Moonshine and Moonseeds

[Devi]

Summer 45th, 515AV - Mithryn Outpost Devi winced again as the aching sensation in her thighs became a rather unpleasant jolt of pain. She shifted herself in the saddle a little, much to the dismay of the brown-coated horse beneath her. Bay. She reminded herself internally, the stable-hand had called it a bay. The young woman found herself stilling at once, forcing herself to relax one muscle at a time. The horse went back to its regular rhythms and she found herself letting out a deep breath in relief. A quiet chuckle to her side drew her eyes away from the creature and she turned to the side slightly to find one of her escorts grinning, though his gaze was still focused on the road ahead of them. Devi found her cheeks colouring a little and an uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach. Knights left her ill at ease at the best of times. Being flanked either side by knights as well showing her complete ineptitude at horse riding was just plain embarrassing. It somewhat overwhelmed her usual thrill at getting to try out a new skill. Horse-riding was a thought that had been swirling through her mind since she had started practicing with a longbow last season. Thinking on it and accomplishing it however were two vastly different tasks. The knight to her right side straightened in his seat, appearing to exaggerate the motion slightly. She frowned a little at it but then remembered she had been told to do the same as they rode and she tried straightening her back and neck once more. They had left the city in the dark, early hours of the morning, intending to reach the Outpost by the midday bell. The Knighthood, it seemed, had taken note of her assistance in the Syliras Orphanage over the last winter and had seen fit to hold her in mind for other shortfalls in medical assistance. The Mithryn Outpost had an abundance of herbalists and basic, common medical knowledge amongst its hardy residents but no healers or doctors of her skill. There was rarely call for such that doctors rarely settled, the Knighthood instead bringing such individuals from the city as and when required. The few escorting her at the moment were from Green Company. They looked a little different to those knights she had met in the city, their armour more worn and in earthier colours. They were less ‘polished’ somehow, though they seemed just as vigilant about their surroundings. More than once she wondered how they didn’t get bored of the endless fields they passed through. Devi enjoyed being out beneath an open sky and delighted in green surroundings (and the much more pleasant aromas they tended to exhume). Still, after an entire morning riding through crop fields, even she began to miss the more diverse scenery of the Bronze Woods beyond the city’s eastern reaches. She was watching the knight to her right, since his attention seemed so focused elsewhere and watched his expression shift. Devi looked ahead to seek what had caused the change and then smiled. Over the rise of the light incline of the road she finally saw their destination. Her mood instantly brightened, Devi reached carefully for her smaller water-flask. Whilst the larger contained only water, this one she had infused with Tolm in anticipation of the day’s strain. She drank a few swigs, knowing that the relief would not be instantaneous or comprehensive but welcoming it nonetheless. Her escort left her at the gates and turned to return into the maze of fields that spanned the horizon. Devi was left in the hands of the Knights whose responsibility it was to safeguard the Outpost itself. They passed beyond the walls and into the Commons, where the majority of the populace lived. The young doctor lamented, not for the first time, that she had no infirmary. Stretching out her aching muscles she pondered that it would be nice if the patients were required to come to her for once.

[Jeremy Casing]

To Jeremy, midsummer meant one thing: lots of prey. Young mammals and birds were fledging themselves of their parents. Fleeing the nest, as it were. They were young, naïve. Easy pickings for a bird of prey -- say, a Gryrafalcon.

Unfortunately, Jeremy was standing in his two-legged form. But dressed in only his britches (what a sight for his frequent lodger, had she been there!), the Kelvic was indeed preparing himself for flight. He had just one job to complete first: grooming Jester. His canine companion had flourished from a fluffy puppy to a gorgeous sheepdog, with thick black and white fur and bright, intelligent eyes.

The downside was that absolutely everything was covered in her dropped fur. Jeremy found himself picking it out of the most surprising of places - the worse of which was usually his dinner or breakfast. It didn't help matters that Jester despised being groomed. Having to sit still was just far too much for the spritely young dog, who just wanted to sniff and eat everything in sight.

Still, armed with a grooming brush, Jeremy was readying himself the battle. Jester was sleeping soundly on the floor beside his bed, snoring every so lightly. He approached slowly, feet stepping carefully to avoid the worse of the creaking floorboards. His hand was three or so inches away from the dog's ribcage when Jester's orange eyes opened suddenly. She peered up at him with a mixture of sleepy confusion and instant excitement.

