“I’m here.”The healing pulse came again, startling in its intensity, burrowing past layers of grey shock and into bruised, regenerating flesh.It settled on his back, high up on the left, sinking through the angry red mark that would show where he’d been stabbed yet again, a spear-tip sliding between ribs to pierce pericardium.“Lie still, will you?The poison’s out, you’re healing, but the scar’ll tear if you keep moving.”
He froze, lungs burning, and there was a soft sound of almost-annoyance.Sweet and low, for all its irritation, it still pulled every string in his body taut.
“I didn’t say to stop breathing, Erik.”
Air filtered back into his chest.It wasn’t cold anymore, and he didn’t hurt quite so much.A thin crescent of glare appeared before him, and he was trying to figure out how the god was attacking now when he realized it was his eyelids rising, slowly and painfully.
Liv’s face swam into view.She was still too thin, and shadows of yellow-green bruising lingered on her cheek, up into her hair—pulled back and braided tightly, for once, instead of a wild mess.
He found he liked it both ways.
Erik further found out he wasn’t in the dormitory.Instead, he was in alirai’s navy-blue, curtained bed, and shame boiled through him when he realized as much.Still, Liv leaned anxiously over him, sweet soft mouth turned down at the corners, and he lost his breath for an entirely different set of reasons.
Theoneirosglittered against her blue scoop-neck sweater.Another Son must have knitted the chain back together for her; Erik’s heart gave a funny twitch as if the spear’s point had found it again.
“It’s all right,” she said, finally.The room was utterly silent save for the soundless static of Sons standing guard beyond the baffle.“Daniel says the hole downstairs is patched up and they won’t be able to get through again.Ignatius is dead; they’re still trying to figure out if he did actually have a Control or was working alone.Oh, and they’re looking for Jake.Theyalsosay you’re going to wake up worried, so I should reassure you.”She paused, pale and thoughtful.“Not sure how reassuring I am, really, but there it is.”
He found his voice, cracked and disused.“Safe,” he rasped.“You?Safe?”
“I’m fine, you big lug.”A suspicious glitter filled those lovely dark-blue eyes, and she scrubbed at her lashes with fingertips, irritably.“Dakshi’s up and moving around.Robert’s still in bed, but I visit him every afternoon.He keeps apologizing; I keep telling him not to.The Fathers are really upset it was one of them.”
She said it as if the most immense betrayal possible wasn’t a big deal.Alirai’s forgiveness, extended without thought.
“Debt’s deep,” Erik husked.“Gets deeper all the time.”
“You’re going to have to explain that.”She sank back onto a chair pulled close to the bed.“They think I’m crazy sleeping on the couch.Well, except Sara, she says she’d do the same thing.I’m running sweeps with Daniel—don’ttry to get up, you’ll break all that repair work open, okay?Things are awful quiet now.”
It just meanshe’splanning something else.
“You’ve got that look,” she continued.
“What look?”The more he used his voice, the easier it left a dry, rasping throat.Pretty soon he’d be able to sing again, if they didn’t mind glass breaking every time he tried.
But if it expressed his gratitude, he’d give it a try.
“Like you’re getting ready to do something dumb and dangerous again.”She outright glared at him, hovering anxiously at the bedside.“Give it a rest, will you?I want you to recover.”
Then I will, beautiful.“Okay.”It was that simple.Sealed or not, he was going to do his best for her.It wouldn’t make up for anything, wouldn’t put a dent in what he owed.
But he was used to losing battles.
“Okay?”She eyed him nervously.The chair had been dragged from the suite’s out room.Liv rested her elbows on her knees, her head cocked, braided hair dangling over her shoulder.Icy winter sunshine filled the window.“Is that all you have to say?”
What else is there?“I’m sorry,” he managed, dismally aware it didn’t matter.“I should have realized it was Ignatius, I should’ve caught on sooner.I didn’t.”
“Oh, for the love of…” She shook her head, the braid bobbing.Obviously dissatisfied with his thickheadedness, next she’d order them to get the useless lump out of her bed and take him somewhere to recover.
Instead, she fixed him with yet another glare that was, he could not deny, immensely cheering to see.“You are really something else, Erik.”
“Is that a compliment?”He was feeling more alert by the moment.In a little while he’d be able to stand.When that was accomplished, he could fight again.
Still, he was hoping for a few minutes before the next crisis.She needed some rest.
“Don’t sound so surprised.”Liv sighed, tension draining from her slender shoulders before she stretched—hovering over a sickbed was hard on the back—and rubbed her palms together.“We’re going to have to have a talk about this whole sealing thing, you know.”A faint edge of pink crept into her cheeks, and she was suddenly very interested in the blanket over his chest.
Another pulse went through him; alirai’s gift, given again.The power worked in a little deeper, and the cold sweat on him was a realization of just how close thesarnakihad been to ridding the world of one more Son of Ymre—and one precious, irreplaceablelirai.
“Uh,” Erik said, logic and coherence both fled.“Um…”
