The Calm Before the Storm

Leanna stood on the porch of the manor, leaning against a pillar. Her heart tightened inside her chest when she saw Darius and Archer return with a hysterical Amani, completely inconsolable. Overwhelmed, she stepped outside, on the verge of a breakdown herself. Some time later, Darius walked out and sank onto a bench, resting his head in his hands.

“How is she?” Leanna asked softly.

“Just as you would expect,” Darius replied, his voice heavy. “She blames herself for the death of that entire village, as if she were the one to poison the food herself. I had Maggie give her a mild sedative… it was the only thing I could think to do to calm her down.”

Leanna joined Darius on the bench, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Are we certain it was poisoned? Could it have been spoiled or contaminated?”

Darius raised his head, meeting Leanna’s gaze with a dreadful look. “Archer and I sniffed it all out ourselves. We had to shift into our wolves to detect it, but traces of silver is what