by Lish McBride
“We are not feeding him to the afanc,” Lock said emphatically.
Sylvie wiped her nose on her sleeve. “But he’s a kelpie. They’re pretty tough. Won’t his magic recover? He’ll be up in no time, right?” Her face was pleading as she looked up at us.
The kelpie smiled, close lipped, but didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. The snails had had a good solid go at Fitz while we dealt with the croc-a-beaver, and there had been a lot of them. We’d asked earlier what a kelpie with no magic would be like. I was worried that with Fitz we were going to find out. He was still alive, so hopefully he wasn’t drained. Maybe those other kelpies would have lived if they’d dealt with the snails on dry land. We just didn’t know. If he survived, would his magic regenerate? We simply didn’t have enough information. And if he had the fungus … I shuddered.
Lock put his arm around me. “We have a lot of injured, and Fitz needs to see a doctor. We need to search this house, too. I think Thomas was telling the truth about not having a cure, but it wouldn’t hurt to go through his things.”
“Who isn’t about to keel over?” I projected my voice to the whole room. Ezra, Katya, Ikka, Olive, and Sylvie raised their hands. Lock had a wound on his abdomen from the witch’s claws. Fitz was unconscious. The forgotten slice on my lower arm was dripping blood all over the nice concrete floor, and although Sylvie had raised her hand because she wasn’t physically hurt, she was definitely in shock.
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll need to get the injured in the van—including our two new captive witch friends. So that’s me, Lock, Fitz, and Sylvie—you’re coming, too, so don’t argue.” The other injured kelpies had no interest in our help. “And we’ll need someone to drive, maybe Ezra or Ikka. The rest of you stay here and search the house. See what you can find. We’ll call in the cleaners and alert Alistair. He’ll find transportation to get the rest of you home. Gwenant, are you and…” I stared expectantly at the other kelpie. He didn’t offer me a name. Okay, then. “… your friend and your new pet okay to swim home?”
She nodded serenely at me, her attention still on the afanc. Great. Now we were going to have one of those loose around the Androscoggin riverlands. I’m never swimming again.
*
THE LONGEST car ride I’ve ever taken in my life was the time I drove my mom to the hospital after a fight with a Coterie extraction team. I wasn’t old enough to drive at the time—I wasn’t even old enough for a permit, and I was driving a stolen car that had been rented by the team I’d just helped burn to death. My mom was bleeding out in the back seat from a head wound, and I was in such shock that it took me a full ten minutes to figure out that the awful rattling sound coming from the car was actually my teeth chattering despite the muggy evening heat.
My mom never made it out of that hospital.
Basically, I need to start taking the bus. Or possibly a hot-air balloon.
Even though the trip was the same amount of time driving as it had been to Thomas’s, it felt like the hour kept stretching like warm taffy. Fitz was still out, though I could see some movement behind his eyelids, and while his pulse wasn’t steady, it was there. The rest of us barely spoke.
Ikka drove us to the clinic. Ezra opted to stay at Thomas’s and keep an eye on everyone. Besides, if you want someone to look for information quickly and go through someone’s house, you send a fox. Well, a fox and Olive. So they stayed back with Katya to search. We’d thrown the two captive witches in the back. Alistair could question them. I didn’t even want to look at two of the people responsible for this whole business. We’d set the Tupperware containing the live snail sample Sylvie had gathered before we left on top of them. I figured they needed a reminder as to why they were back there in the first place. The snail needed direct contact to feed, but I bet that little plastic barrier wasn’t giving them much peace of mind.
Lock insisted I bandage my arm before I even looked at his injuries. So after I tied my gauze, I did my best to slow the bleeding coming from Lock’s wounds. He’d need a few stitches on one of them, but most were shallow. Still, I didn’t like the pale sheen to his skin. Our reserves hadn’t been the best when we went in, and they were rock-bottom now. We needed medical care, food, and sleep. If we were lucky, we’d get two out of three. Despite the fear and worry, Lock dozed off on the way, but I think that was partially from blood loss.
