"What?"
"This one notices you favor your left side," Taro said, his voice a nervous whisper from five paces behind. "Did my lord sustain an injury?"
The boy was observant. I hadn't even realized I was limping. I stopped and tested the feeling. A dull, persistent throb radiated from my lower back, down into my left hip. The body was flawed.
"This body is flawed," I said, my voice flat. "It seems to be failing."
"I... I could prepare a compress," Taro offered hesitantly. "With herbs. My father taught me how. For soldiers who'd been bruised."
I turned to face him. He immediately dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead into the dirt path. It was getting tiresome.
"Get up," I said. "Show me."
We found a patch of wild mint and yarrow growing near a small stream. Taro's hands, though still trembling, moved with a practiced efficiency. He used two smooth stones to crush the plants into a green paste, mixing in a little water from the stream.
