Chapter 11 The Curse Worm
Finished
Violet was both flattered and terrified by the offer. She stammered, “Lady Brielle… but I possess no skills whatsoever.”
“Can you pour coffee or wine? Can you manage a simple braid? That is sufficient. You are hired.” Brielle hauled the girl up from the floor.
Before Violet could gather her wits, Brielle placed a bow and spoon before her. “I cannot finish this meal alone. Sit and eat with me.”
Violet stood frozen, unsure of what to do, yet she dared not refuse. She meekly took the bowl and began to
eat.
Seeing her dazed expression, Brielle couldn’t help but smile. It stirred memories of when her own mentor had first found a junior as a frightened apprentice.
Immediately after the meal, the sky darkened abruptly, and soon after, the heavens opened.
Once Violet departed, Brielle finally found a moment to examine the fate astrolabe on her own. She wiped the artifact with great care.
Suddenly, the needle began to spin violently. Startled, she snatched it up and stepped outside. However, just as she reached the courtyard archway, the rain intensified into a deluge.
It was then she took note of the layout of Clarke Estate. Clarke Estate was situated against the rear slope of a hill, a rarity in Kinston. To its left ran a gentle stream, like a watchful guardian; to its right stretched a long, straight road, like a steady shield; before it lay a quiet pond, a sign of good fortune; and behind it rose a line of hills, forming a natural stronghold. It was noble land indeed. Building a manor here ought to have made it a place of prosperity and peace.
Yet, within the grounds, a malevolent miasma seemed to lurk. Brielle walked the covered colonnade, astrolabe in hand, but could not pinpoint the source. She surmised the thunderstorm was interfering with the etheric currents and decided to wait until the tempest passed.
The rain continued to hammer down, accompanied by heavy, suffocating heat that set everyone on edge.
As night fell, a plume of dark smoke rose from the direction of the main gate. Brielle’s brow furrowed. In the next instant, she heard the maids in the inner courtyard rushing through the storm toward the private chambers.
Had something befallen Daniel?
She quickly grabbed a cloak and strode out of her yard. Just then, she spotted Violet traversing the garden. her frail frame looking as though it might collapse under the onslaught of rain at any moment.
“Violet, what is amiss?”
Violet shook her head. “I do not know. Owen commanded us to wait in Daniel’s chambers.”
Brielle deduced instantly that, due to the foul weather, me lazy maid had pushed Violet into going in her stead. She immediately commanded, “Return to my quarters and tidy up. Do not emerge until I return.”
“What…?” Violet froze.
“Do as I say, go!”
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Chapter 11 The Curse Worm
“Yes…” Violet had no choice but to obey.
Finished
Brielle hurried toward Daniel’s quarters. Along the path her eyes were drawn to the stone carvings and garden ornaments. The lion statuary wore fierce, menacing expressions. A sculpture of a devouring beast sat in the stream, appearing to swallow the water’s vitality. With every step, her heart hammered with trepidation. The place was replete with grotesque and ominous decorations.
Whenever thunder rumbled overhead, the astrolabe hidden in her sleeve trembled. This once-blessed estate had not only turned ill-fated; a catastrophic disaster was imminent.
Upon reaching Daniel’s courtyard, she saw a cluster of maids gathered there. However, Owen had not summoned them-Donna was the one frantically issuing orders.
While the guards on the opposite walkway were distracted, Brielle slipped directly into Daniel’s bedchamber.
The room was heavy with the metallic scent of blood. Daniel lay pale and unconscious upon the bed, his garments already undone, as if awaiting a physician’s ministrations. She stepped closer and lifted the linen. A long sword gash ran across his chest, the edges already blackened. The blade had been envenomed.
Suddenly, her gaze turned icy. Something appeared to be writhing beneath Daniel’s stomach!
She pressed her finger down. The creature darted away swiftly, but she was faster and seized it firmly. It was slightly larger than a fingernail and slimy to the touch. She pinched it tight, unaware that she was bruising Daniel’s skin in the process.
She glanced around, spotted the hilt of a dagger protruding from under the pillow, and pulled it free. Using the razor-sharp blade, she made a precise incision, flicked the creature out, caught the small black worm, threw it to the floor, and crushed it beneath her heel.
A curse worm. It fed on blood. Once embedded in a host, it would either devour flesh and blood at the sound of a drum, causing excruciating agony, or eat away at the nerves to enslave the victim’s will, turning them into a puppet.
She had warned Daniel not to venture out recently, as a path of blood lay before him, but he had refused to listen.
It was his fortune that he had crossed her path. Had she been a moment later, the worm would have grown larger, and extracting it would have been as agonizing a being flayed alive.
Just then, Daniel stirred. Seeing her holding the bloodie dagger, poised as if to strike him, he was consumed by rage. “Brielle!”
He attempted to rise. Brielle concealed the dagger behind her back and forced him back onto the mattress. “Do not move! Your wound is still bleeding!”
Murderous fury blazed in Daniel’s eyes. He gripped her wrist. Even in his wounded state, his grasp was powerful enough to crush bone.
“Who sent you? Was today’s assassination attempt your andiwork?”
Hearing this, Brielle looked at him in disbelief and retomed, “Have you lost your mind? I just saved your life!”
She had warned him that blood was his destiny, yet he had gone out regardless, only to be ambushed and
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I had saved the Chloe in the book.
09:52 Thu, May 7
Chapter 11 The Curse Worm
nearly killed-and now he blamed her?
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Finished
Hurried footsteps sounded outside. Donna rushed in, followed by Owen and a physician.
When Owen witnessed the scene inside, his face went ashen. Loyalty to his lord overtook him. He yanked Brielle away and delivered a vicious kick to her abdomen, sending her flying through the doorway.
A sharp pain pierced her. Her heavy body crashed onto the wet ground. Every inch of her throbbed with agony. The pouring rain lashed against her like gravel, drenching her to the bone in seconds.
A violent wave of dizziness and a splitting headache assailed her. She lay there for a long moment, unable to rise. The head injury she had sustained from the wall had chosen the worst possible moment to return.
She struggled to her feet, wiped her mouth, and saw a smear of blood on her hand.
“Guards! Brielle attempted to assassinate Daniel-seize her this instant!” Owen retrieved the bloodstained dagger from the ground and barked the order immediately.
Before she could fully stand, a dozen guards leveled their swords at her neck and hauled her up from the mud.
She closed her eyes to steady her spinning head.
When she opened them again, her gaze was cold and lethal.
Her voice was sharp. “Had I intended to kill Daniel, this dagger would have been buried to the hilt in his chest, dripping with blood, rather than merely staining the tip.”
Upon hearing this, Owen was startled. He looked down at the dagger in his hand and frowned.
“Then what were you doing with the dagger?” Owen recalled that Brielle was one of Elijah’s people, so he could not fathom that her intentions with a blade near Daniel were anything but malicious.
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09:52 Thu, May 7
Fate Binds Me to Lord Clarke
