It had been not even two candlemarks, but it felt like he had been gone for days. A flicker of thought to the waiting dog, lest she alert and spur the children into flight.

They were waiting for him, of course, gathered around the grazing horses. Kyminn could see where they had piled timber into mounting blocks, should they need to mount and flee. It was a reasonable solution to the problem of them sitting perched on the horses for who knew how long. The restlessness of the horses, not to mention the needs of the children to answer calls of nature were strong reasons for the children to have climbed down.

"Da?" Ansen's question was anxious. "Where's Ama?"

Kyminn shaded the truth. "Gaven and I need to go back, she needs our help."

Niyeh, stressed and frightened, began to cry. Mehrhet drew her sister close and whispered something. Whatever it was, it reduced the sobs to quiet sniffles.

"Ansen, take Cellen please. You and your sisters go back to the wagon – it's safe now. Bring the horses with you if you can, but don't worry if you can't. We can catch them later." Easier to focus on the problem in front of him than problems in the future. "We will try to be back by dark. If we aren't, you take care of the others, understand?" It was a lot to ask of an eleven-year old.

His son nodded. "We know how. From before."

Kyminn hesitated. "You know how to feed Cellen?" At Ansen's nod, Kyminn added, "He probably won't want to eat it. Just do your best. I'll…help as soon as I can." Kyminn's mind shied away from how he was to care for Cellen in the days to come.

Gaven had been handing off the infant while Kyminn was speaking. By the time Kyminn had finished, the youngster was pulling himself up behind the saddle.

Gaven waited until they were out of earshot before speaking. "Where are we going? I thought we were going to this river crossing?"

"The wagon first. I need my healing kit."

Gaven was quiet. "It's bad, isn't it?"

Kyminn didn't turn his head, but Gaven could feel the older man sag in the saddle. "It's very bad. Cydris's wound…she could bleed to death."

Gaven hunched down. "Kyminn, I…don't know how to Heal. I don't know what to do." There was real fear in his voice.

Kyminn reached back and clumsily patted the Trainee. "I know. So does Cydris. We think we have an answer to that. In fact, I had an idea on the way here that may help even further."

Kyminn drew up at the wagon and, to the horse's relief, they both dismounted.

"Gaven, you know where my bag is, yes?"

Gaven nodded. "I think so. In the front bench on the left side?" He was already climbing over the tailgate.

"Right side," Kyminn was trying to clamp down on his anxiety, on his urge to climb back on the horse and gallop back to his wife.

It took only a moment, but as Gaven went to re-mount, Kyminn stopped him.

"I want to show you something first."

"But…I thought we needed to hurry."

"We do. But we have to do this first. Before…Gaven, tell me about the accident at the wall. Not the details, just…how those memories make you feel."

Gaven wrinkled his brow. "I…we were all excited, I remember that. Then there was a lot of noise and shouting. I remember I couldn't feel my legs and thought that that was strange. There was dust and someone was screaming. I thought I should be screaming too, but nothing hurt. Then someone moved some stones and I remember thinking "Oh, I do have legs after all. So that's where they are." and then it hurt too much and I passed out."

"Did you see the other injured men?"

"No, not until afterwards. I didn't see any blood or anything."

"Gaven," Kyminn kept his voice gentle while his heart screamed, "this battle – and it was a battle, even if it was a very small one – is not pretty. It's ugly and smells like blood and bowels."

Gaven paled, but nodded his understanding.

"When we train Healers, we let your skills and confidence grow so you learn to handle the ugly parts. Even then it's sometimes more than a student can cope with and they find themselves puking up their breakfast.

"I'm not going to ask you to look at those parts, to deal with those parts. So, when I tell you to close your eyes, or just look at your feet, I need you to listen to me and do as I ask, understand?"

Gaven's head bobbed in relieved agreement.

Kyminn took the boy's shoulders and made sure Gaven was looking at him. "I will be honest – Cydris's wound is messy. It's not her guts," Kyminn hastened to reassure, "It's her leg. There's a lot of blood and, frankly, it looks like raw meat. I want to tell you this now so that you are prepared. If it helps to think of it like a deer that you're working on and not a person, do that."

"I don't know what to do." It was a quaver.

