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‘Excuse me,’ Vale said, and picked up Irene’s hand where it lay limply on the arm of the chair He slid back her cuff and checked her pulse ‘The lady is conscious, as you can see, and seeh health otherwise, so one !’ Kai leaned forward and cupped her face in his hands, staring into her eyes She could just barely feel the touch of his skin against her face ‘Can you hear us?’

‘Hear’ she ed to force out ‘Curcurare’

‘She’s been poisoned with curare!’ Kai swung round to Vale ‘Quick! Where can we find a doctor?’

Irene wondered sourly if dragons were particularly prone to stating the obvious at htened, his eyes flashing with enthusiasm ‘I believe we can deal with this here and now I have a small amount of a strychnine derivative with ency – ’

Much is now explained, Irene thought, even more sourly

– ‘and while there may be some h to speak Mr Strongrock, if you would be good enough to hold her shoulders steady?’

‘Of course,’ Kai said, stepping round behind her chair to grasp her shoulders She could actually feel his fingers biting into her through the folds of clothing Either the curare earing off, or that was a very firlass tube fro his head away, he flipped the lid off and briefly passed it under Irene’s nose

Irene inhaled Her whole body jolted in an undignified convulsion, legs kicking wildly and tangling in her long skirt, theHer head snapped back and without Kai’s grip on her shoulders, she would have sprawled out of the chair to thrash on the floor

‘Miss Winter?’ Vale said, closing the glass tube and putting it back in his pocket ‘Can you understandfor ain her limbs slowly eased It just felt like cramps now Really bad cra, extremely slow rubdown in a hot bathhouse

That must be the strychnine She wouldn’t nored to mumble ‘Thank – thank you Got to – it was Bradamant, the book’s with Aubrey, not really Aubrey – ’

Vale exchanged a uess what they were thinking: She’s still delirious