I scanned the room, my eyes sweeping over the huddled figures.

  And then I saw her.

  Sitting in the middle of the groaning patients, looking small and pale, was Lily.

  I froze.

  'Lily? Sick?'

  I focused my mana. [Analyze].

  A window popped up in my mind, the text glowing softly against the backdrop of the crowded hut.

  Relief washed over me. 'Food poisoning. Not some sort of plague. Not magic poison. Just... bad food.'

  Nora handed the bowl of raw, marinated bird meat back to me. "Hold this, sweetie."

  She ran toward Alicia, her healer instincts kicking in. I sidled closer, pretending to inspect a shelf so I could eavesdrop.

  "What's going on?!" Nora said, grabbing a stack of clean towels.

  "Food poisoning," Alicia confirmed, wiping sweat from her forehead. "I've examined all of them. Same symptoms. Same source, likely. I'm going to brew an emetic to clear their stomachs."

  Nora nodded and immediately went to fetch buckets.

  I exhaled. It was minor.

  I walked over to the preservation box and carefully placed my precious bowl of Jujeh inside.

  Then, I turned to Lily.

  She was curled up on the bench, clutching her stomach. Her face was a sickly shade of green, and her usual bright energy was gone, replaced by misery.

  She had done so much for me.

  I walked over and patted her hand. She looked up, her eyes watery.

  "Hey, Viv," she croaked. "Don't get too close. I'm gross."

  "You're okay," I stated, trying to sound reassuring.

  Alicia returned a moment later, carrying a tray of small vials filled with a bubbling, brown liquid.

  "Drink," she commanded, handing them out. "It tastes like swamp water, but it will make you empty your stomachs immediately. Trust me, you'll feel better after."

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Lily took a vial. She uncorked it and sniffed. Her face scrunched up.

  She held it as far away from her nose as her arm would allow. She took a deep breath, steeling herself.

  Then, she downed it in one go.

  The effect was instant.

  She gagged, grabbed the bucket Nora had placed beside her, and retched violently. She turned her head away from me, trying to preserve whatever dignity she had left.

  Around the room, the sound of retching filled the air. It wasn't pleasant, but the color was already returning to their faces.

  Ten minutes later, the worst was over. The buckets were cleared away, and the patients were slumped back on the benches, exhausted but no longer green.

  "Light food," Alicia instructed Nora. "Make some porridge. Their stomachs are raw."

  Nora nodded and headed for the kitchen.

  Just as the door clicked shut behind her, the front door of the Hut slammed open.

  Elder Harlan stood there, snow swirling around his boots. His face was red, his beard bristling with indignation.

  "Don't touch it!" he bellowed, pointing a shaking finger at the patients. "Whatever she gives you, don't eat it! It could be poison!"

  Silence fell over the room.

  Then, someone snickered.

  Then, someone else laughed.

  "A bit late for that, Harlan," a man wheezed, wiping his mouth. "We already drank her 'poison'."

  "And look," another woman said, sitting up straighter. "We're not dead. In fact, my stomach stopped cramping."

  Lily looked up, a weak smirk playing on her lips. "I told you , Alicia is the best."

  Harlan’s face turned a darker shade of purple. He looked around the room, realizing he was losing the audience.

  He changed tactics instantly.

  "She probably poisoned you herself!" he shouted, his eyes wild. "Just so she could give you the antidote and play the hero! She wants you to trust her again! It's a trick!"

  This time, the laughter was louder. It wasn't polite. It was mocking.

  "Go home, Harlan," the man said, waving a hand. "You're seeing ghosts."

  Elder Harlan sputtered. He looked from face to face, seeing no allies.

  "Fine!" he spat. "Laugh! But know that when you see her true face , it will be too late, don't say I didn't warn you! You'll see! You'll all see!"

  He spun around and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the dried herbs rattled on the walls. I could almost see the steam rising from his head as he stomped away into the snow.

  Alicia watched the door, her expression unreadable. Then, she turned to check on Nora in the kitchen.

  Just before she disappeared, I caught it. A small, genuine smile.

  'She needed that,' I thought. 'She needed them to defend her.'

  I turned back to Lily.

  "What did you eat?" I asked.

  "Stew," Lily groaned, rubbing her tummy. "Big pot. For ten people. But... weird."

  "Weird?"

  "Yeah," she frowned. "Ten of us ate it. But only six of us got sick. The first four who ate... they were fine."

  I paused.

  'That doesn't make sense. If the pot was bad, everyone should be sick. Unless...'

  Unless the "poison" settled at the bottom? Or was added later?

  I wanted to ask more, but the kitchen door opened. Nora walked in carrying a large steaming pot.

  She ladled out bowls of grey, mushy porridge. It looked exactly like the baby food she used to feed me.

  She offered a bowl to me.

  "Eat, sweetie."

  I looked at the grey sludge. I thought about the golden, saffron infused bird meat sitting in the preservation box.

  "No," I said firmly. "I'll Wait for lunch."

  By the time Oliver arrived, stomping snow off his boots, the patients were sitting up, chatting, looking almost normal.

  "You're all clear," Alicia announced, checking Lily’s pulse one last time. "Go home. Rest."

  They stood up to leave.

  "Wait!" Nora called out.

  Everyone froze.

  "You're all still weak," Nora said, smiling warmly. "And today... we have something special. Stay for lunch. Please."

  My jaw dropped.

  'Mom. No. Why?'

  I stared at her. 'Do you know how hard I worked for that?

  'No fair.'

  But I forced a smile onto my face.

  "Yes," I chirped, dying inside. "Stay."

  Nora beamed. "I'll handle the stew. Oliver, help Vivian with the meat."

  They still didn't trust me around open fire. But I needed to change that.

  I retrieved the bowl from the box. The meat had soaked up the marinade, turning a beautiful orange yellow.

  We went to the back of the Hut, where a fire pit was already burning.

  "Grill these please" I instructed Oliver, handing him the skewers.

  Oliver raised an eyebrow at the smell but did as he was told.

  As the meat hit the heat, the scent exploded.

  Saffron. Onion. Citrus. Charred meat.

  It was insanity. It filled the yard and drifted into the Hut.

  I looked around and saw Lily wandering over, sniffing the air like a bloodhound.

  "What is that smell?" she asked, eyes wide. "What could possibly smell that good?"

  "Saffron," I answered, watching the fat drip into the flames. "Remember Kael?"

  "The merchant?" she asked. "The bird dish?"

  "Yeah."

  Ten minutes later, we served it.

  The six patients, plus Alicia, Oliver, Nora, and me.

  They took the first bite.

  Silence.

  Then, moans of pure delight.

  "By the gods," the man whispered. "What is this?"

  "It's sour... but savory," Lily mumbled around a mouthful. "And the color..."

  I took a bite.

  It wasn't perfect. The bird wasn't chicken, it was gamier. The sour orange wasn't lemon, it was sharper. But the soul of the dish was there. The saffron sang through the smoke.

  It tasted like home.

  I chewed slowly, savoring the memory.