Menkar knew that if he submerged in water now, his servants would come to know of his origins. So, he opened a wooden box that contained drafts. Opening the cork of a bottle given by his healer, he emptied the contents in his mouth. It was a sleeping draft. He was planning on sedating himself until at least mid-day.
He closed the box and stashed it below the bench of the seat. Then he leaned against the back and closed his eyes. So what if his plans were delayed only by a few days. He had waited for thousands of years. A few days didn't matter. But when he would come back, he would come back with vengeance. He closed his eyes, waiting for the draft to take its effect.
---
"AHHHH!" Tania doubled up in pain. She was breaking the fast along with everyone in the dining hall when a sudden excruciating pain blasted in her stomach. She got up, holding her stomach. The pain was so horrible that her mind became numb and beads of sweat came on her face. The soul stone on her neck tumbled out and dangled. A light inside it flickered and pulsated out. It was so intense that the tangerine stone turned almost red. It glowed for a moment.
"Tanin!" Eltanin was on her side immediately.
He took her in his arms before she hit the floor. "Tania!" he rasped. His body was trembling with anticipation. He grabbed the stone and held it in his palm. Aether spilled out of his eyes. Magic pooled in his chest and it traveled all the way through his arms to the stone. The light in it ebbed slowly until it snuffed.
He hurriedly carried her to the main hall and made her lie on a couch. "Get the healer, quickly!" he ordered.
Taiyi and Alrakis rushed after them.
Alrakis gritted his teeth. "I am going to visit that bastard of a spy!" He stomped out of the room with Taiyi at his heels.
As the effect of the medicine wore down, the spy's true features had started showing. The guards heard his painful screams when his hunch came back. His teeth in the upper jaw that were set in a fine line got pushed out. His hair that was silky under the potion's effect, was a tangled rough mess.
He had spent two days in so much pain that he didn't bother to eat food. However, by the end of two days, he demanded to meet the king. He informed the guards that he was a spy with Menkar and that he had so much information that it was more than enough to take down the High Priest of Cetus Monastery.
The spy's request had come while the family was talking to each other in the dining hall. Eltanin and Tania had planned on visiting him but the pain in her abdomen prevented her. Alrakis couldn't bear to see his son in such a condition. He knew what it was when your mate was in so much pain.
"Wait, Alrakis!" Taiyi said as she rushed after him.
"I am going to kill that bloody spy and then I am going after Menkar!" Alrakis spat. He looked so dangerous that the guards around them flinched.
"Alrakis!" Taiyi caught up with him and grabbed his arm.
"Taiyi, don't stop me!"
"We need to think about it. Be reasonable. The spy has a wealth of information. Killing him is not the solution!"
"Then what do you suggest?" Alrakis hissed, his fists clenching tightly on his side. "I can't possibly see my only son and his wife suffering because of them!"
"Neither can I," Taiyi replied. She placed her palm on his cheek to calm him down a little. "I have an idea."