Worlds Apart (33 page)

“I have to move Fontaine off of
Clive,” Kasia said. Her eyes glinted black in Tina’s light. “You
keep that trained on Clive. If he twitches at all, shoot
him.”

“Kasia...”

“You have to do this, Tina. The
spell will know that.” She set the weapon against Tina’s shoulder
and adjusted her hands to hold it and rest on the trigger. “Press
here.” She tapped the finger covering the spot. “One quick burst.
It’s not meant to be lethal. If Clive comes to, you will have to
shoot longer. He must not be allowed to attack.”

“I can’t….” Tina stared down the
sight at her lover, the rifle jerking up and down with her shaking
arms.

“Yes, you can.”

Kasia turned away and approached
the animals. The magic suits covered their hands as well, and Kasia
reached without hesitation to work the jaws away from the throat.
Her head lamp bounced around with her movements, and Tina had to
concentrate on remaining still so her light kept them both
illuminated. She could not imagine what Kasia was thinking, how she
was dealing with her actions. Tina suspected Kasia had never done
anything like this before.

The panic still beat at her,
although much subdued; it was as if it knew she was doing all she
could. She watched Clive, her emotions torn in two, one half
desperately wanting him to move or make a sound to show he was
fighting death, and the other half just as desperately hoping he
stayed still.

The rifle no longer jerked, and
she realized she was not shaking now. She watched Clive, his closed
eyes, his jaw, his paws. Her finger rested on the trigger, sure of
its duty. There was movement from Clive in response to Kasia’s
pulling, but nothing conscious.

She could not say how long it
took, while the panic rippled inside her, and she held the gun on
the man she loved. It was odd, she thought. Now that she knew it
was Clive, even in wolf form, she could see him.

Or maybe I’m just going
insane.

Around her, the forest seemed to
hold its breath. The ravens were glass ornaments in the trees. The
only sound came from Kasia, gasping as she struggled to lift the
silver wolf free of Clive’s back legs. As Tina watched, the
clinical part of her brain tried to assess Clive’s injuries. The
worst was his windpipe. He was alive, so it wasn’t crushed closed,
but those massive silver jaws had done something. Several gashes
were visible in various places, but Tina knew his fur could be
hiding more. He was saturated in blood, but there was no way to
tell which of it was Clive’s and which came from the other
wolf.

Tina stirred, shifting her feet as
a vision of the cave wall, covered with her blood, came back to
her. She clenched her jaw and banished the thought, forcing her
feet not to carry her away.

You’re okay,
she told
herself.
He can’t hurt you anymore.

What could she do for Clive? In
all her panic to get here, she hadn’t considered that she’d be the
only one to treat him.
I’m not a veterinarian. How do I treat a
wolf?

The clinical portion of her mind
clicked into gear. She let it work, separated from the part of her
mind that concentrated on Clive’s movements and the gun.

If he were in human form, what
would he need? How would she treat him in an emergency, when help
was an hour away?

Oxygen. Fluids. Warmth. Contain
the bleeding.

How would she provide that to a
wolf?

Ironically, the silver wolf had
provided warmth by his position on top of Clive. Tina hoped it was
enough to keep him from going into shock. Bandaging the worst of
the cuts should be easy. But where did the IV line go in canines?
How would she give him oxygen?

Kasia dragged the silver wolf
several feet away, then straightened, huffing as she nodded to
Tina. “Give me the gun. You can treat him now.”

As soon as she’d passed the gun to
its rightful owner, Tina turned to Clive and slipped the backpack
from her shoulders. It was stuffed with supplies. As she dug
through it, Tina began to wonder if it had the same magic as the
refrigerator Shandari had given her. It wasn’t possible for one
small pack to hold so much.

There was an oxygen tank, and with
it, a large cone-shaped mask, which solved the problem of how to
give him oxygen. She checked his windpipe with tender fingers. It
was crushed, but he was breathing through it in tiny, rattling
puffs. She slipped the cone over his muzzle and started the
flow.

