The Day Human King (6 page)

“The poison was in here, and most of you have touched it. I believe none of you had anything to do with it, but from now on, Cook, don’t let anyone in the kitchen that isn’t here right now,” Devin ordered. She nodded, still shocked by the poison hovering above Devin’s hand. She was close to having ingested it herself. When her shock wore off, she hurried over to a cupboard and got Devin a vial with a lid to put the poison inside of. Step one of finding the poison was successful, but he was nowhere near close to finding out who had done it. He could call the usual suspects, but each family wanted Nessa dead now. He’d have more than enough people to search through and he needed to narrow it down, but was unsure of how to do it.

‘Devin, Bray O’Ryan is dead,’
Nessa told Devin urgently through their bond.

The sidhe were back to killing each other. Now Devin was unsure if Bray had been the target or Nessa, but it didn’t matter. Devin had told them no assassins, but he wasn’t clear enough. He should have said no assassinations. Nessa McKinny didn’t seem to be the only target of this poison, and the sidhe were back to their old ways. Devin needed to be sure they understood what he had meant.

Nessa stood over
the dead body of the man that had accused her of premeditated murder only a day ago. Bray O’Ryan thought he could get Nessa dethroned before she could actually take it, but that had ended when they returned from the crypt with her grandfather’s powers. In reality it wasn’t Bray that had accused her, but rather his likeness. His grandson, disguised as him, was running the farce of a trial. It was still eerie to look at the man dead, even if she hadn’t really known him well.

“You can’t come in here. This is the O’Ryan wing, and neither of you are welcome here. We don’t like traitors who kill their king,” Owen O’Ryan, Bray’s grandson, stated. He was still set against Nessa, even though there was no way to keep her off the throne now. “Besides, you probably did this to him. This is a girl’s way of killing—poison. You’re the only girl I know that would have a grudge against us.”

Devin glared at the younger man. He was testing Devin’s patience, and Nessa didn’t know how much Devin would take before he did something. Owen had caused them enough grief already. It wasn’t like they wanted to be there. Neither Devin nor Nessa really wanted to see Bray after what he and his grandson had put Nessa through. If they didn’t need more answers about the poison and poisoner, they probably would have avoided seeing the old man.

“Nessa was poisoned this morning as well. I doubt she’d poison herself, too, if it were her,” Devin replied, stooping down to take a closer look at the old man. He was still warm, and there was nothing that one could see as physically wrong with him. Devin was being good about keeping his anger at Owen inside himself, but Nessa could feel it right beneath the surface.

“If it wasn’t her, then it must have been the Miller family. We killed one of the nephews of the lead Miller a month ago. Without assassins he must have sent one of the women. This is how they retaliate,” Owen replied, who was obviously still caught up on blaming women because it was a poison. Nessa would have much rather put a blade through his neck. Did that not make her a girl?

Two men dressed all in white entered the room. They looked to Owen, and then to Devin, before they examined the old man. Nessa moved out of the way, as they were the collectors that came to take dead bodies.

‘They’re here for the dead man,’
Nessa explained to Devin quickly since he didn’t move. Nessa was beginning to forget that there was so much of the sidhe village that Devin still didn’t know.

“We need to prepare the body for interment,” one of the men stated quietly, explaining what Nessa had already told him through the bond.

Devin nodded and stood up. When the white-robed men began to wash the dead man, Devin walked a few steps away, and Nessa stayed right at his side. The air in the room was charged. Owen was upset about his grandfather, and he didn’t seem to believe Devin that Nessa wasn’t involved. Owen had already proven unpredictable, and Nessa wasn’t sure Devin would let him live if he refused to cooperate. It was best for her to keep close to Devin at that point.

“What exactly happened?” Devin asked Owen, being direct and to the point.

Owen looked startled by the question, but did reply. “I went and got food this morning. I brought it up, but grandfather had said he was hungry, too. I gave him my tray and went back for more. When I returned, I found him lying right there. He was still alive at that point, but he couldn’t move and told me he wanted to sleep.”

“And you didn’t call for anyone?” Devin asked, a bit suspicious, but Owen didn’t seem to catch what Devin was really insinuating.

