“This combination...is it deadly?”
“To a human, yes, but I think he’ll have enough of his immortal properties to fight off the effects.”
“Youthink? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Hayde could have fucking ripped his throat out right then.
“I wasn’t thinking.”
“That’s the problem with this whole place. None of you are thinking about the consequences of your actions. Or excuse me, your inaction. Help me get him somewhere to lay him down.”
“Of course.”
Hayde got on the other side of him and wrapped his arms under Kinzer’s as Myor took him by his legs.
How could Myor have been so reckless when he knew Kinzer was clipped?
They carried Kinzer to a chamber with a bed. A guard fetched Quintz, and he and Hayde stayed with Kinzer, who sweat and shook as he became feverish. Hayde and Quintz collected ice and put Kinzer in a tub to keep his temperature down, then moved him back to the bed. Kinzer twisted and writhed about, screaming inarticulate nonsense. But at one point, he shouted, “I’m sorry, Maggie.” And once he started, he didn’t stop.
It kept Hayde vividly aware of how haunted he was by Maggie’s death. He’d already known, but to see it play out with Kinzer in such a vulnerable state, incapable of putting up his defenses…was torture.
“Did you know this Maggie he keeps calling out about?” Quintz asked.
They sat in chairs beside the bed he lay in.
Hayde nodded. “Yes, I did.” But he feared that he couldn’t say more than that.
“Is that the one who—”
“Yes,” Hayde said. “The one he blames me for killing.”
“Didn’t you?” Quintz asked.
“I did,” Hayde lied.
He looked into Quintz’s eyes. Quintz stared at him, like he was searching for something, the real story. Like he didn’t quite believe Hayde’s version. Perhaps in his line of work, he was particularly good at detecting lies, more so than most. What did it matter if he knew Hayde was lying, though? The only one he had to convince was Kinzer.
They remained with their feverish companion through the night, and the following morning, his health returned. He was groggy and weary, but they fed him and helped him to his feet before Myor approached them.
“How’s it going, buddy?” he asked, sitting on the side of the bed Kinzer rested in.
“I feel better.”
As Myor and Quintz explained what they suspected had occurred, Kinzer eyed Hayde, who sat across from him. Kinzer had an uneasy expression on his face.
“So I think we deserve that contact,” Quintz finally told Myor.
“Yeah, of course. They call him the Hunter. He lives in the white crystal wilderness near the outerlands. I’ve only started working with this community. Not for sinsand, but they’ve asked for other resources from us. I’ll give you directions. I have a map in my chamber.”
“Not sure Kinzer is up for that. I can get the information and let you rest some more,” Quintz said, pushing to his feet. “If that works for you?”
Kinzer didn’t object, just nodded, and Quintz followed Myor to his chamber.
Silence lingered between Hayde and Kinzer.
“You need me to get you anything? Food? Water?” Hayde asked.
“What do you care?” Kinzer barked, though his bark wasn’t nearly as intense in his weakened state. It made Hayde feel protective of him, even more so than he’d felt thus far.
