Ginko held still as well as he could, though he couldn't help wincing when she pulled the gauze away. He was just glad she was so gentle about it, it hurt enough already.

His eyelid, all the skin around the edge of his eye socket, was reddened and threatening to break into blisters. Inspection of the inside of the socket would reveal the burns to only get worse further back, the flesh slightly charred around the edges of the furrows where the rose had rooted itself.