Eragos grimaced behind his mask. If this was the measure of the bard, he was more boy than man, regardless of his independence. Then again... Eragos let his gaze fall upon Xias once again, for a mere half of a second. Abruptly the captain turned away. Several soldiers were helping the now-unconscious fellow toward the healer. If he could be made whole again, it would only embolden him, but Eragos did not trade in halting a procession of men to a healer. Some of the soldiers seemed ready to fight.
Others seemed angry in general, perhaps at their situation. Perhaps at their comrade. Or perhaps merely at the fact that there was no escape from such a terrible assignment. Eragos did not blame them. Yet Xias made him think of the bard again, in a way that he had not before. Did the bard have something to hide? Something more important than finding out if the light caused harm? Eragos was no mage. He did not know what manner of magic they were dealing with. This far out, there was no one to ask for help. He was as isolated as the bard despite his uniform.
Asking what the bard wanted to hide would not help.
"Nonsense," he said irritably.
The work of seizing the bard's arm was nothing. Neither would be the work of dragging him to the healer whether he wanted to go or not. Just as he would not interfere with men who were on their way, he would not make children go against their will. Could not. If the bard perished because of that light, then there was no one to blame but the bard. Yet the healer was a mage. He might be able to answer questions for Eragos, questions that desperately needed an answer. What had generated such a light? Was it dangerous? Had it harmed the bard? If so, was there a way to help him? Could it harm someone else? Whatever secrets the bard had were less important than the lives of everyone in this caravan. Lives he'd sworn to protect before he had imagined their existence. Including the bard. A final shake of his head, and then he seized the bard's arm in a grip of iron.
"Don't be a child," and this he said as he hauled the bard into the saddle. "And you won't be treated like one."