"The morning report hasn't come in yet, but I've already heard from one of the night guards. There have been fatalities. Five as of dawn."
Evelina's hand froze halfway to her mouth, her appetite vanishing. "Five?" she echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.
Damian nodded grimly. "The symptoms are progressing faster in some than in others. The healer believes the severity might depend on their exposure to the toxin."
Jasper, ever the one to break the tension, leaned back in his chair and sighed dramatically. "Fantastic. A murderous toxin that's selectively efficient. Can't this day get any better?"
Evelina shot him a look, but there was no real bite to it. She knew his humour was a defence mechanism, one she almost envied.
"We'll figure it out," Damian said firmly, though the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his weariness. "But we need to work faster. Whatever's left in that well needs to be dealt with immediately."
