The Hand That Mocked Them

He nodded. "My master has not aged, passed waste, or grown stubble since his coma began; he can wait one more day."

Kivvien nodded. It must be some sort of stasis then, a so-called 'sleeping curse' could be the cause. He wouldn't know for sure until he could run his own tests of course.

"Have you..." He hesitated. "Have you given any thought to how to cure it, sir?"

"It sounds like a simple stasis, much alike to the one that afflicted the kingdom through the second century, though on a smaller scale. I cannot be sure, of course, until I examine him myself, but I doubt very much that the solution will be outside my abilities."

"That's so good to hear," he said in relief. "I had hoped it would be a simple fix, though it lies well outside my own abilities. Nobody else would help me, though. I'm lucky to have found you, sir."

"Oh no, any sort of stasis is not a simple fix. It will be quite labor intensive, but certainly something I'm capable of doing, or, rather, undoing."

"I'm glad to hear that at any rate." He smiled hopefully

"Yes, yes," he said dismissively.

"And I...I am very sorry for my impudence yesterday. I'm not very good at self control outside my master's cottage, it would seem."

Kivvien stiffened. "Do yourself a favor, creature, and cease mentioning it."

"Of course, of course." He bowed his head and was silent.

Kivvien returned his focus to the road. If he thought too hard about that thing reading the words of-

There was a pattern in the bark of some of the trees in this section of woods that indicated a virus, he wasn't entirely sure which one. Perhaps one of those spread by parasites? Regardless, it should be managed now before it got out of hand.

Hieronymus watched him. He'd noticed Kivvien was fascinated by the trees but didn't quite understand why. He tried to see what he was seeing, squinting hard.

If it was a parasitic infection some sort of pesticide may have an effect, but that could also rid the area of wildlife that helped maintain the required balance. A magical solution that targeted the parasite itself would likely be the most effective, but also costly. A mage of that skill level wouldn't come cheap.

Kivvien stopped and took out a journal and a stick of graphite. The cart rolled to a stop beside him as the mule realized he had stopped walking beside. Kivvien focused closely on the markings, sketching them out quickly and making notes on the species of tree and the environment before continuing on, the mule following with the cart once he had moved ahead.

"What's wrong with the trees?" Hieronymus asked when he could no longer resist. "Are they sick?"