We entered through a back door, what had probably been an employee entrance before Alistair had taken the building over. No way were we going to walk through the front covered in blood, carrying a naked, unconscious kelpie wrapped in a thin blanket. For the second time tonight, I was missing Bianca’s special brand of magic. And if I was going to be totally honest, I kind of missed Bianca. Not that I was going to admit that to anyone, ever.
Alistair ushered us in, sending someone out to deal with the hostages; he took us straight to the doc. Dr. Wesley, who was starting to look a little worn down herself, went straight to work on Fitz while her assistant took a quick look at us. Her assistant still had on a mask, gloves, and gown, but not the whole hazmat suit anymore. Without the suit I could see that her short hair had been dyed a deep violet. She occasionally tucked a strand behind her ear. Her main communications seemed to be one-word commands and the occasional grunt. Lock was bandaged, stitched, and set up with a saline drip before he was ordered to rest.
My arm was cleaned and rebandaged, and then I was told to keep an eye on it. Who knew what had been on that witch’s claws. So I had to keep my bandage dry and look out for the telltale red lines that would indicate infection. The assistant left to help the doctor, so after I was taken care of, I was left to put a few Band-Aids on Sylvie. She had some minor cuts from the flying broken glass from the snail aquarium. We’d all had to submit to a blood test, and surprisingly all of us came up clean. Tension I hadn’t even realized was there evaporated, and if any of us had still had any energy, there would have been a party. As it was, we had to settle for candy and soda I bought from the vending machine. We wouldn’t die of the fungus. At least not today.
“Is Fitz … Is he going to be okay?” Sylvie asked, taking in a sharp breath as I dabbed one wound with peroxide.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve never seen anyone go through what he’s gone through. Right now he’s alive and fungus free, and you can’t hope for much more than that. The loss of his magic was traumatic. His wounds aren’t healing as fast as they normally would, and he got tossed around.”
Sylvie’s head hung down, her hair falling in her face.
I gently placed another Band-Aid on a long shallow cut on her arm. “Anytime we go out and make it back with a pulse, it’s a victory, Sylvie.” I spread some antibiotic ointment on one of the deeper cuts. “That’s the reality of Coterie life.” There was nothing left on my side to bandage, but I used some gauze and rubbing alcohol to clean some of the dried blood off the surrounding skin. I lifted her chin so I could stare Sylvie right in the eyes. “You know what I’ve seen? What the Coterie looks like to me? Death, pain, and blood.” I tossed the dirty gauze in the garbage can. “I’ve seen enough to know that as long as Fitz is breathing, he has a chance, and that’s more than some get.”
Sylvie let out a shaky breath. “It’s my fault.”
Her statement could have referred to so many things that were now her burden to bear, but I knew she couldn’t quite shoulder any of that yet. “Fitz? Yeah, kind of. You froze and he had to act, but he chose to do that. He’s at fault, too. That’s the great thing about Coterie work. Plenty of guilt and recrimination to go around.” I smiled at her. “If you’re going to stay in this sandbox, Sylvie, you’d better get used to it. This is what you’d be signing up for.” I felt a little bad about being so blunt, but I wanted to make sure Sylvie understood what working with her friends really meant.
I left her with her head resting in her hands as she thought about what I’d said. Maybe I should have hugged her and told her everything would be all right. But I wasn’t sure that was true,
and I didn’t want to lie to her anymore. Besides, I think she needed time to think more than she needed false comfort. I could always hug her after her thinking was done and the crying started.
23
SOMETIMES THE PROBLEM IS ALSO THE SOLUTION
I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY to go check on the other two patients. Bianca was curled sideways on her cot, watching TV. She was naturally pale, and the sickness made her appear waxy. Dark purple bruises had formed under her eyes. Sid had been sedated, and the temperature in his room had been dropped down to almost freezing.