Perhaps it was her imagination,
but he seemed to look better right away. She wasn’t sure how to
judge it in a canine patient.

The oxygen had been the work of
less than a minute, and Tina turned to the next urgent item. She
didn’t see any place where blood was pumping or pouring out, so she
didn’t think any arteries were damaged. He needed fluids. She spent
a moment running her fingers over his left front leg, but couldn’t
determine where the vein was.

Subcutaneous, then. She set up the
IV, found a loose clump of skin and fur along his side near the
shoulder, and plunged the needle under the skin. Clive made no sign
of having felt it. She set the flow and sat back on her heels to
watch the rate, and to make sure the fluid went where she wanted it
to.

Now that she was touching him, she
could see several gashes that were bleeding. Will’s backpack
contained several rolls of pressure bandages as well as antiseptic.
She poured the stuff all over him, in liberal dollops, searching
with her fingers for the larger cuts. She bandaged what she could.
It was impossible to flip him over, but she felt underneath
him.

She gave him a shot of
full-spectrum antibiotics, and covered him with the Mylar thermal
blanket she found at the bottom of the bag. Then she sat back and
watched him.

“He looks better,” Kasia said from
behind her.

Tina jerked in surprise. She’d
forgotten all about Kasia, as well as the silver wolf. She nodded,
but did not look away from her patient.

“If he were human, I’d be looking
for skin color and condition, vital signs, but I have no idea what
to look for in a wolf.” Tina paused, sharpening her gaze. “But I
think you’re right. He does look better, whatever that
means.”

“As long as he stays unconscious.
Can you give him something to make sure of that?” There was
something in Kasia’s voice, almost a plea.

“I’ll give him a mild sedative.”
Tina began digging through the pack again. “How much time do you
think we need?”

“Perhaps another hour.”

Making a quick calculation, Tina
injected a tiny dose of sedative. The panic inside her had stopped,
replaced with a calm feeling of safety. Even if Clive woke up, she
knew he would not hurt her. But she had no guarantee about Kasia,
and she knew she couldn’t take the chance. She’d keep more of the
sedative ready, just in case.

“I understand why Shandari could
not treat him,” she said, turning halfway so she could see Kasia
while keeping an eye on Clive. She noticed the night had lightened
during the time she’d been working, allowing her to see the shape
of things. “She’s still too weak from healing me. But why couldn’t
you transport him to Kaarmanesh so another healer could help
him?”

“We don’t heal werewolves.”
Kasia’s forehead wrinkled as she glanced at Tina. “No one would
ever consider getting close enough to one.”

“That’s blatant prejudice.” Tina
thought of mothers and teenage boys, and felt heartsick.

“Partly,” Kasia admitted. “We have
a long way to go in this matter. But perhaps you don’t understand
how the healing works.”

“Probably not,” Tina
admitted.

“Empathic healing requires a deep
mental connection between healer and patient. Such a connection
with a werewolf would be far too dangerous.” She held up a hand, as
if to forestall any protest from Tina. “I know you think it’s Clive
in there. But during the Change, their humanity is completely lost
or buried. We do study the werewolves, Tina. Many of them cooperate
with us in their human form. They have no memories of the time they
are werewolves, even if they have severe injuries. The few
werewolves that have been observed in captivity show no sign of
recognizing anyone, even loved ones. There is no evidence they know
they are human.”

“
He
knew,” Tina said,
jerking her head toward the body of the silver wolf. “He told me
that he remembers everything that happens in both
forms.”

“I have never heard of that
happening.” Kasia’s voice was thoughtful. “We have much to learn
about this man. He may have accessed an old magic, long forgotten.
I will begin the investigation as soon as we are back.”

Tina shivered, knowing she would
have to participate in that. She would have to tell them what
happened. Once again, she realized that while her body was healed,
her mind still sought to hide away. The magic with Clive held it at
bay, but somewhere inside, she longed to curl up in a corner and
cry for hours.

