes was kneeling beside Gry's thin body.

I couldn't tear my eyes from him. Poison. The glass.

Xander's hands grabbed my face, pulling my eyes from the floor.

"Look at me," he desperately commanded, his eyes flickering around my face, waiting. I looked out at them all. They were waiting too.

Aleron had finally risen. When I didn't know but he looked frightened, almost horrified. He was breathing heavily, looking at me as if expecting me to convulse any second.

I had drunk from the same glass, the same wine. But I felt nothing. I felt fine. The shock had taken the room, nobody moved. Their eyes were glued to me, full of disbelief.

"By the gods," Montague uttered under his breath.

Xander's hands dropped to his sides, but still, his focus remained on me.

"Get her out of here." It was Aleron, rushing to Gry's body, not waiting another moment before his commanding eyes shot to Xander.

For once Xander didn't protest or roll his eyes. He grabbed my arm dragging me to the door.

I couldn't tear my eyes from him, laying on the floor. The blood around Gry's mouth was like black coal, and his hands had frozen stiff onto his chest as if trying to claw the pain out. The white of his eyes had become as large as the full moon.

Already a corpse.

As the door began closing I only saw the last glimpse of shocked council members rushing out of other exits, before it shut.

"I'll kill them all," Xander had let go of me and begun pacing.

One step forward, aggressively breathing, placing his hand on his mouth, then stepping back glancing at me as if he couldn't believe I was still there.

"I'll fucking tear them apart."

"What kind of poison was that?" I whispered so low I wondered if he was paying attention as he again stepped forward. He was too angry to stand still. Too focused on revenge, and he already knew who had to receive it.

"Xander," I called a little louder. My body was shaking but I was trying everything to keep calm.

He clenched his jaw, turning to me.

Letting out a tense breath he responded with the only answer I had in my mind.

"Black rose pollen. A lot of it."

Black rose pollen. The same poison Bjorn had given me. It hadn't been painless at all. Why would he claim it to be? Why pretend as if the poison would be a painless death? He had lied.

I let my mouth drop slightly. Someone tried to poison me, tried killing me again and they had almost succeeded. I drank from it seconds after Gry, but it had only claimed him. I was still breathing. It was the curse. The poison that was already in my body, prevented anything else from claiming my life. The curse would kill me itself. 

"I need to get you out of here." He reached for me again but I stepped back, his fingers managed to graze my arm.

"Take me to Sarvin," I almost commanded, keeping my composure. I needed to talk to him now more than ever.

"Elora, someone just tried to poison you. I'm taking you out of this city now." He was so angry, not at me, but he was twitching from rage.

"I'm not going with you. Take me to Sarvin or I will go myself."