“It’s all right, Noah.” Lindsay trusted that Ylli would deal with finding a bottle of water in the dark van, while he focused on Noah. “You got a little hurt, that’s all. You’re going to be fine.”
“Here.” Ylli held out a bottle. “Lid’s off.”
“Thanks.” Lindsay ignored the way Ylli’s hand shook. He helped Noah raise his head a little and took the bottle, holding it to Noah’s lips. “Slowly, Noah. Little sips.”
“Water?” Noah was almost inaudible, but he sounded offended. He managed not to choke on the water, but he turned his head away after the first sip and closed his eyes.
Lindsay held the bottle out to Ylli. “Put the lid on it,” he said quietly. “And tell Kristan to hurry the fuck up already.”
“Is he...?” Ylli didn’t finish the sentence. He shuffled away to do what he was told, and Lindsay could hear his low, tense exchange with Kristan.
Negasi’s place was too far away, but there was no one else. It would take even longer to get home and there wasn’t anything Cyrus could do to help.
As Noah’s body struggled to cope with the burns, Lindsay had to do more and more not only to keep him from suffering, but also just to keep him alive. Lindsay lost track of time, focusing on Noah to the exclusion of all else. Noah’s lungs began to swell, and Lindsay had to fight that back with another layer of illusion.
They needed a healer. Now.
“We’re here.”
Suddenly, it was very dark, and Lindsay realized that Kristan had just taken a corner. They were probably in a back alley somewhere.
“I bet Negasi’s going to be thrilled to see us again,” she said dryly. “You, stay here.” She had to be talking to Zoey. “I’ll go get him. Ylli, help Lindsay.” With that, she was out of the van. The side door slid open a moment later, but she didn’t stay.
“Let me take him,” Ylli offered. Lindsay could tell by the waver in his voice that he was trying to tough it out. “I’m way stronger than you are.”
“Be careful with him.”
Lindsay helped Ylli get Noah into his arms and followed him out of the van. There wasn’t much room between the van and the back of a large building, and enough light that Lindsay could make out that they were in an alley behind—if the faded paint on the brick was to be believed— Val’s Barber Shop: best shave in town. The door Kristan must have gone through was closed, and there was no one to be seen. Aside from the distant noise of the city at night, all Lindsay could hear was the struggle of Noah’s breath and muffled sniffles from the girl in the front seat.
“They’re coming,” Ylli said moments before the door popped open.
“I didn’t see it happen,” Kristan was saying. “I have to get out of here fast, so let’s get on with it.
Ylli!”
“Bring him in.” The healer in the doorway was the same one Lindsay had seen when Noah and Kristan had gotten into it back at the house, the same one who had only yesterday taken care of Cyrus.
Negasi, they’d called him. Had it been only yesterday? The chaos at Wildwood seemed so long ago already.
“Quickly. And you’re not going yet.” Negasi snagged Kristan as she slipped past. “I may need you to get more help.”
He held the door for Ylli to carry Noah inside. Lindsay waited long enough to gesture for Zoey to join them, then followed him in. The back room of the barbershop looked like Lindsay’s pediatrician’s office—
the last normal doctor he’d been to—except for the runes etched into the base of the exam table, the painted drum hanging on the wall, and the faint smell of tobacco in the air.
“On the table.” Negasi turned the light on over the table and gestured at Kristan. “Go to the shelf in the corner and light the three pillar candles.”
Kristan looked dubious—the candles were clustered around the feet of a brass idol—but she did what she was told.
Zoey huddled near the door, arms wrapped around herself, staring at the floor. Lindsay hoped she wouldn’t bolt in the confusion. Ylli laid Noah down, keeping his face turned away. As soon as he was free, he scurried back to Zoey’s side. Whatever he was saying to her sounded consoling.
“Let me take a look,” Negasi said cheerfully. The next moment, as he actually did look, the air went out of him sharply.
“I know,” Lindsay said quickly. “I know it’s bad. But he’s alive. He’s not hurting. I made sure of that.” They just had to help him heal. That was all.
Negasi nodded slowly, then shook himself. “I will do what I can. It won’t be enough. I will need another for help, if I can stabilize him. His life is sliding away.” He steeled himself and started to peel Lindsay’s jacket off of Noah’s flesh. “There are linens in the hall, in a closet.”
“I’ll get them,” Ylli said quickly, heading for the door.
“You’ll go to the van,” Kristan snapped. “Cyrus will fucking kill us if we lose that girl. Take her home. Talk about your war game or something. Compare motherboards.” She shoved him toward Zoey, who had started to sniffle quietly again. “Move. Get her home. I’ll get whatever the doctor needs.”
Ylli left, tucking Zoey under one wing. Once they were gone, the absence of Ylli’s revulsion and Zoey’s sniffling brought Lindsay a relief so sharp it was physical. Now, he could focus on what mattered—
Noah.
“Can I do anything to help? I’m keeping him from feeling the pain, trying to keep his brain convinced there are no burns so his lungs won’t swell up too much for him to breathe, but I don’t...” Lindsay didn’t know what else to do. Noah’s body was failing—he could feel a dark chill creeping over the back of his mind—and he didn’t know how to fix any of it.
“You will need to stop. That is what you can do,” Negasi said. His dark face had gone ashen. “I do not want there to be any accidents. His body must know it is wounded before it can heal.”
“Here.” Kristan came back in with a stack of paper-wrapped linens. “What needs doing?”
“Cover him. He cannot keep himself warm and he needs all his energy. We are too late to worry about keeping him clean.” Negasi glanced at Lindsay. “I will tell you when to stop.” He placed one hand on Noah’s forehead and the other at the nape of Noah’s neck and closed his eyes.
“You take that side, I’ll take this one.” Kristan had one of the heavy sheets unwrapped and started to spread it over Noah’s body. Lindsay helped, straightening it where it caught and bunched on Noah’s seeping wounds.
Kristan looked grim but didn’t flinch. After Ylli’s reaction, Lindsay understood what a blessing her willingness to help really was. “Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” she muttered. “I hope he’ll be okay. Cyrus really gets us in the shit.” She unwrapped another heavy cotton sheet and laid it out. “Starting to question all this. Later, I guess.”
Lindsay fought down a fresh wave of guilt and focused on keeping Noah’s body caught in his illusion while he and Kristan wrapped Noah in layer after layer of cotton. Negasi wasn’t even healing Noah yet and the man looked like he was going to pass out.
All of this was his fault. It had started with him, with his father’s desperation to have him “cured”. He had to wonder if Moore would have gotten even half the power and funding she had if he hadn’t manifested by setting his father on fire—with an illusion, yes, but the awfulness of the parallel hadn’t escaped him.
“We need Beppe,” Negasi said, opening his eyes and focusing on Kristan. “My wife has our car tonight, but Beppe is only three blocks west. A green door next to a music shop.” Three blocks. In this part of town, that was a long way.
“You are leaning fucking hard on my good nature,” Kristan muttered to Lindsay.
Lindsay met her eyes. “I’ll owe you.”
“You both can, when he’s better.” Kristan searched her pockets, coming up with what looked like a keychain can of pepper spray. “I’ll call if anything holds us up.” She left and the back door slammed behind her a moment later.