Shortly before the sun dropped out of the sky, Keiron ignited the kindling in the fire pit. Before long it lit up the darkness. “Isla, stay near the fire.” He went to his pack and pulled out his sack of food. “Trogs fear fire.”
Reese spread his blanket as near to the campfire as possible without it burning. Once settled, he pulled a can from his pack, removed the lid and ate.
The glow from the flame highlighted features on Reese that Isla wished she didn’t have to see. When she realised he was eating canned worms, she gagged and looked away. Her hunger faded as she fought to calm her stomach.
Tam lay with his head near the fire. He had grown weaker as the day progressed and now slept. Keeping him in the saddle had exhausted her, and when they had finally halted, she couldn’t stop him from falling to the ground.
“It’s time yew accept the facts, Isla.” Keiron shoved a spoonful of beans in his mouth. “Tam’ll be dead by morning light. Don’t know what’s kept him alive this long.”
She stared at the hauflin. “Don’t you have anything to help him heal?”
“He’s beyond help by regular means.”
She looked at the edge of the small clearing. The healing herb grew all around. She went to gather a handful.
“I told yew to stay near the fire!”
She quickly picked the plants and returned to Tam’s side. She knew what she had to do to keep him alive. Rolling him on his back, she opened his shirt and removed the blood-soaked dressing. As she moved to throw it into the bushes, Keiron stopped her.
“Throw it in the fire. The blood’ll attract things yew don’t ever want to see.”
Isla obeyed. The moisture in the material doused the flame for a few minutes, but then it dried, and the fire raged on. She washed the wound, using the cleansing mixture in Tam’s kit. The arrow hole still wept blood. Not as much as it did at first, but enough to kill him if it didn’t stop.
She put a clump of gathered herbs in her mouth and chewed until they felt soft and mushy. She spit them out and applied the soggy wad to the injury. With Keiron watching, she didn’t dare put her hand on Tam to heal him. She’d do it later. The herbs applied, she added fresh dressing and wrapped the remaining bandages around his chest.
As she finished, she heard Tam cough. He opened his eyes and looked at her as if he wondered where he lay and what had happened. He half sat up and looked around.
“Ay! The dead man rises.” Keiron chuckled. “Must be magic in her spit.”
Isla dug into Tam’s saddle bag and extracted a can of beans. She removed the lid and placed it near the fire. “Lay down.” She guided him back to the makeshift pillow she had constructed.
He closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh. She emptied half the can of warm beans into a dish and handed it to him. He shook his head. “You eat it.”
Isla glared at him, trying to make the crossed look Alaura had given her many times when she wanted her to do something for her own good. “If you don’t eat it, I’ll feed it to you.”
Tam took the bowl, grumbling, “You’re worse than a mum.”
She smiled inside and settled down beside him to eat the remaining beans in the can. When he finished, she gave him bread and a drink of water. By the time he had consumed the food, exhaustion had claimed him. He turned on his side, facing Isla and closed his eyes. In no time, he snored.
“Reese, yew take first watch.” Keiron slid a little closer to the fire and put his head down.
The gnome added a few sticks to build up the flame and sat with his back to it, staring out into the night.
Isla lay close to Tam. She spread her blanket over both of them…for extra warmth for him, she’d say if asked, and slid her arm beneath his shirt. She had intentionally left the bandages loose to get her palm over the arrow hole. Once in place, she relaxed and concentrated. She could remain in this position for as long as necessary to heal the wound completely.
An hour later, before sleep consumed her, she withdrew her hand and pulled the bandage in place. Tam took a deep breath. The choice to live rested with him. If he had enough blood and desire to see the morning, he would.