[Event] Thread Fall Triage

[Garion]

Garion heard all the commotion outside the infirmary and was on his way to see what was going on when a Weyrling met him at the door. "Sir", he said with a little bow to the Master Healer. "Thread Fall has started and the wings are assembling. "

"Thank you" he called before the young man darted away with half grown dragonet in tow.

He turned and started issuing orders to get the extra rooms cleaned and all the cots set up with healer stations and supply tables. He figured the Lady Sorelle would be by to check on their state of readiness.

He had held classes for the apprentices and had a couple of them set up an area for Triage outside of the door in the bowl to ensure he saw the most severe cases first.

He looked around for Alira and didn't see her yet but it was a little bit early. He'd trust her to organize the effort outside and as much as it could be. Hard as it was there was a feeling of exhilaration to finally have fall upon them after all this time but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that today would also contain tragedy.

He thought about something he'd heard from his own Master. It had been passed down from generations before to each Master after he'd walked the tables.

"Master Garion." his old teacher had greeted him at the other end. "Remember this... There are two rules to Thread fall. Rule #1, Dragons and riders die. Rule #2, Healers can't change Rule number 1.

He took a deep breath and sent a messenger to Xanthe to keep food, drink, and bandages coming.

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[Echo and Anayeth]

As possibly the sole DragonHealer to survive, Echo had spent much time teaching some apprentices the way to go about treating dragons during Threadfall. Sure, she had never been through Threadfall herself, but she'd been taught again and again the right way to heal dragons, and she'd need much more than just the Queens to help injured dragons. The first Threadfall of the Turn, of the Pass, and many people had died. Many dragons had died. They didn't need more to die. They needed all the dragons they could get.

"When you're dealing with dragons, forget what your Master has told you," Echo reiterated to the apprentices standing in front of her. Her voice was steely and her eyes equally so. "If you feed fellis juice to a dragon, or fellis in any form, the dragon will die, or at least become critically injured from the inside. You do not want the death of a dragon and his or her rider on your hands."

She surveyed the apprentices before her, and they stared at her, wide-eyed. "If you forget that fact, I will personally flay your hide."

And she meant it. If anyone tried anything dumb on her dragons she would kill them. Even if it was just an accident. No one accidentally fed something to a dragon that killed them. Dragons were too important. And fellis was one of the most horrible ways to end a dragon's life.

"Now, to continue, numbweed is a dragon's best friend. Minor threadscore can be numbed after Fall, and the dragons will still fight Thread during Fall. For the deeper scores, numbweed must be used and bandaged for less ichor loss. Wings will get torn. Use redwort to sterilize the needlethorn then do as you would with humans and stitch the wing up and then use numbweed. Dragons with the most severe wounds do not treat but get me to help." Echo declared, looking at each one.

"Any questions?" She asked and, when none answered her question, she nodded, "Go get supplies ready. As this is the first Threadfall, there will be many injuries. The more supplies the better."

The apprentices assigned to her rushed off. This left Echo with her arms crossed, wondering how things would turn out. Please don't let there be many injuries. Even if she wasn't actively participating, Echo felt the beginnings of nervous flutters in her stomach.

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[selora]

Minutes before the Weyr was active like a nest of wherries that had been disturbed, a lone Journeyman Herder had been checking out the herds. Kneeling down to check hooves, coats, mouths, and eyes, Selora was going down the mental lists. The reports said that the herdbeasts were healthy, but wouldn't mind a double check over. Some of the females had been also listed as possibly with calf. Thank the egg the studs were doing their duties, the more herdbeasts the more food available for the growing number of Dragons. Patting the heifer on her dusty back, Selora checked another item off her “list”.

Walking towards the other pens the Journeyman was halted by a fellow crafter. He looked shocked and a bit out of breath. Frowning she hoped none of the animals under the care here were suddenly sick. They just could not afford that, be it canine, runner, herdbeast, or even wherry! Trotting over to meet with him, the Senior Journeyman had to put up a hand to stall her from asking anything. Lips thinning in impatiences she looked over him as she waited. Her honey brown eyes taking in the sudden activity of the Weyr. Caught off guard they widen as she opened her mouth while she turned to look back at her Senior. What she had seen was Dragons landing, and Riders running about.

