The heavy oak door flew open with a thunderous crack, nearly making Li Xiu jump. She squinted as lantern-light from the corridor spilled in, revealing a cloaked figure struggling in the grasp of two guards. Wine still dripped from the overturned goblet at the Queen's feet. But now every eye in the dining hall had snapped to the intruder pinned at the threshold.
Queen Valeria rose slowly from her high-backed chair, her knuckles white against the carved oak of its armrest. Just moments ago, someone had tried to poison her; now a spy skulked at her door. Li Xiu felt the air crackle with the Queen's contained fury, though Her Majesty's face remained an icy mask of composure.
"Bring him here," Queen Valeria commanded, her voice low and cold.
The guards dragged the intruder forward. As he was hauled into a shaft of light, Li Xiu saw he was a wiry young man clad in a dirt-brown servant's tunic – yet she did not recognize his face from among the palace staff. His dark hair hung in sweaty strands over wide, frightened eyes.
"Who are you?" Queen Valeria demanded, voice cutting the silence. "Who sent you to skulk at my door?"
The young man's gaze darted about the chamber – to the Queen's stern visage, to the ring of guards with swords half-drawn, and for the briefest moment to Li Xiu herself. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.
Queen Valeria's eyes narrowed. "Speak now, and perhaps I'll spare your life," she said softly, each word dripping with menace. "Otherwise, I promise you will beg for death long before I am through."
The man flinched. "I–I can't…" he croaked, voice cracking. He shot a desperate glance toward the hall behind him, as if expecting someone to come to his aid. No one arrived.
Captain Anton, the broad-shouldered commander of the Queen's Guard, stepped forward from beside the doorway. He placed a firm hand on the prisoner's neck. "He may have a hidden blade or poison capsule, Your Majesty," Anton warned. "Let me make certain he cannot harm you."
At the Captain's nod, one of the guards pried the intruder's jaws open, checking for a concealed poison pill. The man struggled feebly, eyes rolling in panic. Li Xiu hovered a step behind the Queen, her heart pounding in her chest.
Without warning, the prisoner's body seized up. His back arched violently, a wet gurgle escaping his throat. Foamy spittle bubbled over his lips as his eyes rolled back. One of the guards cursed and nearly lost his hold on the man.
"Poison!" barked Captain Anton, laying the twitching spy on the floor. The young man spasmed once, twice, then went horribly still. A sharp, bitter scent wafted in the air – bitter almonds, Li Xiu realized with alarm.
For a heartbeat, Li Xiu noticed that the guard who had been checking the spy's mouth looked perplexed – as if he hadn't actually found any capsule before the man collapsed. Something about how quickly the prisoner succumbed, and the way Captain Anton had leapt to declare it a suicide, set her nerves on edge. But before she could dwell on it, Queen Valeria stepped forward, her face taut with anger and dismay.
"He's killed himself," the Queen said, voice acid with frustration. "Coward." She kicked the edge of the carpet in vexation before quickly regaining her poise. The Queen's gaze swept over the dead spy, then to the guards. "Search him. And find out how this rat even got near my chambers."
Captain Anton bowed curtly. "At once, Your Majesty." He began barking orders at the other guards to carry the body away and scour the corridors for any sign of accomplices. The dining hall buzzed with uneasy motion as soldiers moved to obey.
In the midst of the flurry, Queen Valeria turned to Li Xiu. The Queen's brown eyes – which moments ago had flashed with fury – now softened slightly. "Li Xiu," she said quietly, so that only she could hear. "You saved my life tonight. I will not forget it."
Li Xiu lowered her eyes respectfully. "I only did my duty, Your Majesty." Her voice shook just a touch.
The Queen's hand, cool and surprisingly gentle, came to rest on Li Xiu's forearm. "Listen to me. There are forces at work here – traitors – hiding behind friendly smiles at court. I fear this was not the last attempt on my life." She cast a quick glance to ensure the others were out of earshot. "I do not know whom I can trust… aside from you."
A jolt went through Li Xiu at those words. A week ago she had been an invisible nobody scrubbing flagstones; now Queen Valeria herself was confiding in her.
