The Nightshade Crown, #1
The Foxglove King
by Hannah Whitten
Contents
Chapter One
Overview
Lore, an undercover spy embedded with poison runner Michal, protects his household from eviction by blackmailing the landlord’s son after sensing foxglove-tainted Mortem in him. The chapter establishes Lore’s dangerous work for Val, Lore’s growing and unwanted attachment to Michal, and Lore’s unusual connection to death-magic. As preparations for the Sun Prince’s Consecration distract the city’s authorities, Lore heads toward a new job that may further entangle Lore in Dellaire’s criminal and supernatural currents.
Summary
In Dellaire’s Harbor District, Lore handles the monthly rent collector because Michal, whose house she has been living in for a year, is still asleep after a late poison-running job. Lore is secretly spying on Michal’s boss, Gilbert, for Val; earlier that morning, Lore stole Michal’s drop coordinates and passed them through Frederick the bartender so Val’s people could intercept Gilbert’s poison drop.
Pierre, the landlord Nicolas’s youngest son, arrives to demand rent. Lore first tries to manipulate Pierre by posing as vulnerable and possibly pregnant, letting Pierre invent the story himself. When Pierre touches Lore’s shoulder, Lore senses Mortem in Pierre despite Pierre being alive, realizes Pierre has recently taken foxglove from a deathdealer, and reacts by forcing Pierre to his knees.
Lore uses Pierre’s drug use as leverage. Lore threatens to tell Nicolas that Pierre spent his money on deathdealers unless Pierre tells Nicolas the rent is paid for the next six months. Pierre leaves shaken, and Lore warns Pierre that real deathdealers keep morgues in the back because death’s balance is easy to tip.
Inside, Lore spars verbally with Elle, Michal’s sister, while hiding that Lore kept the last of the coffee for herself. Lore reflects that Lore’s relationship with Michal is based on a lie and that Lore will leave once Val gives the order, though Lore is increasingly aware that Lore enjoys being with Michal.
Upstairs, Michal wakes and mentions Lore’s recent nightmares, which Lore can only remember in fragments of sky, sea, and a dark shape. Michal says he has another poison drop because Gilbert’s business has increased while the Presque Mort and the bloodcoats prepare for the Sun Prince’s Consecration. Lore worries despite herself, kisses Michal, then pulls away because the attachment feels dangerous.
After Michal leaves, Lore reflects on Mortem, the death-magic tied to the Buried Goddess beneath the Citadel, and on the crescent mark in Lore’s palm that binds Lore to Dellaire. Lore changes clothes, trades final insults with Elle, and leaves the row house for a meeting with Val, aware that the streets, Val and Mari, and unwanted childhood memories are Lore’s only constants.
Who Appears
- LoreUndercover spy who senses Mortem, blackmails Pierre, and struggles with feelings for Michal.
- PierreLandlord’s youngest son; arrives to collect rent while secretly dosed with foxglove.
- MichalPoison runner and Lore’s lover; unknowingly serves as Lore’s route into Gilbert’s operation.
- ElleMichal’s sister; trades insults with Lore while living in the same row house.
- ValLore’s handler; receives stolen drop information and summons Lore for another job.
- GilbertMichal’s boss; his poison-running operation is the target of Lore’s spying.