Shadow Found (The Shadow Accords Book 6) Read online

  “Keep at it, Evie.”

  Evie returned to the mortar and pestle, began grabbing a collection of jars from her shelf. “Oh, trust me, I intend to discover what they used on her. If there’s any way for us to develop a resistance to it, we need to start now.”

  “Resistance?”

  Evie nodded. “Some poisons are potent, but you can develop a resistance over time. I’m hopeful that this is one of them. If we can, then you could move without worrying that something might happen, that you might get attacked without knowing where they are.”

  It was the best option she had. She had to trust the people she’d chosen to work with, trust that they knew enough, and that they could help her find the answers. Wasn’t that why she’d brought them together?

  As she left the hospital, she paused one more time to look down on Rebecca’s face. She cared about all the women who had joined her cause, all of them who had agreed to work with her, hoping that by doing so they could create a better life, but she wondered—what would she do if someone she cared deeply for were injured?

  What would she do if someone she cared deeply for were killed?

  Carth took a deep breath and started away from the hospital.

  9

  The night was clear, none of the fog from the previous night evident in the city. There was a hint of coolness to the air, but only the barest chill. It was nothing like the cool of Nyaesh, nothing like the snows of Nhalin Fjords. There was nothing even like sailing across the sea, feeling the rocking of the Goth Spald beneath her as salty sprays crested over the bow, leaving her soaked. No, it might be chilly, but it wasn’t cold.

  She wrapped her cloak around her, the layers of fabric shielding her from the cool air. It was a finely woven cloak, one she had acquired in Asador. It helped her fit in here but did not offer quite the same comfort as the fabrics she had once worn in Nyaesh. Those had fit her in ways that this did not.

  Periodically, Carth checked the knives sheathed at her waist. It was a nervous habit, but she felt better knowing they were there, and that she could quickly unsheathe them. She checked her connection to the shadows and the flame nearly as often. If she were attacked, those would offer her more protection than the knives.

  Carth continued to remain hidden in the shadows, but she found nothing.

  With a frustrated sigh, she released her connection to the flame and the shadows, disappointed that she hadn’t felt any pressure on her abilities as she had in the time leading up to Rebecca’s murder. It was as if whoever had been out in the city with power had disappeared.

  Carth didn’t think that likely. Rebecca couldn’t have been the prize, but so far, no others with her had been harmed. No other women had been attacked. Carth knew she should consider that a victory, but it was difficult to feel anything but anger that someone out there in the city had been so willing to harm these women, had been so willing to harm her friends.

  Carth made her way along the street, remaining hidden in the shadows as she moved quickly to a familiar section of the town. Here, with the bright yellow door announcing the herbalist shop, Carth found the storefront she needed. She had questions for Alex, and it was time she had them answered.

  Evie had raised the questions, making her wonder whether there might be another way to move without fear through the city. Could she find a way to build up a tolerance to poisons, and if she could, could Alex help her discover what might’ve been used?

  A soft bell tinkled over the door to the shop as Carth entered.

  Alex looked up as she did. She was a younger woman, unremarkable other than her sharp nose. She had deep brown eyes, and chestnut hair that matched. Her dark complexion made her seem as if she had spent more time in the sun than she had in her shop, though Carth knew that Alex was nothing if not devoted to the shop. She stood at the counter, sorting through various leaves. When Carth entered, she grunted softly before placing the lids on top of the jars.

  “Carth. Do you need additional powders?”

  Alex had been the one to provide them with the necessary powders, leaves, and oils that Evie used in her healing. Evie was a skilled healer, but Alex had a different sort of knowledge. She knew how to compound the various components found in her shop, create mixtures that drew power out of naturally occurring plants, roots, even some oils. It was that knowledge that Carth sought now.

  “I’m interested in a poison,” Carth said.

  Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Poison? I didn’t think someone like you had need of a poison.”

  “It’s not for me.” Carth shook her head. That might not be quite right. “Well, it’s not directly for me. There was an attack—”

  “I heard about the attack,” Alex said. “Evie came, looking to see if I might know anything about what was used.”

  Carth was pleased that Evie and Alex were willing to work together. Having the two women trust each other enough to question was beneficial. Evie’s knowledge was more on the healing side, while Alex’s knowledge had more to do with the ways the different compounds could be used. Both had their uses. And both women were incredibly skilled at what they did, though Evie had a certain distrust of Alex that stemmed from the fact that Alex’s mentor had tried to poison and control too many women in the city.

  It was part of the reason that Alex preferred to remain in the shop, separated from the rest of Carth’s growing network. Carth understood, recognizing that she couldn’t force Alex to work with the others, just like she couldn’t force Evie to get along with Alex. They had to find some middle ground.

  “Do you recognize the poison?” Carth asked.

  Alex shook her head. “There are dozens of poisons that are fast-acting like that. But identifying them is a little more difficult.”

  “How would you normally identify them?” Carth asked.

  Alex only shrugged. “Normally, I’m the one who’s mixing them.”

  Carth started laughing. “Well, considering that’s not the case this time, did you have any suggestions on how we could identify the poison?”

