Chapter Twenty Lyra #3
“You’re a brilliant wee warrior, Ruth. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” I had no idea if that was true. I couldn’t remember another time I’d been in so much pain. Blood dripped through my fingers, and I cringed, knowing that this was really bad.
“I’ve got her.” Sloane gently coaxed Ruth from under my hand and tucked her into the front pocket of the hooded jumper she wore. Ruth’s ears poked out, furious but obedient.
“Let’s get you in the car.” Sloane hooked an arm around my shoulders, and to my surprise, Mandy stepped to my other side, bracing me as I tried to straighten without screaming.
“This doesn’t mean we’re friends,” Mandy muttered.
“Noted,” I said through gritted teeth as they half carried, half walked me toward the car.
“But I also don’t want you to die.”
“Never harm, always charm, right?” I almost rolled my eyes, but instead winced as I tried to shift myself into the car.
Finally, with their help, I hoisted myself onto the back seat.
The movement jarred the wound, and a sharp gasp tore from my lips.
Mandy hovered by the open door while Sloane sprinted around the bonnet of the car, her phone already at her ear.
“I’ll call Raven,” Mandy said, pressing her lips together as she looked down at the blood staining my dress.
Felicity stood behind her, hand held to her own shoulder where Ruth had nicked her, tears still flowing.
I knew I should have said something to reassure her—to tell her I wasn’t mad—but too many scary things had happened in a very short amount of time, and my brain just couldn’t get past the white-hot pain.
Blue flew dangerously close to Felicity’s head, his wing clipping her in the face as he dove through the open front window and landed with a plop on the front passenger seat.
Immediately, he clambered so he was half hanging between the front seats, his tongue lolling as he looked back at me, eyes wide and worried.
“You’re the best, buddy,” I whispered. “Thanks for saving us.”
“We’re going to the castle, Lyra,” Sloane said, swinging into the driver’s seat and slamming the door.
“The hospital’s too far away, but we can get you there fast if we need to.
We need to assess how bad it is. Henry has healing powers, and Knox is calling Raven.
” She swiveled to look at me, eyes bright with fear.
“Unless you think straight to the hospital?”
“I… I don’t think so.” I could still breathe, so it wasn’t like she’d punctured a lung. Not that I had any medical training to discern that fact. “Castle will work. Henry’s good.”
Mandy shut the back door gently, her face caught in shadows.
“Right,” Sloane muttered. “Drive sensibly, don’t kill anyone, don’t crash the car.” She recited it like Knox had made her take notes.
“Nova and Broca?” I asked, leaning my head back and closing my eyes. I took shallow breaths, keeping my hand clamped over my side, and tried not to think too hard about the wound.
“Knox is calling them as well. I’ve been told my only job is to drive safe,” Sloane said, pulling out onto the road.
“Ruth?” I asked.
I’m here. I’m all right, she said from Sloane’s pocket. I felt a soft whoosh of air by my neck as she wriggled free and scrambled back up to perch on my shoulder, as if she’d simply refused to be anywhere else.
“Scary night. For all of us,” I murmured.
“What the hell happened?” Sloane asked, doing that thing people do when they’re internally freaking out—inflecting their voice with a cheerfulness that doesn’t match the words. “Why were you guys all huddled in the alley like that? It was weird. I was looking for you out front.”
“I followed Mandy into the kitchen,” I said, adjusting slightly on the seat, moving the seat belt so it didn’t press so hard into my side.
“Why?” Sloane was not the least bit bothered by Mandy’s absence from the Charms. She’d never warmed to the ex-president and was almost certain Mandy was some sort of fembot.
“Because I’ve been trying to get a moment to speak with her,” I admitted. “I just feel bad. I was hoping to—”
“Smooth things over, make nice, and welcome her back to the Charms?” Sloane guessed.
“Something like that.”
“And she stabbed you for it.”
“No, she did not. Felicity did,” I said quickly.
“And it really was an accident. I slipped, she tried to catch me, the knife went flying… I’m kind of confused on how it happened.
One second I was talking to Mandy, the next second Felicity was coming through the door like a human avalanche of bakeware. ”
“Seems really odd. Who doesn’t secure their knives?” Sloane griped.
We paused.
“Felicity,” we said in unison, and despite everything, we laughed.
“Ouch. Don’t make me laugh.” I hissed as pain shot through me with the movement.
“We’re here. It’s okay. Took your mind off the drive. Everything’s going to be fine,” Sloane said, more to convince herself than me.
I opened my eyes to see the castle lit up against the night, and people running to meet Sloane’s car.
Just rest, Lyra. We’ll take care of you, Ruth murmured at my neck. Reaching up, I patted her soft fur.
“I know you will. I know.”
Henry’s worried face was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.