"I know. I'm going to try to show you. All we are asking you to do is one small thing. I will do the rest. Cydris and I will lend you our strength, I just need to ask you to use your Gift for a moment. Do you think you can manage that?"

It was desperately important that Gaven believe he could do this. Control of one's Gift was as much a skill of controlling one's feelings as it was of directing energies. Uncertainty, or worse yet, failure, could stunt Gaven's ability to ever access his Gift, causing damage that would take a Mindhealer to correct.

"Just one thing?" Gaven looked relieved. "I can do that."

"Good." Kyminn pushed as much confidence as he could into the one word. "Now – I hope – I'm going to show you what to do. Pinch and seal. That's it. Ready? Lower your shields. You should feel me, just like you knew Cydris was there. Link with me, just like you did with her."

Gaven fumbled a bit, but soon made the link, pleased with himself at accomplishing the task.

"Well done! Now, this is the part that I'm hoping works. I can See only animals. Some Healers can See only people, but many – most – can see something of both." Kyminn extended his Gift and joined his energies to that of the horse. "Tell me, what do you See?"

Gaven's jaw dropped. "It's…colours and…almost like a living sculpture. I'm not sure I can explain it."

Kyminn smiled in relief. "Good! That's very good! What you're describing is pretty common. The life energies we encounter can appear as colours, liquid, a solid you can shape – I heard of someone once who said it sounded like music."

Conscious of the trickling measure of time and Gaven's limited capacity, Kyminn pushed onward. "You can see where she's injured? Where she was slashed?" He flowed his energy over the sealed wound, highlighting it but not exerting himself."

"I do. It feels like I should…move it around and make the shape right", unconsciously, Gaven gave a small push at the wound.

"Easy!" It came out more sharply than Kyminn had intended and the link wobbled. He fed in some more of his dwindling strength until it stabilized. A flashed smile of reassurance. "Save your strength!"

Kyminn drew out his belt knife and used his Gift to highlight a blood vessel just beneath the hide. "Gaven, I've blocked her pain – she won't feel this. Do you trust me on that?"

The lordling looked as though he wanted to protest, but gave a reluctant nod. "I can tell that you did something, but I can't tell what."

"I'm going to temporarily seal the vessel as it flows beneath her skin. Like this." And he demonstrated. "Now you try it."

It took a couple of tries, and more of Kyminn's precious strength than he would have liked, but Gaven got the hang of it.

"Now I'm going to cut the vessel. I want you to mend it."

Gaven looked at his horse. The thought of intentionally injuring an animal – especially a horse! – went against everything he knew. "She won't feel any pain?"

"No pain and I'll Heal her straight away." It was a promise.

At Gaven's nod, Kyminn pierced the mare's hide, blood flowing freely from the wound.

Kyminn had been afraid that his young Trainee would become disconcerted at managing the living flow and the older Healer was prepared to step in if the boy faltered. Gaven made a small motion of his hands, his pinching fingers mimicking the actions of his Gift as the boy held the ends of the vessels closed.

"Oh, well done!" and it was. "I'm going to show you how I would seal the ends together, but I won't do it. Then you try."

Kyminn shaped his energies into a sheath, a protective sleeve around the two sections. Then he started to merge the energies with the artery, showing Gaven how the energy would become part of a new whole. Then he withdrew, leaving the field to the Trainee.

Gaven concentrated and his hands pushed, as though shaping dough or clay. He rolled the energy around the torn vessel and then smoothed it out, creating a new shape. He was panting when he was done.

"That was very well done. I think you're as ready as you can be." Kyminn knitted the small gash together, using as little energy as he possibly could. That done, he mounted the mare and helped Gaven climb up behind. As soon as Gaven was settled, Kyminn pushed the horse into a trot. He blocked her pain and fatigue, but didn't dare lend her his strength.

As they neared the crossing, Kyminn glanced back over his shoulder. "Gaven, close your eyes and just tuck your head into my back, alright?"

He felt Gaven nod. In short moments, they passed the man that Kyminn had trampled and were pushing through the brush. "You can look now. We're nearly to Cydris." Kyminn tried to keep his tone calm, with an unspoken assertion that she would be alive and waiting for them.

"Took you long enough. You stop for lunch?" Her voice was weaker than before and Kyminn's fear at seeing her pallor warred with his relief at hearing her voice again.

