“Do you mean Dave put the sage in on purpose?” I asked Timothee in a hushed whisper, the horrible suspicion creeping in.
Timothee’s expression was grim. “It’s starting to seem that way. Dave’s cooking skills are...let’s just say they’re not his strongest suit. For him to be the one preparing Fae Aurora’s meals? It doesn’t add up.”
I shook my head, struggling against the doubts. “But why would he want to harm her? Dave has been part of our tribe for years - he’s family.”

“Exactly,” Timothee said gravely. “Which is why I’m finding it so hard to believe. But you have to admit, his actions lately have been strange, furtive almost.”
My mind raced as I recalled Dave’s odd behavior - the hushed conversations I’d overheard, his tense demeanor. At the time I’d dismissed them, but now they took on a more sinister possibility.
“You don’t think... he’s been forced into this somehow? Maybe he’s being coerced by someone?” I ventured.
Timothee frowned. “It’s a possibility I suppose. But who would have that kind of leverage over him?”
My mind raced as I tried to piece together the tangled web before us.
“Is it possible there’s some sort of conspiracy at play here?” I spoke up, voicing my rising suspicions.

Timothee furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“Think about it - who came into your life first, Chase or Dave?” I pressed.
He pondered for a moment. “Chase, without a doubt. He’s been a trusted friend since before my father passed.”
I nodded slowly. “And what about this Caitlin woman? How did she come into the picture?”

“Caitlin is from the Moon Glazed tribe across the lake,” Timothee explained. “I met her briefly when she was an intern at the trading post, but she has no close ties here. Certainly not with Chase.”
“But what about Dave?” I insisted. “Could he have some sort of connection to her?”
Timothee shook his head. “Dave is simply a butler here. I can’t imagine what link he might have to an outsider like Caitlin. The children have never taken a liking to her.”
My mind whirled as I tried to fit the puzzle pieces together. There had to be some underlying motive, some hidden alliance at play. Why else would Dave’s actions seem so suspect?
The sound of footsteps approaching made us both tense. It was Healer Cruz.
“Can I ask you a question?” Healer Cruz sighed, a grave look on his weathered face.
“Of course, Healer,” I replied with a nod, bracing myself. “How is my mother faring?”
The healer’s expression was somber. “Fae Aurora is stabilized for now, but I must be forthright - her condition is severe. As an elder among the Fae folk, the sage extract did significant damage to her delicate nervous system. It pains me to say...there is a possibility she may be left paralyzed.”
I stared at him in disbelief, feeling as though the ground had opened up beneath my feet. “P-paralyzed?” I choked out.
Healer Cruz placed a comforting hand on my arm. “I will do everything in my power to prevent such an outcome. But first, I must understand how this terrible situation came to pass.” His eyes bored into mine with intensity. “Why did you forget about the sage being toxic to your mother?”
Before I could respond, Timothee stepped forward. “It wasn’t forgetfulness, Healer. The potions you provided... they were stolen.”
A tense silence fell over us as Healer Cruz processed this. His brow furrowed deeply. “Stolen? From where? And by whom?”
I swallowed hard, feeling Timothee’s eyes on me. This was our chance to finally voice our concerns about Dave’s increasingly dubious behavior.
“We believe they’re spying us here,” I began carefully.
The healer’s expression remained impassive as I relayed our misgivings. “What do you mean? The thief is here?”
“Yes, I thought it was Dave for some reason,” Timothee said.
“Why?”
Timothee hesitated before continuing, his eyes darting around the room. “We’ve noticed some strange behaviors from him. He’s been lingering near the apothecary, asking too many questions about the potions, and disappearing for long periods without explanation.”
Healer Cruz’s eyes narrowed as he absorbed our words.
“I see,” he murmured, deep in thought. “This is deeply troubling. It is unlike Dave to act in such a manner.”
I nodded in agreement, my mind racing with all the strange incidents that had occurred recently. “We believe someone may be manipulating him, using him to gain access to the potion ingredients.”
When I finished, Healer Cruz stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“This is indeed troubling news. Dave has long been a respected member of the tribe. But if what you say is true...” He trailed off, leaving the implications unspoken but hanging heavy in the air.
The sound of a commotion from the village entrance broke the tense moment. Dave burst through, eyes wild and chest heaving like he had been running.
“Healer! You must come quickly!” he gasped out between ragged breaths. “Fae Aurora convulsing again!”
“Fae Aurora is convulsing again!”
I whipped around at the sound of the frantic cry. Through the entranceway, I could see my mother’s delicate form thrashing violently on the cot, her limbs flailing with disturbing force.
“No! Mother!” I cried out, my feet carrying me forward before my mind could process what was happening.
Healer Cruz was already at her side, trying in vain to restrain her jerking movements while barking urgent orders. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I took in the harrowing scene.
Fae Aurora’s eyes were rolled back, only the whites visible, as a thin trail of blood and spittle seeped from the corner of her mouth.
The violent convulsions showed no signs of relenting, each powerful tremor seeming to drain more life from her fragile body.
I fell to my knees beside her, gripping her hand as salty tears burned my eyes.
“Fight it, Mother! You’re stronger than this! Don’t leave me!”
My voice was drowned out by the chorus of panicked shouts and cries around me.
Through it all, one figure remained eerily calm - Dave. I caught a glimpse of him lingering in the shadows, his expression unreadable as he watched Fae Aurora’s life hang in the balance.
A white-hot surge of rage coursed through me. If my suspicions proved true and he was somehow the mastermind behind this torment...
Before I could finish the thought, Fae Aurora’s convulsions reached a terrifying crescendo. Her back arched impossibly high off the cot as one final, gut-wrenching spasm seized her body.
Then, like a marionette with its strings severed, she collapsed back onto the cot in a boneless heap.
A ringing silence descended over us all.
“Healer!” I screamed through my sobs, clutching at my mother’s limp hand with a crushing grip. “Do something! Please, you have to save her!”
As the healer rushed to make some action to save Fae Aurora, Dave’s gaze landed on Timothee and me. Was it just my imagination, or did I detect a fleeting look of smug satisfaction cross his features before it was masked by feigned panic?
My heart pounded in my ears as the sickening suspicion took root. Dave was surely the mastermind behind these thefts - but what was his ultimate aim? To undermine the healer’s efforts to save Fae Aurora?
I felt Timothee’s hand finding mine, gripping it tightly as we watched Dave hurry after Healer Cruz. Our eyes met, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing.
We had to get to the bottom of this before Dave’s shadowy motives could inflict any further harm on my mother...or the entire tribe.