Heather nodded. "I need you to do exactly as I say, as quickly as you can. Alright?"
Dori nodded.
"Alright. In the little chest are bandages of all lengths, and some of my lesser used herbs and ointments. In the bag are the most often used herbs. Everything is clearly labeled, just find it as quickly as you can."
"Marked with healers' runes, or...?"
"The names of the herbs." the half elf glanced up from where she was carefully examining the large cut. The blood flow had slowed considerably, but she still hat to hurry. The look on Dori's face told her something was wrong. "Dori, what is it?"
"I- I can't read. I'm sorry, Mistress Heather."
"It's okay Dori! It is. Thank you for telling me now, instead of letting me find out the hard way. I still need your help, but you need help too. Beryl?"
"Yes, Momma." the little girl's voice was quiet.
"I want you to use that table to look through my herbs. Don't look at me or the blood unless it's an accedent. You'll get the herbs I say, and Dori will do what I tell her to. Okay, girls?"
Dori nodded while Beryl scampered down from Vana's lap and stood on a stool at the table where the box and medicine bag were. She set her roach jar to the side out of the way and obediently turned her back to her mother.
"First, Beryl, I need Essence of Hops. It's an oil. Dori, if you would put a few drops of that oil on a cloth from the box and put it over his face, it will help him rest, and not be awake through this."
The girls complied and the half elven healer fet the boy's mind settle to a dull conciousness.
"Now, I need the smallest curved needle, strung with the horsehair thread. Both in the bag. Beryl, get out the Etholass leaves, the wound ointment, and the mortar and pestile." once Dori had brought her the needle and thread, ready to use, she went back to the table for her next instructions. "Put some of the ointment in the bowl, then crush up two leaves into it. Good. A little more ointment. Mix it together with your fingers and bring it to me, sweety."
Dori hurried back to see that Heather had started carefully sewing the wound closed with the smallest stitches that she could.
The healer looked up at her. "Can you smear a little of that into te wound? If it will bother you, I can, but I'd rather not add any of his blood to the mix."
That's when Dori realized why Heather had needed help. Her hands were red and slick with the boy's blood, almost to her elbows in places, as she tried to hold the wound together neatly and sew at the same time. She swallowed back her tears and keeping the boy's ashy face in her mind, she did as Heather had asked. "More?"
"Not yet, Dori. Well done. Set that aside for now and fetch me a basin of water to also set aside and a couple of clean cloths with it."
Vana offered to do it and took the smaller boy with her.
"Now I will need a small bandage pad to be smeared with the ointment, and two of the long bandages set aside while I finish sewing this up."
Everything came together at the same time. Vana returned with two basins, as well as some clean linnens for the bed, a light nightshirt to change the boy into, and some towels to clean up with, just as Dori and Beryl finished preparing the bandages and Heather finished sewing the wound.
The boy stirred and moaned.
"Quick! A few more drops of the hops oil on the cloth!"
Dori jumped to do it as Vana resumed her seat, the smaller, crying boy on her lap.
Heather sighed. The hard part was done. She washed her hands in one basin, while Dori carefully cleaned the blood from the boy's pale skin with the water from the other, without having to be told. When they'd both finished, they started stripping the boy of his bloody clothes. That done, Heather lifted him gently in her arms. "Girls, redress the bed as quickly as you can. Vana?"
The other woman understood and brought the nightshirt, and something else Heather hadn't noticed, some clean underthings. They carefully dressed him, keeping the seepage from the wound at bay with a cloth while they worked.
The smaller boy stood close beside them, his grubby fingers touching the other boy's arm, his wide, brown eyes filled with tears.
It wasn't long before they had the older boy bandaged and resting peacefully in the bed. Now heather's attention turned to the younger boy.
She took off her bloodied apron and rolled up her sleeves, while Vana and Dori carried out all the soiled things and retrieved more clean water and cloths, leaving her and Beryl, again clutching her bug jar, alone with the him. Heather sat wearilly in the chair, her daughter leaning on the arm. Heather kissed the girl's forehead, then beckoned the smaller boy to her. He came hesitantly and let her lift him onto her lap.
"Now, little one, let's have a look at you."
He looked pointedly at the other boy.
"He's just asleep. He'll be all better soon. My name is Heather. This is my daughter, Beryl. We won't let anything harm you here. You're safe. I'd like to try to help you too. Do you have hurts like him?"
He nodded and pointed to his face.
"Your mouth?"
He nodded again.
"Open? Let me see?"
He obeyed and opened his mouth wide, event hough it hurt terribly.
"Okay, little one."
Vana returned and handed Heather a damp cloth to clean the boy's face.
She took it with a smile of thanks and began to, ever so gently, wipe away the grime, until she could tell where the burns began and the boy's face ended. She set down the cloth and cupping the boy's face in her hands, stared into his big brown eyes.
She wanted to use her gift to just fix him, but she knew her limitations, she couldn't grow the rest of his tongue back, but she could heal the deep burns. Her link with his mind told her that the burns extended down the poor boy's throat a good ways. she began the healing, but had to stop herself before she was compleatly finished. she drew out the pain, and softened the damaged tissue, until new could grow back. Where she did the most work was around his lips and gums, making sure his teeth would stay until their proper time to fall out, and healing the outside of his mouth so there would be no lasting scars. When she finished, she sagged back into the chair.
"Dori, could you please fetch me a glass of warm milk?"
The girl nodded and hurried away.
"Beryl, honny, please bring me the jar of lavender tincture."
"Momma, will they be alright?" she asked as she put the jar in her mother's hand.
"I hope so. They have a chance now. It was good that they came here."
Dori returned and Heather instructed her to put two drops from the jar into the milk and to stir it together well.
She then handed the glass to the boy on her lap. "This will fill your timmy and help your mouth get better, Okay? I need you to drink it all.
Vana, I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I must lay down and recover my strength. I haven't used my gift so much in one day for so long... I will be down to help with supper, if you don't mind?"
"Of course, Heather! And I've got a very good helper til then." she winked at Dori. "I'll just get this one tucked in bed, then deal with lunch. It's the quietest meal anyhow." She picked up the boy from her friend's lap, even as the heler struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Thanks, Vana." She stumbled to her feet and wearilly embraced Dori. "You did very well and were a great help today. Thank you. Tomorrow, we're going to start you learning to read. It will help you for the rest of your life." Heather stumbled off to her room.
Beryl dashed after her. "Momma! Are you okay?"
Heather collapsed across her bed, her black haired adoptive daughter crawling up after her. Yes, sweety, I will be fine after I rest." she smiled, then her eyes fluttered closed and she lay very still.
Without being told, the little girl sat down at the small table in the room and began to quietly do her lessons, while she waited for her mother to wake up.