"You practiced that, didn't you?" He tried to match her casual tone as he waited for Gaven to get down. He noted without comment the fresh blood pooled beneath her. It seemed as though she had been loosening the tourniquet in an attempt to protect blood flow to the lower limb. Beside her, Raff and Tip raised their heads in greeting from where Cydris had drawn them close, using their heat to stave off shock. Raff thumped her tail once in greeting and Kyminn could feel the agony of her shattered hind leg. He ruthlessly clamped down on his shields, blocking his knowledge of her suffering.

Gaven was swallowing convulsively, trying not to stare at the mess of blood and tissue. Kyminn squeezed his shoulder gently. "Deep breaths. Puke if you need to. It's alright. We can do this, the three of us."

Gaven nodded but said only, "What should I do?"

Cydris's smile was grey with pain. "Kyminn is going to clean and ready the wound. I would very much like it if you would sit with me and let me hold your hand. It's going to hurt a great deal."

Gaven dropped to his knees beside her. One hand waved vaguely in the direction of her leg. "Is there anything I can do…you know, for the pain?" It was tentative.

Cydris caught Kyminn's headshake and turned to capture Gaven's gaze. "No, but thank you. We don't want to overstrain your Gift. I can manage." She clasped Gaven's hands in her own and nodded for Kyminn to proceed.

He tried to be gentle as he sliced open her trouser leg, easing the torn fabric away from the gash. To his relief, only a small trickle of blood marked his efforts.

To distract all three of them as he began to clean the periphery of the wound, he asked her "What was it? Looks like a spear."

She grunted with pain and there was a gasp in her reply. "Arrow. Small barbs, thank the gods. The bastard yanked it out. Not sure if he wanted me to bleed to death or it was in his way."

Kyminn's hands stuttered for a moment, then resumed. "What happened to him?"

"Raff." It was savagely gleeful. "With some help from Tip here. To be honest, I think he intended to kill me rather than do anything else. He seemed very upset at our interference."

"Where's the body?" Kyminn poured the astringent cleanser directly into the wound.

She cried out at that, spasming at the burning pain. Gaven grabbed her and held her tight. When she could breathe again, she jerked her head towards the woods. "Over there. He tried to fight off Raff, but ran when Tip showed up." She paused, drawing deep breaths. "Bull?"

Kyminn shook his head. "Dead. He tried to protect the boy, the one we came for."

Cydris nodded, unsurprised, her expression bleak at the loss.

"Okay Gaven, here's where I need you." Kyminn took a deep breath. "I don't need you to do anything, not this time. First, I just want you to tell me what you see. How many vessels do I need to fix? I don't want to enter the wound track and poke around any more than absolutely necessary."

Gaven released Cydris and turned in place, one hand still holding hers for reassurance. He looked at the now-cleaned leg and then looked away, blushing.

It took Kyminn a moment to catch on, but when he did, he pulled off his own outer top, draping it over Cydris's lap and tucking it in to preserve her modesty.

"Sorry," Gaven looked embarrassed. "I know that it shouldn't bother me if I'm to be a Healer, but I just…don't want to see her personal parts unless I have to."

"Not to worry. That was very courteous of you." Kyminn said gravely. "Ready?"

It was easier to link the three of them, Kyminn ignoring his wife's sharp glance as he restricted her input to a token trickle of power.

Gaven was quiet for a moment, then, hesitantly, "There's a big vessel that's torn. The main artery." Gaven pointed, unerringly touching the area where the vessel was sundered. "And there is a smaller one in behind it. I think I can seal that one. Should I try?" A nod from Kyminn and Gaven's hands shaped air again. A smile. "There. There's the big one and a lot of other…mess. Lots of small ones." Again, without being aware he was doing so, he began to push, to repair the wound.

This time, Kyminn was prepared and gently brought a shield up between Gaven and his patient. A shake, to bring the boy back. "Not yet. Keep your strength for just the one thing."

Abashed, the boy nodded and released the link. Kyminn threw Cydris a questioning glance. Was Gaven alright? Had they overstrained his Gift? Cydris gave a faint headshake. The boy was doing well.

"Gaven, Cydris is going to need you. Hold her tight, please. I am going to stitch the artery. When I've done so, you need to finish the Healing of it. Got it?"

"Yes, I understand." Gaven shifted Cydris to make her as comfortable as he could, then wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Her hands twisted in his tunic, knuckles white as she braced herself.

