by Gary Jonas
“Oh, how wonderful to hear from you. How—?”
“Lina, this is an emergency. Do you know any healers in Boulder?”
“Ophelia stays up in Boulder, but you’re impervious to magic, so who’s hurt?”
“Kelly. She’s dying, Lina. Can you get Ophelia to come to us?” I gave her the address.
“I’ll call you right back.”
While we waited, I held Kelly’s hand. I didn’t want to move her, and as badly as she was torn apart, I knew there was nothing I could do for her. Scooping up her intestines wouldn’t help, so I just held her hand and hoped that Ophelia would answer her phone.
“She’s not bleeding?” Rayna asked.
There was blood all over the place. I was kneeling in her blood myself. However, Rayna was right. Kelly’s wounds did not ooze any blood now. She was magically engineered, so her body must have gone into healing mode to the extent that it could. But it couldn’t recover from such gaping wounds without help.
“Sekutar,” Brand said, as if that explained it all.
I noticed a journal lying next to Kelly’s shoulder. It was drenched in blood. I picked it up and watched crimson streams drain from the pages.
“My journal,” Rayna said.
“You’ll want to buy a new one,” I said.
“That’s what we came here to get. I was going to have you read about the Marshall Clan and what happened.”
“No one’s going to be able to read this.” I set it on the floor and looked at my hand. It was covered in Kelly’s blood.
After what felt like an eternity but in reality was perhaps ninety seconds, my phone finally rang. The display read, Lina.
“Give me good news, Lina.”
“Ophelia is on her way. She isn’t far. Maybe five minutes?”
“Thank you, Lina. I have no words.”
“She can’t promise anything. For a Sekutar to be unable to heal, Kelly might be too far gone. I pray that’s not the case, but I don’t want to mislead you.”
“I understand.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Thanks, Lina. I wish there was something, but I can’t imagine what it could be.”
“I’ll pray for her.”
Lina was the only person I knew in the magical community who believed in God. The rest of the wizards, necromancers, sorcerers, and such knew there were no gods. Those were merely stories told to children so they could face the world each day, believing someone was out there to love them if they did good and punish them for eternity if they did bad. I’d never spoken to her about her belief. She didn’t really associate with the folks at DGI.
“Thank you, Lina,” I said. “I’ll call you to let you know how it goes.”
When I ended the call, Brand looked at me. I’d never seen him afraid of anything, but now I saw fear in his eyes, fear that he would lose Kelly. “Someone’s coming?”
I nodded. “A healer named Ophelia.”
Brand sighed with relief.
“You need to understand she might not be able to do anything.”
“At least someone can try. That’s what counts.”
“I agree,” I said. I kept holding Kelly’s hand.
Rayna knelt beside me and put her arms around me. None of us spoke. We remained like that for what seemed a hundred years. Those were the longest five minutes of my life.
Finally, a woman entered the house and called out to us. “Anyone here?”
“Upstairs,” I called.
Ophelia was a large woman with olive skin and long gray hair. She was in her mid sixties and dressed in a tie-dyed dress and moccasins. She had kind brown eyes. Brand, Rayna, and I moved out of her way.
“I wasn’t sure I was at the right—” She saw Kelly. “Oh my word.”
“Can you help her?” Brand asked, his voice quivering.
She blew out a long breath of air. “I’ll do my best.”
“What can we do to help?” I asked.
“Nothing at the moment.”
She knelt beside Kelly. Ophelia ran her hands along Kelly’s wounds. She shook her head, drew a deep breath, turned, and looked at me. “I don’t know about this,” she said. “I’ve never seen anyone in this condition who was still alive.”
“She’s a Sekutar.”
“I know. The problem is that her body has been trying to heal itself. In order for me to help her, I’ll have to reopen the healed wounds. The trauma might be too much for her. The healing process could kill her. Do you know her blood type?”
“She’s type O,” I said.
