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Show Janni ran to the barrels beside the saddles and drew water off into a good-sized metal bowl, then took it to the flickering fire in the hearth. Lodyan began to loosen the bandages on Dr'Anya's chest. "And bring many clean cloths," she whispered, "and more bandages." Janni brought everything over to her when the water boiled, and the little Zett dropped some crushed P'lini leaves into the water, held the bowl in both hands, sloshed it around, then let it steep. A few minutes later, she poured half of it into the spare bowl, then dipped the cloth into it. Cooling the cloth in the air, she began bathing Dr'Anya's wound, finally dribbling the first bowl's cooled liquor carefully into the cut so that it would be carried into the woman's bloodstream, using clean clothes to stanch the overflow. After fresh bandages were laid on the wound, Lodyan sat back on her haunches and looked at the woman intently, the others watching with her. An age passed and Dr'Anya seemed no better. Then Nell began to stir, first layng her head on the side, then lifting her hands, palms up. Dr'Anya's eyes fluttered open and saw her daughter. "Janni...," she began weakly. The girl gasped and took the woman's hand. Dr'Anya looked at her daughter through heavy lidded eyes. J a n n i . . . . " she said again. She'd wanted to tell the child how foolish she'd been during the last two days, how much she'd looked forward to her coming home at last, how she would try hard-ah, so very, very hard withal!-not to be domineering, not to lay out her life, if they could but spend a bit of their lives together now, two f r i e n d s . . .. 298 |