She was watching Clive. She
stiffened to alertness as something began to happen. Before she had
time to react, he seemed to
fold
in on himself, as if
turning inside out. Then he was there, human and male, naked under
the blanket. The canine oxygen mask hissed air against his face as
it slipped sideways.

She rushed to him, frantic and
afraid, assessing his condition as she began to adjust the IV and
bandages. Behind her, Kasia barked an order. “He’s back! Go!
Go!”

All around Tina, the air seemed to
explode as portal after portal flashed open. People were suddenly
assisting her, replacing the canine mask with a human one, lifting
Clive, placing him on a stretcher, adding blankets. Four people
grabbed the corners and a portal opened in front of them. Tina
grasped a side of the stretcher, but a hand circled her arm and
pulled her back.

“No, Tina,” Shandari held her
close, her head bent to speak into Tina’s ear. “It’s too near the
full moon. Remember, it may not be safe for your baby in
Kaarmanesh.”

“He needs me, I need to know….”
She gulped, realizing the panic was gone. Clive and his bearers
disappeared into the portal. She felt lost without that panic, that
connection to Clive. She turned to Shandari. “What will happen to
him? Will they take care of him?”

“Absolutely.” Shandari smiled at
her. “I’ll direct his care myself. You have saved his life by
stabilizing him. We’ll finish the work with magic.”

“But you can’t...”

“I won’t. But there are other
healers who can and will. I will keep you apprised of his
condition.”

Tina stepped back. Around her,
Kasia’s agents were following her rapid orders to bag the silver
wolf and secure the crime scene. She saw Will standing a few feet
away, his face pale. No doubt it was shock from traveling through
his first portal, or from seeing his first werewolf. She understood
how he felt.

She squeezed Shandari’s hand. “Go
help him. I’ll wait.”

Shandari nodded once, kissed
Tina’s cheek, and disappeared into a portal.

Tina went to Will and slipped her
arms around his waist. He was shaking, but he returned the
hug.

“Riff is waiting to take us back
to the recon site,” he said. “Eddie will drive us back.”

“Go,” Kasia said, from behind
Will. They broke apart and turned to her. “I’ve told Ringstrom that
we’ll handle the investigation and cleanup around here. I also told
him that we would arrange for the majority of your people to forget
what happened. They will know that Fontaine was here and that he
did the things he did. But they won’t remember the rest of it. The
only people in town who will remember are the two of you and
Sheriff Ringstrom. You’ll have to help him carry out the
deception.” Kasia shooed them toward Riff and went to deal with the
body baggers.

Riff flashed a portal next to them
and grinned when Will shook his head. “You’ll get used to
it.”

“I hope not.” Will sounded quite
sincere.

“
I’ll be staying at the Keeper’s
House until further notice,” Riff told them. “I’ll stay in touch
with you, Dr. Cassidy. Shandari says it should be safe for you to
come to Kaarmanesh in two days. I can take you then.”

“Yes,” Tina said. “That should be
soon enough. But if I call you in a few hours, will you have
information about Clive’s condition?”

“I shall have a full report of all
current knowledge for you,” Riff said, with a little bow. Tina
thought that was an elegant way to do it.

Maybe she’d work on the bow for
her own use with the families of her patients.

Chapter 39

Tina agreed to go home with Will,
where Marilyn fed her a substantial breakfast and put her to bed in
the quiet guest room at the back of the house.

She slept for twenty-seven
hours.

Upon waking, the only thing that
saved her from frantic worry was Riff’s report, which Will gave to
her along with another breakfast. The report included a summary
from Shandari, who was overseeing Clive’s treatment. They had given
him two short sessions to heal the worst of his injuries, including
a transfusion of blood to replace what he had lost. He’d awakened
this morning, groggy and semi-coherent. Now he was sleeping again.
A note at the bottom of the report informed Tina that Riff stood
ready to escort her to Kaarmanesh whenever she was
ready.