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Carunted in response, and then stuck his fist in hiswas poured over his wound that made it feel like the area had been set on fire

"Breathe," the boy suggested "You're holding your breath and 'tis easier do you breathe through the pain"

Ca, and sucked in another deep draught that he ih it did help It didn't exactly relieve the pain, but somehow made itagony lessened to a nagging ache

"You'll need to sit up for me to bind you"

Cam removed his fist from his mouth and eased carefully to his hands and knees, and then sat back on his haunches and raised his ar the fact that he was co on his wound, then began winding cloth around his loaist, reaching around his stomach to pass the strip of cloth froain Hethe end of the cloth in to the binding at Cam's side

"Done"

Ca his medicinals and tools back into a cloth satchel

"You should dress," the boy suggested, nodding past him " 'Tis chilly today"

Ca on his plaid Grabbing it up, he quickly shook it out and then laid it on the ground and began to fold pleats into it His gaze flickered upward as he worked The sun was high in the sky,hour It had been late afternoon the last he recalled He'd obviously been unconscious for at least al note that he didn't recognize the area

"How long since the attack?" Ca, he spotted his belt and grabbed it to slip beneath the pleated cloth He then laid on it Before this, Ca his plaid, but with every shift in position causing a shaft of pain to shoot through his back, he are now Lying on the wound was the worst though

Ca one side of the plaid around his body when he realized the boy hadn't answered hiroin with a wide-eyed fascination that al at his mouth, Ca Yers'll get bigger in time"

The boy blinked "What'll get big--" The words died in his throat as his gaze shot down to Ca The boy then flushed and turned away, focusing fir

Chuckling, Ca his plaid and then eased cautiously to his feet "Ye did no' sayhow long has it been since the attack?"

"You've been in a swoon for three days," the boy answered, closing his bag and tightening the tie at the top

"Three days?" Cam asked with disbelief, and then scowled "And I did no' swoon"

"All right, you've been sleeping for three days then," the boy said with a shrug After a ly, "You were in and out of fever "

Ca by a river He didn't see a road anywhere "Where are we?"

"I thought it best to get you sohtened with his bag "Now that you have, I suppose you'll mount your horse and be on your way so" The lad nodded at hi me life I'm sorry you ounded Safe travels"

Cam's eyebrows flew up as he watched the boy move over to sit on a set on his horse and leave hih, on his feet was a rather generous way to put it Hebeneath him, and he felt extremely weak He was in no shape to travel yet, and even if he were, he'd hardly abandon the boy after he'd spent three days nursing him back to health

Spotting his sword and knife on the ground, Ca fro

out as his stitches pulled in his back Dalad he'd slept these last three days If this is how it felt on the fourth day of healing, he was not sorry to have missed the first three

Straightening with a grimace, he eased his sword and knife into his belt and then settled on a boulder next to the boy He stared at the waterslowly past and cleared his throat "Thank ye fer tending me"

" 'Twas the least I could do," the lad said with a shrug "You ounded saving me from those thievesand I thank you for that"

Calish peasant and obviously poor, his clothes threadbare and dirty, his hat in no better shape All he see to steal?"

"Me bag," the boy answered, brushing his fingers over the bag he'd set on the ground between his feet

"For that they were beatin' ye?" He asked with disbelief, wondering why thetheir fists on such a short thin lad when they si and left

"Nay They were beatinguntil they forced et it back," the boy admitted

"Ye'd risk yer life fer a bag o' weeds?" Cam asked with disbelief

"They aren't weeds Weeds wouldn't have saved yer life They're herbs," the boy said stiffly, and then sighed, picked up a branch lying next to his boulder and began to absently strip the ss off " 'Sides, 'twas not the herbs I cared about, but a scroll that I a"

"A scroll?" Cam asked curiously

The boy nodded and began to dig in the dirt in front of his bag with the stick as he said, "Me mother asked me to deliver it on her deathbed"

"Ah," Ca "A deathbed request is a hard one to refuse"

"Or fail at," the boy added grimly "I have to deliver the scroll Mother said she'd not rest peaceful in her grave if I didn't"