‘Yes,’ he said thoughtfully, ‘that might have slowed it down a little. Warmweed tends to have a few other properties besides reducing pain. I’ve heard that some people have used it for treating snakebite – which is a pretty similar thing to this when you think about it.’
‘And it worked?’ Will asked. He didn’t like the way Halt paused before he answered.
‘Up to a point. It slowed the effect of the venom. But the victim still needed treatment. The trouble is, with this sort of poison, I don’t know what the correct treatment might be.’
‘But Halt, you’re improving! You’re so much better than you were this afternoon! I can see you’re recovering …’
He stopped as Halt laid a hand on his arm. ‘That’s often the way with these poisons. The victim seems to recover, then he has a relapse. And each time, after each bout of consciousness, he’s a little worse than before. And gradually …’ He stopped and made an uncertain gesture in the air.
Will felt he was staring into a deep, black hole before him. The realisation of what Halt was saying constricted his throat so that he could barely talk.
‘Halt?’ he choked. ‘Are you saying you’re …?’
He couldn’t finish the sentence. Halt said it for him.
‘Dying? I’m afraid it’s a distinct possibility, Will. I’ll have bouts of consciousness like this. Then I’ll pass out again. Each time, I’ll take a little longer to recover. And each time I do, I’ll be weaker than the time before.’

Halt's Peril, Chapter 26