Warcry

spread the sheet over Lara. “It’s not proper. They’ll just get in the way, or faint or some such, wait and see.”
    “I was there when the babe was created.” Keir settled in at the head of the bed, moving to support Lara. “Why not now?”
    Anna flushed bright red.
    Lara laughed and groaned, and then caught a glimpse of Heath and Atira. Her eyes went wide. “Dearest Goddess, what happened to you?”
    Eln turned, raising an eyebrow as everyone else stared.
    Heath shifted his weight from one foot to the next. “Maybe we should stay in the other room. We can wait.”
    “I’m just in labor.” Lara scowled at him. “You both look like you’ve been dragged through the streets.”
    “Over here.” Eln moved to a bench by the wall and cleared off some supplies. Heath limped over and settled Atira down on the bench as carefully as he could. Atira groaned, but she managed to stay upright, putting her back to the wall.
    “Lanfer?” Keir asked.
    “Dead,” Heath said.
    “Good,” Keir growled.
    “Where does it hurt?” Eln asked.
    “Everywhere,” Atira replied, trying hard not to breathe.
    “He broke her arm,” Heath said. “And she vomited during the fight.”
    “Let me see,” Eln said. He tipped her head back and looked into her eyes. “How’s your stomach now?”
    “Better,” Atira said.
    “Can you see? Are you dizzy?” Eln knelt, digging through one of the bags on the floor.
    “Yes,” Atira replied. “Yes.”
    “All right then.” Eln pulled a bottle out of the bag. “We’ll start with this.”
    Lara was struggling to sit up, trying to see. “Orchid root? Eln, if she’s been brain-bruised—” She groaned and fell back into Keir’s arms. “Oh Goddess.”
    “Her eyes are fine, Lara.” Eln scooped out a small bit of thick red paste onto his finger. “Open wide.”
    Atira eyed him suspiciously.
    “It will take the pain away,” Eln said impatiently. “Unless you want me to touch your shoulder without.”
    Atira opened her mouth.
    Eln put the paste on her tongue. “Just let it melt. Heath, get that cloak off her.”
    Heath helped her ease the cloak down over her shoulder, revealing the tatters of her dress. Atira would have ripped it off, but Heath seemed intent on keeping her breasts covered. City-dwellers.
    The thick paste was melting on her tongue with a sweetish taste to it. Atira grimaced and swallowed hard.
    Lara was panting now, and Keir was leaning over, whispering to her, offering his muscular arms for support, letting her grasp his strong hands. Anna and the women, all dressed in white, moved about the bed like clouds in the sky. The whole room seemed to take on a glow, and Atira sighed, relaxing, suddenly feeling warm and content. She felt herself tilt over onto Heath’s shoulder. It was a good shoulder, and she liked the way his hair smelled.
    “That’s the way.” Eln’s voice seemed to come from quite a distance, and Atira blinked as his strong, thin hands explored someone’s arm. She frowned, thinking that she should be concerned about that for some reason. The person the arm belonged to might be hurting.
    “Ah.” Eln had reached the other person’s shoulder and neck and was feeling the bone under the skin. Pain surged over Atira, and she blinked as her arm suddenly belonged to her.
    “Now, this might hurt a little,” Eln said as he gripped her wrist. He wrenched her arm over and—
    By the time she regained her wits, Eln was tying a cloth around her neck that encased her arm. “The joint was out of its socket. Not much more I can do than this and willowbark tea.”
    Atira grimaced as she stood and walked back to the bed. “How long?” she asked, trying to clear her head.
    “Depends on the depth of the bruising,” Eln said. “Could be a few weeks. Could be a month or more.”
    “I knew it,” Atira whispered to Heath.
    “You need to wash again, healer,” Amyu said as Eln approached the bed.
    “Yes, yes.” Eln stood and tossed a packet to Heath. “Brew her some of this, and make it strong. And don’t try to move her just yet. The orchid root will need time to wear off. But for now—”
    Lara groaned again.
    Heath went white and swallowed hard. “I’ll see to the tea,” he said. He gave Atira an anxious look. “Will you be all right?”
    Atira leaned back against the stone wall and looked at him. “She’s just having a baby.”
    “Yes, well,” Heath said, darting a look at the bed. He gave her the oddest look, then made his