  Alex came around the counter. She was a good bit shorter than Carth and quite a bit wider as well. She wore a long white apron, stained with a deep black, something that was almost like soot or ink, but Carth suspected it was something much different. Alex led Carth to a row of jars, and grabbed a couple. One held sickly-appearing bright green leaves that curled towards the ends. Another was a deep blue, twig-like item, and the last looked to be nothing more than sand.

  “The felhorn leaves create a chemical that renders a man unable to move.” She tapped the next. “This is terad. It’s cheap, found all over the countryside here, and paralyzes as well.”

  Carth shook her head. “I don’t think this was a paralytic agent. It was almost as if—”

  “Watch.”

  Alex made her way back around the counter, setting the jars on top of it. She slipped on a brown glove and took something out from beneath the counter. Carth noted that it was the knife that had been used on Rebecca, but she’d last seen it with Evie. Alex reached under the counter again and took out a mouse, holding it up to her face and whispering something softly.

  “Evie already demonstrated with a mouse,” Carth said.

  “She didn’t demonstrate this.” With a quick flourish, she punctured the mouse’s hide with the knife. The mouse stiffened immediately and stopped moving.

  Carth watched, horrified. Was that what would happen if a person were struck by this knife? Evie had suggested it would work that way, but seeing firsthand how quickly it worked was different than hearing about it.

  “The terad works quickly. It courses through the system, taking the muscles’ ability to move.” She looked up, meeting Carth’s eyes. “And of course, you need your muscles to make the lungs work, to draw breath into them.”

  “I thought you didn’t know what had been used.”

  Alex opened the jar with colored leaves. She unrolled one, crushed it between her fingers, and stuffed it in the mouse’s mouth. She
ran her finger along its underside of its belly, stroking its throat. Carth watched, fascinated by what she was doing, and was shocked to see that the mouse suddenly took a breath.

  “Narcass counters the terad. It’s fairly quick-acting as well, but it requires that you know what you’ve been poisoned with, and that you have a chance to use it.”

  Carth watched as the mouse slowly began to recover. First it breathed, then its tail swished once, and then it began to claw at the air. Alex cupped the creature in her hand and placed it back underneath the counter, hidden from view in whatever cage she kept it in.

  “When Evie described the effects, I suspected terad. There’s no way of proving that’s what it is, especially since narcass heals many things.”

  Carth nodded towards a jar. “So, we should send that with the binders?”

  Alex shook her head. “You could send it, but it wouldn’t do a whole lot of good. The narcass leaves need to be fresh to be most effective. They dry out fairly quickly.”

  “Then we’ll just keep a supply of fresh leaves.”

  “That’s the problem. It’s difficult to acquire fresh narcass. We happen to be in the right season, and one of my suppliers found some not far from the city.” She reached into the jar, unrolling one of the leaves. “This color is too bright for healthy leaves. In time, the color will become brighter and brighter until it begins to brown. Once it’s brown, the leaves lose most of their effectiveness. It would be helpful, but I doubt it’s the solution you’re looking for.”

  Carth swore softly to herself. “Is there any way to test the terad and prove that’s what they were using?”

  Alex pointed to a series of liquids on the counter. “That’s what I’ve been doing. Terad interacts in a specific way with roselin oil. I think this is terad, but it could also be ellswood breath. Both are equally deadly, but they work by different mechanisms. You don’t want to make a mistake with those two.”

  Alex placed the tops on the jars, her gaze drifting to the knife lying on the counter. “I’ll find the answer to this for you. I just need a little bit more time.”

  Carth nodded. What else could she do? It wasn’t as if she could force Alex to work any more quickly. The woman knew how important this was, so she just had to give it more time.

  “Is there anything I can do while were waiting?” Carth asked.

  “What would you do?”

  Carth stared at the knife before turning her attention to the jar of what she presumed was the terad. She tapped the jar. “Evie suggested that there might be a way to build up a tolerance. Is that possible with terad?” Carth asked.

  “It’s possible… but it’s dangerous. I think you need to wait.”

  Carth thought about the image of Rebecca with her eye missing, the knife having penetrated it completely, blood streaming down her face. The idea that she might have died either because of poison, or because of the knife in her skull left Carth with the desire to do something. If it required her doing something that might be dangerous, she would do it.

  “Show me how to try this safely. I would build up a tolerance.”

  Alex’s face clouded. “If you do this, then you’ll take all the narcass I have. I don’t want you to die. The others need you.”

  “They need me now, but my goal is for them not to.”

  “Maybe. For now, you’re essential. Don’t forget that.”

  Carth only nodded as Alex began pulling the leaves from the jar and unrolling them before moving onto the terad. Carth watched, and listened, determined to build up a tolerance and determined to understand what she needed to do to stop the attacks.

  10

  Waves crashed along the shore, and Carth stood atop the deck of the Goth Spald, feeling the rocking of the ship beneath the waves. There was a certain rhythm to it, a comfort that she had begun to appreciate in the year or so that she’d been traveling on the sea. It was strange to think that the ship was hers now, strange that she was now the captain, and in some ways, strange that Guya had been the one who had taught her to replace him.