“I’m type O,” Brand said. “If she needs blood, you take it from me.”
“She’s going to need a lot more than just blood,” Ophelia said.
“Anything,” Brand said. “My life means nothing without her. If she needs anything from me, you take it. Do you understand?”
“She’ll need life energy.”
“Take it.”
“She’s in a deep coma right now. Even if I can heal her, she may never come out of it.”
“I’ll take that chance,” Brand said.
Ophelia rose and faced him. She reached out and placed her hands on his face, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes. “Hmm,” she said. “Not good.”
“What?” I asked.
“He’s a Sekutar but he’s not the same as her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Different generation,” Brand said.
“So it won’t work?”
Brand shook his head. “It’s not that. Remember that she’s a permanent Sekutar. I’m not. I have maybe six more years before the magic wears off and I revert to being a regular man.”
I nodded. “I remember.”
Ophelia looked at me. “He may lose those years by giving of his life energy.”
“I’ll give my life if need be,” Brand said. “You take what you need.”
“You’re sure?”
“You’re wasting time! I’m positive. Now save her!”
“Is anyone else type O?” Ophelia asked as she knelt beside Kelly again.
I wasn’t. Rayna wasn’t even from our world, so she wasn’t either. “I’m afraid not,” I said. “Should I go to the hospital to get some?”
“They won’t just give you blood, Mr. Shade.”
“They won’t be able to stop me from taking it.”
“That won’t be necessary. Let’s see if I can get her to a stable place before we worry about that. If I succeed, we can transport her to DGI.”
“They’ll charge us a fortune,” I said.
“I’ll pay,” Rayna said. “Money isn’t an issue.”
I felt tears welling in my eyes. I wasn’t sure I could speak, so I simply nodded.
Ophelia got to work. She gathered up Kelly’s intestines and shoved them back into Kelly’s body. The visual wouldn’t have been so bad, but the sound of squishing nearly turned my stomach. As Ophelia waved her hands over the intestines, they twisted and folded into their proper place with more sounds of wet meat being wrung like a washcloth.
“I can’t watch this,” Esther said and turned away.
Ghosts can’t get sick, but I understood how she felt.
Ophelia looked at Brand. “What’s your name?”
“Brand.”
“All right. Brand, I need you to come over here. Lie on the floor with your head next to Kelly’s.”
Brand did as he was told. Blood seeped into his clothes and hair, but he didn’t pay any attention to that. He simply looked to Ophelia for guidance.
“When I start the healing process, I’ll lay a hand on you and a hand on her. I’ll be the conduit between you, so your blood will flow through my hands into Kelly’s body. I’m telling you these things because I’ll be so focused on the mental side of this that I won’t be able to speak. If you have any questions, you’ll need to ask before I begin.”
“No questions. Just get on with it.”
“As I pull your life energy, you need to let me kn
ow if you feel any pain.”
“I’m a Sekutar,” Brand said. “I don’t feel pain.”
“If your years run out, you will.”
He hesitated. “I understand.”
I wondered what was going through his mind. I just wished I could trade places with him. But my blood wouldn’t do Kelly any good, and Ophelia couldn’t magically take it from me anyway. “If Brand starts to feel pain, can I step in and donate energy too?”
Ophelia shook her head. “Lina explained your situation to me, Mr. Shade. I can’t even draw energy from you.”
“What about from me?” Rayna asked.
“No offense, my dear, but you look like you’ve been through hell. You need your life energy right now. Anything else?”
“No,” Brand said.
“Then let’s begin.” Ophelia placed a hand on Brand’s chest and one on Kelly’s shoulder. Her hands glowed. Other than that, I couldn’t see anything different. But the look on Brand’s face told me things were happening. He opened his mouth as if he’d been shocked by an electric fence.
