“No.” He crossed his arms.
“Now, Lieutenant."
He swallowed, tail curling around his ankle, then shook his head. “No.”
“If Talvax is…” I couldn’t even finish that sentence. Talvax was my friend. She was more than that, though. She was my mentor, my family. We’d been fighting, and I didn’t wish for our last days together to have been tainted by anger. Also, I wasn’t ready to lead. Not yet.
With a shake of my head, I continued, “I need to ensure the ship is safe and lead until Talvax is found.”
“No.” It was Seth this time. He moved closer to me. “You are injured, Monty.”
“I have—”
“No, you don’t,” Seth interrupted. “Mindy has already taken the situation in hand and Kal is helping him. They might not be officers, but they can handle everything until you can or Talvax is found.”
I wanted to argue, but it was hard to move, let alone think. In this situation, my cousins would be in far better shape than me to lead. Besides, as I looked around, I didn’t see Gorgownun. She would be managing things as well. I would have to trust my cousins and my officers to respond well until I was able to help.
Offering my throat, I conceded to Wyn and Seth’s demands.
My mate’s shoulders instantly relaxed, and his tail sought mine out. I returned his grip. Seth, though, wasn’t looking at me or Wyn; his gaze was fixed across the room where Camden lay, surrounded by Qinlin, Klars, and several technicians. As Vorjyn,who had since vanished, had said—Camden wasn’t doing well. I hoped our and the Amorian technology could save him, but even we had limitations.
“No!” a shriek rang through the chaos of the room. Noxlyn clung to Camden’s limp hand and shook his head as his wings sprawled. “No. Do something. You have to save him. Mother, please! He’s my friend. My only friend. I need him.”
Qinlin gathered her son close. “He cannot be saved.”
“No!” he cried, shoulders shaking. “No.”
Wyn covered his mouth as his eyes turned glassy. I grabbed his hand to tug him closer to my side.
Seth closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he straightened his shoulders and passed a still-crying Bobbinvoxlyn to Wyn. The kit reached for his father, but Seth moved away and headed toward Camden.
“Seth?” Wyn asked in a whisper, bouncing the kit.
I squeezed his tail. “Seth is the leader of Team Human. Camden is his.”
“Yes, he is.”
We watched in silence as Physician Klars and Qinlin moved away to care for other people, leaving Seth and Noxlyn alone beside Camden. They simply stared down at him, as there was nothing else to do.
Chapter 64
And we wait.
After Monqilcolnen was treated, he was moved to a bed right next to Camden. I sat on the edge of Monqilcolnen’s bed and stared at the human. His chest continued to rise and fall at a steady rate, and we were all waiting for it to stop. Noxlyn was holding Camden’s hand on the other side of the bed, and Seth was sitting on a chair, quiet and staring at the floor.
Serlotminden, Kalvoxrencol, and Bartholomew had all stopped by earlier to update Monqilcolnen as well as check on us. Talvax had a broken arm and some ribs, but she’d refused to get treatment. Urgg had attached themselves to her side, to protect and help their mate. Several people had died in the crash and even more were injured.
Mistress Kel’yeena had died in the crash, and I didn’t know how I felt. She was—had been my friend. She was gone, crushed in her shop as she continued to feed people and care for the civilians. I wanted to cry; I wanted to shriek, but I couldn’t. It felt as if my emotions were dammed up.
Gorgownun also died. I hadn’t known her well, but when Monqilcolnen had heard the news, he’d lost his breath and his eyes had welled up.
Cencay had died from their injuries. They had been impaled, and nothing we could do had saved their young life. The thought of their youth and smiles broke my soul. I couldn’t believe they were gone. They had been a ball of energy and sunshine.
Ten others had died as well. No humans. Yet.
The air in the medbay was heavy. All the beds were filled and even more temporary cots had been brought in for the injured. A cargo bay was acting as the second medbay for the less injured.
While the blow had been glancing, it had wrought heavy damage to theAdmiral Ven. The virus destroying NAID was no longer the only pressing concern. One whole side of the ship had been stripped. Thankfully, the emergency functions were still intact and had erected shields to prevent too much damage or the ship from depressurizing. The damaged sections had been evacuated, and the bulkheads sealed to keep us as safe as we could be.
