The Queen's Poisoner

“My name is Elysabeth Victoria Mortimer!” she shrieked wildly at the old woman. Then she grabbed Owen’s belt and yanked him into the fountain with her. Something had warned him she might do that, but he hadn’t been prepared. Before he knew it, the cold water was splashing across his face and he was soaked. He got up spluttering and then splashed water at her, which made her squeal with joy.

“Out! You two get out of there!” Jewel huffed, staring at the sopping children with anxiety. To his surprise, there was also the hint of a smile on her face.

“Catch us!” the Mortimer girl called, and grabbing Owen’s hand, she began to skip away from Jewel to the other side of the fountain. The water had soaked them both through, but it wasn’t so cold anymore and Owen liked the feel of her hand tugging his.

“When your grandfather finds out,” Jewel scolded, “it’ll be a whipping! You hear me? A whipping!”

“He won’t whip me,” the Mortimer girl laughed gaily. Then she released Owen’s hand and started to twirl around in a circle, looking up at the blue sky. After a few twirls, she slumped down on her bottom, too dizzy to do anything but laugh.

Owen stared in wonder at this girl who was unafraid to dance in a royal fountain. She was sitting down, water running down the dark tips of her hair, smiling at him as if it were only the two of them in the world. Owen pretended to stumble and pitched forward into the water, making a loud splash. She giggled infectiously, just as he had hoped.

Later, the two were huddled underneath blankets to dry off by the bread ovens and Jewel was regaling Liona and Drew with the tale of their exploits. Owen was colder now and shivered under the blanket, not wanting to run upstairs for a change of clothes from his limited wardrobe.

“That was fun,” the Mortimer girl said, wiggling her bare toes at the crackling flames. “I don’t regret it.”

Owen hugged his knees and tried to stop shivering. “You . . . you said your father . . . let you climb . . . waterfalls.”

She nodded eagerly. “The water up in the North is so much colder. At the bottom of the waterfall, the one called Mist Falls, there is a little pond. There’s a big rock at the edge of the trail and you can climb it and jump in. All the boys and girls from the valley do it.”

“You’ve done it?” he asked, impressed.

She nodded, her eyes wild with the memories. “It’s still a little scary, because the stone is so high. But I love the feeling I get in my stomach when I jump. Like I’m flying. I can’t wait to bring you there. My papa took me my first time. He held my hand and we jumped together. It makes it easier when you jump with someone else the first time. The water is so cold. It’s like ice, only wetter. You have to swim back to shore before you get too cold. Papa said you can lose your wits if you’re cold for too long. But after we climbed to Mist Falls, we would sit on the edge and eat some wild berries and throw the stems into the mist below. My mother never knew about it. She’s afraid of falling. But I’m not. It would get a little windy at times, but that just means you need to be more careful.”

“Did you ever jump off?” he asked.

The Mortimer girl looked at him as if he were the stupidest person in the world. “Of course not! Some villagers tried it, but they’ve all died. Some people break their arms or legs slipping down the trail. But just because you can get hurt, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t climb waterfalls. I’m so grateful someone had the courage to build that bridge. I’m sure it was dangerous work. But they did it, and now everyone can see what it’s like to stand on top of such a waterfall! It captures your heart, Owen.” She had a faraway look in her eyes, a brightness and eagerness that made him yearn to see it for himself. Then she looked at him and patted his knee. “When we go up North, I’ll take you up to Mist Falls. I’ll hold your hand as we jump off that rock, just as my papa did for me. After that . . . you won’t be afraid of anything.”

The warmth from the ovens made his cheeks burn, but he was still cold beneath the wet clothes. He could picture himself standing on a mountainside with the Mortimer girl next to him. The thought of jumping off a waterfall made his head buzz.

“Owen, guess what!” she whispered, leaning toward him. “I found it!”

“What?” He shook his head to clear it.

“I found where that wall leads from the castle! I saw it out a window. It leads to a small courtyard and there’s—”

“The cistern,” Owen interrupted, gazing at her.

Her eyes went wide. “You saw it?”