The old herbalist let out a weak, rattling breath as Maddy helped him sit up against a sturdy wooden beam. He looked at her with hollow, haunted eyes, his hands trembling violently as he brushed dirt from his torn robes.
"I tried..." the old man rasped, his voice cracking with despair. "I gave them everything. I used the absolute highest quality ingredients to craft a perfect remedy for Bog Marcus's daughter's family. But if my medicine did nothing to heal them... then whatever has afflicted that family is far more terrifying than anything a mortal herbalist can cure. It is beyond my power to undo."
Maddy's eyes narrowed slightly as she listened. A quiet, cold understanding washed over her. She didn't need him to explain further; she already had a very strong suspicion about what—or who—was truly responsible for the Marcus family's sudden, devastating ruin.