“We take care of our own families. I know a few things, and I figured it was something I could handle,” Owen replied, his hubris showing through.

Devin nodded and watched the men preparing the body. Nessa looked to the men, also. She had seen the ritual several times before, so it was nothing new to her, but she was trying to see what Devin was searching for. The collectors were from each family, and these were the O’Ryan collectors. They were basically the same, but none of the families shared or interacted with them. Nessa knew part of the reason Owen was upset that Devin and she were there was that he didn’t want her to see how they handled the body. They would prepare the body to be put into the crypt. In general, after they bathed the body they would cast spells on it to preserve it for one year. Those spells were sacred and unique to each family. Nessa didn’t care about the spells. She cared about the poison and wondered what Devin was analyzing.

“What were his symptoms?” Devin asked, pulling his eyes from the men handling the body.

“He complained that he was cold, and it was quickly done. When it happened like that, I knew I couldn’t help him and stood to call for my father. Before I could even find someone else, he was dead,” Owen explained. Nessa shivered. She might not have had much more time if Devin hadn’t been there. “It was that quick.”

Devin nodded, again analyzing the body. Nessa was constantly amazed by how much Devin understood and could get from just small conversations. She was thankful that he was around. He would make her life easier and maybe, just maybe, the sidhe needed someone like him. They might not agree, but Nessa could see it. Devin was unique, and the sidhe had a lot to learn.

“Is that the food he was eating?” Devin asked. Nessa had noticed the half-eaten food, too.

“No, that’s mine. I don’t know where my grandfather’s food went,” Owen replied, a little shocked as he glanced around the room as well. How could a tray of food disappear?

‘What does that mean?’
Nessa asked Devin, who began to look around the spacious sitting room. He wasn’t as baffled by the news as she was.

‘Someone knew we would look at the food. I went to the kitchen earlier. I didn’t find any food contaminated there either,’
Devin replied.
‘Someone is very good at covering their tracks.’

‘What if it isn’t the same poison?’
Nessa asked. It could have just been a coincidence that they were all poisoned on the same day. While unlikely, hers could have been different. They had no way to know.

Devin stared down at the dead body; Nessa had made a good point.

“What are they doing?” Devin asked both Nessa and Owen. The robed men had moved on in their preparations, and a faint spell had been cast above the dead man’s feet.

“They are enchanting his body to make it last for one year to put in the crypt. We celebrate the death of a sidhe with an after year of viewing and remembering. They make it so he doesn’t decay as he lies in the crypt,” Nessa explained. She had shown Devin the crypt extensively, but she wasn’t sure why it was relevant now.

‘Make them stop,’
Devin ordered as he stooped down next to the upper half of Bray’s body.

Nessa wanted to snap at him that she wasn’t his secretary, but his tone of voice told her that she shouldn’t. She didn’t understand, but listened to Devin anyway. “Stop now,” Nessa said, commanding the men to stop.

Owen began to protest before noticing Devin by his grandfather’s head, and he immediately positioned himself to take his grandfather away from Devin.

“Don’t touch him, day human.” Owen snarled, moving to attack Devin. However, Devin didn’t even flinch as he continued to check the man for poison.

‘The poison is stuck where they already preserved him for his after year. I won’t be able to get it out if they continue,’
Devin told Nessa. Her anger at his direct commands lessened as he explained. Nessa had been trying to give Devin more of a chance since she found out he actually loved her, but it was hard. Everything inside of her told her to fight back when he was brash.
‘I think there’s enough not fixed to get a sample. It might be small, but you’re right. We do need to see if it’s the same poison. We need to know if this is just one group or if there are others also acting with poison.’

That made sense. Even Nessa was unsure how the sidhe would react to not being able to use assassins. Would they all turn to poison, since Devin had banned the assassins? They needed the poison to examine it, and Owen needed to back off. Nessa prepared herself to fight if Owen tried anything.

Owen jumped at Devin as he conversed silently with Nessa, and she leapt at the approaching sidhe. She defensively stood in front of Devin, and waited for the fury of the younger O’Ryan. Owen wasn’t going to attack Devin while he worked. Nessa would be sure of that. She may not have liked Devin’s tone in ordering her around, but he was still her bonded human. Nessa glared at Owen, waiting for him to move, but nothing came. As Owen jumped, he seemed to bounce right off an invisible shield which was surrounding Devin and Nessa. Owen hit the floor with a crash and Nessa stood back up.