Slice into the leg to expose the damage. Clamp down on your feelings as your wife screams through gritted teeth and writhes beneath your hands. Clean the wound, moving as fast as you can to spare her a second's more pain than you must.

Stitching, feeling like your fingers are size of tree-trunks as you push the damaged flesh and ignore the muffled cries. Blink the tears away – you don't have time for them. One last stitch!

"Okay Gaven, now." Kyminn's voice was hoarse with strain as he linked to the boy again. Gaven was much faster this time and Kyminn could see the torn ends become whole again. Gaven was pale and shaking by the time it was done.

"Was that all?" He sounded exhausted.

"It was. It was very well done." Kyminn nodded in approval. "You just hold Cydris now while I finish the rest of this."

'The rest' was still a lot of work and even then, Kyminn didn't attempt to close the wound. That would come later – or perhaps not at all – depending on what resources they had. The last thing he wanted to do was trap infection inside the leg.

Although he worked as quickly and gently as he could, Cydris still fainted before he was done. Gaven looked panicked at first until Kyminn told him how to measure her pulse. Kyminn set the boy to monitoring her heartbeat with a warning to speak up at the slightest change.

Finally, exhausted, he packed the wound with gauze and bound it tight. Cydris was still pale, but her leg was warm again to the touch and the pulse in her ankle was strong. Kyminn wanted to ask Gaven if the boy could see any pockets of poison or clots within the limb, but didn't dare. Gaven had reached the limits of his young Gift.

"Now what?" Assured that Cydris was resting safely, Gaven looked at Kyminn in askance.

Kyminn hesitated. His wife was, in a literal sense, not out of the woods. She could not remain where she was. She needed warmth and shelter. As well, he had four children and all his gear two miles away along with a badly wounded Companion just down the bank. He felt torn to pieces.

"I can't carry a stretcher, not by myself, not with my leg. And you can't carry one end by yourself either. We'll rig it up so that Dusty" (the mare) "carries one end while you and I share the other. It's not far, just a couple hundred feet."

The mare was not amused at having something hauled behind her. It was the latest indignity in a day which had been, in Dusty's opinion, heaped full of them. It took both of their combined skills to get the horse to accept the situation and in the end, Kyminn had to use some of his precious Gift to accomplish it.

It was a very long, very slow journey, taken one limping step at a time. Gaven's corner of the stretcher was supported by a strap (their joined together belts) running over one shoulder. Gaven's hands were thus free to handle the makeshift driving reins. Those long, flapping reins were something else for the mare to protest.

Kyminn wore a similar strap – fabric from Cydris's trousers cut into strips. One hand wielded his cane, the other a band around Raff's belly, lifting the dog's mangled leg off the ground. Her yelp at each step drove glass into Kyminn's heart, but he could see no other way to get the wounded animal out of the bush.

"Gaven, you'll want to close your eyes now," Kyminn was gentle.

The boy shook his head grimly. "I can't. I'm driving the horse. I'll be alright. I'll just look at her tail."

"Very well."

After only half an eternity, they broke from the trees to where the road widened towards the crossing. To their left, just up the road, a fallen horse hid the body of the boy. Beside them lay the attacker, Bull's dark form sprawled on the man's chest. Over this morbid tableau, the Companion stood vigil.

Gaven stopped, nearly letting the stretcher slip out of it's brace in his surprise. "Is that a Companion?"

Kyminn hadn't forgotten about the Companion. Far from it. She and Cydris had been at the forefront of his mind since the battle. He had, however, forgotten to mention her presence to Gaven.

"It is. And she's badly injured." Kyminn nudged Gaven into motion again.

"Why is she here? Is that…"

"It is. You may want to look somewhere else." It was grim. "As to why she is here, I'm not sure, but I suspect she was here for the boy."

"Is he…?"

"Yes. They killed him. Before you ask, no, I don't know why. I wish I did."

"Do you know who he is…was?"

"Not yet. We will, but later. Let's set up over there," Kyminn gestured with his cane. "We'll set things up so that you won't see them. Um...don't go to the right, towards the crossing. There are more bodies there and someone killed by a Companion makes a particularly messy corpse."