Sure they drilled and she was used to seeing a Wing land and prepare. No, it was the Weyrlings hauling bags of firestone that made her question, just what was going one. His breath back and straightening the Senior Journeyman put a hand on her shoulder pushing her towards the rush of people.

“Girl, Thread is fall!” He said in a gruff voice, a spark of fear as he said the word Thread. “We need everyone. You have hands, a stable mind, and quick feet. Go to the Healers and see what you can do.”

“I-I...wait, I know nothing about healing people!” Normally she was well composed, but like everyone. Hearing that Thread was actually falling had her very off balanced. She had never seen Thread, never seen the out come of a Fall...but she did know what is was like to see both people and animals injured. To see death. Paling she turned to protest but the Senior Journeyman gave her one final shove. His hand thrusting towards the weyrbowl set for injured with one thick finger pointing in the same direction.

“Go. You may not know how to heal people, but you know how to patch an injury. Humans aren't the only ones that will get injured, so will Dragons. I'm sure you can heal a Dragon.” Turning abruptly around on his heels, the Herder was gone to find more who had not yet noticed that Fall was about to begin. Still stunned, Selora looked around as if someone could help her. Tell her this was just a drill, that Fall wasn't actually falling. Then the Healers began arriving and from the looks of it, no, this was no drill. Cursing under her breath Selora ran over. Looking around she could not find anyone of authority to ask what she could do. The pots for numbweed were being set. Bundles of damages were in makeshift piles.

The hectic atmosphere was almost too much. Then she saw someone walk by, their shoulder knots of a Senior Healer. Walking over she stepped in front of the woman. Selora's expression was of uncertainty and slight frustration, the look on the woman's with her arms crossed was practically the same as her first emotion.

“I was sent over here. I'm a Herder so I do better with animals. If you can give me a quick run down about Dragons I'll do my best with them.” Looking over her shoulder she watched as Wings rose in the air before blinking away. Turning her head back to the woman, her lips again thinned as her mind rushed with so many thoughts.

[Garion]

Then suddenly the injuries started rolling in. They had all the cots prepared and ready he had redwart, fellis, and numbweed at every station and a special set of apprentices to help the dragon healer outside.

Even though he knew it was coming and he'd studied at Healer Hall, all the old descriptions and treatments didn't really prepare him for the first thread scored body.

But his voice never wavered and he and Oer began the process of mending bodies where they could. Triage was swift and uncompromising. He gave the journeymen instruction on use of fellis on the worst and let them have at the superficial injuries.

Steady hands, steady commands, no panic and no yelling. His hands coated with redward and then numbweed slathered on their wounds. Cleaned, stitched what he could and bandaged, before they were carried away and another placed in front of him.

Rinse, repeat.

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[Ceinwen and Drusillith]

With the Thread falling, Ceinwen was sent to help out at the infirmary. She tried to explain to Dru what her duties had been be before her impression. Ceinwen thought that she comprehended most of it, but there was a lot she was confused about.

The one thing Dru did not like was the fact that she could not accompany Ceinwen into the Infirmary and watch her work. Dru was just too large now for that sort of thing. Ceinwen arranged for her to have a spot nearby. Where she would be able to observe the dragon healers and their patients, but not close enough for her to get into the way. Once Ceinwen explained all of that, Dru ‘allowed’ her to go and help the wounded riders.

With a smirk at Dru’s imperialistic tact, she went inside and got to work.

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[E'dwyn and Yzarth]

E'dwyn was all but screaming by the time he got off Yzarth's back and to the infirmary. His arm burned like it was on fire and he had no knowing of the full extent of the damage. All he could see was the bits of bright red skin that showed through his shirt where the thread had gotten through the material. What he could see of it, he suspected the whole top of his arm got singed by the little silver parasites.

Stumbling a bit, he leaned against Yzarth's hide, looking over the scene before him. A good few riders were already injured as well as a few dragons. His gaze fell on his sister. He really didn't want to make her worry about him. "Hey Ceiny," he said, trying to hide the pain that tinged his voice.

Tag Ceinwen/Any

[Ceinwen and Drusillith]

Ceinwen slowly turned at the sound of her brother's voice. He should be fighting. If he wasn't, that meant... Ceinwen swallowed hard, trying to maintain her calm. It was more important now, than ever. If she let her emotions get the better of her they would have a crazed adolescent queen dragon out in the courtyard.

