Chapter 93: The Theriac

They climbed down the stairs together and went to where Beverly was. The room was sombre and Beverly sat in her bed, pale-faced as the sheets and blank-eyed. A maid stood beside her and wiped her back with warm water and brushed her hair.

Electra's eyes went to the corner of the room, where an old man with a hunched back stood. The few grey hairs he had hung from the back of his head like snakes. The grey dress he wore flowed to the ground and carried dirt with it.

The two walked to him and the man turned. Electra saw his dark brown eyes, sunken and watery. His lips turned to a smile and he bowed lightly. "Nice to see you well, lady Marjorie."

"Cut the formalities, Bayon," she said. "Tell us how she is doing and if she is going to get better."