The rest of the day passed in relative quiet. That cavalry unit did not return and no other human armies or detached units marched upon us. I had no way to know for sure but that probably meant that the rest of the battle was going well or at least well enough. That gave us some time to rest and recover or mourn. We spent a little time to set up some makeshift fortifications as well. Or at least those of us still capable of such feats did just that. Most of us nursed injuries of one sort or another.

It was mostly the trolls ans the giants of the Wall Breakers company that did most of the actual work. It probably shouldn't have come as a surprise that they made it through the battle without losses or serious injuries where the rest of us were left to bleed and cry. After all it would take dozens of archers and men with pikes to take down a single troll even if the pike formation was in good order and our enemies couldn't have been in greater disorder if a rock slide had hit them instead of our charge.

Well, I didn't mind and I doubted that anyone else would hold it against them. They even built us some decent lean-tos. That was something I was especially grateful for considering that we had ditched our tents with much of the rest of our gear to get here in time. The worst of the storm, Kaele had created, had passed but the weather was still far from pleasant and it would be for the best of all of us if the wounded didn't have to spend the night in the rain. The healers were busy enough as it was after all. There was no need to make their work harder than it already was.

That was especially important as I had to rely on them today as well. Kaele was completely passed out. She must have channeled even more Mana than me, probably by far, and the effort had utterly exhausted her. She must have passed out soon after channeling magical power to the enchanted seeds that disrupted the enemy formations with their quick growth. Just as well, even if it meant that there would be no magical healing provided by her. At least that way she hadn't gotten involved in the melee that followed.

Maybe she could help us out again tomorrow after a good night's rest, if we got one. For now I had to make do with more mundane healing, just like everyone else. What little healing spells others could work was restricted to those in dire need. My wound was nasty but I would live, even without magic to help. A few of my men and women had ventured out into the forest, only in groups and never alone, to search some fresh herbs that could help us, as well.

I didn't expect them to find any glow berries, as far as I knew those didn't grow very well on this side of the mountains, but maybe they could scrounge up some bitterleaf. That should grow even here. Right now I would be grateful for every little thing. As a matter of fact I was chewing some bitterleaf as one of the healers and her drafted assistant examined the shield and especially the arrow connecting it to my arm in a way I could have done without.

The healer nodded. “That will be painful and not just a little. I doubt even the herb will numb the pain entirely.” She motioned for the assistant to help her and together they pulled the shield off first so they could deal with the arrow afterward. They tried to be careful but they still jostled the arrow a little in the wound.

My eyes teared up. She hadn't been joking. Maybe I should have offered a witty remark then and there but I didn't dare open my mouth out of fear that I might cry out if I did.

The healer patted my good arm while the assistant discarded the bent out of shape and perforated shield, throwing it on a pile of other discarded gear. “It hurts, but the angle of the arrow seems good. I think we can push it through without opening any arteries or severing any tendons. I even know a little cleaning spell that will make sure the wound doesn't get infected or cleans up any infection that might already be lingering. The muscle will still take time to heal. Nothing I can do about that right now.”

She paused briefly, looking up into my face. “You should have it looked at as soon as possible, my lady, by a more capable healer to make sure it heals properly. Otherwise the arm might heal badly and be weaker or stiff in the future.”

As she finished her assistant handed me a piece of freshly cut wood wrapped in leather. “Bite down on that. Just in case.”

I nodded and did just that. The bitterleaf should have numbed the worst of the pain but it was still better to be safe rather than sorry. I didn't feel like biting my tongue or cracking some teeth. My day was already bad enough, even without any additional, self inflicted injuries. Yeah, my damaged horn, the arrow and all the bruises we couldn't do anything about right now were already plenty painful enough.

Despite the bitterleaf, despite my exhaustion and despite the fact that I was prepared I bit down hard on the piece of leather wrapped wood and screamed hard, as the healer began pushing the arrow the rest of the way through my arm. The assistant had trouble holding me down and after a moment an exhausted looking Tora'pheer joined him in holding me down, to make sure the healer could work undisturbed.

I could feel sweat forming all over my body and for a moment I was close to passing out. It couldn't have been more than a moment or two, after all the healer had pushed hard to get the arrow out quickly, but it still felt like a torturous eternity. The piece of wood almost dropped from my mouth as I let out a moan of relief but the assistant snatched it away before it could hit the ground.

A moment later I could feel the healer draw in a minuscule amount of Mana, at least compared to what Kaele and I tended to use, and a prickling sensation spread throughout the wound. Then it was over and it actually felt a little better.

I risked a quick look at my arm. It wasn't bleeding all that much which probably was a good thing. I took it to mean that the healer had been right and that she hadn't had to cause much additional damage while pushing the arrow through. I sighed with relief. “Thank the Maidens for small mercies.”

The healer grinned and wrapped the wound in a surprisingly clean piece of cloth after applying some ointment. “Yes, praise the Maidens. The Crone will have to wait a little longer before she can make an appointment with you.” Once she was done with the bandage she put the arm into a simple sling for good measure. “Don't bump it into anything. Don't move it around all that much at all, if you can. See me or one of the others tomorrow to keep it clean and renew the bandage … unless anything else comes up.”

I nodded and let my captain of the cavalry help me up to make room for the next patient. Tora'pheer pointed to our left. “We put your sister under a lean-to over there somewhere. There should still be enough room there for you as well, my lady.” She grinned. “Despite her and her familiar's bets efforts to hog every bit of flat ground for themselves.”

That brought a little smile to my face despite the fact that I felt incredibly sweaty, sore and exhausted. Of course I was fond of my sister but I was fond of her little feline companion as well. Never mind that it had almost clawed out one of my eyes on our first meeting. It took all the effort I could muster to not doze off while still walking there. Maybe I had had a little too much bitterleaf?

I shook my head to drive off sleep for a little while longer. I had to take care of things before I could allow myself the luxury of sleep! “What is the overall state of the army?”

Tora'pheer shot me a sidelong glance but answered anyway after collecting her thoughts for a moment. “Infantry and cavalry are currently at half strength. Some more will recover over night or in the next few days. The scouts only suffered light losses and the Wall Breakers came out pretty much unscathed. Everyone is incredibly exhausted though. Even the ones not injured. Yath'zur and Tortho are taking care of things right now. I'll take over later once I got some sleep as well.”

I nodded sleepily. That sounded good. “Make sure a proper watch is kept. I don't fell like waking up with a slit throat.” A mighty yawn interrupted me. “Short watch intervals. I don't want anyone falling asleep while on the job.”

That was as far as I got before Tora'pheer guided me under a lean-to and onto the makeshift pallet next to my sister. Before I could even chide myself for showing weakness like that I drifted off into sleep.