As Orson and Jovy talked the doctor's wife finished her task and set aside the bloody towels. Iemben arrived with his tools in hand and motioned briefly for Jovy's attention.
"I'm going to stitch the wound now." he said, as Beni tied a length of cloth tightly around Jovy's upper arm. They were saving as much anesthetic balm as they could for the villagers and the severely wounded; this biting cord was all the numbing Jovy would get. As soon as the knot was sufficiently tight the doctor began his work, silently.
~~~
The tunnel was wide and low and descended rather steeply, so that at some points Felon and Aryana had to be careful not to bash their heads upon the stone above them. Once or twice it dropped sharply and they were obliged to use their hands to brace against the floor behind them. There were loose rocks here, and places in the walls and floor where holes had been filled with dirt and pebbles.
The tunnel bent northward and continued downward, though now even steeper than before. Suddenly a loose shelf of rock gave way beneath Felon's foot! He would have been able to catch himself, but his wounded leg buckled under his weight and he fell forward, and began to roll down the slope!
