“What be a first-aid kit?” Impulsive asked me.
I checked to make sure Corbin was still breathing. To be honest, I was a bit relieved he was unconscious—I had other immediate problems to take care of… such as the battle raging around us, and the blood seeping through his wet shirt.
“It’s a medical kit for emergencies. Please go fetch ours.”
The four pairs of legs standing around where I knelt next to Corbin’s inert body didn’t move.
“Is he dead?” Bas asked, peering with critical interest at Corbin’s face.
“No, not yet, but he will be if someone doesn’t hop to it and get me the damned first-aid kit!”
“We’re not be havin‘ anythin’ like that on board, I’m thinkin‘,” Pru said slowly.
“Captain Bart’ll be mighty pleased to know ye’ve caught Black Corbin.”
“Captain Bart isn’t going to know anything about this,” I said grimly. “I need something to stop this bleeding. Gauze or clean linen or… oh, my God.” I unlaced Corbin’s shirt, ripping the bottom half to peel it back and expose his torso. There were a half dozen small abrasions due no doubt to the flying debris after Pangloss’s ship had blasted him, but what had me staring in helpless horror was a large, fist-sized piece of wood that jutted out of Corbin’s belly.
“This can’t be happening. This isn’t real. You can’t be hurt—none of this is real. Corbin, wake up and tell me you’re not really hurt. Corbin?Corbin?”
“Er… lass, I’ve no love for Black Corbin, but I’m thinkin‘ shaking his head like that when his belly’s been torn open isn’t likely to make him wake up,” Tar suggested. “ ‘Tis more likely to be scramblin‘ his brains.”
“Captain Bart will have him dancin‘ on the jib in no time,” Prudence pointed out. “ ‘Twon’t make much difference if he’s all right in his head or not.”
“No one is hanging Corbin, and his brains are just fine because none of this is real,” I told them all, releasing Corbin’s wet hair to stare at my bloodstained hands. “You don’t understand; this is all in our minds.”
“It looks like it’s in his belly,” Bas said, turning his attention to the largest of the wounds. “I knew a man what died after a horse kicked him in the belly. Do ye think a chunk of wood is the same thing as the kick of a horse?”
I pointed my finger at Bas. “Right. That’s it. No more comments about Corbin being dead or dying. Got it?” A blast shook the ship. I threw myself against Corbin to protect him from any more flying debris, yelling as I did so, “Tar, get us out of here!”
“Aye, aye, captain,” he said, kicking aside a bit of the railing as he limped toward the nearest line. “Where be ye wantin‘ to go?”
“Anywhere out of the blockade. Go back to the island,” I said, biting my lip.
Why wasn’t Corbin opening his eyes and telling me that this was going to be all right, that it was simply a matter of his mind believing he’d been hurt, but he hadn’t really. Why wasn’t he yelling at me for being in the blockade, dammit?
“If we go back, they’ll likely shoot us again,” Tar pointed out.
“Then take us somewhere we can go ashore and get help for Corbin.”
“Aye, let’s get him to shore. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen a really good hangin‘,” Prudence said, getting to his feet in order to comply with Tar’s order to tack windward.
I glared at the teen. “You are so close to walking the plank, I can’t even begin to tell you.”
“Me?” Prudence squeaked, his eyes opening wide.
“Yes, you. Oh, I don’t have time to explain. Bas, you help Tar and Prudence-the-soon-to-be-planked as best you can. Imp, help me get Corbin belowdecks.”
The hellish nightmare of the half hour that followed is thankfully a blur in my mind. Around us, while my beautiful—and now partially blown-to-shreds—
ship limped a 180-degree circle to head to the far side of the island, the battle for Turtle’s Back raged. I had no time to wonder at Pangloss’s attack, nor his deceit in including me on the enemy list. Instead I performed what first aid I could to stop the bleeding and keep Corbin from slipping away from me again.
“It’s not real; it’s not real” was the mantra that I kept whispering as I picked out bits of wood and metal from his stomach and chest, leaving the biggest chunk for an expert. I had a nasty feeling that if I pulled it out, I wouldn’t be able to stop the bleeding.
Tar managed to find a tiny sheltered cove to run us gently aground.
“Where are we?” I asked him as I came on deck.
“About half a mile beyond the town,” Tar told me, pointing to the north. “ ‘Tis the closest I could get us without killin’ us on the rocks.”
