I sat by the water's edge, my fingers trailing through the cool surface. I watched the ripples distort my reflection, breaking the image of my tired face into a thousand shimmering pieces.
For a long time, that was all I did—swaying the water back and forth, watching the world blur.
"I've found it, Ari."
The sound of Damar's voice made me lift my head. Fenric, who had been standing guard nearby, turned his gaze toward him as well.
Damar held a small cluster of herbs I'd never seen before. Not that I was any good with plants—to me, everything was either 'grass' or 'probably poisonous'—but this looked different. It had a strange, silvery sheen to the leaves.
Without a word, Damar knelt beside me. He placed the leaves in his palm and began to grind them with his thumb, pressing with a steady, practiced rhythm until the plant broke down into a smooth, thick green paste. It smelled of crushed earth and something sharp, like mint.
