Word Count » 392
The jackal watched the woman through the corner of his eye, his focus apparently on her wrist alone. He used various sorts of methods to tell when his medicine worked; her pulse racing under his fingers, for one. Breathing was a second sign, though not as obvious. One could calm themselves and force their lungs to behave, but the pulse was different indeed. Able to count and understand algorithms as well as he did (a useless skill here, though he would have been a blessing in al-Iskandariyya), these northern lands were quite feral and mathematical concepts would have been lost on most of his companions. Ezekiel had grown incredibly bored, unable to grasp the concepts, and even though Gabriel had once tried to humor him and listen, Enkiel had recognized his gruff uncle was equally unresponsive.
Red eyes flicked up as he felt her pulse slow under his palm. While Ana was not asleep, she was clearly dazed. Enkiel was glad for this—the true pain was horrendous at first, though adrenaline would rush in and numb her as well as the herbs. He doubted she would have allowed him to do such a thing had she any idea what setting a bone was like.
His movement was suddenly but not without grace. A strong arm grasped her forearm at the elbow and gripped it hard. Enkiel’s right hand wrapped around her wrist, giving space for the joint itself, and with slow precision he forced the bone to break. It was done with care; a splintering bone or bit of marrow could cost her dearly. He was lucky it was an arm and not the leg. When the break was complete he allowed the wounded hand to ease back into place and held it there firmly.
Meanwhile, his left hand dropped to the soaking birch bark at his feet. He had discovered its use from Gabriel, and was startled by how solid the plant dried. Gingerly, he began to wrap this around her wrist. It took several strips, each soaked and applied with great caution, always careful to ensure her wrist did not move out of place. Satisfied, he continued to hold her still. “When this dries you will not need to worry. As long as it does not get wet it will keep your wrist where it must be to heal.”
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