Cheen approached the old woman with Sum in his arms. The old woman's face went pale.
“Oh, dear,” she said. She glanced at Seh lying on the floor, then her eyes settled on Hok. “You poor children. My name is PawPaw. You have come to the right place. I am a healer.”
Hok felt the warm glow of relief spread through her soaking wet body. PawPaw meant Grandmother. What a perfect name for a healer.
Hok wiped the rain from her brow and bowed. “My name is Hok.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Hok,” PawPaw said with a polite nod. “It is a shame we couldn't have met under better circumstances. Who did this to you?”
“A man called Tonglong, a man called HaMo, and a woman called AnGangseh,” Hok answered.
PawPaw spat. “You must be pretty special to have the likes of them on your tail. I will do what I can to help you. Cheen and Sum have helped me several times in the past. You seemed to be looking for something a moment ago. What was it?”
“Xiang mu,” Hok replied.
PawPaw looked surprised.
“It's a type of evergreen tree,” Hok said. “But it has leaves. It's medicinal.”
“I know what it is,” PawPaw said. “Do you prefer the leaves, the stem, or the bark?”
“It depends how fresh the clippings are,” Hok said. “What I'm really looking for is salve squeezed from fresh-cut branches.”
PawPaw's eyebrows raised. “What will you do with it? Have them drink it?”
“Never!” Hok said. “I want to rub a bit beneath their noses to see if the smell will wake them up.”
PawPaw smiled. “I see you have a talent for the healing arts, yet you are still quite young. I am impressed. I would have prescribed the exact same thing. Unfortunately, I do not have what you need, but I know where you can find a healthy specimen. There is a village nearby, and the tree you seek grows in its central courtyard. It is a bit of a walk, but I will take you there. Let's get Sum and your friend comfortable first.”
“His name is Seh,” Hok offered as she bent over and picked Seh up again.
“Snake and Crane?” PawPaw said. “That's odd. The two animals usually don't get along.”
“He is my brother,” Hok said.
“I see,” PawPaw said. “Bring your brother in here, then.” She headed into the next room.
Hok followed and found herself in a small bedroom with two narrow beds. PawPaw pointed to one. “Place Seh there,” she said. Cheen entered the bedroom and laid Sum down on the other one.
“What is wrong with them?” PawPaw asked.
“Sum hit her head very hard against a tree,” Hok replied. “Seh was struck in the neck with a poisoned dart.”
“When did this happen?”
“Several hours ago,” Hok said.
“Then there isn't anything we can do for either of them,” PawPaw said. “What's done is done. We'll have to wait for them to wake up.” She looked at Cheen. “Can you keep an eye on these unfortunate souls while Hok and I go to the village?”
Cheen nodded.
“Good,” PawPaw said. She nodded toward a large trunk in one corner of the room. “You'll find several dry robes in there, Cheen. Get yourself out of those wet clothes, and change Seh's and Sum's clothes as well. Are you comfortable doing that?”
Cheen nodded again.
“All right, then,” PawPaw said. “Come with me, Hok. I have the perfect outfit for you to wear when we return. For now, you might as well just stay in those wet clothes. We're going to get soaked walking to the village.”
PawPaw walked out of the bedroom and turned suddenly toward the open front door. Hok thought PawPaw was getting ready to leave, but then Hok heard footsteps splashing outside. A rain-soaked boy raced up to the doorway and collapsed against it, completely out of breath. He looked like he had been running for quite some time. He closed his eyes and bent over, his hands on his knees, as Hok stepped out of the bedroom.
“The village …,” the boy managed to say between breaths, “… was attacked. … Please … come help…. Bring your … medicines.”
“Attacked?” PawPaw replied as she began to scramble, grabbing a wide variety of items and throwing them into a large basket. “Tell me more.”
“It was … the Emperor's … soldiers,” the boy said as he sucked wind.
“Are you sure?” PawPaw asked. “Why on earth would the Emperor's men bother to attack a small village in the middle of nowhere?”
“They said … they were looking for … someone … important.”