The Quiggard of Zyd

Chapter 3

Maraddyth looked back at Corym but he was already at work. She sighed and walked to her bedroom in the castle.
She looked in the mirror and scowled. Maraddyth placed her hands on her face to smooth out all of her new wrinkles.
"Maraddyth?"
Maraddyth whipped around and saw King Daron. "Yes?"
"How is the progress on the antidote going?"
She put her hands on her hips. "A new kid just came into town, says he can fix it, the usual. He's currently in the lab working."
"Good, good. Tell me when you have any progress." He started to leave.
"Are you sick?"
He squinted. "No, why?"
She clenched her fists. "You just seem very eager."
"I don't want you to die," he gave her a sad smile.
"I'll die of old age before I die of the plague." Maraddyth murmured.
The King sighed and left the room.
Her mind wandered to the strange boy working in the lab. He was maybe in his late twenties. A little older than she had been.
She stared back into the mirror and watched as a tear rolled down her wrinkled cheek.

Corym had been doing his own autopsies and collecting more information about the Quiggard when the old hag came back in the room.
"Have you found anything new yet?" She asked.
"No, every person has shown the same symptoms. There hasn't been any mutation on the disease which is odd because the Quiggard started about three years ago right?"
"Yes."
"Then why hasn't it changed? It's been here long enough. It should have mutated," he started drumming his fingers on the table.
"Stop."
"What?"
"Your fingers-it's driving me crazy."
Corym rolled his eyes and picked his fingers off the table.
"I just met you and yet you are the single most annoying person I've ever met."
Corym smiled, "I was just about to say the same thing about you." Confusion crossed his face.
"What?"
"What did you say?" He asked.
"I said what."
"No, not that. When you were insulting me."
Maraddyth squinted at him. "What?"
"You said something like I was the single most annoying person."
"So?"
"So, it gave me an idea for the cure, well kinda," he rushed over to his papers and started examining them.
"You are going to annoy the plague to go away? Actually that might work. Anything would want to get away from you."
Corym smirked. "No. The Quiggard hasn't changed because it didn't come from the animals or minerals naturally combining with other chemicals. It was made synthetically. By a single person."
Maraddyth drew in a breath.
"Well, they could have had some help. But someone made the Quiggard. Maybe for biological warfare." He paused to look at Maraddyth. "I need to tell King Daron right away."
"Like I said-"
"No one talks to the King? Yeah I got that ma'am but someone has been hurting this kingdom. Not something."