“Follow me,” he said.

Y ou weren’t at practice this morning,” Haern said when he found Harruq hunched over on a couch.

“It’d be dumb of me to practice without a healer ready,” the half-orc countered. “Besides, my nose is already broken. Nothing left for you to do until it gets fixed.”

The assassin took a seat opposite him, handing him a mug of ale.

“There’s plenty more for me to break. I will make up for it tomorrow. Here, this will help with the pain.”

Harruq took a few gulps, set the cup on his lap, and stared into the liquid.

“She’s dying, isn’t she?” he asked. Haern drank from his own cup, thought for a moment, and then nodded.

“Yes. Delysia delayed the poison, but did not cure it. I know much of poisons, and Aurelia seems unable to combat the one destroying her. She will waste away before our eyes.”

Harruq nodded. He took another drink. “I hope you’re wrong, more than I have ever hoped for anything in my life.”

Haern patted the half-orc’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Tarlak won’t let her die. We know people who can help her, but someone else has complicated matters.”

The door cracked open, and both glanced to the entrance. Their reactions were of confusion as Qurrah walked in, a young woman at his side. She looked at them with her deep black eyes, the sight of her raising the hairs on their necks.

“We must see Aurelia,” Qurrah said. “Now.”

“Who’s the girl?” Haern asked, rising from the table. “I will let no stranger near Delysia or Aurelia in their states.”

“I’m Tessanna,” she said, her voice so quiet that both struggled to hear. “I want to help.”

Harruq stood, raising an eyebrow. Qurrah nodded back, and his look was all the convincing Harruq needed.

“Let them go. We’ll follow. If she’s dying, we have nothing to lose.”