Fire Weaver (Fall of the Fey #1)

Chapter 28

They had travelled through the night and into the early morning before Lucius called a halt to their ceaseless walking. Mel helped Mira off of Dresdan's back and he wandered into the forest to make his painful change back into human form. Mel blocked out the pained sounds he made while she slowly took the bandages off of Mira's still seeping wounds. Mira groaned quietly, her eyes rolled as she fought to stay conscious.

What Mel uncovered was ravaged flesh; pink muscle, yellow fat, and the stark white of bone. Mel probed the wounds gently and blood welled up and spilled down Mira's face. Mira weaved, on the edge of fainting where she sat and Mel was silently glad she had made the woman sit down for Mel to clean the wounds. Mira's face had gone from pale to ashen in a matter of seconds and Mel, observing this fast change, started to worry about how much blood a person could lose without dying.

'This is going to hurt.' She told Mira as Mel started to thoroughly clean the wounds to make up for having not properly cleaned them straight after they happened. Mira barred her teeth, silently bearing the pain. Mel noticed that her gums had also become frighteningly pale.

The wounds were nothing like what Mel had ever dealt with. The skin had been ripped off in some places and she would have to stretch the skin to stitch it. She wondered whether she should try to stitch it together, cut it off, or just leave it.

'Leave it how it is and put a tight bandage over it.' Lucius instructed and Mel jumped, she had been so focused she hadn't heard him behind her.

'Is it bad?' Mira asked in a small voice.

'It will be fine.' Mel told her. She had no idea if Mira would be fine. If they could find a doctor, good food, and a place to rest she knew without a doubt Mira would be fine but without those things Mel wasn't sure.

Mel had finished dressing the wounds when Dresdan came back. His body gleamed with sweat and he had dark bags under his eyes. 'How is she?'

'She should be okay, but we should really find a doctor.' Mel told him.

'I'll shift, it will be fine.' Mira told them but Lucius was shaking his head.

'If you shifted now you would just tear the wound open further.' Lucius said. Mel didn't know the particulars about healing by shifting so when she had finished telling Mira that she needed to try and rest she dragged Lucius aside to ask.

'When Zereth was injured he could heal his wounds by shifting...?'

'Zereth?' Lucius asked in return.

'A friend. How are Mira's wounds different?'

'She is missing skin. With something like a knife wound the shift will connect the skin back together. With a wound where the skin is torn away shifting can make it worse because the skin that is left will be trying to cover more area than it can.' Lucius said. 'It's the same if you have some of your muscle torn out. It'll just make it worse, you have to grow it back the old fashion way.' He looked troubled as he scanned the woods in front of them. The trees began to thin out and the ground seemed to look as though it had a soggy consistency, then it clicked – there was a marsh in Dead Wood.

'What's ahead of us?' Mel asked dreading that it may be anything like what they had just been through.

'Swamp Ladies.' Lucius said. 'They lure you into the swamp to mate and consume you. Usually at the same time.'

'Do you know what those kids were last night?'

Lucius was still frowning when he met her gaze. 'No.'

'Do you think there are more?'

'No.' He said but he looked less than sure. 'But I think we should stay on guard. Rest here a while, I'll find some food.'