Black Blood

The corridors are filled with members of the dawn, employees, and servants. The atmosphere is different from last night, static and businesslike. My eyes glide towards the groups whispering to each other as I pass them. I ignore all the chatter, straighten my back as much as I can, and walk past them. I feel the eyes of those I walk past sticking to my body, looking at my face. Everyone can see what happened last night, but no one comments on it.

It evokes a loneliness that, like the pain, I refuse to show. My shuffling brings me to the dining room. I stand still in the doorway and look into the room from under my lashes. Silently, I take a seat next to Christiaan after asking his permission without words.

My gaze falls on Nora, who seems to be chatting happily with her bewitched 'husband'. At first, she doesn't seem to acknowledge my presence. She is aware that I'm here, but showing it is a risk she can't take.

The moment she turns her head, I see a flash of shock in her eyes. I stare into her piercing blue eyes, full of concern, with no idea how to react. The concern abruptly changes into aggression. Her gaze shifts to Christiaan, lingers there for a few seconds, then she resumes her conversation.

The servants enter the dining hall with the usual breakfast dishes. I rise with Christiaan's plate in my hands and, without looking at Nora, serve his food. Without a word, I place the plate in front of him and start serving my own meal.

The food seems almost tasteless, like crushed cardboard sticking to my palate. My cheeks hurt with every movement, making it even more difficult to swallow. The conversations around me barely register. It's as if I'm in a foggy world, detached from what's happening around me.

Only when I see someone move on the other side of the table do I look up from my plate. Nora stands up and slowly walks with her plate to another spot in the room. I follow her briefly, but quickly avert my eyes, back to my food.

The long night has drained all the energy from my body. I've already downed three cups of coffee to wash down the dry food.

Suddenly, I'm startled by the sound of someone next to me coughing as if their lungs are being pulled out. Astonished, I look at Christiaan.

His hand rests on his chest as he presses his napkin to his lips. The sound fills the room and echoes against the ceiling. It's utterly quiet, aside from Christiaan's coughing.

For a moment, it seemed like he had choked severely on his coffee. But as soon as my gaze falls on his coffee cup, my thoughts change immediately. Normally, there would be some coffee grounds left in the cup, but this time I see small blue leaves floating, hemlock.

Hemlock, a rare plant found only in the Andes. It's deadly if not handled properly, if the right antidote isn't administered in time. The symptoms resemble those of other poisons, but the antidote is completely different. The plant only grows in the territory of the night riders, which directly indicates its origin.

Several servants and guards rush to Christiaan, trying to help him as his coughing gets worse. Blood appears on his handkerchief, staining the blue fabric red.

My eyes slowly slide to Nora. She stands on the other side of the table, a faint grin on her face, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

The guards help Christiaan to his feet, blood dripping from his nostrils onto the floor.

In stunned silence, I gaze at the scene. The dawn members are whispering to each other, some with their hands over their mouths, the women genuinely shocked, holding handkerchiefs to their lips. Diana is screaming, deafeningly hard, before her husband pulls her into an embrace and guides her out of the dining hall. Minos quietly helps Eliën out of the dining hall.

The images whirl past me like a tornado. Everything I had dreamed of, Christiaan's death for which I had yearned.

The guards help the dying man out of the dining hall, the dawn members shocked, standing up and following like sheep after their dog.

'Your Highness, may I escort you to your husband?' A guard extends his hand to me formally.

'Thank you, but I will accompany the princess,' the man is interrupted by Nora. In a beautiful blue dress, she stands behind the guard.

The man nods before returning to his post.

With Nora's help, I slowly stand up, still without any words.

'Come,' she whispers as we walk down the corridor. Unobtrusively, she tries to pull me in a different direction than towards the infirmary. I allow it for two meters before coming to a halt.