"Is it just me?" Sebastion said, "or has Aaron been acting off lately?" They sat across from each other, each with a cup of water neither of them had touched.
"Yeah," Amari agreed. "I haven't even been able to spar with him—which is weird because—"
"That guy loves to spar!" they both said at the same time.
Sebastion leaned back in exasperation. "Exactly! I haven't been able to either. Not only that, but he hasn't even been around lately. I have a feeling Madam knows something..." Amari took a sip of water. "It's been like this ever since the rat fight three months ago."
Sebastion sat back up. "You're right."
"Could he have been hurt?"
"Maybe, but it's been three months. Everyone would have noticed."
"True," Amari muttered.
The door opened. Jace—one of the gang members—walked in.
"Yo—" He paused.
"...Why do y'all look like you're coming up with a conspiracy?" "No, we don't," Sebastion said."Mhmm." Jace hummed, unconvinced. "Anyway, Aaron called a meeting, so come on."
****************************************
"I'm sick"
The yard was silent as everyone processed that simple but devastating truth.
"What? Like... you have a cold or something?" a gang member asked.
"If you do, go to Sabi. He can get you fixed up," another said.
But Aaron shook his head. "No."
He said it simply.
The way he said it—with a calm certainty, like he had already accepted something—made Amari's skin crawl.
"What do you mean, 'No'?" Sebastion asked, his voice rising with something Amari couldn't name.
Disbelief, maybe.
"I mean, I..." Aaron took a breath. "Look at me. I'm weaker. More tired." When Amari looked at him—really looked at him—she could see it.
He had lost muscle. Not a lot, but enough that someone who knew him would notice and he looked more tired. So unlike his usual self.
"Maybe you've been slacking on training!" Sebastion said through clenched teeth, though everybody knew how unlikely that was.
"Or not eating enough!"
That was just as unlikely.
"Either way, don't just jump to conclusions!"
"Oh, don't play bullshit!" Aaron shouted. "I've gone to Sabi so many times, and every time the same conclusion was made. I know you're smart, Sebastion—so see it how it is! Not the way you want it to be!"
Shouts erupted from the gang.
"You want us to just accept this?!"
"No way!"
"Are you out of your fucking mind?!"
Amari couldn't speak.
Couldn't shout.
Could barely process.
Her mind was blank, a lady's face flashing through her vision.
Then Sabi walked in.
One of the gang members immediately called out to him.
"Sabi! Tell us this is a joke—that he's lying or... or being overdramatic!"
Sabi didn't answer.
Amari stepped between them.
"Hey, give him some space."
Sabi took a breath. "Sebastion. Aaron. Amari. Come with me."
*********************************************
"It's not a sickness. It's a curse."
"What?" they all asked at the same time.
Sabi sighed.
"I know. I know. It's a late revelation, but I've been racking my mind for nights, and this is the most logical solution and..."
He swallowed, gritting his teeth.
"I can't. I can't do anything about it."
Sebastion took a step forward.
"What do you mean?"
"It means I can't treat it. I can't—I can't..."
Amari stepped forward.
"Hey," she said softly. "Breathe with me, okay?"
Sabi nodded, his breathing coming in short bursts.
When it finally stabilized, he spoke again, though Amari could still see the tiredness in his eyes.
"It's not something I can treat. Trust me, I've tried. The only way to properly treat this is if a mage or a priest were to come to the kingdom."
"Which is impossible because mages are rare enough, and the nearest priest is too far away," Sebastion said, rubbing a hand down his face. "How could this happen, though? I mean, who put a curse on you? Only a witch or a monster could do something like that."
Aaron leaned back.
"Fucking rat..."
Sebastion turned his head.
"What?"
Aaron sighed.
"That rat king. He was saying some weird words. I killed him, but... I guess that could be it."
"And you didn't think to tell us?"
"I didn't think it was a big deal."
"Clearly it is!"
Silence fell over the room.
"...How do we find a mage?"
Everyone turned toward Amari.
Aaron shook his head.
"Didn't you hear Sebastion? It's impossible—"
"It isn't impossible until I say it is."
She cut him off before he could finish.
Then she turned to Sabi.
"How much time does he have?"
"A few months. At most."
Amari nodded. "That's enough. We'll get some members searching for one."
"Even if you find one, it's a matter of convincing them to come here," Sabi pointed out.
Sebastion hummed.
"We could always pay. I've heard that works."
"How much?" Amari asked.
"Like... two or three gold."
He winced at the number.
Which Amari thought was fair, considering the gang barely had a three silver coin to their name.
"Okay. We'll take missions and—"
"You don't have to do this," Aaron said.
Amari turned toward him.
"If it was one of us that was cursed, would you just lie down and accept it?"
Aaron fell silent.
"Exactly."
She turned toward the door.
"We'll figure it out."
"I'm not letting the man who gave me another home die, she thought.
Not like this.
Not if I can stop it."