Li Xiu woke to a cold grey dawn in her tiny attic room, her heart pounding before her eyes even opened. The memory of the night before rushed back: the sprig of deadly nightshade on her pillow – a silent promise that death was near. She inhaled slowly. A faint bitter odor of crushed leaves still clung to the air, stirring a wave of nausea. It was real, she thought. Not a nightmare. After discovering that poisonous plant in her bed, she'd barely slept, jumping at every whisper of wind against the shutter.
Now morning had arrived, and with it the duties she could not forsake. Li Xiu slid from her thin mattress and quickly dressed in her plain servant's garb. She had latched her door last night, she was almost certain. Yet someone had been in here. The sprig had been placed right beside her head as she slept. The thought made her skin prickle with unease. It meant the culprit was someone with keys or clever hands—someone inside the palace who knew exactly who she was, and how to frighten her.
Who? She ticked through possibilities while tying her long black hair into a tight braid. Perhaps the royal herbalist in charge of the poison stores. Or a guard on night duty, bribed to look the other way. Even another servant could harbor resentment; the Queen's favor toward Li Xiu had earned her envious looks before. So many potential faces behind one threat.
Li Xiu drew a calming breath and straightened her apron. She would not cower. If anything, the warning steeled her resolve. Whoever left the nightshade wanted her afraid or wanted her to abandon her post. She would do neither. If there was a plot afoot within these castle walls, she would meet it with eyes open.
The castle halls were hushed as she made her way toward the kitchens. A lone torch sputtered in its sconce, casting flickering light over stone walls. In the distance, faint clatters of cookware and low voices marked the kitchen staff beginning their day. Normally these familiar sounds comforted her. This morning, every echo set her on edge.
She passed a sleepy guard at the side entrance. The burly man nodded in greeting, and Li Xiu mustered a polite smile, studying his face for any sign of guilty knowledge. He only yawned and adjusted his spear. As she walked on, an uneasy prickle lingered between her shoulder blades, as if unseen eyes were following her steps.
Inside the kitchens, warmth and noise enveloped her. The hearth fires were already crackling, illuminating rows of hanging copper pans and sacks of flour. Cook Ellin, red-faced from the heat, was barking orders at two apprentices chopping vegetables. The moment Ellin spotted Li Xiu, she bustled over.
"Morning, love. You're pale! Not coming down with something, I hope?" the cook exclaimed.
Li Xiu quickly shook her head and forced a small smile. "Just not much sleep, Cook. I'm alright." She hoped her voice sounded steady. "What's on Her Majesty's menu this morning?"
"Rice porridge with ginger and dates, and that lilyflower tea she likes," Ellin replied, still peering at Li Xiu with concern.
Li Xiu nodded and joined the cooks in assembling the Queen's breakfast tray. Steam curled up from a pot of creamy congee, carrying the soothing scent of rice and spice. She stirred in a pinch of salt and inhaled deeply. The warm aroma of ginger and sweet dates greeted her—nothing bitter or metallic beneath. Next she checked the porcelain teapot steeping the floral tea. Fragrant jasmine and lily petals… and nothing amiss there either. Little by little, her racing heart slowed in relief. Whatever threat loomed over her, it hadn't tainted this meal.
She had just set a delicate china cup onto the gilded tray when a new presence at the doorway caught her eye. A young man in the Queen's Guard uniform stood watching the flurry of kitchen activity. He stepped forward politely when their eyes met.
"Good morning," he said, offering a slight bow. "Sir Edric of the Queen's Guard. Her Majesty sent me to observe the kitchens during meal prep, as a precaution."
Cook Ellin huffed from behind a steaming pot. "Another set of eyes, is it? Well then, mind you don't get underfoot, Sir Edric." She shook her spoon in vague admonishment and marched off to spur an apprentice along.
Li Xiu set down the teapot and returned Edric's bow with a polite nod. "I'm Li Xiu… the Queen's poison tester."
His expression lit with recognition. "Yes, I know. The Queen speaks very highly of you." There was a genuine warmth to his smile. "I hope my being here isn't intrusive. I'm only here to help keep everyone safe."
The knot in Li Xiu's stomach eased slightly at his courteous tone. He seemed sincere, and the steady, confident way he held himself was oddly reassuring. "Extra caution never hurts," she replied softly, allowing a wry note into her voice. "Especially today."
Sir Edric tilted his head, as if curious about her tone, but he did not pry. His gaze shifted to the laden tray in front of her. "May I carry that for you? It looks heavy."
Li Xiu hesitated—she wasn't used to knights doing a servant's work—but her nerves had left her hands a bit unsteady. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Edric lifted the silver tray with ease. For a moment, Li Xiu found it odd to see a armored knight carrying the Queen's breakfast like a footman. But he handled it naturally, and the gesture of help warmed her. In a place where trust was in short supply, this man was offering a small, welcome kindness.
Together they headed out of the kitchen toward the Queen's private dining room. Li Xiu walked a half-step ahead to lead the way, weaving around a stack of crates by the pantry. They were just passing beneath a wall of mounted shelves when a sharp crack split the air above them.
Li Xiu froze. Overhead, one of the large oak shelves suddenly sagged forward. In that split second, an acrid, metallic scent–sharp as vinegar–pricked her nose. Her eyes darted upward in alarm. The iron bracket anchoring the shelf to the wall was ripping loose, its bolts sliding from the stone. Heavy ceramic jars and iron pots wobbled on the tipping shelf, a few already skidding straight toward her.
