Chapter Ten – A Sudden Change in Wind
Benjamin frowned at his phone. What was his mother calling him for? He had just barely stepped out of the palace on his way to meet with representatives from Northfall. He accepted the call. "Mother, is something wrong?"
"I'd say it is." Maria's voice was perfectly even. "I need to speak with you at once."
There was the sound of crying in the background. Benjamin hesitated only a moment. His mother knew what he was doing, and if she was calling him back, then it had to be of urgent importance. He headed back inside, wondering what this could be about. By the time he reached his mother's suite, his fire was flickering, agitated.
Julia was in the suite, sitting by the window. She was sobbing but pulled herself up straighter when he walked in. Benjamin rushed to her, but as he reached out for her, she pulled away. It stopped him and then he saw the look on his mother's face. Grim. A flash of anger in her eyes. His heart started pounding. Had she told Julia to leave the palace? Was that why Julia was sobbing so hard? Did Maria think Julia wasn't good enough to be queen? Well, he wouldn’t accept that.
"Mother." He inclined his head, hoping his voice didn't give him away. "What did you want to speak to me about?"
Julia made a muffled sobbing noise. Her arms wrapped around her middle and she rocked back and forth. The heavy scent of lavender, meant to be soothing, did nothing to calm his agitation.
"It's nothing I need to say to you," Maria said. "Julia here has something she needs to tell you. Before this . . . The relationship gets any deeper."
Benjamin turned his bewildered gaze onto Julia. Fresh tears poured down her face and he dropped to his knees next to her, reaching to take her hands in his. Once more, she drew back. It was like she didn't want him to touch her. But why?
"Julia? What is it?"
She gave Maria a wild-eyed, terrified look.
Benjamin growled low in his throat. Regardless of Julia's flinches, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, narrowing his eyes at his mother. "I don't care what you and the councilors think. I'm not going to throw Julia away like she's nothing to me. It's ridiculous to say that I have to be married on such a tight deadline, how am I supposed to run a kingdom if I don't love my queen?"
"Don't," Julia gasped. She pulled away from him, only adding to his confusion. He shot a questioning look at Maria, who shook her head.
"I'm not telling you to do anything but listen to what she has to say – and then leave. Don't say a word until you know exactly how you want to respond, Benjamin."
"I don't understand."
Julia let out a sob mixed with a laugh. "You will soon. Benjamin . . . I'm sorry. I never meant . . . I mean, I didn't know . . . I . . . "
The prince wrapped his arms around her, wishing he knew what was going on. What could she possibly tell him that would have her breaking down like this? She was always in control. Dread slipped into the pit of his stomach. Was she married? Sick? Dying?
"Julia, tell me," he urged. His head felt foggy from the confusion and he struggled to concentrate. "Nothing you can say will make me turn away from you."
Julia laughed through her tears. "Oh, Benjamin . . . I wish . . . "
"Ben?" Maria gasped.
He turned to her to see the color rapidly draining from her face. She slumped in her wheelchair, both hands clutching her chest. She opened her mouth and then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she toppled over. Benjamin lunged, just catching the wheelchair from falling on her. Adrenaline spiked through his blood.
Not again!
"Mother! Mother!" Benjamin gathered her into his arms and shook her gently, trying to get her to respond. She hung limp, eyes half-closed. Was she breathing? He couldn't see her chest moving. "Mother!"
Julia dropped to her knees beside him. She grasped Maria's wrist and held it for a few seconds. "She doesn't have a heartbeat."
"Mother!"
Benjamin froze, unable to process the situation. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. She couldn’t be dying. Couldn't be . . . dead.
"Lay her on the floor," Julia ordered him. "Flat."
Everything seemed to be spinning around him and he couldn't seem to focus on anything. His nostrils felt clogged, the air thick. It filled his lungs and made his fires flicker, riding low. His eyes drooped . . . He needed to breathe but his lungs weren't working.
