Nadine

55. Claws

After the meeting I go to Dipaks office with him. I sit on one side of his desk. He takes the hint and sits behind his desk.

"I really am sorry Dipak. I was so scared of you."

"You were going through a lot princess. Like I said before, I'm not mad. I never was." I can tell he's worried. Although I'm not sure why.

"I convinced myself that you hated me and I could never be forgiven for being scared of you." I can feel the tears coming to my eyes. "I guess all that damage, I did it to myself." I stare out his window for a long time. "Do you think we'll ever be friends again? Or were we ever? Maybe I was always the child you had keep safe."

"Stop." He's deep in thought. "I told you before how I felt. Nadine, that hasn't changed... It never will."

I sit in his lap and bury my face in his neck. We both relax right away and I start to fall asleep.

I jump up. "Why are you always so warm? I touch you and fall asleep."

He pulls me back to his lap. "Well at least if we fall asleep here. We won't need an alibi."

I laugh. "Yea I can just take a few hidden tunnels and say it never happened."

"You know about those?"

"Yea." I smile at his book shelf. "All of them Advisor Dipak. Few hidden rooms too."

"That's how you sneak out of the castle and where you hid to run away that night isn't it?"

I smile. He really is warm.

Someone knocks on his door and I jump over the desk and into the other seat.

"Enter."

"Advisor Dipak you are being summoned to an emergency advisor meeting."

"Wow, you guys have a lot of meetings. I'm going out. You have fun."

"Princess Hypatia Nadine Sandu you are being summoned to an emergency advisor meeting."

"You all know that I'm not an advisor right?" I stare at the guards. "And why does my name get longer every time you guys say it?" I shrug my shoulders, "Well I almost got out."

We get to daddy's office and I sit in my seat.

Tre smiles. "You ok princess?"

"Yes advisor. I almost made it out that time."

They all start to laugh.

"Why am I here?"

Frode answers, "We need any additional information you have about the being you treated."

"I don't have anything, Advisor Frode. I gave you all I had. You were all even there for the autopsy. There is nothing else I can tell you. I'm sorry."

"Who found the being?"

"I don't know sir. It was just in my row of people I was trying to get through."

"Did anyone see or remember who found it?"

Everyone shakes their heads.

"Sir I can fly back over the cliffs and search if you would like."

Daddy shakes his head. "No, we will go back princess. You will stay here."

"Princess, did you give me the copies of all of your files from that being?"

"Yes sir. I also sent over copies of the file of that old case we found."

"Yes I received that. Thank you princess." He writes something down. "Did anyone happen to find any other files about them?"

"No sir."

"Princess do you have the antidote started?"

"I have been here all day and in the bath yesterday. I have no idea sir... I think I should go back to work now. I think I'm ready... Actually I need to. There's something I forgot." I run out.

Dipak yells. "What did you forget?"

"I don't remember yet sir."

I run in the room the being was in. All the advisors and my daddy followed me.

"The smell was the first thing that hit me. I was almost a sour smell. I checked the blood drip. It was getting absorbed. But I couldn't figure out where it was going. I shut it off." I pull the sheets off the bedding. The mattress that has a couple holes in it. "That's weird."

"What's weird princess?" Tre is watching me.

"Those holes are burned."

Dipak takes his sword and cuts straight down the center of where the being was. It's all green and burnt up. Like it all melted on the inside.

"I've never seen anything like this before. Most of the damage to the bedding is located where the blood drip was going in and by the feet." I walk down and look at the feet part of the bed. "Why the feet?"

I reach out and touch the green spot. "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I rip off the glove. The blisters start forming on my hand and running up my arm so fast. I watch it and scream. "AAAAAHHHHHHH!'

"ANTIDOTE NOW!" Someone is screaming and someone else picks me up and carries me to the desk.

I can't stop screaming. It hurts so bad.

Dr. Cruor takes a handful of the cream and throws it on my arm. "I don't know if she's supposed to eat it or let it soak."

The pain is immediately gone. The blisters clear up as fast as they showed up. I stand there staring at my arm.

Then I smile at everyone. "Well, that was different."

Tre nods. "Do not touch that anymore."

I start to laugh. "Yea I don't think you'll have to worry about that sir." I lead them all back in the room.

"But why is concentrated at the back of the neck and the feet?"

Dipak winks at me. "Defense. It's a natural defense. A built in poison. And we are damn lucky we didn't come in contact with it that day."

"But why the feet? I can understand it's weak spot but the feet?" I stare at Dipak. "And yea, I agree. Really lucky."

Tre nods. "Those 3 long toes. I bet they are claws of some kind."

I scratch my head. "Do we still have the body?"

Gunner laughs. "Yes, and I didn't bury it this time." Everyone looks at him. "What? I really didn't want to go unbury it again."

We all laugh.

"Come with me. It's not far."