The palace walls couldn't contain the tension in the air.
Adina lay on the bed, unconscious and still, her body twitching faintly. The healer wiped sweat from her brow, then turned to face the King, eyes filled with worry.
"My king…" she began. "It's a mix of Vale oil and a rare compound we call binding ash," she said, voice careful. "It forces the body into a state of compliance. The mixture was used to paralyze her limbs, muddle her senses, and incite… certain reactions. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing."
Thorne's jaw clenched hard. He glanced at the woman still twitching on the bed. "Certain reactions… what kind?"
The healer looked down, taking a deep breath. "Heat-like symptoms. They wanted her in a state of heat where she would be…" she trailed off. They both knew what it meant if she was in heat, and more so if her heat was induced.
