***
"Does it hurt?" Nero asked.
"A little."
He gingerly touched the spot above her right eye, where a bruise had formed. Some blood had trickled into her eyeball as well, and Nero tried not to concentrate on it.
“It’s nothing too serious,” he said. “You’ll probably just have to deal with a serious headache later today. Just apply some Parevian paste over the bruise and it should heal up within the day.”
“Thank you,” Adaria muttered, wincing as he touched the bruise lightly once again. He stepped back then, scratching the back of his head. The woods was silent then, the only sound being the chirping of a few birds. They’d left the river several miles away, and the path they had taken snaked up towards the mountains. Nero peered in the direction which they’d come. About three miles aw