I watched as Ophelia poured energy into Kelly’s body. Her concentration was incredible. Kelly’s flesh knit itself back together. I understood the principle behind it because Lina once explained it to me. The body knew how it was supposed to be, so Ophelia as the healer simply sped up the process with her magic. Most healers used their own energy to handle minor injuries, but for something of this magnitude, it would be suicide.
If we’d been at DGI, they had energy lines healers could tap into, but here, we were shit out of luck. Brand would have to supply the energy, and the sacrifice could very well cost him his own life. To his credit, he never wavered. He loved Kelly so there was no question in his mind that he would give everything to her. I felt the same way, but I was helpless. Being impervious to magic had its positives, but it also had its drawbacks.
Brand closed his eyes. Now that the initial shock was gone, he looked to be at peace. He inhaled and exhaled in a steady rhythm, so I knew he was doing fine.
As I looked at Kelly, I saw color returning to her face. Her chest rose and fell, something that was previously undetectable. My hopes climbed. This could actually work.
Time stretched on. Kelly’s fingers twitched. I took that as a good sign. The shredded skin looked almost normal now, just a lot of scarring. I knew the scars would fade as she healed.
Brand still looked at peace. He breathed in and out as if everything were fine. I watched him for any signs of pain. I figured his jaw would clench if the pain started or his body would tense. So far, so good.
Ophelia looked to be in pain, though. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She opened her mouth, but no sound came forth.
I looked at Rayna. “Can you get some water? I think Ophelia will need some. Brand might too.”
Rayna gave me a nod. “I can do that.” She hurried downstairs.
It occurred to me that the Marshall Clan might be nearby. They’d sent the destroyers in, so we weren’t safe.
“Esther?”
“I can’t watch,” she said.
“I know. It’s okay. Can you pop down to Rayna? Make sure she’s not in any danger?”
“That I can do. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making me feel useful,” she said and disappeared.
A few minutes later, Esther reappeared and Rayna returned with a tray loaded down with glasses and a large pitcher of water. “I didn’t know how much to bring,” she whispered.
I took the tray and placed it on the dresser in Rayna’s bedroom. Esther followed me. “All clear down there,” she said.
“Good. Thanks, Esther.”
Esther looked concerned. “Think she’ll make it?”
“It’s Kelly,” I said and nodded. “Of course she’ll make it.”
I spoke with confidence, but inside I, too, was worried. I’d never seen Kelly in such bad shape. She was in better shape when the wizards at DGI were killing her, but that’s another story for another time.
Finally Ophelia’s hands stopped glowing. She broke the connection and lowered her head. I poured a large glass of water and brought it to her.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Her voice sounded like something from beyond the grave. She sipped the water, nodded, and sipped again. Then she tilted the glass and drained it in a few quick gulps.
“More?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Brand?” she asked. “How are you doing?”
Brand sat up. “Fit as a fiddle. How’s Kelly?”
“Stable but still comatose. I’ve done all I can for her. Such traumatic injuries may have been too much for her. As I said, she may never wake up. She needs a blood transfusion. I took only enough from Brand to stabilize her.”
“So we can move her?”
Ophelia nodded. “Her physical body is mostly healed. Once she has enough blood, the rest will take care of itself.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
Rayna stepped forward. “You send me the bill, Ophelia.”
“Oh, honey, I’m not worried about that. Lina is my friend, so I wouldn’t dream of charging you.”
“When a plumber comes to fix the pipes, I pay the bill. You saved Kelly’s life. I’m going to pay you, and you’re going to accept that payment.”
“My mother always told me that only a fool turns down a paycheck,” Ophelia said.
“Good.”
“We need to get Kelly to DGI,” I said. “But somebody needs to stay with Graham.”
“Like hell,” Brand said. “You get him on the phone and tell him he’s coming with us because I’m not staying behind and I know you won’t leave Kelly’s side either.”
“I’ll call him,” Rayna said. “He’ll come with us.”
“I’m coming too,” Ophelia said. “The next few hours are critical, and I don’t want to turn Kelly over to any of the healers DGI employs. Not that they’re bad, you understand, but she’s my patient.”
