“What is wrong with her?” he asked, pulling his gorget off his neck and putting it beside his gauntlets.

“She’s been burning with fever for days,” Kaide said.

“Sandra cut herself on some thorns,” Bellok added. “Just regular cuts, but they’ve grown infected, and no matter what we do, it continues to spread. Check her arms, if you wish.”

“You could do nothing?” Jerico asked.

“I’m good at destroying things, not fixing them,” Bellok said, frowning.

“My sister is not a thing,” Kaide said, a hard edge in his voice. Jerico found himself impressed by the sheer authority it carried.

“Quiet,” he said. “Let me have a few moments of silence.”

Jerico pulled down the blanket. Sandra slept in her shift, the short sleeves leaving her arms exposed. He took one in hand and turned it, looking at the marks. The skin around them had gone purple, the cuts themselves angry and red. No wonder she’s overwhelmed with fever, he thought.

“Can you heal her?” Kaide asked as Jerico closed his eyes. The bandit’s voice was soft, but had no hesitation, no quiver. This was a man who had seen death, and often.

“I can do nothing,” Jerico said. “All I do is through Ashhur, and I assure you, nothing is beyond him.”

He closed his eyes and prayed. He felt the closeness of his deity, and warmth spread across his hands. Clutching Sandra’s arm, he pictured the healing light plunging into her skin, banishing the wounds, and pouring a cold fire across her fever. The woman shivered at his touch. A ringing sound filled his ears, then his prayers completed, and everything went silent. Dizziness overcame him, and he leaned against a wall to remain standing. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes to see the results.