Play? Food?

He stroked her slowly, trying to keep Jester at some level of calm before revealing the dreaded grooming brush. But knew already; her ears pinned back, her tail stopped wagging the instant Jeremy raised his left hand.

The tortuous brush dragged softly through her coat, combing out the knots and smoothing down the rest of the black and white patched fur. But Jester began to wiggle her back end, and soon the whole dog was whining and jiggling with some strange, uncontainable excitement. This whole grooming thing was still so new! And exciting! And was that brush edible? And why did her master's face suddenly seem so delicious-looking?

"Jester, please stop licking me."

He had only groomed her right side so far, but it was quite evident that Jeremy was losing the war. Jester squirmed and writhed like an eel, her fur suddenly becoming slippery and impossible for the Kelvic to grab hold of. With an explosion of energy, Jester leaped up and away from him, scrabbling onto the bed. She stared at him gallantly, a victorious hero who managed to escape the clutches of some villain.

The Kelvic sighed, already too exhausted to push the matter any further. "You want to live life as an ungroomed bundle of fur?" He asked her as if he expected a reply. Jester whined and Jeremy raised his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Fine, fine. But don't blame me when Tanna doesn't want to play with you because you drop hairs on her."

With their truce having been made, Jeremy stripped off the rest of his clothes in preparation of taking his falcon form. His bedroom window was flung open, and then a circle of white lights engulfed Jeremy. The transformation was as smooth as ever, resulting in a Gyrafalcon standing in the bedroom rather than a lanky male.

Ledger-5GM for grooming brush

[Devi]

“And you thought that would be a good plan.” Devi asked, pointedly glaring at the seemingly competent farmhand in front of her, his hand clutched to his head, a makeshift bandage barely containing the blood seeping from his forehead. The young man’s face reddened under her glare, if that was even possible with this amount of blood streaked across his face. Again she wondered what could possibly inspire even this young hothead to try standing up on a workhorse. Devi leaned back, working through the clues in her head. The farmhand shifted in his seat nervously, eyes flicking from her to the people milling around nearby. Devi had actually gotten her wish, for once, and the patients were coming to her today. A very imposing and matronly farmer’s wife had opened her home to Devi for the day, a pair of the woman’s children always nearby to lend a hand or to run errands. Given how hot it was, they were settled in the woman’s front yard, the front door open and accessible in case more private quarters were needed. The family who lived there had built a sturdy wooden canopy which was providing them with welcome shade, the area dotted with verdant green bushes and small trees. After the stifling corridors of the city, Devi thought she could get used to this. “Aren’t you supposed to be fixing me up?” The farmhand interrupted, impatience colouring his tone. She raised a finger to silence him and he shifted again, his eyes flicking to the side once more. She followed his gaze, seeing a small group standing nearby. Amongst them were two young and undeniably pretty young women, chatting amiably and giggling occasionally with another man. Then it clicked into place. “You were trying to impress them weren’t you?” Her patient turned back to her with wide eyes, his expression already blustering in anticipation of his response. It was enough to confirm her suspicions and she returned to her routine of treatment with seamless efficiency. She cut him off before he had time to form a proper response. “I don’t know what part of that lump of flesh you call a brain thought that the ability to stand up on a live animal clearly intended for seated riding would win you the edge in the pursuit of a wife but I can tell you now that the kind of man she’s going to go for,” Devi nodded behind her, towards the pair of women nearby, “will be one with a decent house and a strong stature she can pass on to her children. Horse-walking is unfortunately relatively low on her list of priorities.” Devi leaned close and pulled away the rag the man held against his head, carefully cleaning out the wound with a clean cloth, rinsing it in the bowl of fresh water on the table beside her. She had already mashed some fresh vyfox leaves and she now mixed them with a krolar poultice, ready to apply to the man’s head. The cut was small, despite the amount of blood, and she stitched it slowly and carefully, making the stitches as small and neat as possible. She was concentrating so intently that she almost didn't notice the slight flutter in the light, a shadow flitting across her vision, gone again before she had time even to blink. It left an unusual feeling in her abdomen, her stomach squirming gently with a feeling she couldn’t even begin to define. She shook her head a little and it was gone, nothing troubling her but the welcome breeze that blew loose strands of auburn hair across her face.