“No problem. DGI is closed at this hour, so I’ll call Mike and have him get someone to meet us there.”
I felt ready to pass out. I’d been running on adrenaline since Rayna’s phone call. Now I just wanted to lie down, but I knew if I did, I’d probably be out for hours. I steeled myself because I knew there were long hours of waiting ahead of us. Kelly might be stable, but she wasn’t out of the woods.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
JONATHAN SHADE
I left Mike a message, and as we carried Kelly to a Mercedes parked in the circular drive, my phone rang. Brand and I loaded Kelly into the backseat; then I answered.
“Thanks for calling me back,” I said.
“What do you need, Shade? Your message was practically incoherent.”
“We’re on our way to DGI, but we’re a good forty-five minutes to an hour away. I need you to have someone there to let us in, and I’ll need healers ready with type O blood. Kelly’s been injured. She’s stable at the moment, but she needs help.”
Rayna moved up beside me and shouted into the phone, “This is Rayna Noble. Get your best healers there. Price is not an issue.” She put a hand on my arm, gave me a nod, then climbed into the front passenger seat. Esther was already in the car, but she didn’t take up any space.
“I’ll meet you there personally,” Mike said. “I want to know what could have possibly injured Kelly.”
I moved around the car to the driver’s side. “If you send a team to Boulder, they can have the corpses of the destroyers who did a number on her. See you soon.” I disconnected the call.
Brand stood on the driver’s side. “Want me to drive?” he asked.
“No. You and Ophelia stay in the back with Kelly.”
Ophelia slid into the back and let Kelly’s legs rest on her lap.
I opened the door to get into the car, and an arrow flashed by over my shoulder. It plunged into Brand’s upper arm. He cried out in pain, which shocked me. Brand never felt pain. I couldn’t believe we’d dropped ou
r guard. My gun was in my hand in a heartbeat. We took cover behind the car door, and I searched for a target.
“You all right?” I asked.
“I’ll live,” Brand said. “I forgot what pain felt like.”
The ramifications hit me. Brand was no longer a Sekutar. He’d given more of his life to save Kelly than I’d realized. He yanked the arrow from his arm and winced.
“Get in. We’ll just run over anyone who tries to come at us.”
Brand crawled into the backseat with Kelly and Ophelia. He rested Kelly’s head on his lap then held his arm.
I searched the night for the archer but didn’t see him. I slid into the driver’s seat and closed the door. I started the car, flipped on the headlights and for a moment saw one of the Marshall Clan, but he was running to get out of the light. I wanted to jump out of the car and shoot him, but Kelly’s life was more important, so I threw the car into gear and raced toward the road.
oOo
“How’s your arm, Brand?” I asked once we were on Highway 36.
“It hurts.”
“I can heal it for you,” Ophelia said.
“No. I want to feel the pain. It’s been years since anything hurt.”
“If I’d known you were giving so much,” Ophelia said, “I’d have stopped sooner.”
“And Kelly might not be stable.”
“You could have died.”
“Without her, I have no reason to live.”
“And if she never comes out of the coma?”
Brand shook his head. “She’ll come out of it.”
“But what if she doesn’t?”
“She will. Don’t even think anything else.”
He was silent for the rest of the trip.
oOo
As promised, Mike was waiting for us at the doors to the DGI building. He had a gurney and two healers with him. When I pulled up in front of the doors, the healers helped Ophelia out of the car then carefully loaded Kelly onto the gurney. Brand climbed out and went with them, leaving a body-shaped bloody print on the backseat of the car. He held his arm, and I could see a little blood seeping between his fingers. Esther accompanied them too. Rayna didn’t open her car door.
“You should go up with them,” I said. “I’ll go park the car.”
Rayna shook her head. “I’m staying with you, Jonathan. You saved me where even Kelly couldn’t.”
