Tuesday: Gathering the Cure
By mid-morning, Ivy Mae and Roman ventured into the woods, armed with a list from the journal.
“Lavender and cedar should be close by,” Ivy Mae said, scanning the dense forest.
Roman held a knife, ready to harvest bark. “What about honey? We don’t have time to find a hive.”
“The book mentions an alternative,” Ivy Mae said, showing him the page. “There’s sap from certain trees that can act like honey for wounds. Let’s hope it works.”
They worked quickly, gathering lavender blossoms, cedar bark, and sticky tree sap. Roman’s hands were sticky and scratched by the time they returned to the cabin.
Jas was still feverish, their breathing shallow. Ivy Mae wasted no time, crushing lavender into a paste and mixing it with the sap. She soaked strips of cloth in cedar tea and laid them across Jas’s forehead and chest.
“Now we wait,” she said, her voice trembling.