Chapter 122 Keal and Marcus Team work
Keal's laboratory was cramped with two large men inside. Marcus stood near the workbench, arms crossed, watching as Keal laid out samples and notes in careful rows.
"These are the chemical compounds I've extracted from the creatures." Keal pointed to a series of vials filled with dark liquid. "Notice the consistency. Identical markers in each one. They're not natural mutations. They're created."
Marcus leaned closer, studying the vials. "Created how?"
"Alchemy, herb lore, potion work." Keal pulled out his leather journal, flipping to pages covered in diagrams and formulas. "Someone with extensive knowledge combined wolfsbane extract, nightshade distillate, and something else I haven't identified yet. The mixture destabilizes a wolf's transformation, forcing them into that twisted state we've been seeing."
"How long does it take? To create something like that?"
"Years. This isn't amateur work, Marcus. Whoever made this has been perfecting the formula for a long time." Keal removed his glasses and cleaned them, a nervous habit. "And the timing is deliberate. The creature attacks started four years ago. Right after Queen Celeste died."
Marcus went still. "You think they're connected."
"I know they're connected." Keal replaced his glasses. "The question is how."
Marcus was quiet for a long moment. Then he moved to the door, checking the hallway outside. It was empty. He closed the door and turned back to Keal.
"His Majesty has been investigating the Queen's death privately. For years now. He doesn't believe it was an accident."
Keal's expression sharpened. "What does he believe?"
"Murder but he's had no proof, no evidence. Just instinct and suspicion." Marcus moved to the workbench, his scarred face grave. "He's been collecting information slowly. Quietly. Looking for patterns, inconsistencies, anything that doesn't fit the official story."
"What official story?"
"That Queen Celeste fell from a horse ride during a routine wood haunting. Her neck broke on impact. Death was instantaneous." Marcus's jaw clenched. "But Adrian found traces of chemical compounds on her skin. Compounds that shouldn't have been there."
Keal went very still. "What kind of compounds?"
"He didn't know. That's why he brought me in six months ago. Asked me to investigate discreetly." Marcus pulled a folded paper from his vest. "I've been comparing notes from the royal physician's report. There were anomalies. Small ones that were dismissed as irrelevant at the time."
He unfolded the paper, laying it beside Keal's vials. The Delta scholar leaned over it, reading quickly. His eyes widened.
"These chemical markers. They match." Keal looked up sharply. "The compounds found on Queen Celeste's skin match the compounds in the creatures. Not perfectly, but close enough to suggest the same creator."
"Are you certain?"
"As certain as I can be without direct comparison." Keal's hands moved quickly, pulling out more samples, more notes. "Look. The base formula is identical. Whoever created the creature poison also had access to the Queen. Had opportunity to dose her with something similar."
Marcus's expression darkened. "Dosing her with what purpose?"
"Confusion, making her vulnerable." Keal's voice dropped. "Or making it easier to kill her and have it look like an accident."
The words hung heavy in the air.
"We need to tell His Majesty." Marcus straightened. "Now. This is too important to delay."
"Agreed. But we need to be careful how we present this. We're accusing someone in the palace, someone with access and knowledge, of murdering the Queen." Keal began gathering his evidence. "That's treason. And if we're wrong, if we accuse the wrong person, it could destroy everything."
"Then we better be right." Marcus headed for the door. "Come. His Majesty should be in his study this hour."
They made their way through the palace corridors. Servants scattered from their path, sensing the gravity in their expressions. When they reached Adrian's study, Marcus knocked firmly.
"Enter."
Adrian sat behind a massive desk covered in maps and reports. He looked up as they entered, his gray eyes taking in their serious faces.
"Your Majesty." Both men bowed respectfully. "We need to speak with you. Privately."
Adrian gestured to the guards stationed at the door. They left immediately, closing the heavy doors behind them.
"What is it?"
Marcus and Keal exchanged glances. Then Keal stepped forward, laying his samples and notes on the desk.
"Your Majesty, I've been investigating the creature attacks as you commanded. I've found evidence that they're not random mutations but deliberate creations. Someone is manufacturing them using advanced alchemical knowledge."
Adrian's eyes narrowed. "Who?"
"We don't know yet. But Commander Marcus has been investigating Queen Celeste's death, also at your command. And we've discovered something significant." Keal pointed to the chemical analyses. "The compounds found on the Queen's skin four years ago match the compounds used in creating the creatures."
Adrian went very still. His hands, resting on the desk, slowly clenched into fists.
"Explain."
Keal did, walking through his findings with clinical precision. The matching markers. The identical base formulas. The timeline that connected Celeste's death to the start of the creature attacks.
Marcus added his own observations. The anomalies in the physician's report. The chemical traces that were dismissed. The pattern of who had access to the Queen in her final days.
When they finished, Adrian sat in silence. His face could have been carved from stone. But his eyes blazed with controlled fury.
"You're telling me someone in this palace murdered my wife. Then used the same knowledge to create monsters that have been terrorizing my kingdom for four years."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Keal's voice stayed steady despite the danger radiating from Adrian. "That's exactly what we're telling you."
"And you have no suspect."
"Not yet. But we have a direction to investigate." Marcus pulled out another paper. "A list of everyone with the necessary knowledge. Alchemists, scholars, healers, weapon masters who work with chemicals. It's a short list."
Adrian took the paper. His eyes scanned the names. When he reached one near the bottom, his jaw clenched.
"Gerrit."
"He's on the list, yes. He has the knowledge, the access, the resources." Keal stepped forward carefully. "But Your Majesty, we have no proof. Just suspicion. We need to investigate further before making any accusations."
"Then investigate." Adrian's voice turned to ice. "Use whatever resources you need. Question whoever you need to question. I want answers. I want evidence. And I want the person responsible brought before me in chains."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Both men bowed.