Alberto's POV
The air in the infirmary was thick with the cloying scent of crushed valerian, mountain sage, and the low hum of the high healers' magic. Normally, I wouldn't be caught dead in here—I detested the place—but circumstances were different.
I wanted to make sure that whatever they were doing was helping Sapphire, because one thing my encounter at the village had taught me was that waiting for reports from subordinates would always end in disappointment.
I watched as Master Valerius and his acolytes moved around Sapphire's bed. Their hands glowed with a soft golden light, their brows knitted in concentration. Whatever they were doing seemed to be working; the gray translucent tint was slowly fading from her skin. She was still a far cry from her normal color, but this slight i