As they lowered the stretcher, Kyminn looked at Gaven. "The Companion needs me. I need for you to start a fire and get started on a shelter for Cydris. We'll take care of that first and then see about one of us going back for the others."

"I can do that." Gaven hesitated. "What about Raff?"

"I'll show you how to make a pain-draught that will work on her. And one that works on Companions too. I'm going to have to amputate that leg of Raff's, but not now. For now, all we can do is manage her pain. Fire and shelter first though."

Kyminn left Gaven to his tasks and limped over to the Companion. She had been watching them alertly and now, moving awkwardly on three limbs, met him halfway.

"Thank you, Lady, for helping me save my wife." His voice was rough with unshed tears. She dipped her head in acknowledgement of his thanks, brushing her nose gently across his chest.

He held out his hand to the stranger. "May I?", and she reached out and placed herself beneath his hand.

Down he slid into his Gift, diving much farther than he should have to touch his strength. Up and out, blending his strength to hers, examining, assessing. With a mental grunt that shaped the last of his strength, he blocked her pain. Withdrawing from the trance, he wobbled. It wasn't until he felt warm hide beneath his hands that he realized that his body had wobbled too. As soon as he regained his equilibrium, he drew away, fearful of imposing on her privacy.

She was more alert now, the bolt in her neck no longer oozing. He sighed.

"Lady, you need surgery to remove both the bolt and repair your tendon. But you knew that. I could do both of those now. The bolt is not barbed and would withdraw easily enough. But as you felt, I can do no more than that. I can remove it, and stitch the wound. But the pain block will wear off and I haven't the strength to renew it. I also cannot cleanse the wound aside from mundane tools. The same is true for the wound on your side. I can clean and stitch it, but no more.

"Still, those wounds should respond well to those simple surgeries. I can also offer you a pain draught that will help. I made sure to include medicine for the horses as well as my family. I can use those medicines on you if you wish.

"As for your tendon…I can also stitch that, but I do not recommend it. The tendon has withdrawn into its sheath and pulling it down would be painful. Unless it is Healed, it will never be strong enough."

She looked at him gravely, then nodded. Her head cocked to one side and her ears came forward in what was clearly a question.

"If you are asking me what I think," he paused until her nod confirmed his guess, "I would suggest that I take care of the bolt and slash now. Tomorrow, when I am more able, I will attempt your leg."

The Companion looked thoughtfully from Kyminn to where Gaven was starting to build a rough shelter. A small fire flickered in the afternoon sunlight. The Companion made a dipping motion as though kneeling, then looked back at the Healer.

"You're right. I don't think you should lie down to rest. I'm not sure you could get back up again without doing further damage. When we have retrieved the rest of the gear, I can make you a sling. I'm sure we can find some suitable trees."

With a last glance back at the boy, the Companion let Kyminn help her over to where Gaven was working. Finding a suitable stand of trees – four sturdy trees in a more or less square and close enough together – was easy. The fact that there was a good bit of brush to clear first made Kyminn want to weep when he realized how exhausted he was and that everything they now desperately needed was back with the wagon.

"Gaven, do you think you would be able to hitch up the horses and bring the wagon?" The thought of all that remained to be done was overwhelming.

"I can," it was quick and confident. "But I think I should walk. It's not all that far and Dusty is spent."

"That would do. Thank you. I will take care of cleaning up here while you're gone." A tilt of the head to the bodies.

Gaven agreed with such alacrity that Kyminn gave a small smile. As the boy trotted off, Kyminn checked on Cydris. She was, to his relief, resting easily. He poured the rest of the water from the flask on the saddle into a pot from his healer's kit and put the pain-brew on to steep. Then he set to dealing with the dead.

First was Bull. Kyminn gently lifted his faithful friend and set him off to the side, arranging him under the trees. They would bury him tomorrow.

Second was the boy. Try as he might, Kyminn found himself unable to free the boy from where he was trapped beneath the horse. Lacking a shovel to dig the rocky ground, or a means to pull the horse off, there was little Kyminn could do. In the end, he simply removed his jacket and draped it over the boy.

Moving the attacker was easy. All too aware of just how heavy the dead can be, Kyminn had brought the improvised straps with him. Grunting and swearing, he managed to haul the body off to the side where a barrier of branches would block it from view.

