#Chapter 49: Pain Reliever

I did not find Aldrich that night. Worry began to seep into my former excitement about Alan, but I did not let it overpower me. He was a strong warrior who had seen death through his life perpetually as seasons, and very much likely had political matters to tend to. I just wished he would come back so that I could tell him what I did. But before he arrived, I would figure out what to say when he asked how I did it. For the time being, I did not have time to worry about that. A groan pierced the air and I grabbed Alan’s hand. His eyebrows were pinched together, sweat still beading on his face and naked chest. “You’ve got this, Al,” I encouraged, rubbing the side of his thumb. “Focus. Don’t let the pain distract you.” He was slowly mending together, piece by piece and bone by bone. Naturally, it was an agonizing, painstaking process in which the bones unbreak themselves and structure back into place. Sometimes, they ripped through ar