CHAPTER 186: PAYBACK

Queen Sephora sat alone in the ice palace. Her white gown lay around her like frost. She crouched low, hands folded, eyes closed. The room felt colder than any other part of the palace. Even the candles can’t withstand the cold.

Adam pushed the door open and the cold air hit him so hard. Heat curled in his palms so that his body felt the heat.

"Mum." His voice echoed.

Sephora’s eyes opened, for a second she looked fragile, then her face hardened. "Is she dead?" she asked without greeting.

Adam shook his head. "Not yet."

Sephora rose instantly and slapped him hard. Adam went to his knees without thinking as pain flared across his cheek.

"What are you waiting for?" she spat. "Do you only watch while she wins? How long will you let that blind thing take everything?"

Adam’s jaw clenched so hard. "Mother, I know what I am doing."

Sephora snorted as her breath steamed in the frosty air. "You say that, but what have you done? Poison failed. Lies failed. The people like her, yet you stand and let it happen."

"She’s stronger than we thought," Adam said. "Poison does not kill her right away. It slowly eats her, but she fights back. If we try to end her now, we risk revealing ourselves. If we break her slowly, we break her when she can’t fight back."

"Break her slowly?" Sephora barked. "You sound like a coward."

"No." Adam’s lips pressed thin. "Not cowardly but a strategy. We can hold the threat over her. We can make her owe us. We need to wait until she turns twenty.."

Sephora looked at him, eyes like struck flint. "Why twenty? Why not now?"

"Because, she won’t die until then...that I when it’s destined to die." Adam said. "The poisons weaken her bit by bit. At twenty it will be at the point we can finish it."

Sephora paced a slow circle. Her hands trembled, though she did not show it. "How did you know this?"

He let out a sly grin, "You just need to leave that to my mother."

She nodded her head in acceptance now, until she recalled something). "Your father...?What about him? He is growing suspicious."

Adam swallowed "Your Highness..." He stopped, then forced the name out, "Father is tricky, but we will not let him ruin our plan."

Sephora closed her eyes. For a moment she seemed older. "Very well, be careful and not fail me."

Adam bowed, "Mum, how are you doing?" Sephora let out another frosty breath.

"I will be out soon... So I don’t have to feel bad." He nodded his head at this.

"How is your crown princess doing?" Sephora asked and he let out a sigh.

"I haven’t checked up on her.." he let out truthfully and she sighed.

"As much as I don’t like her I think it’s time you make a baby with her." His eyes widened at this.

"Mum... I already have an heir.." but instantly she shook her head.

"You can’t..." she shook her head.

"As much as Rhynera is foolish, she can at least give you an heir, not from that Serena." Queen Sephora announced.

Adam frowned at this, "Mother... I thought you cared for Serena?"

Sephora snorted. "Care? Of course not anymore after that crazy stunt she had pulled... Also, Lord Drex doesn’t stand with us, he protects the crown."

Adam swallowed. His jaw tightened. "But what about the child..."

"End it if you must," Sephora cut in without thinking twice."If you can stop the baby, do it. If you can remove Serena, do it. She is getting close to Lumina, and that cannot be allowed."

Adam’s eyes went hard. "Understood. I have already lost patience with her anyways. I will make sure she is silenced."

Sephora leaned forward. "It will be easier if you keep Lord Drex comfortable. Let him think things move his way. Keep your hand gentle, make the court believe he has influence. Then strike."

"Mum.." Sephora placed her hands on her lips as she gestured for him to come near.. Adam moved nearer. She whispered something into his ear.

Whatever she said changed his face. The anger left, replaced by a cold smile.

"Mother," he called now with a huge grin, "Expect good news soon."

Sephora nodded once, approving. Adam bowed, turned, and left the ice palace without another word.

The moment he left Serena stepped from her hiding place, cloak pulled up so only her eyes showed. She watched Adam leave. A cruel smile ghosted across her face. She waited until Adam’s footsteps faded down the corridor. Then she moved toward the ice place.

"I should have known you were a monster.... End me? What a joke?" Serena let out as she pulled something small and wrapped in cloth from the inner pocket of her cloak.

The object was a glass vial with a soft, oily liquid inside. Her fingers closed around the stopper.

She walked toward the middle of the palace like a cat. The doors to Sephora’s chamber were not locked; Adam had left them open so it was easy for Serena to slip inside.

Sephora still stood where Adam had left her. She folded her hands again and muttered words not loud enough to catch. The queen bowed her head, unaware of the shadow at the doorway.

Serena took a breath before covering her nose, then she opened the vial, and the smoking thing spread quickly in the still until the vial was empty.

"You want to play with poison then let’s fight with it.." She whispered.

Serena tucked the veil back into her sleeve and pulled her cloak tighter. Her heart pumped hard, but her face was calm.

Sephora breathed in without thickening, just as she opened her mouth to speak her prayers again, and then coughed. Her hand flew to her chest. Her breath fastened as if unseen hands pressed against her ribs.

Serena did not wait to see the final look of terror. She turned and slipped back into the corridor.

"Face your punishment in your afterlife." Serena thought.