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“What in the world –” “You found her!” “Quick – fetch some light!” “Easy now, over here.” “Quiet now. Let me see her.” The clamour of voices died down almost instantly as a tall figure made his way through the crowd of onlookers that gathered around a ranger and the unconscious figure he carried. The elf reached the pair and looked gravely at the bloodied face as the ranger stepped into a circle of light cast by the lamps in the courtyard, and gently pushed aside the young woman’s hair, matted with blood and dirt, to look more closely at the wounds. A large bruise shone purple against too pale skin, and he probed her forehead gently with the back of his hand. “She has a fever,” he murmured, as if to himself. “Aye, and worse besides, I’d wager. She looked half-dead on the mountain side when I found her.” “Let’s get her inside.” The crowd parted to let them through, though many curious eyes followed them as they hurried through the stone corridors. In a spacious and well lit bedchamber on the ground floor, the ranger carefully set his burden down. Against the soft white linen, she looked worse than in the half-light of the courtyard. Her clothes were torn, the edges of each ragged tear black with dried blood. If he didn’t know otherwise, he wouldn’t have reckoned her among the living. “Where did you find her?” “Not fifteen miles east of here. She was on the right path, but I never imagined the enemy would pursue her so relentlessly.” “That is close,” the elf frowned. “I do not think she led the enemy near. I searched the ground around her, and it seems whatever she fought off she encountered much earlier. She must have wandered far carrying her injuries, until…” he shook his head. “It’s a wonder she survived.” “You rangers are strong in both mind and body, so my experience tells me.” The elf smiled, but the ranger did not return it. “I knew her to be in danger. Should she die, the guilt lies with me.” “It lies with Morgulon, and all who do his bidding,” the elf reminded him. As they talked, the elf had his hand to the woman’s forehead, and suddenly he fell silent, closing his eyes. The other ranger retreated to the other side of the room, just as the door opened and another elf came in, a basket on her arm filled with bandages and little glass bottles that clinked together as she moved towards the bed. Careful not to disturb her father, she set about filling white bowls with water out of tall jugs. One of these she gave to the ranger. “Heat some water, if you will. We may need plenty of it before the worst is over.” She said gently. With a brusque nod he was gone. The young elf approached the bed again, and waited in silence until, after long minutes had passed, her father opened his eyes and sighed. His hand, once pale and unblemished, now looked red and sore. Both ignored it, knowing that it would fade within an hour. “I have done all I can for now. The fever is not broken, but its power is less now.” “She has other injuries, they say?” “Aye. She’s been hurt bad, and the wounds don’t look clean.” The ranger was back, carrying the water in both hands. He drew in close to the bed and set the bowl down slowly, so as not to spill any. “I did the best I could, but in the wild…” “You may have bought us some time, nonetheless.” Se lent over the patient and carefully peeled back her tunic to reveal a badly stained shirt. It stuck to the skin underneath as she carefully prised it loose. The woman didn’t stir, not even when her wounds were washed out, first with water then with a dark green liquid that hissed slightly as it was poured into the wounds. “It will wash the poisons out,” the elf explained. “It is well she is not conscious. Lordsleaf is a potent cure, but it is not without it’s own sting.” “I know Lordsleaf well enough,” the ranger commented from the far side of the room where he had retreated. “But for healing, I thought only to use Kingsfoil, the brother plant.” “Kingsfoil will still help, but in concentrated form, Lordsleaf works fastest. I fear she may have been carrying the poison for many days before you found her.” “But you were able to flush it out?” “All that I could, I have. The rest is up to her now.” She glanced back down at her patient. “You never told me her name.” “Rhovaniel. Her name is Rhovaniel.”