Frisha, in her shame, could not meet Rezkin’s eyes. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were watery, but he did not think the bruising would be too extensive. The purpling around the eye would require several days to heal, though. Rezkin felt that recurring tightening in his chest when he realized Frisha would not look at him.

What must she think of him? He took her small delicate hand in his own, pressed the compress into her palm, and then maneuvered her hand so that she held it over her injured eye. Frisha nearly sighed with the immediate relief the now cool compress provided. Next, Rezkin dipped another swatch of fabric in the tin cup and used the herbal liquid to clean the cuts and scrapes on Frisha’s face and arms. He applied a small amount of the ointment to the deeper cuts. All the while, he said nothing.

After tending to Frisha’s wounds, he moved around the clearing to tend to Reaylin’s. Reaylin sat on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and back against a tree. She had turned away from the group sulking in her own shame and self-pity. When she first noticed Rezkin’s approach, he was already within a few strides of her. She tried to stand quickly to avoid him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to the ground.

Another woman was angry with him, but he would not allow her to suffer needlessly. He took another clean cloth, dipped it into the liquid in the cup, and set about cleaning her wounds. The long, deep scratches on her neck were the worst, and he made sure to apply extra ointment to those. Once he was finished, he cleaned the cup, repacked his healing supplies and sat down to eat what was left of their lunch.

Chapter 13

Jimson sat silently and watched as the young warrior moved about the clearing tending to the women’s wounds. He was efficient with a practiced ease but surprisingly gentle. Rezkin had to have some training in the healing arts to be so proficient. Whatever training the young man had received had been quite thorough. Even a poor soldier with healer training was worth ten average soldiers, and Rezkin was so much more than the average soldier. Jimson could not see the young man’s face when he treated Reaylin, but there had been a softness in his eyes when he looked upon Frisha.

After Rezkin had stormed off earlier, both young women had confessed to Jimson and Tam about what happened. Jimson felt guilty for the way he treated Rezkin now that he knew the real story. The young warrior had only come running when the shouts of alarm caught his attention, the same as he and Tam. Unfortunately, circumstances dictated that the man would arrive in the buff. Having more concern for the women’s safety, he had set aside any worries over propriety.