[Jeremy Casing]

When he was a boy, Jeremy used to play a game whenever he took his falcon form. He would fly over his home - Sunberth at the time - and, whilst gliding over the city, Jeremy would pretend that he was some deity watching the mortal men play through their petty lives. For a boy who was continuously bullied and always beyond the edge of acceptance, this gave Jeremy some much needed confidence and amusement. It was a release for him.

Despite the childishness of the game, he still found himself doing it every so often. Life in the Mithryn was nowhere near as traumatic as that of Sunberth, but the farmers were not always kind, and instead seemed to take great pleasure in taunting and teasing him. As Jeremy fluttered above his home now, he slipped into this old way of thinking. Most of the farmers were beyond the safety of the Mithryn walls though, ploughing the fields and the like. A little disappointed, the falcon dropped lower, scanning the little town below in search of some sort of life to entertain himself with.

A head of auburn hair caught his sharp gaze, and Jeremy pulled himself up and backwards, maintaining a steady pace by hovering about the woman.

Is that--

No.

Yes?

A hopeful thought

He dropped lower, skimming the rooftop of a nearby barn and landing clumsily on top of it. Now grounded, the bird hopped forwards, peering down upon the scene below. One of the younger farmers was clearly injured, his forehead bandaged up poorly and leaking out blood. It wasn't the patient that Jeremy focused on, but the doctor. Undoubtedly it was the redhead woman he had seen in the Bronze Woods a while ago. Their meeting - that wasn't a meeting, truly, but Jeremy refused to contemplate that it was anything else - had been imprinted in his memory since last season. Her pale skin, copper hair, the way she had turned towards the falcon and spoken to him, taught him about the medicinal properties of a certain berry. There was something different about her, something that Jeremy found equal parts terrifying and intriguing.

He dropped down from the barn rooftop, landing instead on the top of half-open door. From this lower vantage point, he could not only hear what the doctor was saying, but also see her work much clearer. She was cleaning the head wound, which in all honesty was not as deep or wide as the farmer's winces and groans implied. Jeremy watched as the woman moved on to sew the wound together, using neat little stitches that criss-crossed and pulled the cut to a close. Her needlework was impressive, and Jeremy took note of how her fingers led and gently pulled the needle through the farmer's skin.

Her medicinal talent only made Jeremy more captivated, more entranced.

[Devi]

Whether it was caused by her expression or a desire to appear masculine for his waiting companions Devi did not know but her patient remained still throughout the rest of the process. Carefully she pulled the small needle through his skin one last time before securing the end neatly. Laying down her surgical tools she reached instead for the krolar and vyfox paste mixture she had prepared. She coated the area in the substance, washed her hands and then set a bandage in place to hold it there. As she finished wrapping the last end around the man’s head and secured it snugly she leaned back with a satisfied sigh. “There, now there shouldn’t be too much of a scar to mar that handsome face.” She said it with a note of sarcasm in her tone, though her mischievous smile faltered a little when an edge of surprise entered her patient’s face. Throughout the awkward pause that followed she realised he thought she was flirting with him. A touch of pink coloured her pale cheeks despite her best efforts and her next response came out a little sharper than she had intended. “Well? Did you have any other ridiculous injuries for me to tend or can I now see to my other patients?” He jumped up, muttering a thank you, and moved quickly to meet his companions, looking back on her with a strange expression on his face. She took it as small conciliation that at the very least she could intimidate one farm boy so effectively with just a facial expression and some sharp words. Then again, perhaps he just thought she was strange. That was hardly a revelation. Devi’s thoughts were then interrupted by a flutter of movement out of the corner of her eye. As she craned her neck to see, the young woman noticed others doing the same, recognising the urgency of the movements to mean that something out of the ordinary had happened. As her dark green eyes honed in on the source of the commotion she realised it was a knight on horseback and he was heading directly for her. Years of instinct drove her hands to pack away her supplies back into her kit, her legs raising her to stand as she approached. In between hurried breaths he explained that a child had fallen ill by the edge of a nearby field and would not wake. Devi asked for more details as she finished gathering her kit, to which the knight responded that the child’s younger friend had been shouting and screaming for help, reaching the attention of a local patrol. The friend was on the floor, shaking in a kind of fit. They had dared not move the boy for fear of injuring him. She nodded at the show of common sense, moving around to follow the knight. Devi paused as the thought entered her mind that she would be too slow on foot – she wasn’t in the city where a fast pace and a practiced shortcut could get her just about anywhere. Fortunately the knight who had come to get her was already in motion. He swung down off his horse and steadied her as she clumsily mounted. He climbed back into the saddle behind her in a single, fluid movement that made her envious. In barely a moment they were off, through the streets of Mithryn, out of the gates and across the dirt paths winding between the vast fields beyond. All Devi had to do was stay seated until they reached their destination. It was a feat easier said than done, even with the strong arms currently encircling her. Their slow walk to the Outpost had barely reached a faster pace than a trot and that had been difficult enough. Now the horse beneath her was moving in strange and distinctly bumpy ways. It was fortunate that she could tell little more about the patient without seeing him. Concentrating on balance was all that occupied her mind for the moment.

