“Fi-Fi,” Boden said.
“Don’tcall me that.”
“It’s ok.”
“Stop it.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Shut your Void-damned mouth, Boden!” Her fist clenched, hovering over his ruined stomach. Uncertain where to start. “Just give me a minute to…” She didn’t know what to do. Fi hadno ideawhat to do. “Shit.Shit. You’ve lost so much blood…”
“I know.”
Two words. Flat. Final.
Why did he have to talk like that? Like he’d always figured things out one step ahead of her. Anger tightened Fi’s chest. Energy Shaping could cauterize the bleeding edges. It could pull flayed skin together. It could quicken natural healing.
Shaping couldn’t regenerate tissue.
It couldn’t replenish blood.
So much blood.
And that crackle in Boden’s chest with each inhale. Something in his lungs.
He reached for her hand with cold fingers. “It’s ok, Fi.”
It wasn’t. “Stop talking like that Boden.”
“Sit down. Sit with me. Please.”
“No. I’ll fix this.”
“You can’t heal this, Fi. You know that.” Boden’s head tilted on the pillow, heavy eyes looking over her shoulder. “Unless the daeyari has a trick.”
Fi turned.
Antal stood in the doorway, motionless enough to be part of the frame, pale skin starkly ashen in the cruel slant of the energy lantern. He stared at Boden’s stomach with hard eyes. A subtle flare of nostrils.
Could he smell a lethal wound that easy? Or did all the blood give it away?
“Daeyari flesh is made of Void ether,” Antal said quietly. “We can regenerate. Mortal bodies… don’t work the same way. Your flesh can’t be rebuilt so simply.”
Boden nodded, as if this was to be expected. As if any of it was reasonable.
The crumbling started slowly. Cold in Fi’s fingertips. Flame fracturing her chest.
“Kashvi?” Boden said.
Kashvi approached the bed, mouth clamped, eyes glassy.
Fi’s ribs were too tight. Collapsing. Suffocating.
“How is everyone?” Boden asked.
“Antal got them all out,” Kashvi answered. “Five fighters dead. Most of the rest wounded.”
“Go. Take care of them. Please.”
