“I . . .” she gasps.

The bear’s claws tore straight through the leather over her stomach, and she’s covered in blood. We both are. I look around frantically. Herric doesn’t plan to kill her, but he clearly intends to let her suffer.

She clutches her stomach and sinks to her knees.

“Hold on,” I say. “I’ll be right back.”

I run to retrieve the pack from where I dropped it, then pull the dagger from the fallen bear and tuck it into my belt. I consider the sword, but it’s firmly stuck, as well as the bow, but all the arrows have been scattered. Deciding I don’t have time to collect them, I scoop Lor into my arms and start running. We need to find somewhere to regroup and maybe wash this blood off.

Lor’s eyes flutter open and closed as I crash through the brush, hoping no surprises find us. Finally, I spot a small stream and beyond that the opening to a cave. Perfect. Setting her gently on the bank, I reach into the cool water and scrub my hands, arms, and face. Then I do what I can for Lor, being careful as I clean away the worst of the blood from her arm and stomach. She grits her teeth as I maneuver her, clearly trying to be brave.

“Hold on,” I whisper as she shivers. Then I scoop her up again and duck into the cave to discover it’s shallow enough to ensure nothing is concealed in its shadows but deep enough to keep us hidden from anything passing by.

I lower Lor to the ground and then open the pack, praying there’s something useful inside. I find some food—hard bread and strips of dried meat—and wonder why Herric has bothered. My only thought is that he wants a show and this is all just window dressing.

I find a thin blanket, some socks, and, by a miracle, some bandages, along with a tin of what smells like pine needles. I hope it’s some kind of ointment. Carefully cutting away some of the leather on Lor’s torso, I apply the salve to the jagged lines of torn flesh.

She groans as her chest expands.

“Is that okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says, gritting her teeth. “It’s great. I’m just having the fucking time of my life.”

I snort a dry laugh. Then I wrap the bandages around her to stave off the bleeding. Once she’s patched up to my liking, I hand her some dried meat. I’m relieved to see some of the color is returning to her cheeks.

“Eat this.”

As she chews, her eyes spread wide. “Nadir. Your shoulder!”