Cassidy stumbled as soon as she saw them. Grey, suspecting had been ready and helped hold her up and steady as she went deathly pale, her freckles standing out against her suddenly icy skin. She was trembling, but then so was Grey.
"Here too," she whispered. "Here too..."
Grey swallowed hard once, then looked to Foulques. "The bad news is that you are right, they are exceptionally poisonous, and it is a poison that is impossible to detect, and fatal. Even to a Black Widow who knows what she's doing, they can't even detect it."
"One can," Cassidy whispered. "And one Witch survived them." She swallowed hard against rising bile. She looked to Grey and said weakly. "Kiss kiss."
What he muttered probably would have been a swear word, given the tone. Here it was rendered to "Weeds."
Cassidy nodded. "It was betrayal, someone she should have been able to trust..." Tears ran down her face as she wiggled free then went to kneel beside the plant. Despite all the horrible things they were explaining she stroked one of the petals gently, delicate. She swallowed hard again, and when she spoke the words were for Foulques but spoken to the blooms. "Witchblood. It is called Witchblood. And it blooms only in two places, where a murdered witch was buried, or where her blood was spilled in violence. Not... not a small fight, lethal or near lethal damage. Someone is either buried here or," her voice cracked, "Was wounded badly here. Maybe died."
"We found a patch in the gardens at Greyhaven," Grey said softly, to Foulques, though he moved to stand behind his wife, his hands on her shoulders. "They can't be moved, they can't be killed."
Cassidy Put a hand over her husband's, her face tracked with tears that did not stop. "She called them living memento mori," she said softly. "In some cases, the only record of a life ended too soon. sharply. She swallowed hard, then shook her head. "The plants themselves are deadly if any part of them are ingested," she finally looked up at Foulques, "but they will not poison any other plants near them, nor the soil. I'd say give them a border of other flowers, or some other decorative or at least non-edible plant to keep anyone from accidentally harvesting them. But no harm will come from them just being there that is not brought with hands and either intent or negligence. But if anyone is poisoned with Witchblood." She shuddered and shook her head. "There is only one Healer I know who could heal that damage, and the only time she succeeded... the Queen she healed lost almost all use of her legs, because that was where he has to pull it out through in order to keep it from her heart and brain." She looked sick and closed her eyes.
Tears were on Grey's face as well as he squeezed her shoulders gently.
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chiming
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Date: 2025-05-12 02:05 am (UTC)From:"Here too," she whispered. "Here too..."
Grey swallowed hard once, then looked to Foulques. "The bad news is that you are right, they are exceptionally poisonous, and it is a poison that is impossible to detect, and fatal. Even to a Black Widow who knows what she's doing, they can't even detect it."
"One can," Cassidy whispered. "And one Witch survived them." She swallowed hard against rising bile. She looked to Grey and said weakly. "Kiss kiss."
What he muttered probably would have been a swear word, given the tone. Here it was rendered to "Weeds."
Cassidy nodded. "It was betrayal, someone she should have been able to trust..." Tears ran down her face as she wiggled free then went to kneel beside the plant. Despite all the horrible things they were explaining she stroked one of the petals gently, delicate. She swallowed hard again, and when she spoke the words were for Foulques but spoken to the blooms. "Witchblood. It is called Witchblood. And it blooms only in two places, where a murdered witch was buried, or where her blood was spilled in violence. Not... not a small fight, lethal or near lethal damage. Someone is either buried here or," her voice cracked, "Was wounded badly here. Maybe died."
"We found a patch in the gardens at Greyhaven," Grey said softly, to Foulques, though he moved to stand behind his wife, his hands on her shoulders. "They can't be moved, they can't be killed."
Cassidy Put a hand over her husband's, her face tracked with tears that did not stop. "She called them living memento mori," she said softly. "In some cases, the only record of a life ended too soon. sharply. She swallowed hard, then shook her head. "The plants themselves are deadly if any part of them are ingested," she finally looked up at Foulques, "but they will not poison any other plants near them, nor the soil. I'd say give them a border of other flowers, or some other decorative or at least non-edible plant to keep anyone from accidentally harvesting them. But no harm will come from them just being there that is not brought with hands and either intent or negligence. But if anyone is poisoned with Witchblood." She shuddered and shook her head. "There is only one Healer I know who could heal that damage, and the only time she succeeded... the Queen she healed lost almost all use of her legs, because that was where he has to pull it out through in order to keep it from her heart and brain." She looked sick and closed her eyes.
Tears were on Grey's face as well as he squeezed her shoulders gently.