They had to travel through most parts of the night, only stopping a little to rest before continuing. It was worrying, as Chan should not be up and moving when his stomach could split open at any moment now.
When they had stopped for dinner, Felix had made the call to stop to sleep. As Chan ate, Felix pulled out the thin silver thread he had brought along and placed it in a circle, murmuring some words of protection as he did.
"Is that going to help?" Chan asked and Felix looked up from the thread as he finished the small circle. Chan's hair was damp, sticking to his sweaty forehead and his eyes were glossy. He didn't eat much, mostly just poking around at the food and he looked exhausted.
"Yeah," he replied and Chan nodded. He didn't look good at all. "Let's lay you down, okay?" Felix said and Chan hummed, placing the bowl to the side. Felix moved over, thankful that they had already rolled out the only bedroll and he helped Chan to lay down, a hand resting at Chan's back.
"Where are you going to sleep?" Chan asked, voice small and slurred as he laid back; he winced a little, shifting to make himself comfortable. Felix gave him a quick look before reaching for Chan's discarded robe, bundling up to make a makeshift pillow under his head and Chan murmured a quiet 'thank you'.
"I'll solve it, don't worry," Felix said, pressing his wrist against Chan's sweaty forehead and he hummed. "You're a bit warm," he continued and Chan let out a groan. "We'll try to bring it down," he murmured, reaching for his bag and he pulled out a rag. He soaked it in water and pressed it to Chan's forehead.
"I feel awful," Chan whispered as Felix worked on getting his fever down.
"Understandable," Felix said. There was a pause as Felix continued to dab the rag against Chan's forehead. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah," Chan replied, eyes blinking open. "Ask away."
"What is happening in Uilér Nor?" he asked, noting the twitch in Chan's eyebrows. "I don't know a lot but I hear some whispers sometimes... Is there a rift between the realms there?"
"Oh," Chan said softly, taking a deep breath. "I think there is one, yeah," he said, words slurring together. "We haven't paid much attention to that yet... Even if there is a rift and despite the magic just seeping out from the Ariodor realm..." He inhaled, his eyes glossed over and Felix's gut twisted uncomfortably. "The war with the humans has been a... more pressing matter."
"Of course," Felix said, pouring more water on the rag to cool it down further. "You should go to sleep," he said and Chan hummed, eyelids heavy. "Get some rest."
Chan didn't reply, he just closed his eyes and shifted a little to make himself comfortable. As his breathing evened out and got slower, Felix placed the rag to the side. He reached for his bag, quickly going through the dried herbs he had brought with him. Chan groaned a little, eyebrows knitted together and face twisted into a grimace. Felix bit the inside of his cheek; he needed to do something about the fever.
He took the boneset, gripping it tightly in one hand as he placed the other hand on Chan's warm forehead. He muttered an incantation under his breath, closing his eyes as the boneset in his hand grew warmer. He tried to focus on the fever, trying to lower the temperature. Magic coursed through his body, down his arms and to the hand he held pressed against Chan's forehead.
With a gasp, he snapped his eyes open. He was panting, he could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead and he had a metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He reached up to dry the sweat off his forehead when he felt something warm on his lip. When he pulled his fingers back, he grimaced as he saw the blood.
He cursed quietly under his breath as he stood up, his body feeling heavy and he took a piece of a bandage, quickly drying the blood. He looked back at Chan, who looked more peaceful now; his face was relaxed and his breathing steady and calm. Felix sighed, feeling exhausted as he slumped against a tree not far from Chan. His eyelids were heavy as he took one last glance at Chan. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the tree and let sleep claim him.
