Alex dropped onto the floor. “If that’s true, then the only way to help them would be by harvesting more eels. That will take too long,” Alec said. “And considering that he has started to have the same seizures as Kara, I don’t know how long we have.”
Sam reached into her pocket and pulled out the two jars of eel venom. “Then use these.”
Alec’s eyes widened. “You have them? Marin had taken the one I had, and I thought—”
“I got it back from her.”
“I don’t even know if it will work,” Alec said. “It needs to be tested before we try, or we might end up—”
“It works. Marin was attacked by an eel, and I used the antivenom on her. You were right about this,” Sam said, taking his hand.
Alec took a deep breath. He grabbed the milky venom and spooned a small amount into his father’s mouth. “What if this ends up killing him?”
“It won’t. Trust me.”
They waited. Moments passed without anything changing.
Had it been too long since Aelus had been poisoned? Could it be that the antivenom wouldn’t work now?
Alec just shook his head and let out a mournful sound. “It’s not working. And if the easar paper won’t work, then—”
Sam looked at the other jar. The combination was what was important, but what if they’d tried the wrong one? Maybe his father had been poisoned with the milky venom and needed the other one now. “Try this one.”
“This is the venom,” Alec said.
“You said it was all about the combination, right? Does it matter the order?”
Alec watched her and then started laughing. “You might be right. Even if it doesn’t work, he’s already dying.”
Alec picked up he jar of yellowish liquid and put a small amount on the spoon, and Sam noticed that he held his breath when he dipped it into his father’s mouth.
They waited.
A few moments passed, and then a few more.
Sam was convinced that their treatment would be ineffective, but then, surprisingly, Alec’s father opened his eyes.
“Alec?”
“It’s me,” he said.
“The paper won’t work. It will be temporary. You need to use the—”
“I need to use the antivenom.”
His father frowned. “Antivenom? No. It would be the venom.”
Alec frowned. “Why do you think that?”
“Because I know what was used. It was a combination of the flesh with the fluid at the incisor.”
Alec glanced over to Sam. “Are you saying you made that?”
“You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand, Father? Have you… Have you been making poisons?”
His father kept his gaze. “There has to be some way to fund my work, Alec.”
“I thought you did what you did because it was the right thing.”
“It is the right thing to heal those that we can. It is right to offer our services to those who need it.”
“And what about offering services to those who would hurt someone else?”
“Alec, everything isn’t black and white. There are shades of gray that you need to be aware of.”
Alec stared at his father for a moment before shaking his head. “Just when I think I have come to understand you, you do something like this. Do you know how many have been hurt because of what you did? Do you know how many were poisoned because of you?”
“Nobody else should have been affected.”
“No one? There were others—many others. And all because of your desire to do what?” Alec took a step toward his father and rested his hands on either side of the bed. “There continue to be things that you conceal from me,” he said. “How much more haven’t you shared?”
“Alec, there are things that I’ve been trying to protect you from.”
“Protect me from? I’ve gotten more involved because you hid things from me. And now…” Alec shook his head.
Sam grabbed him and pulled him away. “I think it’s better to just take a step back,” she said. “We can talk with him more later.”
“You don’t mean that,” Sam said. “This is your father.”
Alec studied her for a moment. “Come on. We need to help the others.”
She nodded, not sure what to say. She’d not seen Alec this angry before. She understood it, but it still surprised her.
They stopped at Beckah’s cot, where she lay still motionless. Alec worked quickly preparing the eel venom. Sam still didn’t understand what had happened or how the venoms had worked, only that Aelus had concocted something different from what even Alec had thought. He placed a few drops of venom into Beckah’s mouth and looked up.
“Bastan needs to know so he can help Kevin,” he said. “And you need to have him find Tanis. I healed him using easar paper. He needs the venom, too, or he’ll relapse and die.”
“I’ll send word,” Sam said.
“And when were done, then it’s time for us to go after Tray,” Alec said.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Think about what Master Helen and the others have said about the temptation for you in the Thelns lands.”
“You don’t think I can withstand the temptation?”
“I’m sure you can, it’s just…”
Alec looked back to where his father lay and let out a heavy breath. “I need to do this with you, Sam. I need to understand myself just as much as you need to understand yourself. If that means going to the Thelns lands and seeing what they can teach me about what it means for me to be a Scribe, then that is what I need to do.”
