H.L.’s Substack

H.L.’s Substack

A Palate for Magic Chapter 23

Riese is in over her head

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H.L. Burke
May 04, 2026
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Chapter Twenty-Three

Riese frantically typed Syrah’s symptoms into her phone, praying it was something simple and non-panic inducing like a cold or mild stomach bug.

Okay, so what are we dealing with? She’s listless, cold to the touch, and her eyes are glassy. Let’s go with that.

She pushed enter and waited for the search engine to work its hopefully fear-relieving magic.

Top results … Severe dehydration? Possible. Easy fix. Just add water … Um, infection or sepsis, gosh that sound scary, but from what? Hypothermia? Indoors in August? Unlikely. Hypoglycemia … She hasn’t really eaten today, has she? Shock? How … um … Drug or Alcohol Intoxication …

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