Page 4 of Poisoned Kingdom (Secrets of Dagome #1)

I’d kept a few items from my old life on me; I’d had to cut and run too many times not to be prepared.

Most notably, I had a long hairpin that doubled as a weapon, its jewelled tip concealing a button that released a small dose of my deadliest poison.

Tucked away with it were a set of lockpicks and a small vial of merciful sleep , a last resort that granted a painless death if all else failed.

I secured the hairpin in my braid for easy access and put the poison back in the pouch before kneeling in front of the lock, determined to free myself.

Unfortunately, I’d underestimated dwarven craftsmanship, and hours later, I was sweaty and close to tears.

‘Fuck! I should have fought my way out,’ I groaned when the last lockpick broke, the metal stressed from my incessant twisting. That had been my last chance. Now, I could only sit here waiting for someone to drag me away.

My thoughts drifted to Tova and his shock at the revelation of my identity.

Not you, my tinkerer .

A deep ache squeezed my chest as I swallowed hard.

I didn’t have many friends, as the Dark Brotherhood had taught me to trust no one.

Those who laughed with you over a tankard of mead could just as easily sink a knife in your back for a handful of gold.

Besides, even those I had trusted, I’d left behind.

And yet, that awkward dwarf and his easy friendship had slipped past the walls around my heart.

We’d been thick as thieves since I’d healed him after he went to the mines to rescue his parents, only to find them dead under a pile of rocks.

Tova turning his back on me hurt more than a broken lockpick and the threat of execution.

‘I will not cry,’ I whispered, pressing my forehead to the rusty metal bars. ‘This is just another obstacle. They’ll need to take me out of this cell eventually . . . then I’ll have my chance.’

I was wallowing in self-pity when a flicker of light caught my attention. A moment later, I heard the thumping of heavy boots right before Jagon appeared, accompanied by M?ot’s guards.

‘I would like to speak with my apprentice alone, if you please,’ he said politely while I shifted as far away from the bars as I could.

When the guards disappeared around the corner, he approached the locked door. ‘So, this is where you’ve been hiding. Aren’t you going to welcome me, Roksana? Surely all those years as your mentor merit a handshake at the very least.’

‘Welcome you? I’d slit your throat with a rusty butter knife given half the chance.

’ I scoffed, happy I no longer had to play at being his coy apprentice.

‘Why did you get involved? Why the fuck do you always have to destroy everything I try to build? Couldn’t you have just stayed quiet instead of telling them who I was? ’

My outburst made him slowly withdraw, curling his fingers into a fist.

‘So much venom. You should be grateful I intervened. A maid found your books, Roksana— that’s why he summoned you. That little shit came to him with your papers, begging for her brother to be released from the mines.’

I winced, feeling the sting of my maid’s betrayal. ‘Did the king at least let her brother go?’ I asked.

‘Oh yes, but she won’t enjoy the family reunion for long,’ he replied with a smirk.

‘A servant who betrays her master must die. My men are handling it—I gave the order the moment I realised the scrawny healer M?ot intended to punish was you. Seeing your face has reminded me just how much I missed you.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Of course you did. Who wouldn’t miss the foolish girl who’d eliminate your enemies while you stood by, leering behind her back?

And you call this help? If you wanted to see me broken and miserable, then here I am.

Take your fill and get lost. Gods, why did you even come?

’ I asked, looking him straight in the eye.

‘You’re breaking my heart, Roksana. But fine.

I came here on business. Now, imagine my surprise at seeing my best apprentice accused of being a mage .

. . How could I stand idly by? It was like fate’s touch, especially since I have a task that seemed impossible until I realised someone with your unique skills could easily complete it. ’

I tilted my head, studying my former mentor. Jagon had always enjoyed manipulating me, but the slight twitch of his fingers gave away his unease.

‘I’m not the Deadly Nightshade anymore. If your task requires a poison master, you can do it yourself. Or did you forget how?’

‘My charms are not quite suited to giving a man the kiss of death, my dear,’ he said.