  Had he known that as he was betraying them? Or had he simply done it as a way to pass time, not thinking about the consequences? There was so much about the man that she didn’t know, so much so that she wished she had answers to.

  The ship was as safe a place as any for her to experiment with the terad, taking all but the barest slivers and mixing it in a solution of water to dilute it. That was the key, according to Alex.

  She found that, with the first dose, she felt the effects immediately. Her throat seemed to swell and it took a moment to realize that it was not that her throat had swollen, but that her lungs had begun failing. Muscles in her arms and legs didn’t work either. And the small amount of narcass leaf that Lindy had wadded up was quickly stuffed into her cheek, helping her recover.

  The second attempt was much the same, though Carth had not strengthened the formula at all. She hadn’t weakened it either. She was determined to continue dosing herself with the same amount of terad until it no longer affected her. The poison lasted for about an hour each time before it wore off completely.

  By the third dose, Carth remained calm enough to realize that she still had access to her shadow abilities, and still had access to the flame. Using those, she was able to bolster herself, and quickly increased her dose.

  Now she was several dozen attempts in. Each time the concentration increased, the effect of her throat swelling was immediate. She held on to the shadows, pulling on the flame, burning the poison from her. A part of her worried what would happen if she couldn’t reach them. Would she be able to react in time, or would she effectively kill herself?

  She didn’t allow herself to dwell on it. Doing so would not bring her any answers.

  “Do you think I could do something similar?” Lindy asked.

  Carth shrugged. “You’re shadow blessed. You’re able to reach some of the same power, but I don’t know.”

  “I think there’s value in me attempting to gain resistance to this as well.”

  Carth hoped Lindy didn’t have to experience this poison. The thought of her suffocating left Carth almost breathless. But if she were exposed, she would do better if she developed a resistance.

  “Since I’ve proven I can withstand the poison for the most part, why don’t we start giving you a chance to see if you can too?”

  Lindy nodded grimly and took the offered terad.

  They used the smallest dose, and Lindy gasped before she stopped breathing.

  Swearing to herself, Carth tore off one of the narcass leaves and quickly shoved it into Lindy’s mouth, forcing it down her friend’s throat. As the narcass worked, her eyes relaxed, and she slowly began taking steady breaths.

  “That’s… that’s horrifying,” Lindy said.

  Carth could only nod. What other answer was there but that it was horrifying?

  “You’re right. I think it’s important we build up this resistance.”

  Lindy nodded. “It seems a blessing that Rebecca died from the knife rather than the poison.”

  Carth counted the remaining leaves, trying to calculate how many more times they could work with the terad before she ran out of the cure. With her ability to counter the poison using the power of her shadows and flame magic as it coursed through her, she wouldn’t need to use the leaves herself. If Lindy could somehow master something similar, Carth thought that perhaps Lindy could use that to help her counter the effects of the terad. If so, they could use ever-increasing amounts of the poison so that they didn’t need the narcass leaves and could preserve them.

  The next few attempts for Lindy went increasingly better. She was able to draw upon the shadows, but still needed narcass to help her recover. Carth could tell Lindy was growing frustrated at the fact that she wasn’t able to have the same natural resistance the Carth did.

  “I think it’s my combination of powers,” Carth said. “I think it requires that I’m shadow born and have Lashasn blood.” Maybe Dara would
have better luck.

  “We won’t be able give everyone the same benefit,” Lindy said. “Even if I develop a resistance, it won’t matter. We could still be attacked, and those with us would be at just as much risk.”

  Carth sighed. That was her fear as well. As much as she wanted to keep those with her safe, she didn’t think they’d be able to move through the city safely until they knew who was after them. She still suspected that it was one of the smuggling rings, although it could have been other thief masters in the city as well. There were nearly a dozen, all vying for control of their own sections of the city. They battled at times, some gaining more power while others lost. None seemed to fully consolidate it. Carth considered that almost better that they didn’t. If that power were consolidated, they would be better equipped to challenge her and those she cared about.

  Carth took an entire stick of terad, broke it off, and began chewing it. Lindy watched her, eyes wide, and as the effects began to work through her, Carth pressed through her powers, letting the magic scorch through her, burning through her blood, destroying the remnants of the terad.

  She sat on the end of the bed, cupping her hands together, drawing strength from the shadows as she sank into them. She would gain power from them and did not have to suffer weakness of the poisoning, but what good would that do when she still had no idea whether the attacker was still in the city?

  The city was quiet at this time of night, the sounds of the sea washing along in the background along with a steady murmur of voices, more imagined than real. A cool breeze gusted in, barely there, and carrying a chill and the scent of salt mixed with something darker.

  Carth stood at an intersection of Asador, tense.

  Something was off.

  She didn’t know what it was, only that she felt it and she knew it wasn’t imagined.

  She’d attempted using the shadows, and using the flame, but hadn’t detected anything. There had been no sign of the strange pressure that she’d picked up either, nothing other than the sensation that something was off.