Her hands were raw. Tremors raced from her fingertips all the way up her arms were a dull ache was forming between her shoulder blades. Each full circuit of the pestle had her slumping down bit by bit as the mage slowly lost her battle against exhaustion.
She had been making potions and salves since dawn with nary a break and there was still far too much to do until she could rest for the night. A single potion might be enough to save a life and Lee simply would not, could not, stop working until it became impossible to continue. The unfortunate truth was that her magic had never been meant to heal others but this, these concoctions of hers could. By doing this she could actually help people and nothing was going to stop her from doing that. Nothing.
Gritting her teeth Lee gave the pestle one final twist before gently setting it aside and straightened up, arching her back slightly to stretch the tense muscles, letting out a soft sigh at the measure of relief that such an act brought. Herb stained fingers fluttered about her face, tucking strands of sweat slicked hair back into place as her other hand reached down to test the texture of the ground elfroot. A minute later both hands retreated, leaving her hair in place and a mortar full of herbs ready for bottling.
Quickly pouring out the fine powder the woman divided the ground root into neat even rows before grasping for the flasks stacked nearby. Soon she had a steadily growing pile of bottles just waiting for enough water to rehydrate the herbal concoction until it was just the right consistency and a stopper. A few shakes after that and standing tall before her was a regiment of glistening vials brimming with Lesser Health Poultices.
Carefully adding her newest batch of poultices to a basket near overflowing with similar mixtures the mage hurriedly wiped down her small working space before grabbing the basket of potions before her and a second case full of lyrium potions of various strengths.
Adjusting her burden she left her self-claimed corner, eyes low as she slipped around the various brothers and sisters, and headed for the area where Noah and the other healers had been scattered about earlier. Feet slapping on the stone floor the woman made her way briskly towards her goal when the site of Vienne rushing to the doors stopped her in her tracks. Staring in confusion Lee watched as the other woman crashed into the doors and threw them open.
Flinching at the sound of bells ringing overhead Lee called out to a nearby sister and thrust her night’s work into the girl’s arms. With nothing more than a wave of her hand towards the healers she whirled away and followed the Warden’s earlier path. Coming to a halt in the open doorway the mage stood tall as she looked into the square, the light of the chantry spilling out from behind her.