[Jeremy Casing]

Had Jeremy been in his human form, he would have laughed. The doctor's sarcastic tone followed by her sharp scolding certainly put the farmer in his place. Which, for the Kelvic, was a welcome sight. Though he knew the redhead knew nothing of his life in the Mithryn, he couldn't help but feel she was somehow reprimanding the farmer for all the times he had teased and mocked Jeremy.

Suddenly, she was turning towards him. Jeremy hopped away, further down the top the top of the door to shield himself close to the main structure of the barn. For some reason, he did now want to make his presence known just yet. What if she recognized him and ran away? Few women would appreciated being stalked (no, observed) by a bird.

Worse: what if she simply did not recognize him? Though the two were nothing more than strangers, Jeremy's head had been filled with her pale skin and auburn hair ever since their paths had first crossed. He felt some strange connection to the woman, and it would break him if this were merely one-sided.

The falcon peered cautiously over the barn door, peeping to the ground below to once again check what the doctor was doing -- was she staring up in his direction?

His minute slice of hope was dashed when she saw her speaking to one of the Mithryn knights. Something was wrong. She seemed anxious, the knight grave. When they rode away on the knight's mount, Jeremy lifted off from the barn door and followed them. He kept low and distant, his golden eyes not leaving the dappled behind of the horse as it led him just outside the woodlands that flanked the Mithryn.

Taking his place in a nearby pine tree, Jeremy watched the scene below. He could see two young boys, one of them crying and begging for help from the newly arrived knight and doctor, whilst the other lay motionless on the floor. Though the Kelvic's patients were always of the four-legged or winged kinds, he felt himself grow concerned over the ill child.

What could have possibly happened?

[Devi]

The few knights that were present had occupied themselves with keeping back the growing number of concerned farmers who had gravitated towards the noise of the sobbing child. The little boy before her must have been about 10 years old. He was pale as anything, dark brown hair stuck to his clammy forehead. Devi felt her stomach knot as she spoke loudly to him, checking his pupils and finding no response from either stimulation. Her steady fingers felt carefully around the boy’s neck for his pulse. It was fluttering and faint but still there. Her eyes noted the small movements of the boy’s chest that indicated he was still breathing. Having both of those functions working was good but did nothing to relieve the anxiety that was settling within her. She could see nothing obvious which would cause this kind of reaction. Different kinds of diseases she had encountered fluttered through her mind in quick succession. Most that fit these range of symptoms were either missing other key symptoms or were highly contagious. Devi had seen patients from all across the Outpost and none of them had elicited symptoms remotely like this. Most of them had come to her for physical injury rather than any kind of illness. Her deft hands began checking across the boy’s body for anything else that might give her a clue. It occurred to her that out here animal bites were a possibility. Devi knew a little about treating animal bites, snakes for example, but aside from the occasional hunter that made it back to the city for treatment, she had rarely needed the remedies for them. She could see small cuts and scratches on the boy’s exposed arms and legs and remembered the Knight had told her he had been fitting before. She couldn't find anything resembling a bite or an open wound though. As her fingers travelled down the boy’s arms they paused on his fingers. For a short moment she stared at them. They were stained dark pink. It triggered memories of her own whereby she had needed to crush herbs or berries to mix into medicines. After the brief pause she opened the boy’s mouth to confirm her suspicions and was vindicated by the pink staining across his tongue. Devi called over one of the knights as she frantically searched the boy’s pockets to work out what he might have eaten. He appeared at her side quickly, eyes switching rapidly between her and the boy. She wondered if he knew the boy. “I think he may have eaten something poisonous. I can’t find any other cause which fits his symptoms. Do you know much of the plantlife around here, any berries which might cause this?” The knight paused before answering. “There are a number that can grow in the trees and hedges surrounding the fields. I’ll look and see if I can find any of them around here.” She watched as he explained this to the female knight who was holding the crying child and then began scouring the bushes nearby. Devi looked back to the boy and, coming to a decision, pulled some Filian Essence from her pack. She rolled the boy onto his side and briefly lifted his head to apply a couple of drops under his tongue. That should at least prevent his convulsions from returning. Aside from being dangerous it would also be distracting. She needed to know what the boy had been eating and she hoped to whatever Gods were listening that her instincts were right. The wrong kind of antidote could be just as harmful as the poison itself and could have unforeseen side effects when mixed with unknown plants.

