“Daimon,” Brielle shouted.
He stirred, groaning and holdinghis shoulder.
“He’s alive.” Evelina sighed with relief. “I need to see his wound.”
Brielle nodded. “Meet us at the healer’s cabin,” she told Zephyr.
Keir brought up the rear while they all raced back to camp. Evelina prayed to Eurydice that Daimon could hold on long enough for them to make it back.
Twenty-Four
Evelina
Keir and Briellehelped Daimon off Zephyr and dragged him into the healer’s cabin.
“Put him on the table,” Evelina instructed. She called for Gloriana, her heart racing. Gloriana emerged from the back hallway, her eyes wide.
“We encountered rebels while riding,” Keir grunted. He hissed, clutching his leg as they laid Daimon down. His pants were stained with fresh blood.
“Lie down over here so I can check your wound.” Gloriana pointed to a cot across the room. Keir opened his mouth to protest and Gloriana shook her head firmly, adding, “Now.”
Evelina hurried by the hearth, where a bucket of fresh snow from the mountainside had melted into clean water. She washed her hands, careful to be thorough but quick. Then she hurried to Daimon and checked his breathing, finding it shallow but steady.
Evelina pushed his shirt open, swearing when she saw how deep the wound was. It started in the center of his chest and stretched up to his right shoulder; the ferrum arrow cut a deep slice in the skin, exposing muscles beneath.
She quickly dressed the wound with clean cloth. Then sheraked her fingers down his arms, feeling for any other deep wounds with her fingertips. When she got to his hip, she paused. A tattoo peeked out from his trousers; the hilt of a sword diagonally placed in line with his hip bone. Next, she had Brielle help her roll him to his side to check his back. All of the cuts were surface-level, his skin already knitting itself back together. They laid him back down, his eyes still closed and body limp.
“I need to clean the chest wound,” she muttered.
Brielle, clearly anxious for her commander, asked, “How can I help?”
Evelina turned on her heel, grabbed a pair of scissors off the shelf, and returned to his side. She sliced the fabric of his shirt, starting at the bottom hem and working her way up. “Heat a bowl of water for me over the kettle and grab a sterile cloth off the third shelf, far right side.”
Brielle immediately disappeared to do as instructed. Evelina applied pressure to the cloth covering his chest, waiting for the blood to stop. She had to replace it with bandages three more times.
By the time Brielle returned, the bleeding had finally slowed. She set a bowl of boiling water beside Evelina and handed her more sterile cloth. Evelina nodded her thanks and scooped a spoonful of crushed elonia leaf into the bowl. Once it was dissolved, she dipped the cloth in.
“I need you to stand across from me and hold him still while I clean the wound.” She looked up at Brielle and nodded to the side of the cot she wanted her on. “He’s going to wake up when I put this on him. Keep him as still as you can.”
Brielle and Evelina switched sides. Brielle braced her hands on his good shoulder, while Evelina took a deep breath and pressed the cloth over as much of the wound as it would cover. Daimon immediately jerked against her touch, screaming in agony. Brielle pushed against his chest and grabbed the arm closest to her.
“Shh, I know.” Evelina didn’t bother telling him to stay still;she knew it was no use. She had pleaded with enough soldiers at the refugee camps to know it wouldn’t do any good.
He was still thrashing as she pressed the cloth against him, his eyes squeezed shut. Her hands worked quickly, letting the cut soak up the warm elonia water. Once she counted to sixty in her head, she took it off, and his body finally relaxed.
“You good, Evelina?” Gloriana called from where she was tending to Keir’s injury.
“All good,” she called back. She reached over Daimon and grabbed a small tin, unscrewing the lid. Now that the wound was clean, she could put a numbing salve on it to ease the pain. She scooped a generous heap onto her hands and smeared it across his chest until the gash was covered.
Daimon had fallen unconscious, his breathing even. Evelina nodded to Brielle and blew out a deep breath.
“He may be out for a day or two. The wound is deep and he’ll likely need several blood-replenishing brews,” Evelina said. “There’s nothing more we can do for him right now, but he needs to stay here until he’s healed.”
Keir walked up to them, a small limp in his step. “We should brief the others and take a group for an extra patrol around the area,” he said to Brielle.
Brielle looked at Evelina, her eyes flashing, likely remembering what Evelina did with the arrow during the fight.
“There’s much to debrief on.” She cast a final glance at Daimon and nodded her head. “Call on us if he worsens.”
