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Amara led the four of us out of the manor and to the edge of the garden. I was acutely aware of Nik’s presence, but neither of us addressed the other directly. Just like in town the morning before, we needed to put aside the tension between us to focus on the epidemic.
“Ida!” I cried, distracted from thoughts of Nik by the arrival of the older woman.
She nodded at me, her face grave. But when she caught sight of Phoenix and Ember approaching, her expression lightened. Her fondness for the animals had only grown with each passing week.
She bent over to place a gentle hand on Ember’s back. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping, beautiful?”
Ember allowed the pat for a moment before slipping away to join me. It was unusual for her to be out of bed during the day, and I could only assume she’d sensed something unusual was going on.
“I’m sorry we rushed off without you yesterday,” I said to Ida. “We got word of a boat arriving and feared it might be Grey.”
She nodded. “Nik found me and explained everything. We are fortunate your friends arrived in such good timing.”
I nodded fervently.
“I spent the day and some of the night helping Masters Hayes and Clay, and they are both highly skilled.” Her expression of distaste didn’t match her words, so I threw her a questioning look. She shook herself slightly.
“Sorry,” she murmured. “Seeing them at work reminds me of Grey—the only other healing master I know. It’s a relief to know they aren’t all like him.”
Her sour expression made it clear she had shaken off the last of Grey’s hold and no longer held him in any reverence. It was a far cry from her attitude back in the crevasse when she had excused his lack of care for his people. I was sorry for all the terrible things that had happened to break the hold of her mesmerizations, but I couldn’t be anything but happy that she was free of his lies.
“Are you coming with us?” I asked.
“Master Amara thinks I may be of help. Whenever I can, I’ve been exploring the mountain and the wilderness areas surrounding the town. This is a very beautiful place, and I enjoy the solitude and peace away from the bustle of the town. So I offered to act as guide since the locals are either sick or have sick family and friends to care for.”
“We’re heading into the jungle?” I looked from her to Amara.
“It’s not a true jungle,” Ida said. “Although it’s more like one than anything in Tartora.” She led the way into the dense trees that bordered the manor gardens to the north.
We all trailed behind her, coolness enveloping us as we stepped beneath the canopy. “But shouldn’t we be checking for contamination in the town first?” I stepped over a jagged branch that had obviously fallen a long time ago since it was half covered in moss.
“I did some initial investigations late yesterday, once we knew what we were dealing with,” Nik said, the familiar sound of his voice humming through my bones.
I could feel his presence at my back and didn’t dare turn to look at him. I longed to feel the comfort of his arms around me more than I was willing to admit.
“I couldn’t find anything amiss in any of the major food stores, or any obvious sources of poor sanitation that might be corrupting the environment.”
“For all my family’s faults,” Costas said, “—and they were many—they were still a family of healers. From the beginning, we’ve had a comprehensive sanitation system, and they always kept a close eye on the town’s food and water sources.”
“But Grey disrupted everything here,” I said slowly, considering his words. “Even from before our arrival, but especially after. They must have lost focus on the normal day-to-day issues.”
“The timing seems to line up,” Amara agreed. “I would guess the source of contamination first appeared shortly before their deaths.”
We were all silent for a moment as we considered the timing and everything that had happened on the island before and since that moment.
“Where are you leading us?” Amara asked Ida as we turned sharply west, following a trail that was so faint it barely counted as a track but which gave us a fairly straight passage through the trees.
“There’s an area just ahead that is well used by locals,” she said. “A number of families regularly forage among the trees there for the goods they sell at market.”
“What sort of goods?” I asked, frowning at the tall trunks and dense foliage around us. While the bright blooms were a pleasant sight, I couldn’t see anything that looked edible.
She glanced back over her shoulder. “All sorts of things. Mushrooms, for one. Plus various roots that grow at the base of the trees. And some of the leaves have health benefits as well.”
“Do they use it for medicine?” I frowned. “Didn’t the Constantines freely heal all ailments?”
“They eat them,” Costas explained. “Or make tea with them. My family encouraged the locals to take care of their health even outside their appointments.”
“Could something like that really be the source of such a virulent sickness?” I looked doubtfully toward Amara.
