The willow bark tea sat on the worktable. Moonlight streamed through the window onto the carefully measured ingredients. Aria watched Ezra's hands shake slightly as he prepared the dangerous remedy. Three drops per hour for seventy-two hours, exactly as Mira had specified.
"You are really doing it," Aria said quietly.
"Marcus is dying," Ezra replied without looking up. "Slowly, but certainly. We have tried everything else. If this works..." He paused. His jaw was tight. "If this works, Mira just saved his life. And that changes things."
"It could be a trick," Cassidy said from the doorway. "False hope to manipulate us into trusting her."
"It is not false," Ezra said firmly. "The remedy is real. I have seen it referenced in ancient texts. I just never thought the risk was worth attempting." He finally looked up at them both. "The question is: how did Mira know Marcus needed it? How did she know his exact condition?"