Moving slowly toward him, she gave him the once over. He was speaking and standing. Both were good signs from a healers stand point. Although, he was leaning against Yzarith. Ceinwen looked over to where Dru sat, the young gold was watching her like a hawk. But thankfully she was not displaying any signs of distress.

As she got closer, Ceinwen could see the raw, red skin between the tattered fabric of his riding leathers. Wrapping an arm around his waist to give him some support, she said, "Come Edy, lets find you a cot and I will tend to that threadscore, while you tell me your battle story." Ceinwen gave him a sardonic look and then led him inside. "I will mend him, Yzarth," she added to the brown in an effort to calm any fears he might have.

"Mine is a good healer," Drusillith added to Yzarth. She was proud of Ceinwen, even though she did not fully understand what she was about to do. Dru had no doubt that Ceinwen was the best of the healers running around. So she felt there was no reason not to boast. She would fix Yzarth's.

Tag E'dwyn, Any

[E'dwyn and Yzarth]

E’dwyn could feel Yzarth’s emotions and thoughts about his injury running rampant in his own head. ”It’s alright, Yzarth,” he said, trying to soothe the big brown with little success. It was hard to say you were ok and sound convincing when you were in immortal pain. Yzarth could sense it too, he knew. Still, he was lucky his sister was a healer – or at least training to be one. He had half expected her to get all excited about his being injured, and not the good kind of excited either. But she had to keep little Drusillith calm.

"Come Edy, lets find you a cot and I will tend to that threadscore, while you tell me your battle story." Ceinwen said, lending him her support before turning to his brown. "I will mend him, Yzarth," she added to the brown in an effort to calm any fears he might have. She got a snort that E’dwyn just knew was saying “you’d better” to her. ”Yzarth, calm down,” he told his lifemate. ”I’ll be fine in the healers’ hands.” That being said, he allowed his sister to lead him into the infirmary and to a cot.

"Mine is a good healer," Drusillith added to Yzarth, pride in her voice. “I know, but I can’t help but be worried, little queen,” Yzarth replied to Drusillith. “We were out there too long with him injured.”

E’dwyn could sense his lifemate’s distress from inside the infirmary. “Yzarth’s overreacting, even for a dragon,” he said. He got that the brown was worried about him but he was sure it wasn’t as bad as it looked.

Tag Ceinwen/Any

[Ceinwen and Drusillith]

'Yzarth is distressed, mine. He says they were in the skies too long after his injury.'

Ceinwen could feel the trepidation begin to well up inside her and she found herself staring down at his arm. All the things she had read and learned about threadscore had not prepared her for this. How could it? This was not just a rider. This rider was her brother. The only living family she had left on the face of Pern.

She led him into the infirmary and made direct eye contact with Master Garion. If she had any say in this, her brother would get the best treatment available. That was the Master Healer.

Her eyes were filled with concern and pleading as she gazed at the Master Healer. If what Dru said was true, it could be too late for him. The Thread could be burrowing into his body and eating him alive!

'Thread can do that? It is no wonder they are our greatest enemy!'

'Yes, my love. Indeed.'[/i]

Ceinwen helped E'dwyn down onto a vacant cot near Garion and got him settled and comfortable. Then turning she walked up to the Master Healer and said in a very low voice, "He is my brother, Master. We must save him." Her eyes welled with tears as she struggled to hold back the flood of emotion. Taking a deep breath and stood a little straighter. "It's his arm. From his wrist, past the elbow and up toward his shoulder." Up until now, treatment for threadscore was theory. It was time to test it. But Ceinwen did not trust that she would use her judgment as a healer over her concerns as a sister.

"I will bring him some Fellis laced wine for the pain. Will you please..." Ceinwen stopped mid-sentence to prevent herself from breaking down, bringing a hand up to her face in an attempt to curb herself. But try as she might, a single tear trickled down her cheek. Outside, Drusillith bleated softly, trying to sooth her distressed rider.

Tag Garion, E'dwyn, Any

[Garion]

"He is my brother, Master. We must save him."

