[alaklondewen]

Habeth scraped the uneaten food from Miaama’s dish as best as she could. Those cats are so picky, she thought as the last piece dropped onto the pile. She wondered if maybe one of the cooks tried putting stale scraps in the mix thinking the felines would never know the difference. Whatever the reason for Miaama’s dismissal, Habeth would make the new meal herself.

As she stepped back through the side door to enter the kitchen, Habeth heard several hushed voices coming from the small break room just off to her right. The door was slightly ajar, and the servant could see four maids leaning over the round table in the center of the room. Curiosity grabbed Habeth and she entered to see what the word was.

As she approached, one of the women, Ribwyn, was speaking quickly. “That’s right. It died right there…I guess there was no hope of saving it.”

“What’s going on? What died?” The women immediately made room for Habeth to sit down with them.

“The boy’s dog died!” Ribwyn leaned forward with her eyes wide. “My sister was cleaning the room across the hall, when she heard the boy screamin’ and cryin’. She came out to see what was wrong and the guards outside told her what happened. The dog had eaten the boy’s lunch, and then he started shakin’ and just died right there on the floor.” Ribwyn threw her hands in the air for dramatic affect and sat back in her chair exhausted from telling the story.

“What about Earnil? Is the boy alright?” Habeth suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

“The boy’s fine. He didn’t eat none of the food. That’s what they think did it…the food. They think it must’ve been poisoned!”

Poisoned?! What did this mean? Habeth’s head reeled trying to put the information together in a way that did not end with someone wanting to kill the new heir. Without saying another word, Habeth rose from the table and went back to the kitchen where she made a new dish of cat food. Her body went through the motions while her mind was numb. It just didn’t make any sense. If the food was poisoned, someone in the kitchens had to have done it.

With a new dish in hand, Habeth made her way back to the cats’ room and unconsciously laid the food down. She was going to find out what was going on around her. She’d keep her eyes and ears open wherever she went, and if someone who worked with her wished harm to anyone in the Queen’s family, she would find him or her. A new air of confidence surrounded Habeth as she held herself high and strolled through the hallways back to the kitchens.