Meisla's heart raced as she returned to the village and saw a small crowd surrounding her home. Did Yoviene return? She thought as she started running to her house. The smile on her face quickly faded as she noticed people holding each other and a few crying.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

A few look her way and begin sobbing even more.

“It’s your father.” Someone answered.

“He's collapsed.”

The girl ran inside, noticing that the door to her parents’ room open. Meisla also spotted Denlo sitting down at the table, covering his face with his hands. She didn't say a word and went straight to the room.

The master room was modest in size. A bed for two near the wall, a small window near the bed, and a wooden carving of a woman wearing a shawl and a dress, her arms frozen at the beginning of an embrace, hanged above the bed.

In the bed lay her father, sweat misting his face. He gasped for air as if he is drowning in the middle of an ocean. He occasionally muttered to himself in a low voice that Meisla cannot hear. Her mother stood on one side of the bed holding Renlo’s hand while Elder Famma was on the other with Elder Canno. The old man was sitting down in a chair with a half-full pot of water next to him.

“Is he alright?” Meisla asked; she went up to the foot of the bed.

“We were speaking with your father when suddenly took ill. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Elder Canno said, lifting the blanket off Renlo. Meisla recoiled at the sight of swelling all over her father’s arms and neck that looks small, round black pebbles.

“They started appearing on his body not too long ago.” Elder Famma said, scrunching her eyebrows together, thinking.

“I don’t understand how he got sick so fast,” Farla held back the flood of emotions inside from breaking out.

“He seemed tired this week, but I thought it was stress. Will he be alright, Canno?”

The elder shook his head in defeat, “I may know some healing spells, but this is out of my league. I can’t cleanse whatever this affliction is. I can only ease the pain.”

Canno put his hand over the pot, and with a motion of his hand, a small sphere of water comes out. He made it hover above the chief before placing it down on his head, conforming to his shape. Renlo’s body clenched at the touch of the cold water. Canno whispered an incantation, and the water glowed and absorbed into the ill man. Renlo relaxed, and his breathing stabilized, but he is still unconscious.

“Minthea, please let him live,” Farla said as she held her husband’s hand.

Meisla remained silent the entire time as she stared at her father. There was a smoldering in her chest as she saw the paling, spotty skin of the stalwart man that was her father. Something Meisla hated feeling. An emotion she felt when they told her Varlo died.

Helplessness.

“We have to go to the city then and find an experienced healer that can help him,” Meisla said finally.

“It’s about three days travel on horseback to get to the city. Going there and back might take too long. Your father could very well be dead by the time a healer gets here.” Elder Canno said bluntly.

Meisla heart sunk into her chest when she heard “dead.” Not again. She thought.

“I can go!” She shouted. “I’ll ride there and come back as fast as I can.”

“No.” Her mother said flatly, still looking at her husband.

“You need to stay here.”

Meisla looked at her mother with confusion, “Why?" she asked. "

This is important! Dad needs help now. Someone has to go and look for help. It’s not like Denlo is going to be helpful!” She raised her voice at that last part.

“Stop that, Meisla! We can send someone else to go. I need you here with me to keep the others calm. You know everyone is on edge enough as it is.” Farla said, standing up.

“What we really need are the king’s knights.” Elder Famma chimed in.

Farla rolled her eyes, “For what, Famma? The Mage is the LEAST of my priorities right now.” She said, not bothering to hide her irritation.

“This is obviously the Mage’s doing!” Famma exclaimed as she waved her arms around.

“Whatever those adventurers did to him in the forest angered the Mage to the point he finally decided to retaliate against us! If we don’t stop him now, it’s the end of our village!”

As if on cue, Janno, Canno’s son, and Lenna’s father, burst into the house shouting, “Help! Father, help!”

The small group rushed to the living to see Janno out of breath, panting like a dog. He was a tall and skinny middle-aged man wearing a brown coat and pants. Lenna got her grassy green eyes from him, but not his raven black hair.

“What more bad news can you give me, son?” Canno asked as they walk out of Renlo’s room.

“Lenna and several villagers collapsed nearly all at once! There are spots all over their bodies, and they can barely breathe. You have to help them!” Janno's voice was shaky with fear.

“Not Lenna too…” Meisla whispered.

“I told you all, didn’t I?” Famma said, her voice dripping with distress.

“Farla, we need to bring the knights here. That’s the only way we can stop this.”

Meisla’s mother silently cursed and bit her lip as she mulled over options. All eyes were on her to decide. There's one chief to lead and elders to advise, but spouses also shared their partner's burden. If something incapacitated the chief before the successor was ready, then the spouse took over.

