Chapter 17
The Second ChallengeAfter the fire Fern stayed on with Karne and Kyra’s family, but she did not recover as quickly as they expected. Karne’s burns healed fast and although he probably would always have scars on his feet to remind him of that terrible night, he was soon back to normal. Fern’s wounds took longer to heal and even when the skin was whole, she was so listless and pale that Kyra’s mother insisted she rested most of the day. Fern, who was usually so full of energy that she rarely did nothing, sat now day after day beside the hearth or in the sun beside the wood pile, content to be inactive.
Everyone was anxious about her, but no one knew what to do. Karne particularly hovered over her and worried.
‘What is the matter with her,’ he asked Kyra desperately. ‘The burns
