Chapter 43

Chapter 43 Kids fight

CA SSANDRA

The next day in the lab, I was hard at work when I realized Becky was staring at

“What’s wrong?” I asked, and I smoothed my hair down. “Is my hair sticking straight up or something? Do I have something in my teeth?”

“No, no,” Becky a*sured me, but her expression said otherwise. “Did you have some trouble sleeping last night?”

“How did you know?” I wondered.

“Your eyes are swollen,” my a*sistant pointed out gently. Heat spread to my cheeks, and I took my protective goggles off. I was hoping it wasn’t that noticeable, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

After I’d gotten Finnick to sleep, I’d gone to my own bed and cried into the early hours of the morning. Hearing about Marco and the way Asher had used him to mourn my loss had been such a heavy burden to learn about, and I wasn’t processing it well.

But I couldn’t think of that now. There was too much work to be done.

“Anyway,” I said slowly, and then I shifted the subject. “Becky, have you found anything more about Udosyn?”

I likely knew the answer, but I couldn’t help but ask anyway. Becky and I had checked all of the medical books that the royal healers had access to, but there was

no mention of Udosyn.

But surprisingly, Becky didn’t say no straight away.

“Becky?” I prompted her again. “What is it?”

1/5

“Well…” she said, and she pushed her gla*ses up the bridge of her nose. “It might be a mistake or a bad note-”

“That doesn’t matter,” I a*sured her. “Any bit of information helps.”

“Well, I realized last night that I’ve heard the name Udosyn before,” she revealed. “From a story anyway.”

“A story?” I repeated back, and then I leaned back against the counter behind. me and crossed my arms. “What story?”

“It’s one my mother told me when I was young,” Becky replied, and then she cleared her throat. “I was so little when I heard it that I had to make sure I wasn’t- imagining it. So, I went and spoke with my mother this morning. She told me that she couldn’t remember it clearly either, but after a while, she told me that she thinks Udosyn was actually the name of the poison?”

“I’m lost,” I admitted.

“Sorry,” Becky apologized, and she took a moment to collect herself. “It’s all a little hazy. But according to the story, as my mom remembers it, Udosyn was created by an academy of sorcery known as Ewonmiams. They were infamous for creating different kinds of poisons and drugs. Apparently, Udosyn was their most successful and dangerous one.”

“Hmm,” I remarked, and my eyebrows knitted together. “How did your mother know about this?”

“She used to be an a*sistant in the royal library,” my a*sistant answered, and she tucked a lock of dark red hair behind her ear. “I guess she read it in one of the books. But that was many years ago. She couldn’t remember the rest of the story.”

I nodded my head as I thought about it. I didn’t know much of anything about sorcery. Not many people in Wegalla did either for that matter. All I could recall was mentions of it from historical books. See, sorcery had been wiped out of the continent centuries ago because people believed it to be evil and a violation of the Moon Goddess’s blessings.

“Is there a way I could try to find the book your mother talked about?” I wondered, but Becky shook her head.

“The royal library can only be accessed by the royal family,” she replied with an apologetic glance. “You’d need permission from the Alpha King if you wanted to

visit.”

I nodded again. Of course. Things couldn’t be easy, especially here in Anemond. This place was full of secrets.

“Thank you for trying,” I said earnestly. “Seriously, Becky. I know it’s just a little information, but it might go a long way in helping us find the truth.”

“Of course,” Becky replied, and she offered me a smile. For a moment, she reminded me of Marley. My heart ached. I missed my friend dearly.

Just as I was about to put my goggles back on and turn back to my work, the doors of the laboratory flew open, and in burst Erika. The maid’s normally kind eyes were frantic, and her hair was falling out of its perfect bun.

“Miss Ca ssandra,” she managed through heavy breath, and she took a moment to collect herself. “I’m so sorry to rush in like this.”

“Don’t apologize, Erika,” I a*sured her, and I rushed over to her side. “What’s going on? You seem stressed.”

“Forgive me for saying it, but I am,” Erika said. “I’m in a hurry and you need to be as well.”

“What do you mean?” I demanded. I hadn’t meant for my tone to be so harsh, but I was getting scared by the look on her face.

“Finnick fought with Prince Marco,” the maid revealed, and panic flooded through me.

No.

No, no, no.

I knew this would happen.

“Let’s go,” I said. I quickly peeled my white lab coat off and threw it to the closest counter, not caring much where it landed. Once it was off, I turned to Becky.

“I need to go,” I informed her. “Please, continue working on the research. I’ll be

back when I can.”

“Of course,” Becky agreed, and then she gestured to the door. “I’ve got this. Get going, Cas sandra.”

I nodded. “Right.”

Without another word, I followed Erika out the door and into the hall.

The laboratory was on the other side of the cla*srooms where Prince Marco’s lessons were held, so the maid and I had to hasten our paces. The halls were full of various guards and se rvants, and I had to maneuver around a handful of them to keep from tripping over myself. I’d never been graceful, and my sudden speed wasn’t helping things at all.

Meanwhile, I considered every possible scenario I could be walking into. I’d had a bad feeling about these lessons, and the idea of my boy getting into a fight with the Alpha King’s son filled me with utter dread.

What if Finnick had broken a bone? Or what if Marco had seriously hurt Finnick? If the first was true, we were likely in a heap of trouble that neither of us was prepared for. Laying a hand on a member of the royal family was a crime worthy of severe punishment. Even if Finnick was a child, I couldn’t protect him from this.

“Don’t panic,” I whispered to myself. “Breathe, Ca ss.”

Finally, Erika and I reached the cla*sroom. When we burst through the doors, Adalyn was already there. The Alpha King’s wife had Prince Marco in her arms. The young boy was sobbing hysterically while Adalyn’s amber eyes were shooting daggers in Finnick’s direction. She looked as if she were prepared to spring at my son at any moment.

“What’s going on?” I demanded. I rushed to Finnick’s side and swept him in my arms wordlessly. Finnick’s solemn gray eyes were filled to the brim with tears, but they didn’t spill onto his cheeks.

“Mommy,” he whispered just loud enough for me to hear, and after he gave me a sad look, he turned to Adalyn. With how vicious the normally beautiful woman’s expression was, I half-expected Finnick to cry just as hard as Prince Marco, But my son was braver than the other boy. He managed to hold his head high and stare back at Adalyn as if he were older than his years.

When I turned my attention toward Adalyn, she offered me an even fiercer expression. Her amber eyes flashed and her l*p curled into a snarl. Even from here, I could see her long nails had sharpened into claws.

“Look at what your filthy peasant son has done,” she snarled, and she gestured at Prince Marco, who was still sobbing. “He’s going to pay for laying a hand on my Marco.”