Page 107 of Planet Zero
“Nah, he’ll be fine,” the healthy one waved her off. “He’s just sleeping it off. He’ll be better by tomorrow. I’ve seen it happen.”
Unconvinced, Addie moved away.
Ell was bleeding. This, at least, she could try to fix.
“If you can follow me to my tent, warrior, there is something I can do to stop the bleeding in your stomach.”
Ell bristled. “I don’t need any help recovering. My body is strong. The bleeding will stop soon.”
Addie knew just how to talk to the likes of Ell. “I can close your wound, warrior. I can reduce scarring. You don’t want to weaken from the blood loss. You don’t want scars.” For effect, Addie applied quiet assertiveness to the words she had learned as a nurse a long-long time ago in another world. Eons ago. Light years away. Different species.
And what do you know, her old skills worked. Or maybe it was the promise to shrink the scar.
Ell raised his head. “Are you a healer?”
Addie put up both hands. “Oh, no. We don’t have those in here. But I can sew your wound, and if we do it in my teepee, you won’t have to explain it to the sentries. Your call.”
Ell glanced at his friend. He raised an eyebrow in response. Ignoring it, Ell rose with difficulty and went after Addie. Of course, he went after Addie.
His healthy friend divided his looks between Ell and the unconscious youth. Finally, he said to the unconscious guy, “I’ll go with Ell,” and followed them.
On their way, they passed Oh’nil still tied to the post.
“Why is he being punished?” the healthy one asked.
Addie didn’t look. She couldn't. “He refused to marry a woman chosen to him by the High Counselor.”
“Because he wanted to marry another woman?”
Sort of. “He didn’t want to marry anyone.”
He seemed floored. “He didn’t want a woman of his own?”
“No.”
His gaze grew speculative. “Is that woman still available?”
Oh, brother. “That’s not for me to tell you.”
They reached Addie’s teepee and she went in first, with both warriors cramming inside after her, freaking out the occupants into a near panic attack.
Addie made quick work out of sewing up cut skin. The wound was not very deep but the gush stretched from the warrior’s navel to his hipbone. All throughout her poking him with a thick bone needle and threading a length of thin yarn through his wounded flesh, he never uttered a sound, never flinched. She expected it from a For man, from a leader, but still felt respect for Ell because she knew by now that For were no different from humans in the realm of pain tolerance. He must hurt something fierce.
Done with the sewing, Addie turned and looked at Chele, half-expecting her to have already mixed the herbs to apply to the wound. But Chele was sitting on her pallet with a blank expression on her face. She made no move to reach for the herbs.
Narrowing her eyes at her, Addie reached under Ell and used her own supplies to prepare the rub.
“What is this?” the healthy male asked, watching her closely.
“This is to help with the scarring,” Addie smoothly lied. There was no way a cut like his would leave no scar, but she wasn’t going to tell them that. Her main objective was to stop the bleeding and prevent the wound from getting infected.
“You are a healer,” the man sounded convinced.
“What is your name, warrior?” Addie deflected.
He blinked as if surprised she didn’t know. "I’m called Shur.”
“Pleased to meet you, Shur,” she muttered in her own language.