I froze. Noticing my frown, Jagon smirked.

‘Did you think I didn’t know about your little hobby?

I know you killed Ignac Tivala, but I’ve kept your secret.

A small jar of lip gloss, red as your lips, and so poisonous that it’d kill anyone who touches it .

. . How inventive. I saved it as a memento, thinking I’d never see you again, yet here we are. ’

‘He was a killer who deserved to die. I did what the Brotherhood should have done if they’d had the guts.

’ I didn’t have an ounce of regret in me for killing the man who only got hard when he made women suffer and bleed.

I didn’t even care that he was the only male heir of the most powerful noble in Dagome.

‘Oh, I’m not judging, but you know the creed: the heart does not steer the knife.’ Jagon’s condescending tone made me wonder why I’d ever considered him my superior.

‘And you wonder why I left. But go on, tell me. Who is it that even the master of the Brotherhood’s poison chapter cannot kill?’ I shouldn’t have asked, but my curiosity betrayed me.

‘No one yet . . . but the time might come, and you would be the perfect tool for eliminating the king of Dagome.’

‘Are you out of your mind?’ My voice echoed down the empty corridor before I could stop myself. ‘The War King? Why ? Has Boyan authorised this? And what about the covenant with the Crown? You will destroy us, meddling in political affairs.’

‘I’m trying to save us. Dagome’s changing; alliances are shifting now that there’s no Lich King forcing the kingdoms to work together.

We’ll die off if we continue to adhere to old agreements in the face of emerging unknown forces.

Reynard won’t be sitting on his throne for long, and the Brotherhood has a history of siding with the winner.

But just in case he clings to his position . . . Well, we can always send you.’

‘You’re delusional if you think the man who outmanoeuvred the Lich King will be easy to depose. And why would you even want to kill the person who granted the Brotherhood its freedom?’

I didn’t know the new king, but if Jagon hated him, I already liked him. I’d left Truso before the uprising that had placed him on the throne, but I’d heard he was ruthless and calculating. I doubted many could outsmart him.

‘I’ve been honest with you for a reason. Your choice is simple: work for me or die. Return to the Brotherhood, and I will free you, no matter the consequences. Refuse me and . . . well, you know how M?ot likes to execute those he thinks wronged him. I don’t want to see you dead, Roksana,’ he said.

I huffed in response. ‘It wouldn’t be a problem if you hadn’t tattled about my past. And how would you stop me from killing you at my earliest convenience?’

‘I misjudged M?ot’s anger, a mistake I can easily rectify.

As for that other matter, I have a way to guarantee your loyalty.

’ His smirk widened as he trailed long slender fingers over the cell’s bars.

‘Tivala’s family is still looking for the killer; if you betray me, I may accidentally insinuate it was a certain courtesan who ordered the assassination.

I’m curious as to what the old duke would do if he found out a whore had been behind the demise of his heir . . .’

I threw myself at the bars, fists reaching out to pulverise that smug grin. ‘Leave Liliana out of this, you treacherous bastard.’

‘How predictable.’ Jagon stepped away with a knowing smirk. ‘Hate me all you want, but if you want to live—if you want her to live—be ready at dawn. I’ll send my men to fetch you then.’ He turned away, doing nothing to hide his triumphant smile.

He’d won, and we both knew it.

Between serving him again and certain death, what choice did I have?

I waited until my tormentor had left, then fell back against the wall, sliding down until I was sitting on the rough stone.

I didn’t fight back the tears. No one could see me anyway, so I cried, maybe for the first time since I’d signed my contract with the Dark Brotherhood.

The illusion of freedom I’d had here was utterly shattered.

I’d bought myself out, but now I understood that the only way to leave Jagon Vir’s service would be in a coffin.

‘ No . As long as I live, I won’t give up. He will regret forcing my hand.’

I curled up in the corner, swearing to the gods above and below that I would find a way to destroy Jagon before his malice killed what good was left in me.