He took the time to examine the corpse, hoping for some sort of clue about who the fellow was or why he would attack a boy and a Companion. The man was unremarkable and could have been from anywhere. His hands bore the calluses of a swordsman. Although there were small scars here and there, the fellow didn't have the scarred knuckles and battered face of a thug.

After a moment of consideration, Kyminn removed all the clothing from the corpse. He was no expert in such things, but perhaps the Guard or a Herald might see something in the cut or make of the gear which might hint to its origin. It might be best to preserve the gear and not bury or burn it with the body. Kyminn made sure to check for a wedding ring or other jewelry, but aside from a good-luck token on a thong about the man's neck, there was nothing.

The body of the trampled man was also relatively easy to clean up. Kyminn stripped the corpse and then dragged the man over and dumped him beside his friend. The two that the Companion had killed, for those, Kyminn used the stretcher and loaded it up with as many pieces as he could locate. The gear was little more than shreds, but he took what he could find. There was still a considerable 'splash zone' where they had lain and all Kyminn could think to do was kick sand over the mess remind himself to have the children avoid the area.

The final fellow, the one where Cydris had lain, that one Kyminn didn't bother to move. He was well out of sight in the bush and Kyminn was quite happy to wait for help with that one. Kyminn backtracked only enough to remove the gear before it became contaminated with the products of decomposition. It was already well contaminated by the mess created by two furious war dogs.

This fellow was much as the others, save that he wore a wedding band as well as the good-luck token. Kyminn wanted to feel bad for the man's wife, whoever she was, but was too drained to care. As he trudged back with the blood-soaked clothing, he wondered if she knew her husband was off killing children.

Dumping the clothing into the pile with the rest, Kyminn flopped down beside his wife as he checked on Cydris again. A faint smile greeted him and he simply brushed her hair with one hand. "Hi love."

"You look awful." She wrapped her fingers around his, gently trapping them like a shy bird.

"I feel awful," he admitted. "But you're alive, so I don't care."

"The children? The Companion?" She knew better than to try and sit up, but that didn't mean the Healer and mother could rest.

"The children are on their way. Gaven went to fetch them. They should be here any time now. The Companion and I talked. As soon as I can get a sling rigged, I'll take care of the less serious injuries. I'll tackle the tendon tomorrow, when I'm stronger."

"Kyminn, we need to send for help," she squeezed his hand.

"I know. But that can't happen until tomorrow. By the time all is said and done today it will be too dark to travel. And if someone is out there slaughtering children on the trail, I'm not sending Gaven or the others. I'll go, but not until I'm sure you're stable and it's safe."

She thought about his words, then nodded reluctantly. She was about to say something but a movement from Tip stopped her. The dog's head came up and his tail wriggled in canine happiness. Moments later, their ears caught the same sound that had gotten Tip's attention. In the distance, a baby was crying. Apparently, Cellen was mad!"

She smiled. "Go. I'll wait here."

He paused only long enough to decant some of the pain-draught and pour some into a protesting Raff before leaving the shelter to the welcome sight of the wagon and his family.

"Cydris?" was the first word out of Gaven's mouth as he backed the wagon into place.

"Doing well. She's awake." Kyminn held up a hand to forestall the younger children's eager charges off the wagon. "Children!" They paused at the unaccustomed sharpness in his voice. "Ama is hurt very badly. She is alright, but she must rest. You must be VERY gentle and quiet!"

Startled glances and they nodded as though they understood. It didn't keep them from leaping to the ground and dashing to the shelter, but before Kyminn could reprimand them, they one and all skidded to a halt and with exaggerated tiptoes, crept into the lean to.

Ansen emerged first, the set of his shoulders revealing his relief at seeing his adopted mother was okay. The boy looked at the Companion and then at Kyminn. His tone was one of puzzlement, of 'did you forget to mention something?'. "Da? There's a Companion here."

"She's injured. I'm helping her." Kyminn accepted Gaven's silent offer to unhitch the horses.

Ansen walked over to the Companion. It had taken several moons of patient reminders, but the children rarely called them 'Ghost Horses' any more.

The injured Companion's head came up. Blue eyes met black and held them for a long moment. Kyminn's heart stopped.

Ansen, oblivious, reached up to stroke the velvet nose as blue eyes closed and, with the faintest of headshakes, the Companion dropped her head to accept the offered caress, her shoulders slumping with regret.