[Jeremy Casing]

She was a highly competent doctor. There was no doubting that as Jeremy watched the redheaded woman begin to examine the young lad. The boy was still in a concerning state, but thankfully his doctor seemed to remain calm and efficient. This was something Jeremy still needed to learn when treating his own patients: he was always so invested and worried that he was frequently nervous and doubtful.

Jeremy glanced to the knights, then to the surrounding area. What could have caused this boy to suddenly be so ill? The falcon dropped down to a lower branch quietly, craning his neck forwards to drink in the details of the scene below.

As he did, the female doctor opened her lips - pretty lips, Jeremy could not help but notice - and stated that she suspected poison. The Kelvic's initial thought was that this had been a purposeful act of evil. His stomach churned. Who would even consider poisoning a young lad? But then his panic and fear subsided. Of course! The boy hadn't been poisoned; it was just a terribly sad accident.

The falcon swivelled his head, taking note of the plants in the immediate area: ash trees, pine trees, flowers... Nothing harmful. Perhaps the two boys had been berry picking or worse -- hunting for mushrooms? There were many varieties of fungi in the woods, and most were deadly. If the lad had eaten a toxic mushroom, he would have bells, if not chimes, left on this earth.

With that final thought, Jeremy concluded that he needed to do something. There was no way that he could just sit there and not help the entrancing doctor - his doctor - cure this poor boy. Golden eyes twitched up the sky, then to the closest trees. Birds darted between the branches, chirping their pretty little songs. The falcon lifted off, gliding over to the trees. Most of the smaller birds flew away in fear of his raptor-shaped shadow, but an ancient-looking crow remained sitting sturdily in the tree.

Jeremy approached this bird and twisted his head in a silent, avian gesture: Boy. Dying. Poison?

The crow snapped his beak sarcastically: tragic.

Why? You see?

Maybe. Yes.

Crows were fickle, arrogant birds in Jeremy's experience. What they had in smarts they usually lacked in empathy or humility. Impatiently, Jeremy came closer, raising his left leg in a casual threat: Tell.

If he had been a person, the crow would have sighed and rolled his eyes at Jeremy. Instead, he ruffled his feathers dismissively. Stupid. Moonseed. Hedge. You know?

Jeremy did not know this 'moonseed' that the other bird had referred to, but he did appreciate the help -- however unenthusiastically the crow had shared this information. Giving a gracious nod of his head, Jeremy lifted from his tree branch. If he could find this moonseed, whatever it was, he could help his precious doctor.

[Devi]

