I applied the juice of the aloe to his burns.
I ground oak bark and soothing herbs together with a mortar and pestle. The herbs would ease the pain — the oak would fight the power that still burned his skin. I mixed more aloe with the baneroot brew and sprinkled the mixture on the wounds. Moving him was hard work, but I managed to bind his injuries with bandages soaked in aloe. I hoped this would be strong enough to still even Nian’s considerable powers.
These preparations finished, I returned to my sewing to wait.
Always, waiting was the hardest. I stitched and watched. Nian passed from unconsciousness into sleep, but his sleep was not peaceful, for he fought his own magic. Pain burned into his mind, even as his body sought to heal itself. As his pain eased, I began to hope that he mig
