‘It’ll take too long—’
There was a pot nearby with a small plant. Bisma plucked the plant out and threw it on the floor, then stuck her hand into the soil. A moment later, another plant sprouted.
‘Here!’ she cried.
He blinked, staring at her with awe. Then he looked at the peppermint before looking back at her. ‘Brilliant,’ he said, jaw slack. ‘You’re brilliant.’
He picked the leaves, then used magic to make them bigger. After that, he dipped them into the mixture, then came to wrap the leaf around Luna’s arm. It was a similar yet different process to what he had done for Mei.
Bisma held Luna as he worked, whispering consolations in her ear. The front of Bisma’s dress was soaked with Luna’s sweat, but she did not let go.
When Xander was done, he stepped back, rubbing a hand over his face. ‘I don’t know if it’ll work.’ He sounded afraid. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before, so I’ve never tried this before, either.’
They waited, and slowly, it seemed Luna was in less pain. She was no longer sweating as profusely, and her body ceasedshaking. Bisma released a long breath. Xander rested both hands against the table, leaning forward and bowing his head.
‘It’s working,’ Bisma said.
Xander nodded, taking a deep breath before looking up at her.
But it seemed she spoke too soon.
Luna cried out again. Before Bisma’s eyes, Luna’s veins turned dark blue once more, this time reaching above her elbow.
‘Xander!’ Bisma said, fear choking her.
‘Baji!’ Luna gasped. The skin of her arm was blistered red, the veins growing darker.
Xander’s face went pale. ‘Bisma, it’s going to keep spreading,’ he said, eyes wide. ‘It’ll spread to her heart. Look at the pattern. I—I don’t know what to do.’
But she did not see what he saw; all Bisma felt was Luna’s pain. ‘What happens if it gets to her heart?’ she asked, though she already knew.
Xander shook his head, and Bisma set her jaw.
‘No. That’s not an option.’
Luna was sobbing by then, and Bisma could not bear it, but she would not let Luna fall silent forever.
‘The easiest solution would be to amputate,’ Xander said.
‘No!’ Bisma cried. She wouldn’t have Luna permanently altered. ‘No.Think of something else.’
Xander ran a hand through his hair, agitated. ‘We could …’ He trailed off, thinking. ‘Leeches? No, they won’t be quick enough.’
‘Would bloodletting work?’ Bisma asked.
Xander looked up at her. ‘It might,’ he said, and she could see him running through the process in his mind. ‘The problem is the poison seems to have overtaken much of her blood supply; to let it all might cause too much blood loss.’
‘What if we isolate the blood in her arm, then couple it with a fortifying potion?’ Bisma suggested, mind racing.
‘It might work …’
‘We have to try,’ Bisma said. They had no choice.
Even as they spoke, the dark veins had crept higher and were by her bicep now. The longer they took to discuss this, the further it would spread. There was no time.
Bisma held Luna’s face in her hands.
‘Luna, I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt,’ Bisma said, her words clouded with tears. ‘Sweet, I’m so sorry.’
