Aalis escaped the hut for a breath of fresh air. The atmosphere of illness inside was oppressive and she needed to distance herself so she could think properly.

Apart from being marched from the campsite to the village with her hands bound behind her back, Aalis had not been restrained or guarded in any way. And any motivation to escape disappeared the moment she saw how many people were sick. Claud’s desperate plea for help had been unnecessary. Aalis could not have left feverish souls in their agonised state.

She stretched her arms and yawned, tired from being awake for so long. She inquired as to where there was fresh water for her to bathe in. She was directed to a barrel with a lid to keep leaves from littering it. She slid the lid from the barrel, pushed up her sleeves and dunked her hands in. Immediately she stiffened, her body tingling with a sense of foreboding she had come to trust. She drew her hands out and stared at the water until the ripples softened and the water’s surface became still and smooth.

Aalis looked around and saw the archer watching her nearby.

“Where is this water barrel filled from?”

He pointed and she hastened to follow the direction of his pointed finger. A large stream splashed and rippled through the forest not far from the village. Its closeness was one of the reasons the farmers had probably encamped where they had. There were large rocks along its length and even breaking through the rushing torrent. Aalis knelt on one and put her hands into the water. She closed her eyes and concentrated then pulled her hands out, confused. A leaf fluttered down beside her, its tip curled and its edges withered. Aalis stood, the leaf in her hand and looked around for the tree it had come from. It was a sapling near the water’s edge and while it ought to have been healthy from a constant source of water, it looked as withered as the leaf that had fallen from it. She put her fingers against its smooth trunk and held her breath. Her fingers recoiled from the tree and she stepped back.

“What is it?”

She turned and saw the archer standing nearby, having followed her curiously. Aalis opened her mouth then darted back to the village. She caught sight of Judd and Claud speaking together and ran up to them.

“It is in the water.” She gasped. “The reason people are becoming ill…it is the water.”

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“The water…but how…”

“Get rid of it!” Aalis ordered and Claud hurried to comply.

“The water? Someone is poisoning an entire river?” Judd demanded.

“There is a toxin in it, poisoning the ground, the trees…”

“The orchard?” Aalis nodded. “The trees were sick so they stopped producing fruit.”

Judd called out for Caste to join them, bringing him up to speed.

“Wait a moment,” Caste held up his hands, “a poison in the water?”

“It is what made you sick last night when you drank from the stream.”

“Then why didn’t you two become ill?”

“I used water from my waterbag. Had I refilled it, Judd and I would have begun to show symptoms although perhaps not as acutely as you.” Aalis explained.

“Wait, the medicinal broth!”

“I used the last of my waterbag’s supply.” Aalis reassured Judd who relaxed.

“This doesn’t make sense.” Caste frowned. “If the water was constantly toxic, surely we would see more evidence.”

“That is what makes me think that someone is doing this deliberately, perhaps putting poison in the river further upstream once a day.”

“So once a day, the water becomes dangerously toxic and anyone taking water from it or drinking it, becomes sick.”

“It is why Claud’s people continually become ill in waves. Sometimes the water is pure and other times…”

Judd put his hands on his hips and sighed. “Look, I hate to cast dispersions on a knight…but could this be the work of Sir Jesa? From Claud’s account he didn’t really look into the issues on his land with any kind of thoroughness.”

“I do not believe it is Sir Jesa’s doing.” Aalis admitted. “The river feeds the stream which waters the orchard then goes on to fill the well at the fort. The ground of the orchard has been acting as a natural filter but as the level of toxicity rises, it will contaminate the water of the fort, making everyone who drinks from the well as sick as Claud’s people.”

They stood in silence, concerned and contemplative.

“What do you suggest we do?” Judd asked Aalis.

“You are asking me?”

“I’m completely out of my depth here.” Judd confessed. “I wouldn’t know what a toxin would look like.”

“While I am loathed to agree with Judd,” Caste sighed, “you do seem to be our best chance at figuring out the cause of the poison.”

Aalis smiled and he rolled his eyes and looked away. “I do not know if I said it before, but I am glad to see that you are well.”

Caste mumbled something that might have been a thank you but was lost in his forced cough.

“All the water toted from the stream has been poured out.” Claud announced as he joined their group with Kurst by his side. “However, if my people become desperate enough, they will drink directly from the stream.”

“We need to leave the village.” Judd announced.

Kurst blustered for a moment before Claud held his hand up for him to stop. “We never intended on imprisoning you. Of course you are free to leave…”

“We need to leave to discover the source of the toxin in the water,” Aalis explained, “we will not abandon your people to suffer, Claud.”

He visibly relaxed at her words. “You thank my thanks. When do you leave?”

“Now.”