Devi rifled through her kit whilst the knights searched for any berries around which might have caused the boy’s symptoms. Her eyes flickered back to him uneasily from time to time. His breathing was becoming laboured. Each breath sounded loudly in her ears as though they were her own personal countdown. She had Jile berries with her – they could be a fast-acting antidote but from memory were not strong enough to completely purge strong doses of poison. Just five berries were needed to cure mild cases but more could start causing unwanted symptoms of their own. Delaviv was similar – useful for purging minor poisons by itself. Mixed with other herbs and medicines the effects could be increased somewhat. To do that however she would need to consult her journals and she doubted she had enough time. Devi couldn’t help but think she was missing one. Poisons had never been her strong suit. If anyone was foolish or unfortunate enough to ingest something poisonous or be bitten by a poisonous creature then they tended to seek the help of a dedicated herbalist immediately, rather than her. The boy was calm, chest still heaving a little with the efforts of his breathing. The young woman bit her lip and stared at the array of bottles, packages and assorted containers within her kit. There was another substance which could help her, she was sure of it. She ran her fingers along them, seeking out those she used but rarely. Acson for animal based poisons… Jile berries for general use… Her touch paused on a tiny bottle, barely noticeable in the corners of her kit. She pulled it out, staring at the label and slowly the memories she had been seeking came to her. It was an oil she had never needed to use, kept with her at the behest of her old mentor, Versin. It was the oil of the Bunwol plant. Versin had told her that all parts of the plant itself were poisonous but that, when prepared in a way which was beyond her own skills, could act as an antidote for strong, plant-based poisons. It was at that moment, whilst she was internally debating the risk and reward of each remedy, that one of the knights returned to her with a sprig of winding plant in his hands. She looked first at it and then at him. “What is it?” She demanded. “Moonseed – they grow in some of the hedges around here. They appear like grapes but that the leaves and seeds are a different shape.” He broke open one of the fruits hastily to show her. Once she saw it she understood what had prompted the name – seeds shaped like a crescent moon. His eyes flickered to the child between them, urgency in his expression. A fleeting thought occurred to her then and she wondered if death by poisoning were more common out in the Outpost and surrounding fields than she realised. Devi quieted her internal debates and decided. She struggled a little to uncork the tiny bottle in her hands but as she did so she caught the attention of the knights with a piercing look. “Ready the horses. One of you will carry me as a passenger and the other will take the boy.” The knight nodded to her and she was relieved that he was deferring to her advice on this occasion. Knights held a great deal of power in their role. They did not always take kindly to being ordered around by the likes of her, a commoner, in situations they did not fully understand. Devi settled the boy into place before her and tilted his head to administer the oil of Bunwol. She carefully dripped a measured amount down his throat and then trickled a little water after it to trigger the boy to swallow. They had no time to waste. In short order the knight was once more aiding her into getting settled on the saddle in front of him. Their pace quickened in time with their own urgency and Devi had to force her legs not to squeeze the horse’s side and confuse the beast. Instead she focused on keeping herself centred and weight balanced. That would have proven a great deal easier were she not being bumped around like a sack of potatoes but at the very least it was good practice.

[Devi]

Devi was uncomfortable for the whole, blessedly short, journey back to the Outpost. She leant forward, taking her cue from the knight seated behind her. The horse was thankfully stout and well trained so her occasional wobbles did not deter its course. For the last minute or so of the journey she finally seemed to settle into the rhythm of motion and she wondered if she would ever be able to ride this fast on her own. For the moment that she felt more in control it was certainly an intriguing concept. As they turned into the Outpost and slowed slightly Devi leaned back and addressed the knight behind her, now confident that she could do it without falling off. “The boy, do you know him? Where he lives?” “Yes doctor – his family live a few streets over. I’m not certain if they will have heard…” She could hear unease in his voice and wondered at the cause of it. Regardless it was still their best option as far as she was concerned and she told him so. “I need a place to examine the boy again to see if his symptoms are starting to abate. If it’s out of the public eye then we can get him warmed up and conscious again without prying eyes distracting us all.” I hope. She thought to herself, stomach knotted in anticipation. Devi gestured onwards and, whatever the source of his unease, the knight directed his horse forwards with purpose. Soon enough they were stopping in front of a small cottage. To her surprise Devi recognised one of the young men standing outside as the fool who had fallen from his horse just that afternoon. His confused expression shifted into one of panic when his eyes fell on the still unconscious boy on the approaching horse. “Caleb!” He shouted, rushing forward to retrieve the small form. Devi dismounted with a wobble and turned to pull her kit from the saddlebags of the horse. She ushered everyone into the family’s cottage, leaving the two knights to disperse the curious onlookers that were seeking the source of the commotion. When she got inside she saw that the young man had settled the boy, Caleb, on a sofa by the fire and was rapidly approaching her, his face determined. “What’s wrong with my brother? Why won’t he wake?” She kept moving towards Caleb as she responded, setting her kit down at his side as she reached him. “He was eating some berries he found with another boy – moonseed? His friend seems fine but we think Caleb may have eaten quite a few.” She held up her hand to prevent any further questions for the moment. She lay her ear close to the boy’s chest and listened to him breathing. Her light fingers reached for his neck to feel for the rate of his pulse and she breathed a sigh of relief. Both were stronger than before and much more regular. “The signs are good that we got it in time. For now Caleb needs to be warm so fetch a blanket. We will also need some water – a little cold in a mug and some hot so I can make some tea.” Devi continued to check Caleb over for any signs that something was going wrong but paused when she realised the boy’s brother had not moved. She fixed him with a glare and a single word that she hoped would send him scarpering. “Now!”