"Oh yes, thank you!" Zahra took the small jar of herbs gratefully, nodding to the woman.
Feverfew would have been better- actually aloe would have helped immensely too- but she would work with what was available. "Cole, this is going to hurt," she warned him as she turned her attention to the gash again.
She paused a moment, eyes fixed on the pattern of scars that traced his skin. Gods. There were just so many..."
Giving her head a quick shake, she shook a few basil leaves onto her palm and stuffed them into her mouth, chewing them into a pulp before spitting them back out into her hand. Not the best method for making a poultice, but she had to work quickly. "Bite down, this is going to sting."
She spread the paste over the wound and looked around again. No bandaging. Fine then. She wrinkled her nose and tore a few longer strips of fabric from her dress. "I wish I had something cleaner," she muttered as she twined the fabric around his torso. Her eyes flicked up to his face. "Cole? I'm sorry, but you need to stay awake, okay? Just a little while longer."
She reached up with one hand to brush some stray hair off his forehead, then let it slide down to rest against his cheek.