"I need your eyes and ears, child," Queen Valeria continued in a low voice. "Keep them open. Watch those around us. If you notice anything amiss – anything – tell me at once. And Li Xiu…" The Queen paused, and in that pause lay a weight of concern. "Be careful. They will try to silence you for what you did here tonight. I need you alive."
Li Xiu swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Footsteps approached – Captain Anton returning. Queen Valeria straightened, her face once more imperious marble. Aloud, she said, "Go and rest now, Li Xiu. I am retiring to my quarters. We shall not speak of this incident to anyone else for now."
Understanding that she was dismissed, Li Xiu curtsied. "Good night, Your Majesty."
Queen Valeria swept from the hall, escorted by Captain Anton and a double-file of guards. As she departed, the Queen shot one last glance back at Li Xiu – a silent look that carried equal parts gratitude and caution. Then she was gone, leaving Li Xiu alone in the cavernous dining chamber with only shattered glass and spilled wine for company.
For a long moment, Li Xiu stood alone in the silent dining hall after everyone had gone. The torches guttered low, casting flickering shadows across overturned chairs and spilled wine. Steeling herself, she crept to the long table where the remnants of the evening's disaster remained. Gently, Li Xiu knelt and picked up the overturned goblet that had held the tainted wine. The cloth napkin she'd thrown over it earlier was stained deep red, and a few drops of wine still gleamed on the marble floor like dark rubies.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she dabbed one fingertip into a tiny puddle of the spilt wine. The instant the liquid touched her skin, a shudder rippled up her arm. Li Xiu's breath hitched. A cold numbness spread through her fingertips, and behind her eyes she saw something – a flash of ghostly green curling like smoke. In that brief flash, a sickly sweet taste flooded her mouth, even though she hadn't drunk a drop. An image bloomed in her mind unbidden: purple-black berries crushed in a mortar, a pale hand stirring the concoction with a bone spoon under moonlight.
Li Xiu jerked back, the vision vanishing as quickly as it came. Her heart pounded. Somehow, she knew exactly what poison had laced the Queen's wine – Night's Kiss, they called it. An exceedingly rare toxin distilled from belladonna and black hellebore. She had only heard whispers of it in the apothecary markets of her childhood, and no ordinary maid should recognize its taste or effects… yet she did.
It was well past midnight by the time Li Xiu returned to the small servants' quarters tucked behind the kitchens. The corridor was empty and silent, the torches along the stone walls burning low. Li Xiu's footsteps echoed softly as she approached her door. An uneasy prickle crawled up her spine – after the night's events, every flicker of shadow set her on edge.
She pushed open the wooden door to her little chamber and paused on the threshold. Something was not right. The single tallow candle she had left cold and unlit earlier was now flickering on the table by her bed, as if someone had been here. Her breath caught. Slowly, Li Xiu stepped inside and her eyes fell on a small object resting atop her pillow.
In the wavering amber light, she recognized it: a sprig of deadly nightshade lay upon her pillow, its purple flowers and glossy black berries arranged deliberately. Li Xiu's blood ran cold. Deadly nightshade – belladonna – one of the very ingredients of Night's Kiss. The message could not be clearer. Someone had slipped into her room with ease, leaving behind a poisonous calling card only she would truly appreciate. They knew of her interference, and this was their warning.
Li Xiu's hands balled into fists at her sides, even as a tremor of fear passed through her. The conspirators' reach was long; if they could breach the Queen's inner sanctum and even her humble quarters, nowhere in the palace was safe. She forced herself to take a steady breath. The Queen had charged her to observe and survive – but surviving was growing more perilous by the hour.
A floorboard creaked out in the hallway. Li Xiu spun toward the half-open door, heart hammering. All she caught was a whisper of motion in the darkness beyond, the tail of a shadow slipping away. By the time she dashed to the doorway, the corridor was empty once more. Only the faint sputter of torchlight and her own ragged breathing kept her company.
Li Xiu pressed her back to the door and slid down to the floor, the sprig of nightshade still clutched in her shaking hand. She understood the threat: if she dug any deeper, she would be the next to suffer a poisoner's kiss. In the hush of that lonely midnight, Li Xiu realized that saving the Queen was only the beginning – now she would have to save herself as well. And somewhere in the labyrinth of shadows and secrets that was the royal court, a hidden viper watched her every move, waiting to strike.