"As you could probably tell…"
His expression darkened further.
"When the sudden summons came, I answered it without thinking much of it."
Unfortunately, because Orryn had grown accustomed to Malrik arranging meetings outside the Chancellor's office in places meant to feel more casual and comfortable, nothing initially seemed strange about being asked to meet at the usual lagoon.
Everything started normally. Predictably.
Malrik even asked after Ilyss's wellbeing while calmly going through reminders regarding dragon eggs and hatchlings.
And then suddenly—
Orryn's breathing hitched sharply.
"The tea," he said quietly. "The moment it hit…"
His fingers tightened against the sheets again.
"It started burning."
The liquid he'd swallowed violently rose from his stomach straight into his throat.
Not like ordinary poison.
No.
It felt alive.
The burning sensation practically tore through him from the inside as if molten acid had been poured directly into his body.
