Brisk was tearing into Ronnie’s med bag, handing her things she asked for as we all stood around in shock. She’d been hit before—we all had—but it usually didn’t bleed this bad. The last time she got hit was in her leg, and it stayed there until we woke up. No bigdeal.
‘Why is she bleeding so bad?’I sent mentally toRonnie.
She stiffened a moment at the mental invasion, then glanced back at me.‘Torn brachial artery. She’ll bleed out if I can’t repairit.’
I didn’t know what to say. For once, I wasspeechless.
I slipped my hand in Maxine’s just as Nox started to stroke her long red hair. He began to hum, an ancient Native American tune, and Maxine looked up at him with adoringeyes.
“I’ve had a crush on you since that first day at the academy,” she confessed to him, to all ofus.
That was news to me. She’d always been sweet to him, but I just took it as her regular Maxinecharm.
He stopped singing, face frozen looking down ather.
“But you’re not the kind of guy who… loves a girl like me,” shedeclared.
His face crumbled into agony. “Oh, Maxine. Why would you think that? You’re completelylovable.”
I couldn’t breathe. I think panic was wrapping around me.Why are they talking like they aren’t going to havetomorrow?
Maxine winced as Ronnie put a shot of something into her arm, and started digging around, shouting off orders toBrisk.
Maxine’s teeth started to chatter. “I’m broken, Nox. You know it and I know it. We all know it. Sometimes I wonder if I’m even capable of love,” she muttered to thestars.
I was going to pass out. She was saying goodbye.Why would she dothat?
“Maxine!” I smacked her leg lightly. “How can you say that? First kisses, and dolphins, and chocolate, and all that, remember? You’re so full of life and love. Nothing about you isbroken.”
She looked down at me, and I saw a haunted expression cross her face. “Oh, Kit. You’re so strong. Nothing fazes you.” She became a little breathless as she continued. “Every night that we come into this godforsaken place, I want to die inside, and being angry is the only thing keeping me from being swallowed into the dark blackabyss.”
Tears were freely rolling down my cheeks now. I didn’t know what to say. I knew she had mental health issues, but she dealt with them so well on the outside that I forgot sometimes how much it must eat her upinside.
Suddenly a spurt of crimson splattered across the space, and I shrieked as Maxine’s eyes rolled back in her head and she lostconsciousness.
Ronnie swore and feverishly threw gauze after blood-soaked gauze on theground.
“Should I wake us up somehow?” I asked her. Maybe I could have Master Aki do something,anything.
She just shook her head. “No guarantee we’ll wake up together, and you don’t want her waking up alone. She’ll bleedout.”
Oh God. I feel sick.Passing out in the Dream Wars made you more susceptible to a coma. What if she laid there for weeks and never woke? Only to be eaten by ghouls when the plasma bricks finally ran out of battery? Or she’d die of thirst and starvation if we couldn’t find her the next night we droppedin.
“She’ll be okay. Let me do my thing,” Ronnie snapped at me, as Brisk handed her a sutureline.
Damien rested a hand on my shoulder then and I looked up. He pointed to something beyond the plasma shield, and I spun just in time to see Dawn lowering from the sky, and spitting fire onto the leftover ghouls that lingered about. The remaining two sentries had been feeding off their own people, but upon seeing Dawn spit fire onto the pile of bodies, theyran.
Sentries running away… that didn’thappen.
We’d finally gotten the upper hand. In their weakened, starved state, they had grown fearful. ThankGod.
‘I’m so glad you’re okay,’I told her mentally from the safety of the plasma dome. I wouldn’t leave Maxine’sside.
Dawn walked toward me in her majestic and graceful way, lowering her head to look at Maxine on theground.
‘I’m sorry for your bleeding human,’shesaid.
‘Thank you.’I hadn’t seen her in a while, and it was good to know she wasn’thurt.