Farla looked to Canno and said, “Elder Canno, go help your granddaughter and find Welisa, Vako, and Drita. They’ve awakened to the blessing of water, if I remember correctly. Teach them some basic healing in the meantime to help you.”

Canno nodded and quickly left the house with his son right behind him.

“And what about seeking help?” Famma asked as she grinned, expecting the woman to see her way of thinking.

“I’ll have Rozo go to the city to find a healer. He’s been to the city plenty of times before to help sell goods, and he’s fast with a horse. He’ll be there and back in half the time.” Farla said resolutely.

Famma’s jaw dropped in disappointment, “You’re making a mistake not bringing the knights Farla." she said, walking out.

"Even if the healer cures the afflicted, this kind of thing will inevitably happen again.” the woman slammed the door shut.

“Mom, let me go with Rozo. What if he gets sick as well or does something stupid to the healer, and they refuse to help us?”

Farla gave a short laugh, “He has the blessing of fire like you, he won’t get sick, and he is more than capable of handling himself in the city. You should have more faith in him.”

“Well, since I’m fire blessed too, wouldn’t it be better to send the two of us.”

“No, I need you in the village where it's safe and to help me in case things get worse.” Farla placed her hand on Meisla cheek, but the girl backed away.

“You’re treating me like a child.” She pouted.

“No, I’m want to make sure you’re safe. You’ve never been to the city before; you’re bound to get lost there. Now I must go and speak to Rozo. Please keep an eye on your father while I’m gone. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Farla said before departing.

After watching her mother leave, Meisla turned to see a slim figure still sitting at the table.

“I forgot you were still here, Denlo,” Meisla said, frustrated.

“Aren’t you the next chief? Shouldn’t you be jumping out of your chair ready to help?”

The young man turned his head to his sister, not fully looking at her, and said slowly, “It looks like mom already figured something out. They don’t need my help.”

“You don’t care about anything at all, do you? Gods, you’re no help.” She loudly groaned as she stormed off, leaving her brother alone once again.

*****

Colors of orange and red wash over Renlo’s room as the sun left the sky. He drifted in and out of consciousness as his eyelids fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird. The man hacked a few coughs here and there and attempted to move and stretch his stiffening muscles but was too weak to move them fully.

“M…. Mei...Meisla.” He barely whispered out.

His daughter was in the room, sitting next to him and keeping him company. But now, he was alone.

Renlo couldn’t hear any shouting outside the room. He chuckled weakly to himself, his desire for rest manifested in the form of a debilitating sickness. How wonderful. He thought. Renlo allowed the silence to relax him as he felt himself drifting fully to sleep.

I trust Farla. She can keep things going while I rest.

Hopefully, Meisla and Denlo don’t give her too much trouble. The pain slipped away from Renlo as the world faded to black once again, and he could find solace in his dreams.

“This is less amusing than I thought it would be.” A voice said as they laughed cruelly to themselves.

Renlo snapped back into reality, and his body tensed up even more than it already was. Like how a rabbit paused when it sensed a predator nearby. He fought with all his might to open his eyes but could barely keep them open as he saw a figure in long and tattered black robes standing at the foot of his bed—the Mage. The hood of his cloak obscures his face, but something deep inside the chief recognized the figure. Renlo wanted to do anything, scream, shout, fight, but he can’t. Renlo only shook helplessly like a newborn. He was a prisoner in his own body.

“You all deserve what’s coming.” The Mage said as he moved closer to Renlo, touching the man’s left leg with a gloved hand. The bedsheets did not protect him from the searing pain he felt at the Mage’s touch. It's like a knife was slowly cutting into his skin like a fishmonger filleting the catch of the day. The hand slowly moved up Renlo’s body as the Mage got closer and closer to him. Renlo could only breathe in and out rapidly as the Mage laughed again.

“Perhaps I’m wrong. Seeing you all writhe and squirm in pain like the pathetic creatures you are is entertaining in its own way.” The Mage said, now standing right next to Renlo.

“But sadly, I can get impatient,” He lifted his hand off Renlo, the excruciating pain stopping at his chest.

Renlo’s eyes were fully open as he saw the Mage’s hand start reaching for his face. He saw glowing blue eyes in the darkness of the hood.

“Maybe I should just end fun now and kill you here.” The Mage started moving his hand to Renlo’s face.

“Or would you see that as a mercy for the terrible things ahead?” It was the last thing he heard as the darkness returned.