He focused on the young journeyman healer then back on his current patient who was almost done. “Bandage that and then take him to one of the recovery beds.” Then he turned to the young woman. “Show me” he said and follow her back to where the rider lay.

At first blush it didn’t seem too bad. He pulled the shirt away making certain it didn’t go higher than the upper arm. Washing his hands with redwart again he cleaned the wound and examined the areas on either side.

“Just lay back” he said as the man watched him. He’d obviously been in and out of between and the edges of the wound were puffy from cold between infection. The redwart would help cleans the infection. He began to slather numbweed over the area when he thought he heard. “NO…”

He stopped at the deepest part of the wound and tried to listen. He'd been listening all day for that tell tale sound described in the Healer Hall skins he'd been studying. “Sleeper” he motioned Ceinwen closer “listen” he said and bent closer to hear a crackling hiss. "Remember that sound."

“Get me a big pan full of water” he said to an apprentice who’d been doing that for the last few hours. Once the deep pan arrived he submerged the affected part of the wound in the water and added more numbweed to make a solution.

“Look at your sister,” he said to the man who was a bit loopy from the fellis laced wine by now. Then he took a small knife and cut into the wound under the water. A tendril of Thread was revealed but instantly smothered by the lack of oxygen and the numbweed in the water killed it. He manipulated it some more to make sure the medicated water got to every part of the affected area.

Then he looked seriously at the girl. “Now you can bandage him. First more redwart and numbweed after you get him out of the water. We’ll have to get the swelling down before we stitch him up. Send for more ice if we don’t have enough. Ask for one of the Senior Weyrlings to go for ice if needed.”

Remember the remedy, Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

He was deliberately ignoring the tears and the unhappy dragon sounds outside the door.

Garion took a quick gulp of klah on his way to the next patient.

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[E'dwyn and Yzarth]

E’dwyn sipped the wine that his sister brought him. Apparently, it had been laced with fellis juice cause the intense pain he had been in started to lessen and lessen. Or maybe that was because of the wine. E’dwyn didn’t drink wine that much so he couldn’t really tell. He looked up as the master healer came over. He did groan a little as he took his arm to move the fabric off of it to just above the elbow. At first glance, it didn’t seem too bad. He pulled the shirt away making certain it didn’t go higher than the upper arm. Washing his hands with redwart, the master cleaned the wound and examined the areas on either side.

“Just lay back,” he said as E’dwyn watched him. Thanks to Yzarth’s been in and out of between, the edges of the wound were puffy from cold between infection. He began to slather numbweed over the area when he stopped. “NO…” he said suddenly. “What?” E’dwyn said, slurring a bit in his dazed state. He stopped at the deepest part of the wound, seeming to listen to something. “Sleeper,” he said and motioned Ceinwen closer. “What the…?” E’dwyn started to say as his sister came over. “Listen,” he said and bent closer to hear a crackling hiss. "Remember that sound." Though E’dwyn had no idea what a sleeper was and could barely make out what he was talking about, he was sure his sister would remember this, if only for the fact that it had happened to her own brother.

“Get me a big pan full of water,” the master said to an apprentice. Once the deep pan arrived, he submerged the affected part of the wound in the water and added more numbweed to make a solution. The remainder of the pain dulled. It was still there but it was more a dull throb than the immortal fire he’d had in his veins before. “Look at your sister,” he said to the him. Then he took a small knife and cut into the wound under the water. E’dwyn felt the pressure he exerted on the skin to cut it and made the mistake of looking back just as the blood colored the water. A tendril of Thread was revealed but instantly smothered by the lack of oxygen and the numbweed in the water killed it. “Shards,” he said, immediately looking away and back to Ceinwen. He winced a little as the master healer manipulated the wound some more to make sure the medicated water got to every part of the affected area.

Once he was done with the wound, the master looked seriously at her. “Now you can bandage him. First more redwart and numbweed after you get him out of the water. We’ll have to get the swelling down before we stitch him up. Send for more ice if we don’t have enough. Ask for one of the Senior Weyrlings to go for ice if needed.” he told her before going off to the next patient.

Outside, Yzarth was not a happy dragon. ”It’s alright, buddy,” he told his over their special link. ”The healer’s took care of it. I’m just a little loopy cause of the fellis juice.” He heard Yzarth’s equivalent of a whine. It killed him not to be able to comfort him but the dragon was way too big to be in the infirmary with all the other patients.

