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"We should be grateful," Luna said, her voice pitched just loud enough for Thalia to hear across the table."At least we still have lunch.I overheard Instructor Maven telling Healer Erith they might have to cut it entirely if supplies don't arrive by week's end."

Thalia grimaced, tearing off a small piece of haddock with her teeth and chewing deliberately.The salt stung her chapped lips, but the protein was worth the discomfort."That would be disastrous.We're already running on empty during afternoon classes."

"Keep your chin up," Luna advised, though her usual lightness sounded forced."At least the fish is real.I've heard rumors that some of the servants are stretching the meat rations with sawdust."

Ashe dropped onto the bench beside Thalia, her own plate bearing the same paltry offering.The Northern girl's sharp features looked even more severe than usual, her cheekbones standing out prominently against her pale skin.She eyed her portion with thinly veiled disgust.

"We might not have lunch for much longer," she muttered, echoing Luna's earlier comment."The storage rooms are nearly empty.Even the preserved stocks are running low."She glanced around the hall, her voice dropping even further."My clan survived three months trapped by avalanches with more food than this academy has left."

Thalia followed her gaze, noting the hollow cheeks and dull eyes that had become commonplace among the students.The fever had weakened many, but hunger was affecting them all.Even the instructors looked gaunt, their uniforms hanging looser with each passing week.

"Has there been any word about the supply routes?"Thalia asked, breaking off another small piece of fish and letting it dissolve slowly on her tongue, making the meager portion last.

Ashe shook her head, a quick, sharp motion."Nothing reliable.Just rumors that the Ice Wardens have expanded their blockade to include even the mountain paths."She stabbed at her haddock with unnecessary force."This isn't sustainable.People are getting desperate."

As if summoned by her words, a gasp and a shout erupted from across the hall.Thalia's head snapped up, her body tensing at the sudden commotion.A cluster of first-years had gathered around a fallen figure, their voices rising in panicked confusion.

"He just collapsed —"

"What happened?"

"Someone get a healer!"

The cry for a healer penetrated the initial shock that had frozen Thalia in place.She was on her feet before she'd made a conscious decision to move, Luna and Ashe rising beside her.

"What is it?"Luna asked, but Thalia was already in motion, pushing past students who stood in confused clusters, watching the scene unfold with horrified fascination.

The crowd parted reluctantly, some too absorbed in the spectacle to notice her approach.Thalia recognized the divisive grouping even in crisis — Northern students clustered together, Southern students doing the same, the invisible boundary between them maintained even as one of their own lay stricken.

"Let me through," she called, her voice cutting through the babble of speculation."I've been working in the infirmary."

Whether it was her words or the authority in her tone, the final circle of onlookers stepped aside, revealing a first-year boy sprawled on the stone floor.His face was deathly pale except for two bright spots of color high on his cheeks.One hand clutched spasmodically at his throat, while his eyes rolled back, showing only the whites.

Thalia dropped to her knees beside him, her mind racing through possibilities.Fever didn't strike this suddenly.A seizure?Poisoning?She pressed two fingers against his neck, feeling the rapid, thready pulse beneath clammy skin.

"What happened?"she demanded, looking up at the terrified faces surrounding them.

A girl stepped forward, her voice trembling."He just — he was fine one moment, and then he started gasping.Said his throat was burning."

Another student, one Thalia recognized as the boy's friend, held out a shaking hand.In his palm lay a small collection of dark red berries, their surface glossy with a waxy sheen, thin black veins visible beneath the skin.

"He thought they might be safe to eat," the friend stammered, tears welling in his eyes."He — he was hungry —"

Thalia's breath caught as recognition slammed into her."Bloodshade berries," she said, the name escaping her lips in a horrified whisper.Her mother's warnings about the deceptive fruit echoed in her memory; their crimson color was similar to harmless mountain cherries, yet the subtle black veins were a warning to those who knew what to look for.

"Those are bloodshade berries," she announced more loudly, meeting the frightened gazes around her."Eating them raw is practically suicide.Did anyone else eat them?"

Heads shook in denial, faces paling at her stark assessment.

The boy on the floor convulsed, a thin line of pink-tinged saliva trickling from the corner of his mouth.Thalia's chest tightened with urgency.There was no time to run to the infirmary for supplies, no time to fetch a master healer.The toxin moved quickly once ingested, paralyzing the lungs within minutes.

"I need space," she commanded, surprised at the steadiness in her voice when her heart was hammering against her ribs."And water.Clean water."

As someone rushed to comply, Thalia untied the herb pouch at her waist, fingers moving with practiced precision despite her inner turmoil.Frantic hands are useless hands, her mother had always said.The cool focus that descended over her felt like a physical change, as if she'd stepped slightly outside herself to observe with clinical detachment.

She sorted through the dried herbs, quickly identifying the silverleaf she'd gathered that morning.Unlike the tincture she'd prepared for fever patients, this application required a more concentrated form.Silverleaf contained powerful purifying properties that could bind to certain toxins, including the deadly compound in bloodshade but only if administered quickly enough.

"Hold his mouth open," she instructed, her tone brooking no argument."We have to get this into his system before it's too late."