Payne’s expression flickered several times until he finally composed himself and bowed his head to me.

Then, he gave me a kind of salute I wasn’t familiar with.

Shaking my head, I motioned to Soren.

“We need to treat his wounds. Those nettles were poisonous,” I reminded him.

“Really, there’s no need to worry,” Soren argued, shaking his head. “It is just a minor wound. Nettles are noxious but they aren’t ...