The exceptional Father

Previously

…He looked at the vial of spring water, his daughter’s life secured. Then, he looked at the flourishing herbs, the salvation of his village within his grasp. He had been tested, and he had not only survived, but he had found a way to save them all. He carefully gathered a generous amount of the glowing herbs, their potency a palpable energy in his hands. He knew, with a certainty that settled deep in his soul, that he had made the right choice. The Guardian had not only guarded the spring, but it had guided him, revealing a path where he had seen only despair. The journey home, he knew, would be filled with a different kind of hope.