resurrected back before the final falling, i'll never rest until i can make my own way Who: Genevieve Albrecht, Orsinio Calibri What: A mercy killing Where: Calibri's Estate When: This evening Rating: PG-13 Status: Complete.
The summons had come shortly after she had awakened. Michel insisted she send a message in return, informing Count Calibri of her own deteriorating state, but Genevieve brushed the concern away, slowly, painfully, pushing herself into a sitting position. Another opportunity such as this would not present itself so readily, and so she had little choice but to take it. There had been no reported cases of death caused by the mysterious illness, but she was certain that it was simply a matter of time until the death toll began to climb.
She half expected to be numbered among it.
Lizbeth helped her dress in clothing that was warm yet loose; she could barely tolerate anything against her skin. Between the sudden heat and the debilitating cold that shot through her body without pattern or reason, she had spent the last day or so in a thin chemise with blankets piled around her. She forewent jewelry and finery, and her hair was in a long plait down her back. Michel settled her cloak around her shoulders, attempting to talk some sense into Genevieve, but remaining upright was a struggle that required what little attention she could afford to pay to it.
The carriage ride was short, yet the jerking and swaying caused her to be sick in a corner. Upon arrival, the driver - who had surely heard the sounds of her wretching - bestowed her with a sympathetic look while helping her from the car and to the door. She patted her pocket as she waited for the door to open to allow her entrance, trying in vain to focus on what she was here to do.
She had half expected the air to be somber, heavy with worry like her own, but there was nothing of the sort when she walked into the foyer. The staff looked hopeful, and one even ventured forth, saying so quietly Genevieve had to strain to hear, "I am glad you will not be burdened with him, my lady."
The walk to where her betrothed was convalescing was short, yet it took Genevieve far longer to make the trek. At one point, she became short of breath and on the verge of fainting; her guide had to stop and help her. Her vision swam and she closed her eyes, arms grabbing weakly at the man's shoulder.
There was a chair at Orsinio's bedside. Count Orsinio Calibri was a tall, wiry man with a beak hose and beady eyes, yet to look at him, one would not know that. His skin was sallow, his cheeks hollow. The illness had taken no time readying him for death.
She could hear his shallow, reedy breathing as she took the seat clearly meant for her. He stirred only enough to give her a thin-lipped smile. "Jeanette," he wheezed.
"My apologies, Countess," the young man who had escorted her murmured. "He has been hallucinating since this afternoon."
Genevieve remained still; if this was to be her fate, then perhaps she, too, should swallow the poison. It would be a mercy killing; no one, not even Orsinio, deserved an end as ignominious as this.
"Have you a remedy?" she asked, voice quiet, rusty. It hurt to speak, to breathe. She could only imagine the pain Orsinio was in; yet another reason to hasten his demise, as though she did not already have countless motivations to do so.
"They have ceased effectiveness, my lady." The man's tone was apologetic, though he did pull one from his pocket. The fluid was viscous and vile; she was well acquainted with the taste by now, with the way it slithered down her throat. A trial for such limited relief.
She took it from him and nodded her thanks. As soon as he turned from her sight, she switched it with the vial she had enclosed in her pocket. "Your suffering, and mine, shall end soon," she promised. The stopper came undone with little problem and she leaned over, putting the glass to his lips. They parted and she tipped the contents of the vial into his mouth, watching his throat as it worked to drink down the poison.
Once the vial was emptied, she fell back into the chair; such little action caused her exhaustion. She did not take her eyes from Orsinio as his eyes fluttered closed and his wheezing breath slowed. One final exhale and his body went still.
"Eternal rest unto you," she whispered, her own eyes closing. Sebastien had left his master and the Countess to have a moment alone. He did not expect his master to survive the night, nor did he anticipate that Genevieve Albrecht would mourn Orsinio's passing, but he felt it polite to give them the time whether they desired it or not. There was little he could do to ease his master's suffering, and out of habit, he remained just outside the door, which was why he heard the clatter of something falling.
Quickly, he threw open the door to find Orsinio laying still as the grave, swaddled in his blankets, and Genevieve Albrecht passed out on the floor near the bed, a vial clutched in her hand. He moved through the room to kneel beside her, fingers moving to the pulse point in her neck; it was thready, but there. "Nicolette!" he shouted, picking the Countess up and rushing out of the room. "Quickly, call the mage. She is in need of help."
Nicolette nodded and turned, taking long strides down the hall and disappearing. There was a sitting room not far from Orsinio's quarters, and he took the Countess there, gently laying her on the couch. The vial was still clasped in her hand and he carefully pried it away, pocketing it. Nicolette returned, informing him that the mage was on her way.
Sebastien nodded. "I will inform Count Albrecht," he said. "Please wait with her."
He closed the door behind him and turned right, heading towards the kitchen and out the side door into the garden. He removed the vial from his pocket and smashed it against the concrete. The vial shattered, the glass falling in a rain of shimmering light. He retrieved a broom, swept the remnants into a dustbin before pouring it into a waiting bag of rubbish.
As far as anyone would ever know, Count Orsinio Calibri died of illness.
Without a backwards glance, he returned to the house, sending the message to Count Albrecht as he walked.