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Sheldrake grabbed the arm of a man as he ran past, which swung him around in an arc to face the mage.
“I beg your pardon,” said Sheldrake, seeing the man’s shocked face, “but what is happening?”
“The mayor has collapsed,” replied the man tersely, pulling his arm out of Sheldrake’s grasp
“Oh dear, I hope she is all right.”
Just as they were speaking, a young woman ran up, her eyes wide with fear. “My mother’s sick. She’s not moving. I need Miriam’s help or Rayna’s”
“Miriam’s unwell too,” said the man tersely. “We’ll have to get Rayna.”
“Perhaps I could help” offered Sheldrake with a small bow. “I am a healer of sorts.”
The young woman looked him up and down. “We’ll get Rayna,” she said firmly and dashed off up the hill.
Six minutes later, she was back, bending over to catch her
