The Queen's Poisoner (Kingfountain, #1)(45)

“He won’t whip me,” the Mortimer girl laughed gaily. Then she released Owen’s hand and started to twirl around in a circle, looking up at the blue sky. After a few twirls, she slumped down on her bottom, too dizzy to do anything but laugh.

Owen stared in wonder at this girl who was unafraid to dance in a royal fountain. She was sitting down, water running down the dark tips of her hair, smiling at him as if it were only the two of them in the world. Owen pretended to stumble and pitched forward into the water, making a loud splash. She giggled infectiously, just as he had hoped.

Later, the two were huddled underneath blankets to dry off by the bread ovens and Jewel was regaling Liona and Drew with the tale of their exploits. Owen was colder now and shivered under the blanket, not wanting to run upstairs for a change of clothes from his limited wardrobe.

“That was fun,” the Mortimer girl said, wiggling her bare toes at the crackling flames. “I don’t regret it.”

Owen hugged his knees and tried to stop shivering. “You . . . you said your father . . . let you climb . . . waterfalls.”

She nodded eagerly. “The water up in the North is so much colder. At the bottom of the waterfall, the one called Mist Falls, there is a little pond. There’s a big rock at the edge of the trail and you can climb it and jump in. All the boys and girls from the valley do it.”

“You’ve done it?” he asked, impressed.

She nodded, her eyes wild with the memories. “It’s still a little scary, because the stone is so high. But I love the feeling I get in my stomach when I jump. Like I’m flying. I can’t wait to bring you there. My papa took me my first time. He held my hand and we jumped together. It makes it easier when you jump with someone else the first time. The water is so cold. It’s like ice, only wetter. You have to swim back to shore before you get too cold. Papa said you can lose your wits if you’re cold for too long. But after we climbed to Mist Falls, we would sit on the edge and eat some wild berries and throw the stems into the mist below. My mother never knew about it. She’s afraid of falling. But I’m not. It would get a little windy at times, but that just means you need to be more careful.”

“Did you ever jump off?” he asked.

The Mortimer girl looked at him as if he were the stupidest person in the world. “Of course not! Some villagers tried it, but they’ve all died. Some people break their arms or legs slipping down the trail. But just because you can get hurt, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t climb waterfalls. I’m so grateful someone had the courage to build that bridge. I’m sure it was dangerous work. But they did it, and now everyone can see what it’s like to stand on top of such a waterfall! It captures your heart, Owen.” She had a faraway look in her eyes, a brightness and eagerness that made him yearn to see it for himself. Then she looked at him and patted his knee. “When we go up North, I’ll take you up to Mist Falls. I’ll hold your hand as we jump off that rock, just as my papa did for me. After that . . . you won’t be afraid of anything.”

The warmth from the ovens made his cheeks burn, but he was still cold beneath the wet clothes. He could picture himself standing on a mountainside with the Mortimer girl next to him. The thought of jumping off a waterfall made his head buzz.

“Owen, guess what!” she whispered, leaning toward him. “I found it!”

“What?” He shook his head to clear it.

“I found where that wall leads from the castle! I saw it out a window. It leads to a small courtyard and there’s—”

“The cistern,” Owen interrupted, gazing at her.

Her eyes went wide. “You saw it?”

He nodded.

“I think I found the way in,” she said conspiratorially.





I’m beginning to wonder if the alliance I’ve struck with the queen’s poisoner will be fatal. Ratcliffe insists she invaded the king’s bedchamber last night shortly before midnight. That cannot be true because she was, in fact, with me at that time discussing the king’s enemies and which nobles are most likely to fall next. It’s my opinion it will be Lord Asilomar. The king has set up a trap to test his loyalty. He will fail. I’m wondering when mine will be tested. If Ratcliffe knew that I was working for her, I’d be thrown into the river.



—Dominic Mancini, Espion of the Palace Kitchen





CHAPTER NINETEEN


Deep Cisterns





Owen and the Mortimer girl faced each other over a Wizr board in the library. Each move was painstakingly slow. Owen could have won several times already with the tricks he had learned from Ankarette, but the goal wasn’t to win the game. The goal was for Jewel to fall asleep. Owen had added some additional ingredients to her tea and the old woman was making a bold effort of fighting off the effects. She sat in a stuffed chair, and the needlework in her hands kept bobbing and dipping.

“I think she’s almost asleep,” Owen whispered, moving the next piece.

His companion gazed surreptitiously at the old woman in the chair. Jewel’s mouth had sagged open and her breath had begun to pull in and out in curt little gasps.

The Mortimer girl almost giggled as she looked back at Owen with her bewitching eyes that were part green, part blue, part gray. She wore a dark green velvet dress with cuffs that matched her hem. Her dark hair was swept back behind her.