Blue Moon
an excerpt

Chap 20 – Poison as a Teaching Tool

“I could use a drink. Would you care to join me?”
My mind raced. Was this simply another test, or was it a peace-offering?
“Of course.”
I walked to the vast bookcase and idly studied the titles as Nicholas opened a cabinet concealed in the opposite wall. He pulled out two goblets, hesitated, and took an unlabeled bottle from the top shelf. I watched his long fingers flex and then curl around the objects. His movements were graceful and practiced. He uncorked the bottle and poured a rich burgundy liquid into the two glasses, offering one to me.
“To fate,” he toasted with a tight smile.
I brought the glass to my lips and let the wine settle in my mouth. It tasted of blackberry, vanilla and oak, as well as something slightly bitter.
He seemed genuinely accommodating. It was clear, for the time being, we were to act civil with each other.
I began to relax and take pleasure in simply watching him as I sat on the sofa and sipped my wine. The alcohol was hitting me hard tonight, already my face felt a little numb.
“Will we be studying tonight as well?” I asked.
“I believe so, yes,” he mused, seeming distracted. “Tell me, have you started on your Materia Magicka?” Nicholas had suggested I do the research systematically, with my findings sorted by type. We would then have all of our needed information at hand when we began to do spells.
I nodded. I had most of the cards completed and sorted.
“Then let’s start with an ‘A’. Tell me the properties of Aconite.”
“It’s a poison, also known by the common names of Monkshood and Wolf’s Bane. The entire plant is poisonous, especially the leaves and roots.
“If ingested?” he quizzed me.
“Yes, or from contact,” I added.
“Reaction time?”
This was harder. “Uhm, fifteen minutes to a few hours?”
“Very good. Antidote?
Uh oh. I hadn’t cataloged antidotes.
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” I admitted. I had some trouble getting the words out. My mouth and face were numb and my lips felt swollen.
“Then I believe you will learn something tonight,” Nicholas told me quietly. He leaned in to peer at me closely.
I was beyond caring what he did. My face was now completely numb, and a tingling sensation had taken over both of my arms, as if tiny insects were crawling on them. My skin was cold and clammy and my pulse was irregular and v-e-r-y slow. I wondered for a brief moment if it would stutter to a halt. But my mind was perfectly clear as I watched Nicholas silently.
He looked at his watch and then put his fingers under my chin and looked into my eyes. “How are you feeling?”
I tried to answer him, but my mouth wouldn’t form the words.
“Well, it would appear that the reaction time for ingested Aconite is closer to the 15 minutes you quoted.”
I wanted to scream for help. All I could do was look at him wildly.
“A one to fifty drop ratio of Aconite is sufficient. When taken orally, as you did, Aconite first stimulates and later paralyses the nerves; the initial tingling give place to a long-continued anesthetic action. That is why your tongue and then progressively your face became numb.”
He shifted slightly in his chair and lifted my arm, pressing his thumb to the pulse point on my wrist.
“Taken internally, Aconite acts quite notably on the circulation, the respiration and the nervous system. The pulse is slowed, possibly as low as forty, or even thirty beats per minute. Blood pressure falls and respiration becomes slower, owing to a paralytic action on the respiratory center. Death, therefore, is usually due to asphyxia. Interestingly, as in strychnine poisoning, the victim is conscious and clear-minded to the last.”
As I watched, frightened beyond reason, he deftly inserted a small hypodermic needle into my arm, which he was still holding, and emptied its contents. Steadily, I felt my heart and breathing begin to improve.
“As to those pesky antidotes, which you failed to research,” he lectured me sternly, “the first is atropine, which is what I just gave you. Did you know, by the way, that atropine is a constituent of Belladonna, another poisonous plant I’m sure you have come across in your research?”
I rolled my eyes at him, still unable to speak. When I could, by God, I was going to call the police and have him arrested.
“Yes, well, I see you’re not yet ready for conversation. Here – take this.”
He handed me a dose of green liquid. I eyed it suspiciously.
“It’s an emetic, it will make you vomit and clear the remaining poison from your stomach. I’d advise you take it in the bathroom, not here.”
After I’d puked up every bit of liquid in my stomach and feebly rinsed out my mouth, Nicholas lay me down on the couch. I didn’t want to stay with him a moment longer, but was too weak to flee. He put blankets over me as I shivered, my body evidently still working through the last effects of the poison. He remained beside me, absently stroking my arm, stopping occasionally to feel my pulse. With my free hand I made to wrench his fingers from my captive wrist, but his other hand caught mine easily and held it fast. I was too weak to struggle, so I simply caught his eyes with mine. Whatever he saw there caused him to flinch. He dropped his eyes, let my hand free and stood up.
“You now see how easily one may be overcome by poison,” he said, pacing the space in front of the sofa. “Some are active only when ingested. Some merely have to brush against your skin to gain access. Some take seconds to kill, some take hours, days. They can be dropped into wine or woven into a glove.”
He was becoming agitated. “And so, we will drill on poisons and antidotes this week.” He paused in front of me, looking down. “But without any more actual experiments. I think we’ve adequately demonstrated the need for further study.”
He squatted beside me, eye to eye.
“And, he told me sternly, “we’ll continue to work on your trust issues.
The pacing resumed. “I just hope I don’t have to kill you to remove them,” he muttered to himself.
“You... absolute fiend,” I whispered, my eyes closed. I could think of no words to describe the way I felt about him at the moment.
He answered me as I drifted off in exhaustion.
“Indeed,” I heard him say, as he tucked the covers around me. “Call me what you will, Samantha, if it helps harden you. For you have no idea.”