Rus sat silently in the infirmary, his gaze fixed on the two unconscious scouts. With no maps or equipment returned, he could only pray that at least one of them would wake—and speak.
Not long after, Lachs arrived. She wore a thick winter cloak, and upon seeing the state of the men on the beds, she gasped.
"By the Light… what did they go through?"
"Can you heal them?" Rus asked, voice low.
"That's hard to say. Let me examine them first," she replied, opening the portable medical kit she always carried and starting a thorough inspection.
After a round of careful checking, Lachs shook her head in disbelief.
"Gods above… I have no idea how they survived."
"They're in critical condition?" Rus's heart sank.
"Prolonged starvation, fatigue, and exposure," she said with quiet astonishment. "They're not much more than corpses. Especially this one—Simon. A normal man would've died long ago. The fact that he's still breathing… it's a miracle."
Rus tensed. "Will they wake up?"