“We needed to slow it down,” Alistair said. “And cold seemed to do that with Howie. It’s hitting Sid so much faster than Bianca. The doctor thinks it’s because of his were biology. The very thing that usually heals them is hurting them in this case. It’s helping the fungus replicate at faster speeds.” Alistair touched a hand to his mouth, holding it there for a long second before dropping it. “I’m out of ideas, Ava. My people are dying. This thing is spreading, and there’s nothing I can do.” The machines beeped softly in the background. “Gods help us if this thing reaches Boston. With the higher magical-creature density, not only will it spread faster, but the sheer destruction from that many infected…”
I stood next to him by the glass, tempted to give his shoulder an awkward pat. “Maybe they’ll find something at Thomas’s.”
Alistair gave a jaded laugh. “You don’t believe that for one second.”
“No, I don’t.” To hell with it. I went ahead and gave him the awkward pat anyway. “Can I go in and talk to them?”
“Wear a face mask, gloves, and whatever else the doctor suggests, and you can visit Bianca. Sid is too dangerous now.”
*
SCRUBS, GLOVES, and a mask donned, I poured Bianca a glass of water from a pitcher and placed it on her small side table even though she didn’t ask for it.
“We’re screwed, aren’t we?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the TV.
“Kind of, yeah,” I said. “But at least you’ve got cable.”
That got her attention off the screen. “You can be so terrible sometimes.”
“It’s part of my charm, or lack thereof.” I pulled up a chair. “Honestly, it doesn’t look great, and I know you’d kick the crap out of me for saying otherwise. We’re doing our best, and there’s still time.” A commercial came on and the volume went up, a squawking voice talking about car insurance. I muted the TV and took Bianca’s hand. “Look, Alistair is trying to move the solar system for you, and I know you don’t have faith in the rest of us, but have faith in him. That I know you can do.”
She shivered and pulled her blanket close. “How’s everyone else? How’s Sid?”
I filled her in on the evening’s fun, trying to make the story entertaining, if only to distract her from reality for a minute. Then I had to ruin it all by telling her about Sid. She closed her eyes, looking fragile.
“Do me a favor?” she asked, keeping her lids closed. “Have June raise Thomas back from the dead and kill him a second time.”
“How about we wait until you’re cured and then you can do that yourself? I’ll even go in first and get him ready for you.”
Bianca snorted. “That implies that I’d need such a thing. I may not be able to light fires, but I can fight.” Something unreadable crossed her face, like a shadow underwater. She grimaced. “Ava, just in case, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“You’re not secretly my sister or anything, are you? Because those kinds of revelations are so two months ago.”
“Ugh, no. We’re not related, I promise.”
“Try to not sound so relieved,” I said.
She pulled herself upright and took a sip of water. “I know you function under the assumption that the entire world revolves around you, but it doesn’t.”
“Vicious lies.” I helped Bianca arrange the pillows until she was sitting comfortably. This was probably the best hospital bed money could buy, but it was still a hospital bed. Those things are never comfortable.
Bianca nestled back in, her eyelids heavy and drooping already, tired from our short interaction. “If the worst happens, will you take care of Alistair?” Her words were almost a whisper. This conversation was clearly just between us.
I blinked, surprised she’d trust me with the person she held most dear.
She grinned, and I think, if she’d felt better, she would have been howling with laughter at my expense. “The look on your face. I’m not asking you to marry him, Ava, just keep an eye on him. I know you. Once you promise loyalty and protection, you’re all in like a bloody Boy Scout. I want him up there at Lock, Ezra, and Cade level.”
“But what if I don’t stay with the Coterie? And speaking of that, what could I possibly do that he couldn’t hire a dozen people to do right now?”
Her brow furrowed, all humor gone, and a faint dew of sweat appeared on her face. I grabbed a paper towel and handed it to her. “That’s not the same and you know it. Mercenaries can be bought out. You can’t.”
“And if I leave the Coterie?”
She examined me then as if really, truly looking at me. “Do you actually think that’s possible for you? I don’t mean because of your contract. I mean because of you. You’re good at this, and I know you don’t like to admit it, but when you’re in the thick of things, you enjoy your job.”
