I growled, which made him chuckle.I edged the fabric up, revealing a patchwork of little cuts. None looked particularly deep even though they all dribbled blood, thickened by clumps of sand.
“So? What’s the prognosis, doc?”
As gently as when I’d pulled the fabric up, I inched it back down his curved spine. “You’ll live, but we should get to the waterfall to wash out the blood and sand. Can you walk?”
He unfurled his long body. “The princess of Neverra just offered to bathe me. You bet I can walk.”
“If you weren’t already in pain, I’d slap you.”
“If I weren’t already in pain, I’d enjoy it.”
The temptation to roll my eyes took hold of me, but the heat still crisping the air made my eyes water and sting. I didn’t think tearing up would give my eyeroll quite the same clout. Remo offered me his hand but I didn’t take it, preferring to get up on my own. As I rose to my feet, my head swam, and my vision went so pixelated that I wondered if Remo had tossed a handful of sand into my face. I tried to take a step, but the graininess turned into blackness. I fell. Metal rods hit my abdomen, and my name was yelled, or maybe whispered, the rushing in my ears too strong, a current that made words bob.
When the world materialized again, I was leaning against Remo, wheezing lungfuls of scorching air. “I’m okay.” I tried to push away from him.
“No you’re not.” He loosed the noose of his arm just enough to bring up his hands that were coated with so much blood I almost passed out a second time. His gaze dropped to my waist, to the protruding piece of metal.
“Pull it out.”
“We don’t know how deep it went.”
“Just pull it out.” It felt like a legion of ants were walking over every inch of my skin. “Please?” I murmured, resting my forehead against the knob of his shoulder.
“Amara . . .”
“If I bleed out, meet me at the waterfall.”
His body turned to steel.
“Plea—”
I never got the last syllable out. A flash of heat and pain sliced into my waist, dimming the tropical prison cell all over, except this time, it stayed dark a longlongtime. When I finally reeled my lids up, I was expecting a mirrored portal would be floating over me.
Instead, I got shards of white sky peeking from behind swaying turquoise fronds, the scent ofpanemdrifting into my nose, and a strong heartbeat pounding against my ear. I tipped my face as far as my neck would allow and found myself staring at the auburn stubble on the underside of Remo’s jaw. I hadn’t died, but the wet pain thrashing at my waist almost made me wish I had.
A fresh wave of fire slammed into me, and cold sweat gathered on my brow. In the branches above Remo’s head, a set of eyes glittered. Human eyes set into a crouched human form.
I tried to utter Remo’s name and warn him. I tried to lift my hand and point. I failed at both.
I blinked, and the world became whitewashed. When my gaze cleared, there was no one in the tree.
Then there was no tree.
No sky.
No Remo.
Nothing, but an inky, quiet void.
28
The Girl
Water splashed against my dry lips, curved down my cheeks, dribbled into my hair. I sputtered and coughed, my throat so parched the air traveling down into my lungs felt like a ball of fire. More water. I snapped my lips shut, but again they parted around a rattling cough.
“Amara?”
I twisted onto my side, but choked as my nose and mouth hit water.
