Dullahan

4 - Old Woman - 4

The trek back was uneventful. Leola guided them back through the forest, following the same path that they had taken. There were offshoots that Eldred only noticed in this direction, seeing the smaller paths that disappeared into bushes and undergrowth, obscured when coming to this place but obvious enough on their way back that he thought he might have gotten lost if Leola had not been there to guide them along the correct trail.

With all of the traps checked, and all of the plants already found and collected, there was little reason for them to stop, so the journey back took about half the time of the journey there, filled with idle chatter between Eldred and Leola. She asked him about his home, and he told her of his two friends and the games they would play, building forts in the woods and watching clouds, chasing one another and causing mischief for the adults in the town.

It was mid afternoon by the time they reached Leola's cottage again, Eldred breaking into a sprint at the sight of the door, running up to it and waiting eagerly outside for Leola to catch up and unlock it.

Ness excused herself as they stepped inside, and Eldred heard the stairs creaking as she climbed them. Directed by Leola, Eldred put his basket down on the table as the old woman followed him in.

"Before I can use them they need to be washed- would you like to help?" she asked as she took off her bag, putting it down on the counter beside a few glass bottles filled with an array of powders Eldred could not identify.

"Yes!" he said, leaning over to look at everything they had collected.

Leola, smiling, directed him toward the large sink. He had noticed it before- the basin deep and square, with a pump inside, no less. Under her careful watch, he took each of the plants from the basket- some leaves, some roots, others mosses or stalks- and washed them in the bowl of water they had drawn, removing dirt and mud and a few insectoid passengers who had clung to the greenery as they had picked it. Each plant was carefully shaken and then set aside to dry, Leola clearing a space on the counter beside the sink to allow Eldred to line them up in rows.

Ness reappeared mid-way through the task, her approach announced by the creaking floorboards of the house. Eldred turned to greet her, secretly glad to catch the glint of her armour as she re-entered the room. She sat at the table, leaving Eldred and Leola to their work, a silent observer.

When the basket was empty, Leola took it to shake the last of the dirt loose outside, setting it back on the table with a satisfied sigh.

"Let's take a look at your wounds now, shall we?" she asked, beckoning Eldred over.

He perked up- he realised now that his cheek had not hurt or ached for the entire morning- even his obscured eye was something he had forgotten about, getting used to it quickly over the last few hours. The old woman pulled out a chair for him to sit in, and the took his head in firm hands as she unwound the bandages. The daylight was bright and harsh against the eye that had been in darkness for the last few hours, and he squinted against it as Leola crouched to examine the wound, fingers again pressing at the skin.

"It doesn't hurt," he said after a few moments, incredulous.

She smiled with pride, wiping the salve from his cheek with a cloth. "Then it's working as it should."

He sat still as she worked, eyes wandering around the room, noticing the spiders that clung to their webs in the high corners of the ceiling, or the way that the plants swayed in a draft on the window.

When his cheek was clean again, she spoke again, holding him still by his shoulders and looking him in the eye. "I need you to sit very still for a few moments, alright? Just look at me and try to move as little as possible."