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“Hospitals use medical-grade honey on burns. It’ll help prevent infection.”

Amira’s eyes meet mine. “What about cattail gel? I’ve seen tons of shoots in ditches around here. It’ll help with the sting.”

I’m impressed, because even with all my training, I knew nothing about that. “Yeah, good idea.”

“I know the honey’s an anti-inflammatory, but I could make some black willow bark tea, if we can find some. For the pain.”

“Will that be like an acid trip?” Shayla asks.

Amira smiles at her. “No, it’ll be like aspirin. Black willow bark has salicin, which is the natural compound aspirin is made from. I’ve made tea from it before. It’ll help.”

Tears shine in Shayla’s eyes and she croaks, “Please.”

Amira pats her thigh gently. “We’re going to get you feeling better, Shayla. Just hang in there a little longer.”

“Do you have teaspoons?” I ask.

Marcie nods.

“Sugar and salt?”

“Not much sugar, but I think we still have some. We have salt.”

“While we’re out looking for the bark and cattails, I want you to mix up a liter of water with six teaspoons of sugar and a half teaspoon of salt. Measure carefully. She’ll need to sip on that and also plain water. She’s losing fluids.”

“I’ll go do it right now,” she says.

“We’ve got people to fetch the cattails and bark,” Don says. “You two can come eat a meal if you want to.”

“We’ll get it,” I say. “But some water would be great if you can spare it.”

He grins and offers me his hand. “You got it, squid. Thank you both.”

I put my pack on, and Don takes us to another part of the building, where he gives us each all the water we can drink.

“You can take as much as you want when you leave,” he says. “Unless you’d consider staying. We’ve got room if you two are looking for a community.”

Amira and I exchange a glance.

“We appreciate it, but once we get Shayla on the mend, we’ll be moving on,” I say.

His brows drop with disappointment. “Offer stays open in the future.”

He walks us back out to the entrance gates, and we pass around a dozen horses grazing in the large courtyard. There’s also a fenced-off area with a chicken coop, and another one with two cows.

Once we’re outside the gates and they’ve closed behind us, Amira gives me a cautious look.

“No lecture?”

My lips quirk with a smile. “Over what? You knew more than I did back there.”

“Over me not staying behind you and being ‘Of Evander’ before.”

I laugh at that, and she arches her brows. “I didn’t peg you as a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale.”

“You haven’t pegged me at all, but you keep bringing it up.”

Her unguarded laugh softens something inside me.