A few moments later when she managed to right herself and after she was done massaging some life back into her legs the expedition had already finished setting up camp, the caravan doors were thrown open and small groups patrolled back and forth, a fire was lit and a handful of Silvermane agents were wandering around gathering the droogs.

Erika didn’t want to but the first thing she did was head over to the red lacquered wagon, it was the largest and most expensive and normally belonged to the two silver ranks in the expedition, now it was a charnel house.

Erika saw a good dozen people slump along the floor on thin fur mats, bruised, bleeding, riddled with fragment of troll-stone or covered in spark burns from the runic road. Two of Silvermane’s lot were keeping them comfortable as Ammeris went to work, the alchemist was… actually skilled Erika could admit, she was mixing up dozens of different potions using a sort of metal funnel linked to a load of bottles that spun around in a wheeled rack thing… Erika didn’t know what they did but she was moving coincidentally and every so often she pulled one of the bottles out and drained it over a wound, the thick sticky syrup of alchemy seemed to be doing something at least.

Erika didn’t want to see this, the blood hung in the air thick enough to taste and she knew she should be helping, but she couldn’t… casting cross pillar had Drowned her well for at least two days, she couldn’t cast a single spell at the moment, not even a 1st circle one.

Bjorn’s hand wasn't recoverably, the severed limb had been left in the Wold somewhere, Erika had sealed it over but a thin film of blue green was growing along the edges of the stump, when she saw it Ammeris made that little high pitched sucking sound that doctors make when they see a reason to overcharge before setting to work lathering and cut and dosing and bandaging.

Looking up from her work Ammeris glared at Erika, but the fire seemed dimmed behind her eyes, like she was only doing what was expected. “Ah vitki, here to swoop in and take all my work?”

For a moment Erika thought she heard yearning in her voice but there was no way, right? “No… sorry… my well is still Drowned.”

Ammeris rubbed her eyes for a moment and muttered something. “…Ok, well in that case I need to get back to…” Ammeris paused mid-sentence then turned a gimlet gaze onto Erika. “Do you know anything about herbology?”

Erika wanted to step back in the face of that gaze but didn’t, instead she managed to timidly nod. “Uh yeah… mother has a big library and I read some of the books sometimes… why?”

“Ever heard of Rindr’s Respite?”

“Herb from before the twilight, grows in dark damp conditions… looks like a sort of dirty plate, right?”

Ammeris beamed. “Good… finally something a vitki is useful for… this place should have a barrow under it and Rindr’s Respite loves growing in barrows, go down and get some for me, ok? Bjorn’s humours are out of balance and the Respite will reset them.”

Usually, Erika would have shot back a snarky comment but seeing the blood… she couldn’t bring herself to, instead she saluted (or at least a close approximation) and stomped out of the caravan. “SIGRUN!”

Sigrun looked up from a conversation she was having with Alvis and smiled questioningly at her, Erika had never met someone who could smile a question but she decided to focus on her mission. “Ammeris needs a plant from the barrow under this place, I'm gonna go find it ok?”

Sigurn somehow manged to smile wider at that and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Take someone with you.”

“I’ll go!” Said Helga, the sagaborn was sprawled up against Erika’s caravan but she started scrambling to her feet again but just before she could stand up another voice called out.

“Don’t worry about its kid,” said Kara Hammerfall giving her a small smile. “You rest up, we’ll look after her.” Stood beside her was Gunhilda the Silvermane agent and Reidar, the man Erika had healed, his green flecked hair instantly identifiable.

Sigurn looked between them for a moment her expression indecipherable before she waved at her cousin. “Helga rest up you’ve been riding hard, you three are volunteering to keep the vitki safe?”

“She did save us boss.” Reidar said, his voice smooth and high.

“Yeah, we kinda owe her.”

Sigurn nodded after a moment. “Ok fine but the vitki is worth more than all of you put together, ok? Make sure she’s safe.”

“We will,” said Kara, her voice full of conviction making Erika blush a little. “Come on Lady Erika, the barrows entrance is down this way.”