them, raised my hand, and hit the bear right on the nose with a small lightning jolt. It was not enough to wound the bear, but enough to turn it away from its potential dinner. It ambled off at a fast pace, bellowing in pain and frustration.
Kishan changed to a man quickly and began to assess my leg injuries. He slid the backpack off my shoulders and donned his winter gear in a few seconds. Then he bent over my legs. The blood was already freezing in the snow. He tore a T-shirt in half and wrapped the pieces tightly around my thigh and calf.
“I’m sorry if this hurts. I have to move you. The scent of your blood could bring the bear back.”
He bent over me and picked me up carefully in his arms. Despite his tenderness, my legs burned. I cried out and couldn’t help squirming to try to relieve the pain. I pressed my face against his chest and gritted my teeth. Then I became oblivious to everything.
I wasn’t sure if I had been sleeping or if I had passed out. It didn’t really matter which. I woke up on my stomach next to a warm fire with Kishan carefully examining my wounds. He’d ripped up another shirt and was carefully cleaning my legs with some kind of smelly hot liquid he had summoned via the Golden Fruit.
I sucked in a breath. “It stings! What is that stuff?”
“It’s an herbal remedy to stop pain and infection and to help your blood clot.”
“It doesn’t smell very good. What’s in it?”
“Cinnamon, echinacea, garlic, goldenseal, yarrow, and some other things I don’t know the English words for.”
“It hurts!”
“I imagine it does. You need stitches.”
I sucked in a breath and began asking him questions to take my mind off the pain. I gasped as he cleaned my calf. “How did you . . . know how to make it?”
“I’ve fought in many battles. I know a little bit about how to take care of wounds like this. The pain should lessen soon, Kells.”
“You’ve treated wounds before?” I sucked in a breath.
“Yes.”
I whimpered. “Will you . . . tell me about it? It will help me focus on something else.”
“Alright.” He dipped his cloth and started working on my calf. “Kadam took me out with a group of his elite infantry to stop some bandits.”
“Were they like Robin Hood types?”
“Who is Robin Hood?”
“He steals from the rich to give to the poor.”
“No. They were murderers. They robbed caravans, raped women, and then killed everyone. They had become notorious in a certain area where trading happened often. Their riches attracted many to join their group, and their large numbers caused great concern. I was being trained in military theory and was learning how to strategize and engage in guerilla warfare from Kadam.”
“How old were you?”
“Sixteen.”
“Ouch!”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I groaned. “Please go on.”
“We had a large group of them holed up in some caves and were trying to figure out a way to flush them out when we were attacked. They’d built a secret exit into their hideout and had circled around us, quietly taking out our sentries. Our men fought bravely and overcame the rabble, but several of our best soldiers had been killed and many gravely wounded. My arm had been dislocated, but Kadam popped it back in for me, and we helped as many as we could.
“That’s when I learned battle triage. Those of us who were able followed the surgeon and helped him tend to the wounds of the soldiers. He taught me a bit about plants and their healing properties. My mother also was something of an herbalist and had a greenhouse full of plants, several of which were used in medicines. After that, whenever I went into battle, I carried a medicinal bag with me to give aid where I could.”
“It feels a little bit better now. The throbbing is less. What about you? Are your wounds painful?”
“I’ve healed already.”
“That’s really not fair,” I remarked jealously.
He responded softly, “I’d trade places with you if I could, Kells,” and continued his ablutions carefully, wrapping the thigh and calf in thin strips of cloth and then securing them with ace bandages that Mr. Kadam had included in our first aid kit. Kishan gave me two aspirin tablets and angled my head to help me drink.
“I’ve stopped the bleeding. Only one of the wounds is deep enough to make me worry. We’ll rest tonight and start back tomorrow. I’ll have to carry