*Briella*
I bit my lip as a dark brown, shriveled stalk was held out to us.
Kai and Lillian shared a grave look that made my stomach twist up in dread.
“And this happened to an entire field?” Kai asked in a grave voice.
The young scientist nodded, his dark brown eyes serious. “The farmers claimed that it happened essentially overnight. There was no warning, and they had just checked everything hours earlier.”
“What does it mean?” Lillian asked, looking at my brother in concern.
It was Mathias, the head priest, who answered in a hard tone. “It means that we need to figure out why this happened and as soon as possible,” he said.
“Yes,” my brother said with a sharp nod. He looked to one of the guards. “Send word to the farmers and let them know they need to do whatever they can to keep this from spreading. Disinfect tools and stay clear of the diseased field.”
The guard turned to go to do just that, hurrying out of the temple and into the night.
