Alesoun stares at the leg for a long moment before shifting her eyes to me, a look of wonderment tinged with fear on her face. The fear fills my heart with dread. She is my one ally; I can’t lose her. She shakes her head and makes a tsking sound.
“Come now. Sit up, you old fool,” Alesoun says, turning her attention to the man. She helps him to a sitting position with his legs hanging over the edge of the boulder. “How’s that now.”
The old man moves his leg in a circle and shakes his head.
“It’s fine,” he says with a note of wonder in his voice. I think he knew how bad it was and didn’t actually expect us to make it better. He slides off the boulder and puts his weight on the leg. He wobbles, throws his arms wide to steady himself, and then he’s fine. “Better than fine. Feels better than it has in years.”
He walks a few steps, then turns back around and comes up to me. He grabs my hands and squeezes them, tears glistening in his eyes.
“You’re a miracle,” he says.
“It was nothing, luck.”
“That was no luck,” he insists. “That was a bit of the old ways. I don’t know how one young as you learned them and I don’t care. I can go and fight for the clan now. Thank you.”
I smile but my nerves have me looking past him and around. I don’t want to be associated with the old ways because I don’t want to be cast out. He tightens his grip then lets out a whoop. I jerk away in surprise and most of the surviving clan members look over at the excitement.
“We’ve a healer,” the old man yells.
“No, please, it’s not necessary,” I protest.
“You’ll take my appreciation,” the old man says. “You’ve earned it.”
“It was nothing, I promise. I got lucky. That’s all.”
“Ach, modest too. Fine, fine. I’ll leave you to your work, but I won’t let your name or what you’ve done be forgotten.”
He finally lets go of my hands and walks away. The eyes of the crowd stare longer and I count the beatings of my heart until their attention shifts and they go back to their business.
“That was not smart,” Alesoun says.
“You think I don’t know that?” I whisper harshly. “I couldn’t let him die.”
“There will be repercussions,” she says darkly.
I don’t answer because I can’t bring myself to tell her again that she’s right or admit how wrong I was. I couldn’t let him die. That’s my only excuse. If I didn’t help him his death would be on my conscious and I couldn’t bear that.
ChapterFive
Three days pass fast.A few new stragglers find the camp, all of whom are wounded, shellshocked, and in need of treatment. Alesoun and I are the only healers; that alone keeps us busy.
Alesoun shows me how to make more salves from plants that grow in the area to treat the different ailments. Modern medicine could learn a lot if it was only willing to accept an uneducated person like her had something to share. When we’re not busy treating wounds, we’re building a store of medical supplies, including making bandages from donated cloth.
While we do our work, the rest of the clan pools together what food and supplies they were able to bring with them, then organizes parties to scour the area for more. It doesn’t take much observation to know there isn’t enough for this many people, and winter is approaching fast.
“Ach, I am fine,” a woman’s voice says, echoing off the stone walls.
Alesoun and I have set up our workstation inside the cave. Our small corner has a rickety table, several baskets to hold supplies, and a large jug of water we use to wash wounds, as well as the large, flat rock that is serving as an examination table.
“You’re not fine. The healers are right here. Come now, get that wound tended.”
“I’ll not. Those women have the devil’s touch. I won’t let them lay hands on me.”
“The devil’s touched us all already. You think the Almighty was behind what’s been done to us?”
“Blasphemy. I’ll not listen to you any longer. Let me go.”
Alesoun and I exchange a quick glance. She purses her lips and shakes her head. Such arguments haven’t been uncommon. The clan seems to be dividing between those who want to return to the ‘old ways’ and those who cling to their Christian upbringing.