‘I’m not sure what the poison is yet. But if I’m right, those are the symptoms.’
‘Of what?’ Will asked. His mouth was a tight line.
Malcolm looked at him apologetically. As a healer, he hated times like this, when all he had to offer was bad news.
‘It starts with delirium and fever. One minute he’s in the present, next he’s in the past. Then he’s totally in the past and hallucinating. That’s the second stage. That’s when you said he mistook you for someone else. Then there’s the final stage: clarity and awareness once again and an apparent recovery.’
‘An apparent recovery?’ Will repeated. He didn’t like the sound of that phrase.
Malcolm shrugged. ‘I’m afraid so. He’s a long way gone. I’m not sure how much time he might have left.’
‘But … you can treat him?’ Horace asked. ‘There is an antidote to this poison, isn’t there? You said you know what it is.’
‘I think I know what it is,’ Malcolm said. ‘And there is an antidote.’
‘Then I don’t see the problem,’ Horace said.
Malcolm took a deep breath. ‘The poison looks like one of two possible types – both of the genus aracoina,’ he said. ‘One is derived from the aracoina plant that grows blue flowers. The other comes from the white-flowered variety. The two cause virtually the same symptoms – the ones I’ve just described here.’
‘Then …’ Will began, but Malcolm stopped him.
‘There are two antidotes. They’re quite common. They’re effective almost immediately and I have the ingredients for both. But if I treat him for white aracoina and he’s been poisoned with the blue variety, it will almost certainly kill him. And vice versa.’
Horace and Will stood in stunned silence as Malcolm spoke. Then he continued.
‘That’s why murdering swine like these Genovesans favour aracoina poison. Even if a healer can prepare an antidote, there’s still an even chance that the victim will die.’

Halt's Peril, Chapter 34