The Healer

They ran for only a few minutes before Ilka could run no longer on account of her injuries and malnutrition, and then they walked a mile further. Finally, Acacia spoke up. “We must stop to rest and recover, or we’ll never make it.”
“Alright,” Ilka said wearily, clearly too weak to argue, “Where can we hide? We can’t just camp out in the open.”
Acacia moved her weight off of Ilka and the rebel guard, standing unsteadily, and looked around. It was a clear night - the moon shone brightly - and they were surrounded by tall maples and sycamores, most of which were too skinny to be of any use. Some could be climbed and sat in, but the guard was the only one in any shape to climb. Shrubbery was pached every few feet, sparse vines hung down from branches a hundred feet up, and fallen trees littered the ground. Acacia, taking short, lurching steps, walked a dozen yards to a fallen tree with wineberries growing over and next to it. Ilka and the rebel guard followed, and Acacia lowered herself onto the ground next to the berries, resting her back against the log. Ilka sat too, welcoming the rest; the guard sat as well, but instead of resting he peeled the bark away from the fallen tree, used his knife to cut a divot in the bare wood, and began peeling strips of wood and twining them into a thin rope. “You… should heal,” he said tentatively, never taking his eyes off of the rope.
“I can’t yet,” Acacia replied, picking berries and piling them in her hand. “I need to recover a bit more, then I can heal more. Until then, we need to talk.” He looked up questioningly. “Who are you?”
“My name is Lyosha,” he answered. “And you?”
“... Acacia, and she’s Ilka. Why did you help us? Why were you trying to escape?” Acacia offered Ilka some berries, which she gladly accepted.
“I was.... Made to work in the prison, and I discovered the madness of their cause… There is something wrong with them, and they hunger for power and destruction. I couldn’t be a part of their plans; I’d never be able to live with the knowledge that I helped to destroy… thousands of people, hundreds of communities…”
“Who are they?” Ilka asked, popping a berry into her mouth.
“The army’s name is the Storm of Swords. At least, that’s what those who are loyal to the new king call it. The rest just call it the King’s New Army.”
“So then, this new king is in a war?” Ilka inquired.
“Not just in it; he started it,” Lyosha answered. “He’s bribed those he can into joining his army so he can conquer the lands to the east, and those he couldn’t bribe he forced. They’ve been marching for five months, and they’ve taken control of almost fifty towns and cities, not to mention the farms along the way. They’ve been stuck here for a while, though. They usually interrogate villagers like you two so that they know how to attack, but your town has been tight-lipped.”
“Not my town,” Acacia said adamantly. “I have never been to any of these towns.”
“Where are you from, then?” Ilka asked. “You told me you lived alone, but not where.”
“I’ve lived in the woods most of my life.”
“And before that?”
“I lived in a town that is far from here, if this place is near where I slept a few nights ago.”
“We’re about a day’s walk from the town,” Lyosha said, “and if you were close enough that they thought you were from it, we’re less than a day’s walk from where you were.”
“If we can get there,” Acacia replied, “I have supplies and hiding places. We can go to the settlement afterwards.”
“Why not go to the settlement first?” Ilka asked. “I imagine that since we escaped, they’ll want to launch an attack before we can go back with any information.”
“We didn’t see anything except for the prison,” Acacia pointed out.
“Even if we didn’t see much, Lyosha surely knows enough to give them a disadvantage.”
“What about him being from this army? I doubt they’ll like that much.”
“We can deal with that when we get there,” Ilka insisted, “right now we just have to get there before the army can attack. Three can move faster than thousands.”
Acacia sighed. “Not if we’re badly injured. We must heal so we can move faster. Ilka, you first.” Acacia dumped the last of her berries into her mouth and turned to kneel in front of Ilka, her injuries flaring with pain. She examined Ilka’s injuries before settling on the mess on her right side, moving so she could reach. “You might want to grab something, based on previous attempts,” Acacia said, smirking at Lyosha. He chuckled, returning to his rope. Ilka found a short but thick branch sticking out of the fallen tree and grabbed it. Acacia placed her hands over Ilka’s injuries, concentrating. Ilka sucked in a breath, but she was careful to keep her hands where they were. For minutes Acacia lingered over Ilka’s side, slowly moving around until it was completely healed, and then stopped, slouching. Ilka breathed deeply now, releasing her pent up breath, and then touched Acacia’s arm, concerned. “Are you alright?”
“... I must be weaker than I thought,” Acacia said. “Usually I can heal much more than this without it draining me. Its probably my concussion”
“And your injuries,” Ilka replied with worry. “Don’t heal me anymore until you’ve slept and healed yourself more. I can always heal on my own.”
“You both need sleep,” Lyosha said. “I’ll take the first watch, if you’ll let me.”
Acacia thought for a moment. “Fine, I can’t argue right now. Especially if its a choice of stay awake and watch for death or sleep and have it come for me.” She scooted down so that her head was almost against the trunk of the fallen tree, and Ilka did the same. Lyosha just kept twining his rope.