She was right. I didn’t want to admit it. I looked out through the thick window and watched Alistair as he talked to Lock and the doctor. Alistair’s shirt was unbuttoned at the top and looked like he’d slept in it. His hair was brushed, but sat slightly askew from him running his hands through it. He still looked GQ, but for Alistair he looked like a wreck. He was truly, deeply worried. And that right there was the difference between him and Venus. Alistair could be brutal and efficient. He’d make hard sacrifices if he thought they were necessary, but he actually cared about the impact things had on the people the Coterie protected. That might change as the power got to him. He might eventually become corrupt like Venus. But not now. And this Alistair was worth protecting.
“Okay,” I said. “You got it.”
“One more thing.”
“Stars and sparks, I don’t even get a thank-you? Man, you are demanding when you are sick. Most people just want soup.”
She gave me a lopsided grin, but she was still serious, too. “I want you to give Lock a chance.”
“What is in your IV drip, exactly? Because I’m now worried that you think you’re hallucinating this whole encounter. Or are you just trying to get me to take your hand-me-downs out of guilt? Was the one date you guys went on that terrible? Is this a weird vengeance game with you?” I took a deep breath and steadied myself. If I sparked, my gloves would melt, and no one wanted that.
“I don’t even think that date counted as a whole one. More of a half date. Somewhere between dinner and dessert, he apologized and called things off because of you, saying it wasn’t fair to me, and we decided we made better friends.”
“Wow, that really sucks.” I would say no wonder she didn’t like me, but then again, she hadn’t liked me before the date.
Bianca waved her hand in a so-so gesture. “Yes and no. It hurt my pride, and I seriously considered shaving your head in your sleep. But then I decided that as great a boyfriend as Lock would have been, I needed the friend I got more.” Her voice became bone-dry as she said, “Oddly enough, I don’t seem to be very good at making them.”
“Wouldn’t know anything about that. I’m not awkward with people or anything. Smooth, that’s me.” I suddenly found the hospital booties on my feet to be really interesting. “Now you can see why I was afraid to screw things up.” I was thinking that I could probably slide around in these booties and pretend they were ice skates, especially on the wood floors of the cabin. I’d have to throw these away when I left, but maybe I should steal a new pair on the way out. “You can still shave my head if you want.”
“If you figure out a way for me to surv
ive this thing, we’ll call it a draw.” She closed her eyes, as if the conversation had drained all the energy out of her. “At least think about it, okay?” Her voice was already a half-asleep mumble.
“It’s a deal, hoss,” I said, tiptoeing across the floor before closing the door softly behind me. Just in case, I’d keep Bianca away from hair clippers if she ever got better.
*
IT WAS HELL watching our friends get sicker. Alistair tried to send us away, but no one would listen to him. He didn’t enforce the decree. Once again I was struck by the difference between him and Venus. We were allowed to disobey. He said “go,” we stayed, and no one was hit, tortured, or forced to do anything terrible. We wouldn’t be able to stay and observe forever, though. The fungus was going to spread up and down the coast. Alistair’s kingdom would fall apart. The other teams he’d put together had been running around dealing with the fallout while we’d been tracking down Thomas, but they couldn’t handle it all much longer.
At some point, Alistair got tired of having all of us underfoot and sent us out to at least get some breakfast. Or I guess it was more like brunch now. None of us wanted food, and we weren’t fit company for the human populace anyway. What I really wanted was to be home in my cabin, waking up to Cade making me breakfast. I missed the bookstore. I missed having bean suppers with Duncan and the drove. I selfishly wanted to sleep in and watch terrible movies with Sylvie and eat candy until one of us had to vomit. I wanted normalcy. My normalcy, and not anyone else’s. It might have taken me a while to realize it, but I liked my weird life, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
So we ended up going back to the cabin. Judging from the look on Cade’s face, that was probably for the best. I looked at our group with new eyes. We were dirty, our clothes were ripped, and most of us had blood on us. We looked like we’d picked a fight with a wild bull and lost. Cade waved us in and got the coffeepot going. No one had the energy to help. We all leaned on the table, quiet, exhausted, and depressed.