The seed hit the ground.
And in that moment, across the vast distance that separated the Scarlands from the rest of the kingdom, the Pestilence made its final move.
---
The first wave hit the eastern villages.
The sky had been clear that morning, the sun rising golden over the farms and fields. Children played in the streets. Merchants opened their stalls. Life continued as it always had, oblivious to the darkness that was racing toward them.
Then the coughing began.
It started with one person, an elderly farmer who had been tending his crops. He doubled over, his body wracked with spasms, blood spattering the soil. His wife rushed to him, but before she could reach him, she too began to cough.
Within an hour, the entire village was sick.
