The soft yellow glow illuminated a tiny cavern. Lying on a cot in the center, a young man tossed and turned. He had kicked his blankets off. A sheen of sweat coated his face. As I approached him, my magic stirred from deep inside, signaling a familiar warning. I didn’t even need to examine him. He had the plague.

Fear pulsed as I remembered what I’d read about the spread of the plague. Not airborne. “Flea, did you touch him?”

“Of course. I helped him in here.” He peered at me in confusion.

“Did you have skin contact? Did some of his oily sweat rub off on your skin?”

“Yeah, I did my death touch on him because he wasn’t getting any better.” He paled. “Am I going to get the plague, too?”

“How do you feel?”

“Queasy.” He sank to the ground.

Which could just be the power of suggestion. I crouched next to him and pressed my fingers to the back of his hand. A recognizable vanilla-scented coolness pumped through him.

“Am I going to die?” His voice squeaked.

“No.”

He sagged against the cave’s wall. “Thank the creator!”

“You’ve been hanging out with Estrid’s soldiers too long.”

“Who should I thank, then?”

“The Peace Lilys. Their serum flows in your blood, protecting you.”

“Wow. That’s some powerful stuff.”

I agreed. It had saved mine and Flea’s life. Tohon used the serum to animate the dead. The serum and his life magic—I still hadn’t figured how the combination worked. As soon as I’d learned Death Lily toxin would eliminate his dead soldiers, I’d stopped thinking about it. Too much else going on.

“Did the patient encounter the enemy before he sickened?” I asked Flea.

“Yes. Private Yuri said his squad was ambushed. He was knocked out and when he woke he was alone. He had a cut on his neck, but was otherwise unharmed.”

Interesting. “Has the rest of his squad reported in?”

“No. They’re considered missing in action.”

Not good. As I stared at the sick patient, my thoughts returned to the puzzle of the Lilys. If this man died, his body would probably be rejected by the Peace Lilys because he had no magic. The Lilys only saved those with magic or the potential to wield it. There was a slim chance the patient had potential. If we brought his body to the Lily fast enough, it might work. But why wait until he died? We could transport him now. Except only Flea and I could be near him. I wouldn’t risk anyone else.

What if I brought the Peace Lily serum to him? It might accelerate his death like it had with me. He was going to die regardless. But it might work. It was worth a try.

Excited, I straightened. “No one else cares for this patient or even comes near him. Just us. Understand?”

“Yeah.”