Chapter 36 036

Chapter 36 036

Claire's POV

As I stepped inside the garden, I had seen several plants and it was exactly the way I had seen it in my dream making me even more certain that I was on the right track.

Where shadows dance with light. That was what the voice said.

I moved past roses and jasmine, past herbs I recognized and dozens I did not. The garden seemed endless, each path leading to another cluster of vegetation. My hands shook as I brushed aside leaves, looking for those purple veins.

Then I saw it.

Tucked between two larger plants, almost hidden in the space where moonlight met darkness, grew something that made my breath catch. Silver leaves traced with purple, just like in the vision. They seemed to pulse with their own light.

I reached for them and a thorn from a nearby bush tore across my palm. Pain shot up my arm and blood welled up, dripping onto the ground. I bit back a cry and wrapped my other hand around the wound.

No time. No time for this.

I grabbed the silver leaves with my bleeding hand and yanked them free. The plant came up easier than expected, roots and all. I stuffed them into the pocket of my dress and kept searching.

Moonstone tears. What did that even mean?

I scanned the ground, looking for anything that sparkled white. There, near the edge of the garden path, small white stones caught the light. They looked like ordinary pebbles but when I picked one up, it was warm. Almost alive.

I gathered five of them, just to be safe.

Now for the bleeding heart root.

I knew this one from books I had read as a child. A plant with red roots shaped like an anatomical heart. My mother used to point them out in the forest behind our old house, warning me never to touch them.

I found it growing near the back wall, its leaves dark green and healthy. I dug my fingers into the soil, ignoring the dirt caking under my nails, and pulled. The root resisted at first, then came free with a wet sound. Red sap oozed from where I had torn it, staining my already bloody hands.

Got it. I had everything.

I ran back toward the castle, my ribs protesting with every step. The ingredients felt heavy in my pockets, or maybe that was just fear weighing me down.

What if this did not work? What if I had the wrong plants? What if the voice lied?

I shoved those thoughts away and pushed through the back entrance into the kitchen. The room was empty, thank god. I could not handle explaining this to anyone right now.

I spread everything out on the wooden counter. Silver leaves. White stones. Red root. Blood from my cut hand dripped onto the wood but I ignored it.

How was I supposed to do this?

The vision had shown me but the memory felt fuzzy now, like trying to remember a dream. Medium heat. Crush the leaves first. Mix with the stones. Add the root last.

I grabbed a mortar and pestle from the shelf and started crushing the silver leaves. They turned to paste quickly, releasing a smell like mint mixed with something sharper. Chemical almost.

Footsteps behind me made me jump.

"Are you sure about this?"

Shark stood in the doorway, watching me work. His expression was torn between hope and doubt.

"I have to be," I said, adding the white stones to the mixture. They dissolved into the paste like sugar in water.

"Cal is upstairs." Shark moved closer, lowering his voice. "If Lucien dies and you gave him something, he will blame you. He might force us not to investigate properly. Might make it look like you poisoned him twice."

My hands froze over the mortar.

"I know," I whispered.

"Do you? Because once you give him this, there is no taking it back."

I grabbed the bleeding heart root and started shredding it into the mixture. The red sap mixed with the silver paste, turning it a deep purple color.

"Have you done this before?" Shark asked.

"No."

"Do you know if it will work?"

"No."

He was quiet for a moment. "Then why—"

"Because I saw it." I looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "I know how insane that sounds. I know you have no reason to believe me. But I saw exactly what to do and I am certain it will work."

My words did not seem to make him feel better. His jaw stayed tight, worried.

"I am glad someone is on my side though," I added quietly. "Even if you think I have lost my mind."

Something in his face softened. "I do not think that."

I found a small pot and poured water into it, then set it over the stove. The flames licked at the bottom as I waited for it to heat. Not boiling. Medium heat, just like the voice said.

Once the water started steaming, I added the purple mixture. It dissolved slowly, turning the water a shade somewhere between violet and black. The smell changed too, became earthy and bitter.

I stirred it constantly, watching the liquid thicken. My injured hand throbbed but I kept going.

After what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, the potion was ready. I poured it into a cup and the liquid moved like syrup, clinging to the sides.

"Okay," I breathed. "Okay, let us go."

Shark followed me up the stairs. Each step made my heart beat faster. What if I was wrong? What if this killed him instead of curing him?

The third floor hallway stretched before us. I could see Austin standing outside Lucien's door, his arms crossed. And Cal, leaning against the wall like he was bored.

Cal straightened when he saw me approaching with the cup.

"Stop right there," he said.

I froze.

"You want me to let you pour some mystery liquid down my brother's throat?" Cal walked toward me. "I do not think so."

"It is the cure. I told you—"

"You told me a lot of things." He reached out and plucked the cup from my hands. "But I think you should test it first. Make sure it is safe."

My stomach dropped. "What?"

"Drink some." Cal held the cup up to my face. "Just a sip. If it is medicine like you claim, it will not hurt you."

I stared at the dark liquid. I had no idea what it would do to someone who was not poisoned. The voice had not mentioned that.

"I do not have time for—"

"Drink. Or I throw it out the window right now."

Austin stepped forward. "Cal, maybe—"

"Quiet." Cal did not take his eyes off me. "Well, Claire? Are you that confident in your cure?"

My hand shook as I took the cup back. The liquid looked even darker up close, almost black in the dim hallway light.

I lifted it to my lips and drank.

It tasted like dirt mixed with metal. I forced myself to swallow and handed the cup back before I could second-guess myself.

"Happy?" I asked.

Cal studied me for a moment, then stepped aside. "Be my guest."

I rushed past him into the chamber. Lucien looked even worse than before. His breathing was so shallow I could barely see his chest moving.

"Shark, help me."

Shark moved to the bed and carefully lifted Lucien's head. I pressed the cup to Lucien's lips and tilted it. The liquid spilled into his mouth but he did not swallow.

"Come on," I whispered. "Please."

I massaged his throat, trying to make the liquid go down. Some of it dribbled out the sides of his mouth but most of it disappeared. I poured more. And more. Until the cup was empty.

We lowered his head back to the pillow and I stepped back, waiting.

Nothing happened.

His breathing stayed shallow. His skin stayed gray. The dark veins spreading across his neck did not fade.

"Well?" Cal's voice came from behind me. "I do not see any miraculous recovery."

"It needs time," I said, but even I could hear the doubt creeping into my voice.

We waited. One minute. Two. Five.

Still nothing.

Cal started clapping. Slow, mocking applause that echoed in the chamber.

"Wonderful performance, truly." He nodded to Austin. "Lock her up. This whole thing was fake and now we have proof."

"Wait, just give it more time—"

"Time?" Cal laughed. "He looks exactly the same. Probably worse actually, since you just poured poison number two down his throat."

"I did not—"

"Austin. Shark. Take her to the cells. Now."

Austin moved toward me and I backed away, my eyes still on Lucien. This had to work. It had to.

But he just laid there, dying, while I watched.