Tag Ceinwen/Any

[Echo and Anayeth]

Echo heard the girl who came up to her but her thoughts weren’t exactly on the girl. She should have heard what Echo had been telling the rest of the apprentices from other crafts all day. Exasperated, Echo checked the meager amount of skies she could see from inside the infirmary and then looked back at the girl. “Technically I’ve already given out this information and technically you should go ask one of the other apprentices.”

Her hard brown eyes looked at the other girl for a couple seconds before she sighed, “Alright, all you really need to know is that dragons are not unlike beasts in most ways. Do not feed dragons any sort of fellis, and you won’t really have to worry about dragon insides all that much. Dragon hide will be Threadscored, and to help the dragons use numbweed on the wounds. Any wounds that seem to have gone too deep, or wounds pertaining to large rips in the wings, you come get me.”

Most important was the fact that no one try to fix extremely injured dragons by his or herself. “And uncross your arms.” Echo declared, sighing, “We’re all in the same boat, it’s best to come at this with a positive attitude rather than with an attitude that might scare the dragons and their riders more. No one needs to show fear during this, our first, Threadfall. Even if we all feel it.”

She grinned hopefully at the other woman, and then shrugged. “It won’t be that bad. Sure we might have some serious injuries, but everyone’s learning, especially the dragonriders. Now, go help the other apprentices and people procure as many numbweed pots as they can. We’ll be needing a lot, for humans and dragons alike.”

With that final goodbye, Echo turned back and paced outside the infirmary to stare at the sky. Within moments, riders and dragons alike were pouring in, whether from sprains to actual scores, Echo didn’t know. The lower apprentices seemed to be getting the gist of the healing process and no wounds were so terrible that they needed Echo’s immediate attention. Nevertheless, the girl wove her way around the masses of dragons whose injuries ranged from minor scoring to ripped wings and anything in between. Fortunately, there were no dragon injuries large enough to warrant her attention for now.

The same could not be said of riders. E’dwyn of Brown Yzarth seemed to have sustained a large amount of damage. MasterHealer Garion was working with him. Then K’vys and Oneth appeared, almost immediately keening, which most of the injured dragons took up also. Worried, Echo asked the first dragonrider she came to who had died. “A Weyrling. Blue Bernith and H’trhall. They were too scared when they went between.”

With a pursed mouth, Echo nodded. A casualty. An actual casualty of war. Please, Faranth, please say there would be no more of those.

Then a green came tumbling through the air and, Sivarith, thank her life, stopped the green before she nearly broke herself on the ground. Echo rushed forward, being the quickest on the scene, and she looked the Green over. It was only Threadscore, thank Faranth. “Keep her nice and steady, please, Sivarith!” Echo cried to the Gold, not even wondering if the Gold would do that. “That was a great capture. Thank you, Sivarith and Sorelle!”

Working quickly, Echo found and patched up every Threadscored spot on the Green’s hide then worked on the wings. Both wings seemed to work fine but one had a horrible rip through the entire mainsail which Echo realized needed to be sewn up right quickly.

Gathering the supplies needed from her shoulder-bag, Echo quickly and efficiently numbed the spot and told the Green to lay it on the blanket another apprentice had laid on the ground. Then she threaded the thread through the needlethorn and then got to work. It was sort of like sewing back together a hole in a sweater or a tunic, only twenty times as large, and Echo was quickly working so that the Green, if she felt the need to move her wing sooner than later, could do so. When the wing was patched, the now-tired DragonHealer motioned to an apprentice. “When she feels pain on the wing, apply redwort first, wait at least five minutes, and then apply numbweed. We need that wound infection free, okay?”

In her mind, Echo sighed, ‘okay, who’s next?’

Tag Sivarith/Sorelle, Any

[Ceinwen and Drusillith]

“Sleeper” he motioned Ceinwen closer and she moved right by his side. “listen” he said and Ceinwen bent closer to hear a crackling hiss. "Remember that sound."