Julia bent over Maria, doing chest compressions. The scent lavender clung to him, with a nutty undertone. Suddenly Benjamin knew what it was. He stumbled to his feet and staggered to the window. He couldn’t get it open, so he grabbed the teapot sitting on the table and smashed it into the glass. A rush of air hit him square in the face, making the spinning of his head stop. He sucked in a deep breath and broke open the rest of the window to maximize airflow, then rushed to the door and kicked it open.
"Medics," he shouted. "Hurry!"
Running back, he pushed Julia aside and gathered Maria into his arms. His head spun and legs trembled but he carried her into the hallway and laid her back down for Julia to continue to do the chest compressions. The scent of lavender and almonds followed them out.
"What's happening?" the medics asked him when they arrived.
"It's an allergic reaction to almonds," Benjamin gasped. "But how did it get into the room?"
"The humidifier," Julia said as the medics took over giving the queen CPR. She rushed to his side. "I saw Natalie with some essential oils today. She said it was for the queen's humidifier. It would be easy to slip some almond into it and mask it with lavender."
Natalie. She knew the shared allergies to almonds that the queen and prince had – it was why she drank soymilk. A growl escaped Benjamin's throat as he got to his feet. He watched the medics wheel his mother away, then gestured for Julia to come with him. He was still weak but got stronger as his advanced healing kicked in. By the time they got to the housekeeping quarters, he was charging ahead and Julia jogged to keep up with him.
Natalie sat behind the desk, writing something on a sheet. She jumped, then stood and bowed. Benjamin could see by the look on her face that she knew why he was there, but she didn't seem afraid. More like triumphant.
"What did you do?" he growled.
"What was necessary. You were never going to marry as long as Mommy was around to cover your ass. I've loved you since the first moment I saw you. I know you better than anybody else ever could. I know that you needed to be pushed to reach your full potential, but she never let you."
"Natalie," Julia gasped. "What . . . You poisoned the queen?"
Natalie sneered at her. "I poisoned the queen. Yes. I've been slipping almond extract into all of her favorite spices. The scent of habanero is too powerful for you to tell what else is in there. And after that coma, all she needed was a final push."
"You could have killed them both!" Julia shouted. "Almond extract in the humidifier – of course Benjamin was going to visit her! He could have been killed as well."
"No, the concentration is too small to kill a powerful young Dragon like you," she said to Benjamin. "Don't you understand? I love you. I just needed you to see what you could be. Even if it meant Julia would be your queen instead of me."
She was insane. It was the only explanation to this. Benjamin snarled and lunged forward. Julia caught him and dragged him back before he could reach the blonde.
"Don't," she said. "Benjamin, no. You can't kill her."
"Watch me!"
Julia dug her feet into the floor, pressing her weight against him to keep him back. "No! She'll go to jail and she'll be tried for what she did. But you can't just kill her. Think about what the media would do with that. Benjamin. Benjamin! Listen to me. Please."
It took all the strength in his body but Benjamin stepped back. He nodded and Julia called for the guards. Within moments, Natalie was being dragged away. Benjamin collapsed into her chair. His gaze fell on what she had been writing. It was a suicide note. Well. It was a good thing he hadn't killed her since it appeared to be exactly what she wanted.
Julia's arms wound around him. "I'm so sorry."
"Mother will be fine. She's strong and we know what's been poisoning her . . . She'll be fine." Benjamin closed his eyes and prayed silently that he was right. As Julia's arms tightened, he opened his eyes again and looked at her. "What were you going to tell me?"
She shuddered. "I can't. Not right now. But I will. I'll tell you soon, I promise."
He opened his mouth to argue but she cut him off with a kiss. He needed her more than anything in that moment, so he kissed her back, teasing her mouth open as he did. Very well . . . She would tell him when she was ready. Until then, he wouldn't press.
And in the meantime, he'd hold her as though his life depended on it.