Aldric stood and pulled his sword from the ground in a single clean motion. The small hole where the black stone had been planted was now tightly sealed, packed down with the tip of his boot as if no one had ever touched it.
"Now we wait," he murmured. "Tomorrow. At noon. And all I'll need to do is take the final step… to end that foolish young master's life."
He glanced briefly toward the village.
Dark.
Silent.
No witnesses.
A thin smile formed on Aldric's lips.
Then he turned and walked away, leaving behind a tomato field that looked far too normal for something that had just been cursed.
---
In the quiet little clinic, Mae was still awake, alone.
The oil lamp was nearly burnt out as she tidied the table, lining up empty bottles and worn notebooks. But her thoughts were not on the clutter—only on the poison she had examined earlier.
That poison was not aggressive.
It was patient.
It waited.
