The Wolves arrived to the Lorthan house, quiet and dark. Jeanne stood near Cid as Maeryn and Benkin moved towards the house, peering cautiously into the home. Benkin turned back to the rest after a quick examination inside. Only shaking his head before he and Maeryn returned to the group.

“Nothing inside?” Cid asked.

“Nothing, no signs of anyone being in there, there isn’t even a fire lit there,” Benkin replied.

A sharp whistle came from the wheatfield nearby, some of The Wolves moving towards their weapons. A small poked through the wall of wheat. “Can we not do that, please?” a voice called out.

“Sil’vah?” Kveldulf responded.

“Yes?” Sil’vah said as he poked his head through the wall of wheat.

“What are you doing here?” Benkin asked.

“Waiting for you,” Sil’vah said. “And wow … you lot look like you’ve gone through a few wringers.”

“Do not remind us,” Jeanne said. “Where did the family living here go?”

“Oh, they’re with us,” Sil’vah said, “the boss thought it was best to have them there until things calmed down.”

“That might’ve been for the best,” said Cid, looking back to the town.

“What, did something happen?”

“Let’s get back to something akin to safety and we’ll let you all know.”

As The Wolves and Sil’vah arrived to the cave, they were greeted by the guards at the mouth. Cid turned to let gesture the rest to remove their weapons as the guards waved for him to stop. “Boss’s orders, she wants you to keep them.”

“Our weapons?” Cid asked.

“She sent some of the hunters and gatherers to check out the town when we saw the pillars of smoke. When they came back with the news of …,” the guard paused biting his lower lip to find the right words, “what happened, she thought it best to have everyone get their weapons at the ready.”

“I don’t reckon you all have silvered weapons,” Leonidas said, gripping his side with one arm.

The guards smiled, one lowering the tip of her spear to the group. The shining glint of silver illuminated against the light of the sun as The Wolves looked onward.

“The smithy thought it best we had some of these in store just in case. Though we never thought something like this would come about.”

“Well, let’s take care of a few things before we move to that issue,” Cid said, waving the rest of The Wolves forward.

As they arrived to the residential quarters of the cavern, they could several villagers from the town being treated by some of the goblins. Some were injured with scratches, others with broken bones and other serious wounds. Leonidas took a deep breath, cracked his neck and began moving towards the wounded.

Cid put his hand to the doctor’s chest. “I think you should rest, doctor.”

“They can use another healer,” Leonidas said, “and I know how to treat vampiric wounds.”

Cid nodded reluctantly. “All right, but don’t push yourself.”

“I think we’ve past that point, but I’ll do my best,” Leonidas said before heading off to help with the wounded.

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Cid turned to the rest, “Come, let’s get ourselves situated before we call this infernal day over.”

***

Jeanne gripped a corner to a larger skin pelt resting on her bed as Leonidas finished stitching up the last of her wounds. “Please tell me you’re almost done,” she said, with gritted teeth.

“Almost finished,” he said, shaking his head to wake himself up.

“Are you sure you should be doing this?” Jeanne asked.

“You doubt my skills,” he returned.

“No. You look like you’re about to pass out. You got roughed up worse than me.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, snipping off the excess thread from the final stitch and taking out a roll of bandages. “You are my last patient for the night, and once you’re bandaged up, I’m calling it a night.”

“No,” Jeanne said, “When you’re done, I’m going to look you over.”

“Really?” he said, as he began wrapping her wounds.

She could see his eyes beginning to glaze and his eyes lids droop. He hadn’t stopped working since they reached the goblin’s cave and the day had finally caught up with him.

“Someone’s got to look out for our residential medicus,” she said.

“If that was a concern, I’d …” his voiced trailed off before he shook his head again. “I can think of anything.”

“And that’s why I should be taking care of those wounds you have there.”

“All right,” he said as he finished throwing on her bandages. He sat next to her on the bed and slowly pulled his shirt off. His arms twitched sharply, wincing slightly in pain as he pulled his tunic up towards his head.

Jeanne grabbed some parts of the shirt and soon most of his tunic was turned inside out with his arms and head still inside the clothing. “I think we have a problem, Doctor Jeanne.”

“I swear I will send you to Helle myself if you don’t stop acting like a baby.”

“I have had a bad day, and I am exercising my right to complain to my heart’s content.”

“Keep that up and I’ll start charging you for the service,” she said removing the rest the shirt off. She saw several long gashes running down the length of his back. She looked at them carefully. “Doesn’t look like we have an infection with them.”

“Hurray,” he said half asleep.

“I’m going to assume you meant that sincerely,” she said before looking into Leonidas’s satchel and found a small jar still filled with honeyed poultice. She then applied it over his wounds and felt him press against her fingers. “All right?”

He nodded. “Just stings a little.”

“Don’t worry, this won’t take too long,” she said, reaching for a needle and thread.

“Wait,” he said, a little more alert, and lifting his head up, “do you know how to stitch a wound properly?”

“For yours, yes,” she said, beginning to stitch his wounds. She hummed a little tune while applying her needle work. Leonidas looked up at her with a perplexed look on him.

“Are you having fun?”

“It’s nice being on the other side of this,” she said, pushing his head down.

“I do not appreciate this treatment,” he said, lifting his head up again.

“You’ll live,” she said pushing his head down again. With the final stitch, she sat him up and pulled out a fresh roll of bandages and began wrapping it around his torso. When she finished, she said, “That wasn’t so bad was it?”

“Depends how I’m feeling in the morning,” he said as he laid down on their bed.

She took a skin pelt and placed it over him. “You’re not sleeping?” he asked.

“I want to get some air first,” she said, “I’ll won’t be too long.”

“Be careful.”

“You know I am the very soul of caution.”

“You have a very eschewed sense of the word ‘caution’.”

“You shush and get some sleep,” she said, kissing his forehead. “I won’t be long.”

“All right,” he said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, caressing his cheek gently before making her way out of the cavern.

She stepped out to the mouth of the cave, turning to still see the low reddish hue of the smoldering town. Crossing her arms, she felt a sense of helplessness, uncertain if there was anything she could’ve done to prevent what happened if they have been there to stop whoever caused this destruction.

Part of her wanted to assume this was all just some raid occurring by a band of curs doing the dirty work of one of the lords involved in this forsaken civil unrest occurring. But most raids of that sort rarely resulted in the dead raising up and attacking the living. Jeanne gripped her right arm as she pondered ill thoughts over.

She looked out into the tall grass, the wind moving through the vast field, creating a shushing sound as the blades moved back and forth. She could smell the faint scent of smoke and blood, not knowing if it was from the town itself or still a lingering from when she was there earlier.

Her neck began stiffening and tensing, the tingling sensation spreading all over her skin. She moved her hand to the head of her war hammer. The other held up towards her head before a soft orb of light began emanating from her palm. She took a step forward, slowly, shifting her weight after each step was firmly placed. With slow movements she lifted her hammer from its holder and readied it to strike.

“Something out there?” she heard a voice ask from behind her. Jeanne turned, to find Maeryn walking out from the interior of the cave.

Jeanne let out a sigh of relief as she saw he and returned her hammer into its holder. She shook her head. “No, nothing. Just the light from town and some whistling from the wind.”