The pounding of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, heralding Tam's return. The boy burst through the doorway, chest heaving from his frantic dash, a small glass jar gripped tightly in one hand.
Aleria straightened, as Tam held out the container. She plucked it from his grasp, squinting to make out the faded label in the dim candlelight.
A tight smile tugged at the corners of Aleria's mouth as she nodded in approval. "Well done, Tam. You're a great help."
She held the jar out to him once more. "Now, I need you to open this up and take out two of the dried flowers inside. Chew on them thoroughly until they become a paste in your mouth, but don't swallow."
Tam's brow furrowed in trepidation, but he dutifully twisted off the lid and peered inside at the shrivelled blue petals. With a grimace, he pinched out two of the withered blooms and popped them into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out as he began to chew obediently.
Aleria could see the distaste writ plain across his features as the bitter taste no doubt flooded his senses. But to his credit, the boy persevered, his jaw working methodically to grind the dried flowers into a viscous paste.
"That's it," Aleria murmured encouragingly. "Once you've got them properly chewed, I need you to take that paste and place it in your sister's mouth, on her tongue. Can you do that for me?"
Tam's eyes widened slightly at the request, but he gave a solemn nod. Scooting closer to Lia's bedside, he leaned over her prone form. With trembling fingers, he gently pried apart her lips.
Carefully, mindful not to let any of the precious paste dribble free, Tam deposited the mashed blooms onto Lia's tongue. He grimaced again as a few stray flecks clung to his fingertips.
Finishing her cleaning of the wound, Aleria reached out, cupping the back of Lia's skull to help guide the unconscious girl through the motions of swallowing the herbs. After a few tense moments, Lia's throat convulsed in a reflexive gulp, and the paste vanished down her gullet.
"There, that should help ease her suffering while I tend to the wound," Aleria said with an approving nod. "Grab a clean cloth and try to keep her cool."
Aleria focused her magic, letting the tendrils of power unfurl and delve into Lia's ravaged leg. She could sense the vile taint that had taken root - a foul, writhing corruption that lashed out as her magic sought to purge it.
Aleria poured more of her will into the effort, envisioning the emerald filaments of her power ensnaring and smothering that reeking miasma. Bead by bead, she scoured away the insidious infection, banishing it from Lia's frail body.
It was a slow effort clearing the taint from her blood, but she did not relent until every last tendril of corruption had been expunged. Only then did she pivot her magic's focus to knitting together the ragged flesh and sealing the jagged punctures.
"There," she murmured, drawing back with an exhale. "That should set her on the mend."
Lia's pallid features had already regained a hint of colour, the heat of fever slowly receding. Her pained grimace had smoothed, giving way to the slack repose of restful slumber.
Tam peered up at Aleria with a mixture of awe and gratitude shining in his eyes. "Thank you," he said fervently. "I didn't know what..."
His voice trailed off, unable to give voice to the fear that had gripped him. Instead, he turned his attention back to his sister, carefully blotting away the beads of sweat from her brow.
Aleria watched him for a moment, a pang of empathy tightening her chest. The two children had already endured so much hardship tonight, pain that she'd never wish on a child.
"Tam," she said gently, drawing the boy's gaze once more. "If you don't mind my asking..., do you and Lia have any family out there? Parents who might be looking for you both?"
Tam's expression clouded, a shadow passing over his young features. Slowly, he shook his head, his movements heavy with a weight far beyond his years.
"No, ma'am," he said, his voice subdued. "Our dad... died in the war. An' our mum..." He swallowed hard. "She got sick, 'bout a summer ago. There's no one else."
A lump formed in Aleria's throat at the boy's simple admission. Impulsively, she reached out to grasp Tam's hand where it rested on the bed sheets, giving his slender fingers a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
"You've been so brave," she said, her voice soft but impassioned. "I promise you, your sister will get better..."
At that, Tam seemed to break, losing what little composure he'd held together. He began to cry, great heaving sobs that wracked his slender frame as the floodgates burst open.
"I was so scared," he confessed between hiccupping gasps, his words tumbling forth in a breathless rush. "When the monsters chased us... Lia couldn't run as fast an' then... then it grabbed her."
Instinctively, Aleria tightened her grasp on the boy's hand, offering what small comfort and reassurance she could through the simple gesture. She remained silent, allowing him to pour out the harrowing feelings that had clearly been bottled up.
"I-I thought she was going to die," Tam stammered, his voice cracking with raw emotion. "That beast was going to tear her apart right in front o' me and there was nothin' I could do!"
His next words emerged in a strangled wail, anguished and laced with self-recrimination. "I shoulda' protected her! I'm the big brother. Mum said I'm supposed to keep her safe!"
Aleria felt her heart clench in her chest at the depths of Tam's guilt and anguish. Without a second thought, she rose from the bed and moved to gather the distraught boy into her embrace.
Tam went rigid at the unexpected contact at first, his breath hitching in his throat. But then, like a dam bursting, he seemed to crumple inwards, all the tension and fear he'd been bottling up unleashing in a torrent.
With a choked sob, he flung his arms around Aleria, burying his face against the coarse fabric of her tunic as he wept unabashedly. Aleria simply held him close, one hand cradling the back of his head in a maternal gesture as she murmured soft, soothing reassurances.
"Shh, it's alright now, child," she crooned, rocking him gently from side to side. "You were so brave, I saw you try to save her. You did the right thing - you survived. And because of that, your sister lives as well."
Tam's slender frame shuddered against her, his tears slowly ebbing though the occasional hiccup still hitched his breathing. Slowly, gradually, the tension bled from his muscles until he sagged bonelessly in her embrace, utterly spent.
Aleria guided Tam to the bed, gently easing the boy down to sit beside his slumbering sister. With a tender hand on his shoulder, she urged him to stretch out on the mattress.
"Rest now, child," she said in a hushed murmur. "You've had a long night, but you and your sister are safe here. I'll keep watch over you both."
Tam's eyelids were already drooping, the emotional upheaval and long night leaving him drained. He offered no resistance as Aleria tucked the coarse blankets snugly around him, cocooning him in their warmth alongside Lia.
Nestled amidst the rumpled bedding, his face finally smoothed into an expression of peace, the worries and fears that had plagued him melting away into the oblivion of slumber.
For a time, Aleria remained seated at their bedside, her gaze drifting between the two siblings as she listened to the gentle cadence of their breathing. Tam's lips had parted slightly, the faintest whistle of a snore passing between them with each exhale.
Only once she was certain they had both drifted into a deep, restful sleep did Aleria finally rise from her vigil. She moved with a quiet grace, taking care not to allow the wooden floor to creak beneath the tread of her boots.
At the threshold, she paused, turning to cast one last glance over her shoulder at the siblings swaddled amidst the blankets. A fleeting pang of tenderness tightened her chest as she drank in the sight.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Aleria's mouth as she committed the scene to memory. Then, with a silent exhale, she turned and slipped from the chamber, pulling the door closed with a soft click behind her.
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