Hours later, the King's riders hammered on Isolde's door. They burst inside, their swords drawn, demanding the traitor. Isolde simply pointed to the cold body lying on the stone floor. The captain of the guard knelt, pressed two fingers to Julian's neck, and peeled back his eyelid. Seeing only a vast, empty black void and feeling no pulse, the captain spat on the floor and declared him dead.
He had survived the nightshade. He was free, but his eyes would forever remain slightly too wide, and his skin slightly too pale—a permanent reminder that to buy a new life, one must always walk hand-in-hand with death. nightshade
It would widen his pupils until his eyes were as black as obsidian. He would see the world through a terrifying, beautiful haze. Hours later, the King's riders hammered on Isolde's door
"They say you can make a person forget," Julian whispered, his hands trembling against the iron latch. "They say you can give a man a new face." The captain of the guard knelt, pressed two
His heart would slow to a crawl. To any physician or guard holding a hand to his chest, he would feel as cold and lifeless as stone.