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“I’ve improved the draught. Drink it before you decide whether to complain.”

The satyr drank it, grimaced, and reached for the water Eryx had already placed beside him. I stopped near the doorway, unwilling to interrupt.

Eryx’s serpents shifted at my arrival. One lifted its head toward me. But Eryx kept his attention on his patient, asking the satyr to bend the troublesome leg. He did as instructed, then stood up, bracing one hand on the table to test his weight.

“It still pulls here.” He tapped the outside of the joint. “But I managed the stairs this morning without waking my son.”

“That’s progress. Don’t undo it by carrying things up the steps.”

Eryx passed him a stoppered bottle and explained how much to take each evening. The satyr asked two practical questions, then tucked the medicine into his bag. When he straightened, he looked directly into my husband’s uncovered eyes.

“I’ll come back before this runs out. My son can bring me on his way to the mill.”

I felt a sudden, ridiculous urge to cry.

Nothing remarkable had happened. A man had taken medicine and arranged another visit. Eryx had treated him with the exact same care he gave every patient. But I remembered Lord Phaedrus sitting beneath this roof, speaking as though my husband’s presence alone made the Wilds unsafe.

Now, a satyr of the clans was casually planning his next trip around a visit to the gorgon.

He thanked Eryx, nodded to me on his way out, and left with his walking stick tapping steadily against the floor. Through the doorway, I watched him stop to grab an apple from the basket.

Eryx set down the empty cup and turned. “Is she ready?”

“She’s coming down now.”

His attention sharpened, taking in my face. I crossed the room before he could speak and pressed my hands to his chest. He rested a hand on my waist and looked at me with concern. “What happened?” he asked.

“Nothing bad.” I looked toward the empty doorway, smiling despite the tightness in my throat. “He’s coming back next week.”

Eryx frowned slightly. “The swelling hasn’t fully subsided. He still needs the medicine.”

“I know.”

He followed my gaze. I watched the realization work through him. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me flush against his chest.

I leaned into his weight, and for a few moments, allowed myself to revel in his death energy. Once, it would have scared me. I’d been raised to fear it. But when it touched me, his power felt kind and peaceful, never dangerous.

We stood there in the clinic, surrounded by the sharp scent of herbs, listening to the chaotic, living noise of the courtyard outside. When I finally took a breath and stepped back, he caught my hand.

“Come,” he murmured, turning us toward the door. “She is waiting for us.”

We walked out into the passage together. The woman was standing in the main hall with her canvas bag at her feet. And I smiled, because she was still wearing the brown dress.

At the edge of the Blighted Lands, the wind lost the scent of leaves entirely.

I stood where the last living roots gripped the earth, my cloak gathered close around me. Behind us, the forest rustled in the afternoon breeze. Ahead, the ground lay bare and pale beneath a sky that seemed wider without branches to break it.

I couldn’t go any further. My bond with Eryx protected me to some extent, but he refused to take any chances. We had to trust that the magic she carried would be enough.

The asphodels began a few paces beyond my boots.

Their white heads marked a clear path into the waste, each delicate flower holding a faint silver-blue light. Farther away, they became a pale thread winding safely between the dead trees. I watched it until distance swallowed the individual blooms.

They were denser here than in the small bed my husband kept at Petrion. They existed with a purpose, and somehow, they seemed to know it.

The death-touched bride took a step forward, inhaling deeply. The air of the Blighted Lands filled her lungs. I listened carefully for any sign of pain. Her shoulders dropped as she breathed again, deeper this time.

“How do you feel?” Eryx asked.