"Look out!" Li Xiu shouted, already grabbing Edric's arm.
He reacted instantly. The tray crashed to the floor with a clang as Edric lunged into her, throwing one arm around her waist and hauling her backwards. The next instant the entire shelf tore free and came crashing down where Li Xiu had stood an eye-blink before.
It hit the floor with a deafening crash, shattering jars and sending up a blinding cloud of spice dust. A wave of hot rice porridge from an upended pot splattered across the stones. Li Xiu felt droplets of scalding liquid hit her skirt and the skin of her calves, but adrenaline drowned the pain.
For a heartbeat she found herself pressed against Edric's chest, his arm locked around her protectively. Her ears rang from the cacophony. Through the haze of settling spice and flour, she caught the pungent reek of vinegar from pickling brine pooling on the floor.
Edric kept his arm around her shoulders, steadying her. "Are you hurt?" he demanded, urgency in his voice.
Li Xiu drew a shaky breath. "I…I'm fine," she managed. Apart from a shallow stinging cut on her forearm and the mess on her clothes, she seemed to have escaped unharmed. It hardly seemed possible.
Slowly, Edric released her. Kitchen servants were shouting in alarm, converging on the wreckage. Li Xiu pulled away from him and stepped toward the fallen shelf, her heart pounding double-time. Something about the way it gave way… She knelt amidst the debris, waving a hand to disperse the dust. There—on the broken metal bracket that had held the shelf—was a powdery coating of white residue. The iron looked partly eaten away, its surface puckered and pitted.
Li Xiu's blood went cold. She leaned in and caught a faint whiff from the corroded metal: a sour, chemical smell. Acid. The bracket hadn't failed from age; it had been deliberately corroded. Her vision swam for a second as the realization set in.
Edric crouched beside her, following her gaze. His grey eyes narrowed at the sight of the damaged bracket. In that moment, Li Xiu knew he understood: this was no freak accident.
Straightening, Edric immediately took charge. He raised his voice to the stunned staff, "Stand back, everyone! Is anyone injured?" As the cooks and servants murmured and checked themselves, he added firmly, "Clean this up and prepare another tray, please. I'll make sure this…damage is reported." He shot a significant glance at Li Xiu.
Hands shaking, Li Xiu allowed Edric to help her to her feet. Her mind was racing. If she hadn't sensed that tang of acid and moved when she did, she might now be lying crushed and burned on the stones. A deliberate trap, set in the heart of the bustling kitchen… aimed at her.
Edric guided her out into the cooler corridor, away from the curious stares of the kitchen staff. His face was taut with anger he was clearly trying to restrain. In a low voice he said, "That was no accident."
Li Xiu swallowed the lump in her throat. "No. The bracket was doused in acid—I smelled it just before it gave way."
He exhaled slowly, a muscle in his jaw ticking. "Then someone meant for that shelf to collapse. Possibly meant for it to collapse on you."
She couldn't suppress a shiver at his words. The truth was all but certain now: last night's warning hadn't been an idle threat. Whoever was behind this had just tried to kill her in broad daylight. Li Xiu wrapped her arms around herself, struggling to steady the trembling in her limbs.
Edric's hand hovered as if he wanted to comfort her but wasn't sure it was welcome. "I'll inform the Captain of the Guard in discreet terms," he said, voice edged with resolve. "We'll find who did this. In the meantime, Li Xiu, please be careful. Watch your back."
Li Xiu managed to meet his eyes. The earnest concern she saw there made her chest ache unexpectedly. You saved my life, she wanted to say. There was no one else I could rely on, and you saved me. Instead, she simply replied, "Thank you, Sir Edric. I… I will."
Within a few minutes, a frazzled young maid emerged from the kitchen with a replacement breakfast tray in hand. Li Xiu insisted on inspecting the dishes once more—her nerves demanded it—then allowed Edric to escort her on the second attempt to deliver the meal. The walk to the Queen's chambers passed in a blur of jangling thoughts. If they were willing to stage an "accident" in a busy kitchen, what would come next? Li Xiu forced herself to maintain a facade of calm as she entered the Queen's dining room. She performed her tasting duties without a hitch and murmured the usual reassurances that all was well. The Queen, noticing her poisoner's pale face and bandaged arm, gently suggested Li Xiu take the rest of the morning to recuperate. Li Xiu curtsied and made her escape as soon as decorum allowed.
Only once she was back in the quiet servant corridors did she truly exhale. The adrenaline of the kitchen incident was ebbing, leaving her knees weak. She needed a moment to collect herself—and to plan her next steps. But first, something mundane: her soiled apron. She'd left the splattered garment hanging on a peg by the kitchen door in the chaos. Best to fetch it and soak it before the stains set, she told herself, if only to keep her shaking hands busy.
The corridor by the kitchens was empty now, the staff occupied cleaning and gossiping over the recent chaos. Li Xiu found her apron right where she'd left it, a stiff patch of dried porridge across the front. She lifted it off the hook with a tired sigh.
As she did, a small folded slip of paper fluttered out from the apron's side pocket and landed on the floor at her feet.
Li Xiu's heart skipped. Slowly, she knelt and picked up the paper. She hadn't placed anything in her apron pocket—certainly not this. The folded note was sealed with a blob of dark wax. Her name was scrawled on the front in a hurried, spidery hand: Li Xiu.
A chill rippled through her. She broke the cheap wax seal and unfolded the parchment, her throat suddenly dry and her fingers trembling. One line of jagged black script stared up at her, the message brutally clear:
Next time, you will not wake up.