‘What is that?’
Nessa asked Devin. She didn’t feel anything around them.

‘Protection,’
Devin replied, standing with a small bubble of poison above his hand. “They may finish now,” Devin told Nessa.

Nessa nodded to the men who were waiting and watching the scene. No matter what Owen said or did, Nessa was their future queen, and they were not going to move without Nessa’s orders. Owen stood up from where he landed on the floor ungracefully.

“What is that?” Owen asked, pointing to Devin’s hand and accusing Devin with his eyes of doing something evil to his dead grandfather.

“The poison,” Nessa replied, rolling her own eyes at Owen. He was just trying to pick a fight. Owen was the prime example why Nessa couldn’t stand most of the elite sidhe; they were all like him. “And now we just need to find out who sent it to you.”

Although Nessa didn’t need to explain more, she was upset that the sidhe thought that by being an outsider Devin was doing something bad or evil. Devin was the only one in the palace, beyond her own cousins, that had no agenda to sabotage a single person. Even after Maureen, one of the elders, sent her son after Nessa, Devin wasn’t looking for revenge.

Owen stayed by his grandfather’s body as he glared at Devin. Nessa was unsure what the glare was for, but guessed that he didn’t like being bested by an invisible shield. Nessa had to try to keep a serious face. She had no idea why the sidhe kept underestimating Devin even after he received her grandfather’s powers. Their attempts were fruitless even before he had them. They stood no chance now.

“There’s only one place to look,” Owen said, very sure of himself and his assessment. “The Millers did this.” Owen stood, waiting for a reply of agreement.

Devin turned to look at Owen. The O’Ryan heir was still mad at Devin, but he was back to his cocky self. His ego didn’t seem to stay bruised. Devin shook his head, and even Nessa found Owen a bit much to handle.

“If that’s true, why did they poison two of their own this morning along with you?” Devin revealed.

Owen opened his mouth to reply, but didn’t have one. Even Nessa was shocked by the news. Devin took her hand in his—the one that wasn’t holding the poison—and walked her back to her room. He kept his thoughts to himself even though she could have eavesdropped into them. Devin was already trying to figure out the puzzle.

“How did you know?” Nessa asked as they approached her apartment.

Devin dropped her hand to open the door and grinned.

“I heard the healers mention they already had done two bodies over at the Miller’s wing today when they entered the room.” Devin motioned for Nessa to go forward.

Nessa shook her head. That was the best part of people ignoring day humans. If they didn’t run in fear, they tended to be careless around him. And Devin, being Devin, would always use that to his advantage. He was just what the sidhe needed.

The auditorium filled
quickly with the elite sidhe families. Devin had to make only one demand to get them to meet him in the large room, and they arrived in fear. Those that knew the old king feared what Devin could do, and those that did not know feared what they saw in their elder’s eyes. Even after their rough treatment, Devin had waited as
patiently as he could for the sidhe to remove their dead to the crypt before announcing to all of them to meet him in the auditorium. That didn’t mean he was in a good mood. He was fuming from the assassinations and the attempt on Nessa’s life. Devin had specifically told them to stop killing each other with assassins. He had meant the “stop killing” part as the emphasis, but the sidhe took it that the hidden assassins were the problem. They didn’t see the wrong behind the continuous killing. Devin needed to make them stop, and had to figure out how to change the way they saw the world. Not too big of a task.

The sidhe were gathered together so that Devin could see each and every one of them. He needed to look into the faces of the elite sidhe to tell who was lying. Someone had ordered a hit on the people who were killed. Three families had been attacked. It was likely one of the two families left had planned it, but he wasn’t completely sure. He didn’t put it past the sidhe, who had no problems killing people left and right, to kill their own family to hide themselves. Who would go against his demand that they stop the assassinations, though? He wasn’t just figuring it out to save Nessa. The elite sidhe were killing each other off. Didn’t they see that at the rate they were going, it would lead to everyone ending up dead?