SIX

“Carry her immediately. Let's take her to the royal masters’ bedroom at once.” ordered Sylva. “Lock the hall down! Let no one get out of here, everyone is a suspect at this moment. A treasonous act has been done against the Imperial regent, someone tried to poison our ruler.”

The guards had no choice than to obey her, knowing she was next in the complex chain of command in the city of Juventas. The guards began positioning themselves at the entrances of the hall, and a great commotion ensued not too promptly after, people hurrying and scurrying in different directions. it was impossible to escape or squeeze through the crowd, although a few did, but most people were interrogated; all to no avail because nobody saw or heard anything.

The following day came quickly, the sun shone with a radiant brightness, neither hiding behind puffy clouds. Mornings were always quiet, because everyone in the city was recovering from a deep hangover, and no one thought it proper to get out of bed. Making the streets empty and reclusive, this was a normal response after a feast organized by the regent herself.

Regent Joanne heard whispering; silent ones, as she tried to feel around for where she was, being disoriented and nostalgic. The first moments were but a blur, a moment of utter confusion, she winced as she tried moving. While squinting for sight she found out that she was in her own bedroom, lying on the bed, she saw the City's General Sylva adorned in silver armor, her hair braided in tight knots. An old man stood with her, the man was dressed in a sienna robe with a rope around his waist, he looked like a medic or an alchemist, and she couldn't decipher which.

Joanne groaned as she carried her upper body up on the queen-sized bed, she felt a pounding in the insides on her skull, before she took a glass of water from an ornamented stool near the bed, she gulped it all in seconds; the shattering of the glass cup on the ground announced her awakening to everyone in the room.

“My Imperial Regent, you’re awake!” said Sylva, as she touched Joanne’s forehead softly. “How are you feeling, my dear?”

“Stop Sylva . . . Stop talking so loud, it feels like my head has been smashed by every glass bottles in the city . . .” she said, while delicately massaging her ears, then she squinted her eyes towards Sylva. “Why are you tucked in armor, General? Are we by chance under attack?” asked Joanne.

“No, nothing as serious as that . . . but you see your safety at this point cannot be guaranteed . . .”said Sylva.

“By what do you mean by that, General? Tell me at once, at this instance.”

“Well, my child. You have to understand that you were poisoned, someone dared to conspire and commit treason against you, Imperial Regent.”

“That cannot be, General, no one would be foolish enough to do such a thing.” said Joanne, in denial. “The people love me. I throw parties and feasts, feel up their bellies with food and the finest wines, they adore me.”

“I wish that was really the case, my dear. But surely you were poisoned; this was affirmed by the medic here, Goz the alchemist,” said Sylva, pointing towards the old man.

“Who? Do you mean this degraded man dressed like a monk that's in love with poverty?” said Joanne rudely, a twang of anger was swelling inside her by now, it was no small feat finding out that ones’ been poisoned. “What happened to Theodora, my official alchemist? Surely she dresses beautifully well, such that it brightens up the room. Her smile alone surely makes me a tad bit better even before any treatments,”

“I’m sorry, Imperial regent. For Theodora is unavailable, tied up in affairs far away from the city, I am her helper,” said Goz the alchemist calmly, his bald head deflecting light from the windows. “It appears you were poisoned, with a deadly bane called the hobgoblin’s cornet,”

“Yes, it appears so, but I feel perfectly fine,” said Joanne, she knew she wasn’t fine, but she had to feign good health, she had to be strong for her people, Regents don’t show emotions or fear in front of her subjects. “You’re all just overreacting I might add,”

“Oh! My dear! You don't seem to grasp what Goz is trying to say,” interjected Sylva.

“And what is it that I don't seem to grasp then?” said Joanne, the suspense was intensifying at this point.

“Let me explain, my Imperial Regent . . . The hobgoblins’ cornet is an advanced poison, it acts like a viper, it stays inside you for a while, then starts ripping at your internal organs from the inside out, it'll take till sunset before it kills you finally,” said Goz the alchemist, fear rummaged his mind, being the bearer of bad new to his ruler needed courage itself, his head might roll if all goes badly.

“So let me understand this.” Said Joanne, as the situation dawned on her, like the stabbing of a sharp blade. “I was poisoned, and in all of Juventas there's no cure or antidote. So before anyone can search other cities I’ll be dead before sunset . . .”

“I’m afraid yes, your imperial regent,” said Goz the alchemist, he was secretly praying to Hebe to calm the tensions, his life hung in the balance of what might come next.

“I know it might not seem like it now Regent, but there's still hope,” said Sylva softly, in her calm motherly voice.

“Hope?! What fucking hope?! I'm going to die!” shouted Joanne, feeling the weight of mortality upon her young shoulder, her heart thumped faster and fear crept up her spine, so much that she felt suffocated in her own skin. “Everybody get out of my room now!”

The royal staff scurried out in pure horror, the maids, the guards, and even Goz the alchemist trotted out quickly. Thankful that his head and body wasn’t separated. Only General Sylva was left behind motionless.

***