Jory’s troubled expression got worse when they turned her over and it was, as he feared, Sophie Wexler. They picked her up out of the glass and carried her into one of the new treatment rooms, laying her out on the examination table. Seeing darkened flesh under the rips in her clothes, Jory cut away her outer garment, revealing a tight sleeveless top and cuts on the arms that weren't from the broken glass. Ominous black veins traced out from each of the wounds, clearly visible through the skin. The wounds themselves were already showing signs of necrosis.

“Some kind of necrotic poison,” Jory said.

Donal was already chanting a spell.

“Make clean that which has been tainted.”

The black veins retreated somewhat, but then visibly started crawling up her arms once again.

“It’s like the poison is replicating itself,” Donal said.

“I’ll work on the poison,” Jory said. “You stop it from killing her. If we can beat it back enough you can try a longer spell.”

Jory started grabbing supplies from cabinets as Donal chanted another spell.

* * *

“You’re not going to kill us in front of all these people,” one of Jason’s attackers said.

“Are you kidding?” one of the others asked. “Look at that cloak. He's the cloak guy!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” the first attacker asked.

“The one who killed five adventurers in a shopping arcade in the middle of the day,” the second attacker said. “Not just regular people, but actual adventurers! And you know what they did to him? They promoted him! You think he won’t kill us because some dockworkers saw it?”

Jason, taking in the exchange, turned to the second attacker.

“You seem to know a lot,” Jason said, walking over and pulling off the man's mask. “You won't tell me who sent you?”

“I can’t.”

“Then tell me why. That's your live-or-die question.”

“I don’t know,” the man said, voice almost begging. “I really don’t. We were just meant to slow you down and run, like with the others.”

“Shut up, Jacob,” one of the others barked.

Jason pointed at the man who spoke.

“Mount,” he ordered, and the leeches crawled up the man’s legs and over his body, but did not yet their teeth into him. Then Jason turned back to Jacob.

“By others, you mean the other adventurers trying to catch the thief?”

The man nodded, and Jason started pacing as his brain ticked over. The now terrified attackers watched, unmoving, as they awaited their fate with bated breath.

“How did you know to intercept me here?”

“Keep your mouth shut, Jacob!”

“Screw you guys! I don’t have a family, and I ain’t getting eaten by leeches. There’s some silver-ranker, tracking the thief. Abilities too high for the thief’s friend to spot.”

That would be the one Jory has a thing for, Jason realised.

“Go on,” Jason said.