Ceinwen delve into her memory of the teaching she had undertaken regarding the treatment of thread. The sound rung a bell - something about ‘sleepers’. They hide beneath the surface of the skin. Essentially, a filament pierces vertically in and the swelling of the impact point cuts off most of the oxygen that stops it from growing fast. A healer has one principle means of diagnosis – listen. They must listen to the wound and if they hear crackling hiss in there, there is a live 'sleeper' beneath the surface. The problem is the moment they cut in or press the wound open, sometimes the thread will literally spring out, proliferating suddenly.

Master Garion planned for that and called for a pan of water. If he went after the wound below the surface, the thread did not stand a chance. It would deprived of the oxygen in craved.

”Look at your sister.”

Ceinwen put her hand, protectively on E’dwyn’s leg and gave him a reassuring squeeze. She did not take her eyes from his, maintaining her calm, tyring to be a source of strength for her brother as the Master Healer worked. She watched him look and inwardly winced. Not a good idea. But judging by his eyes, he was under the effects of the fellis.

“Now you can bandage him. First more redwart and numbweed after you get him out of the water. We’ll have to get the swelling down before we stitch him up. Send for more ice if we don’t have enough. Ask for one of the Senior Weyrlings to go for ice if needed.”

“Thank you, Master,” she said gratefully. ‘He will be fine, Dru. Please tell his that my brother is out of danger.’

Drusillith conveyed the message to Yzarth as Ceinwen retrieved the things she needed to bandage up E’dwyn’s arm. Returning, she gently kisses his forehead and then got to work. She pulled his arm from the pan of water and set it aside then gently patted the surface dry before applying the redwort. Ceinwen then rinsed the area clean with fresh water before applying numbweed and then wrapping the arm in a sterile bandage. Once that was complete, she placed it in an elevated position, propped up by some pillows, on a receptacle of ice.

Once it was done, she sat beside him and stroked his hair. “It is best if you can sleep. I will be close by if you need me.”

Tag E’dwyn, Any

[Orla and Beth]

She’d flown the second half of the fall and though she flew in J’lor’s formation in Dawn Striders she could see Threadsbane’s gouts of flame in the distance.

She couldn’t spare much attention for them but she knew E’dwyn and Yzarth were over there. The fight required their complete attention. Her beautiful Beth proved her abilities as she swooped and flamed thread from the sky. They dodged several close calls before she heard Beth’s cry.

Yzarth’s is hurt

“How badly”

They still fly she said but then after a moment Imanhyth’s has sent them back to the Weyr. Orla turned her attention back to where she was and what she was doing even though concern flooded her.

Beth was tiring, she knew and was thinking of signaling their withdrawal when the Weyrleaders command came through

"Fall is over, send out the sweep riders."

Then Beth let out a full throated roar to answer Mnoranth.

They blinked /between/ back to the Weyr and as they spiraled toward their weyr to clean up Beth told her that E’dwyn was with his sister the young Gold rider.

The concerned rider removed her dusted and stinking leathers and threw on a clean tunic before running toward the infirmary. There were so many injured dragons and riders. She threaded her way through the throng of those helping them and into the infirmary.

She didn’t want to add to the press but she had to see him. She had to see with her own eyes. She stood back a ways watching him with hungry eyes not wanting to intrude upon the siblings moment. Finally he seemed to be dozing so she approached and asked, “How is he?”

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[E'dwyn and Yzarth]

E’dwyn had felt the reassuring hand on his leg and looked at his sister before he had looked back at the Master Healer’s work. That had been a bad idea, as noted by the oath he had sworn and his looking away again. “Thank you, Master,” he heard his sister say gratefully. Outside, Yzarth listened as Drusillith told him that his would be alright. E’dwyn would have told him himself but the fellis in the wine he had ingested was clouding his head.

“It is best if you can sleep. I will be close by if you need me.” Ceinwen told him, stroking his hair where she sat beside him. She was right he guessed. He was exhausted from the effort exerted in the fall and the fellis in his system made him a tad drowsy. He managed to stay awake long enough to see that Ceinwen had bandaged his arm and felt the cold of the ice receptacle she placed it on. Blood coated the bandages along the cut where the Master Healer had removed the sleeper in his arm. Once the swelling went down and the infection was gone, they would sew it up, he figured.

He could have sworn he heard Orla’s voice as sleep claimed him. Or maybe it was just a dream…

Tag Any/End E'dwyn