“He’s not getting any better,” Palmer said.“I’ve decided to stop the treatment I gave him.It’s not doing any good.”
“Hopefully, now that we know something more is happening, we’ll be able to find the right treatment.”
Palmer nodded, but he didn’t look convinced.Rune had faith in him, though.If there was someone who could help his siblings, it was Palmer.He wouldn’t give up until he found a way.
They exited the infirmary after Palmer left a list of instructions with the nurse.She would call him right away if anything happened, but Rune hoped that no one else would come to the infirmary because they were ill.Three was more than enough.
He and Palmer were silent as they walked.Knowing Palmer, he was already thinking about several substances that could give the same symptoms he’d observed in Twig, Yorga, and Ash.By the time they reached Killian’s office, he’d probably have a good list.It was one of the reasons Rune liked him so much.Palmer was always ahead, his brain moving quicker than anyone else’s.
As promised, Killian was waiting for them.Hedley was there, too, along with Birch and Marlin, who were never far from the king and his consort.Rune settled in one of the chairs in front of Killian’s desk, but he couldn’t sit still, so he started bouncing his knee.Luckily for him, no one said anything about it.
“Rune didn’t say much when he texted me,” Killian explained.“Can you tell me what’s going on?”
Palmer and Rune looked at each other.Rune nodded at Palmer to speak.They might agree on what was going on, but he wasn’t the healer here.
Palmer linked his fingers together in his lap and sucked in a breath.“Another one of your siblings is ill,” he told Killian.“Ash.He just came to the infirmary, and he has the same symptoms as Twig and Yorga.I sent him back to his rooms since he didn’t want to stay in the infirmary, and he’s not ill enough to have to, but that makes three of your siblings who are ill, and no one else.There’s not one case of this illness in someone who’s not related to you.”
Killian was frowning.“You think they’re being targeted.”
“It could’ve been a coincidence when it was only two of them, but three?And from what I know, they’re not exactly close enough to each other to be spreading this.”
“They’re not,” Rune confirmed.“I’m close to Twig, so I know that he doesn’t really have a lot of contact with our other siblings.”
“And even though you’ve been spending a lot of time with him, you haven’t fallen ill,” Palmer pointed out.“Which means this probably isn’t contagious.There’s still a chance it might be, but I’m starting to think that this isn’t an illness.”
“Someone is poisoning them,” Hedley declared.
For a moment, everyone was silent.It didn’t take long for Marlin to speak up, though.“We all agree it’s Pearl, right?”
“I don’t see who else it could be,” Rune offered.“I don’t like the thought of her hurting her siblings, but it wouldn’t be the first time she’s tried.”
“And she already knows that targeting Killian isn’t going to work,” Hedley said.“She’s tried that without success.”
“We need to investigate,” Killian declared.He looked at Marlin and Birch.“It has to be you two.We can’t afford for this to get out.I’m sure that if Pearl is behind this, she’s planned everything, including us finding out.If we investigate her openly, she’s going to use that against us.It needs to be kept a secret, at least until we have proof of what she’s doing.”
Rune sighed in relief.He’d known that Killian would do everything he could to solve this problem, but he’d been scared.It was nice to know that Killian wouldn’t just wait to see how this went.They had a viable suspect, and the king had already assigned someone to investigate her.Hopefully, it wouldn’t take Marlin long to find out what Pearl was up to and what she was using.Rune had every faith in Palmer and was sure the doctor could find a way to counteract whatever poison Pearl was using, but it would be much easier if they could find out what it was quickly.They were lucky that no one had been seriously hurt for now, but Twig wasn’t getting any better.There was a chance that wasn’t going to change until they found out what the poison was, and that could take ages if Pearl didn’t tell them.
Somehow, Rune didn’t think she would.
Chapter Seven
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PALMER HADN’T SLEPTwell.He’d spent most of the night reading through every medical book he had, searching for anything that might explain the symptoms he’d been seeing.Poisoning seemed like the most likely explanation, but there were hundreds of substances that could cause nausea, weakness, and fatigue.Without knowing what he was looking for, Palmer felt like he was searching for a needle in a haystack.
He’d barely managed to get a few hours of sleep before his alarm went off, reminding him that he had an appointment with Kessa.She was one of the oldest dragon healers in the palace, and from what Palmer had heard, she was also one of the best.Killian had arranged the meeting himself, explaining that Kessa had decades of experience treating dragons and might recognize what Palmer was dealing with.
Palmer was grateful for the help, but he couldn’t help the nervousness that had settled in his stomach.What if Kessa thought he was incompetent?What if she looked at his notes and realized he’d been doing everything wrong?He’d been treating Twig for days, and his patient wasn’t getting any better.If Palmer had missed something obvious, he’d never forgive himself.
The meeting was taking place in one of the palace’s private sitting rooms rather than the infirmary.Palmer had brought everything with him—his notes, the test results, and the medications he’d been administering.He’d even written out a detailed timeline of Twig’s symptoms and how they’d progressed.If Kessa needed information, Palmer wanted to make sure she had it.
When he arrived, Kessa was already there.She was an older dragon shifter with light purple and silver hair pulled back in a neat bun, and her eyes were a pale lavender that seemed to see right through him.She stood when Palmer entered, and he was struck by how tall she was.Most dragons were tall, even in their human forms, males or females.
“You must be Palmer,” she said, her voice warm and welcoming.“I’ve heard good things about you.”
Palmer tried not to show his surprise.He hadn’t expected that.“Thank you.I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me.”
“Of course.The king explained the situation, and I’m happy to help however I can.”She gestured to the table, where Palmer could see she’d already laid out several books and notebooks of her own.“Why don’t you walk me through what you’ve been seeing?”