Sam could only nod. Alec deserve answers just as much as she deserved to understand why Marin had stolen her memories, and why she had used Sam with Tray.
“I intend to bring Marin with me.”
As Beckah began to stir, he looked up at her. “And I think my father will need to come with us.”
Grab the penultimate volume in The Book of Maladies: Amnesia
Deception runs deeper than the canals in Verdholm.
Taveling to the Theln lands will be dangerous and possibly deadly, forcing Sam to ask for help from an unlikely ally. What she learns reveals how she is woefully underprepared for the journey, but she doesn’t dare wait any longer. Her brother’s life might depend upon her ability to reach him.
While Sam prepares, Alec uses the newly discovered secret of the canal eels to try and understand the key to making easar paper. A visit with his father reveals that his deception runs deeper than Alec had ever imagined and that his mother might hold the key to what he’s searching for.
Just as Sam and Alec think they understand what must be done, a shocking revelation proves another deception, one that threatens not only the safety of the city, but of the ruling Anders family. Somehow, they are the only ones able to challenge a foe who has planned an attack for a decade or longer, leaving them to question everything they have learned about themselves.
Names and Terms
People:
Aelus Stross: An apothecary and skilled healer. Alec’s father
Alec Stross: a physicker
Bastan: a thief who essentially runs Caster
Elaine: Sam’s mother. Kaver.
Hyp: a moneylender in the Arrend section who frequents Aelus’s shop
Kevin: Bastan’s employee
Lyassana Anders: Princess, Scribe to Elaine
Mags: a painter with a unique talent
Marcella Rubbles: owner of a stationary store in Arrend
Marin: a Kaver who had a dangerous assignment
Master Carl: Master Physicker, unpleasant to Alec
Master Eckerd: Master Physicker, mentor to Alec
Master Helen: Master Physicker
Ralun: A Theln
Rynance Vold: A dangerous man
Samara (Sam) Elseth: a thief
Trayson (Tray) Elseth: Sam’s brother
Places and Terms:
Arrend section: a merchant section
Balan Day: a day to celebrate the festival god
canal eels: possibly mythical creatures living in the canals
Callesh section: a merchant section
Caster section: a lowborn outer section of the city
Central Canal: the canal that separates the lowborn sections from the merchants and highborns
Drash section: a merchant section
easar paper: magical paper
Farnum section: a merchant section
Highborn: a term for the wealthier living in the center of the city
Hosd section: a lowborn section near the swamp
Jaku section: a highborn section where easar paper was found.
Kyza: one of the many gods worshipped in Verdholm
Lostin section: a merchant section
Lowborn: a term for people living in the outer sections of the city
Lycithan: a southern nation. Known for their skilled artisans.
Narvin Plains: east of the city, thin stretch of land
Physicker: healers with specialized training at the university
Piare River: connects to Ralan Bay and the canals
Ralan Bay: a trading hub along the coast of Verdholm
Sacred Alms: the healing religion Alec follows
Sornum: Bastan’s tavern
Thelns: dangerous brutes
Valun: a country known for various artifacts, including the stout rope Sam uses
Verdholm: an isolated city situated near the coast with canals running through it separating it into different sections
Yisl: one of the many gods worshipped in Verdholm
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading Poisoned: The Book of Maladies. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would be so kind as to take a moment to leave a review on Amazon or elsewhere, I would be very grateful.
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All my best,
D.K. Holmberg
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Also by D.K. Holmberg
The Book of Maladies
Wasting
Broken
Poisoned
Tormina
Comatose
Amnesia
Weakened
The Collector Chronicles
Shadow Hunted
Shadow Games
Shadow Trapped
The Shadow Accords
Shadow Blessed
Shadow Cursed
Shadow Born
Shadow Lost
Shadow Cross
Shadow Found
The Dark Ability
The Dark Ability
The Heartstone Blade
The Tower of Venass
Blood of the Watcher
The Shadowsteel Forge
The Guild Secret
Rise of the Elder
The Sighted Assassin
The Binders Game
The Forgotten
Assassin’s End
The Teralin Sword
Soldier Son
Soldier Sword
Soldier Sworn
Soldier Saved
Soldier Scarred