Page 73 of The Silent Mountain
Barbara gazes at her arm. “I don’t know.”
Erin turns to look at Frederick, who steps closer. “They appeared earlier today,” he says.
I frown at his words, stepping closer to see what they are talking about. On the pale skin of Barbara’s arms are small black dots, and her veins seem to be more prominent.
“I was thinking it might be something in her blood,” Frederick says. “An infection.”
“Did you take some of it to test it?” Erin asks.
“Not yet,” Frederick says. “To be honest, it’s not the type of practice we have here, and I have been away from work for too many years.”
“It’s no issue,” Erin reassures him. “This is my field of work. Do you mind if I take some of your blood, Barbara?”
“If this means you can find what’s wrong with me, then take all you need,” Barbara says.
Alana and I exchange a worried look before stepping out of the hut again, to give Erin room to do what needs to be done and maybe ask Barbara some more personal questions.
“What do you think?” Alana asks me quietly. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Honestly,” I mutter. “I don’t know.”
twenty-three
An Invisible Threat
*ALANA*
ErinpacesaroundinFavian’s office, a deep frown on her face. Her restless behavior and expression worry me deeply. She has asked for a meeting with Favian, Stefan and me.
“Did you run some tests already?” I ask.
“Yes, I did some superficial tests on Barbara’s blood,” she says.
“I assume there is an issue?” Stefan asks.
Erin halts. “The issue is that the regular tests don’t give any information.”
“So, we don’t know anything,” I sigh.
“No, that’s not what I am saying,” she mutters. “The fact that the regular ones are not successful means that I have to dig much deeper, which again, means the issue at hand is much worse and more dangerous than we expected.” She looks at us. “Whatever illness Barbara has is not from this world. I can say that with absolute conviction now.”
“By Aengus,” Favian heaves a breath.
“We have a mare who came from another realm,” I point out. “So, I can see the possibility of a foreign illness as well. Do you think the mare brought the illness? Maybe Barbara touched it when we caught it.”
“That’s a possibility,” Erin says. “I need to look deeper into it.”
“Could it be the doing of a witch?” Stefan asks.
“There is always the possibility, but I doubt it. Penelope was one of a kind. She was incredibly intelligent and cunning, and despite her being vile and evil, she was also particularly gifted and creative. No one can easily do what she did. And bringing an illness to these realms on purpose, that would be a whole new level of talent.”
“Is Barbara going to be alright?” I ask quietly.
Erin gazes at me. “To be honest, I can’t answer that for certain.”
A heavy silence lingers around us. I haven’t known Barbara for long, but she is so full of life and energy, and she is so strong. She was one of my first friends here. “We shouldn’t expect the most negative outcome immediately,” Stefan points out. “Let’s be optimistic. Erin, can you do something?”
“I will do everything in my power to research this. Fortunately, Cassie comes from a coven that had a lot of knowledge about potions and curses.”
