Aftermath

Once their injuries had been bandaged, Fred thought that none of them should prove life-threatening, nor were any serious enough to prevent the victim from walking. This was fortunate, as they were a long way from any shelter, let alone medical attention. At least, the wounds would not be life-threatening so long as they did not become infected. He decided that it would be better not to mention that possibility to the girls, since - so far as his limited medical knowledge went - there was nothing that they could do about it.

The physical injuries with luck would all heal fairly quickly, though one or two might leave a permanent scar. But for Princess Imelda and Princess Sophia, in particular, the mental effects might be much longer lasting. He was especially worried about the former. She had ceased gibbering, but hardly seemed aware of her surroundings. Once they resumed their march, he asked Lady Diana - as the least traumatised of the maidens - to keep an eye on her and make sure that she did not wander off on her own.

They made what haste they could, but the girls were not able to keep up as fast a pace as Fred would have liked. They were weary, some were suffering from shock, and Exotica was limping slightly from her wound. Fred worried not only that the dead dragon's guards might be on their trail but also that Astra's unknown assailant might be following them. Also they only had the provisions in his pack, which would not go far among six, so the quicker they could reach a village or outlying farm the better. Perhaps they should have made a meal from the dead orcs, but his gorge rose at the thought.

1. When it began to get dark, they camped for the night near a stream, so that at least they would have water.

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