“Sounds like I missed a show,” J.T. mumbled as he bent close to inspect the stitches along the curve of Phelan’s neck and jaw. Jacqueline’s handiwork was neat and even, as usual, even under duress.
She’s getting better at this all the time. She’ll be able to take over for me pretty fast here. Of course, the fact that Phelan was still out like a light helped the work go easier.
“Just a little bit of one,” Jacqueline agreed. “Marin said that she saw a ghost army holding the perimeter a ways out so they could take down the camazotzi.”
“Sounds like we might not need to worry about them as much, then.” J.T. sat back with a slight wince, his back twinging in pain. “Did you try to use your…whatever it is on him?”
Jacqueline snorted humorlessly. “When I saw him bleeding all over the ground, you’d better believe I did. God…heard my plea. It was kind of like healing Kellin, but not.” She frowned. “He had a cracked skull.”
J.T. cursed under his breath. That’s not good. “You fixed it?”
“If we’re lucky, he’ll just have a nasty headache when he wakes up.” Jacqueline hugged her arms across her chest and exhaled a sigh. “That’s what I’m hoping, anyway.”
“You did good,” J.T. said again. “Probably better than I would have under the circumstances.”
“Nice of you to say,” she muttered, then exhaled a sigh. “It was messy, Jay.”
“The wards held,” he observed. “Couldn’t have been that bad.”
“Thank God for small favors.” She paused, watching him in the dim light of Phelan’s room, which smelled heavily of herbs and leather. “Thanks for coming to look.”
“Part of what I do around here,” he said, smiling faintly at her over his shoulder. “I have to give you a reason to keep me around.” He stood stiffly from his chair and winced as the room spun slowly around him, then righted itself. He gripped the back of the chair tightly to help steady himself. “I’ll be glad when I shake this off,” he muttered.
“You still feeling sick?”
“Dizzy, that’s all.” He rubbed his forehead. “It’s better. I can’t expect to be right as rain as quickly as I’d like, that’s all. I shouldn’t act it.”
“You probably shouldn’t,” Jacqueline agreed, appropriating the chair he abandoned. “Go eat something. I’ll stay here on watch.”
“You sure?”
Jacqueline’s gaze drifted to Phelan and she nodded slightly. “Yeah. I’m sure. Carolyn’s probably wondering where you got to anyway.”
He smiled faintly. “She’s checking on her little friends right now. I’m sure she knows exactly where I am, since I’m never more than five or six feet from one at a given time, if you listen to her talk.”
“They’re that widespread?” Jacqueline asked.
J.T. shrugged with one shoulder, then winced slightly as his back started to ache again. “Small space, a lot of them, I guess. They keep tabs on what’s important to her.” And I’m important to her. God only knows why sometimes, but I am. He smiled again. “I guess I shouldn’t complain.”
“Probably not,” Jacqueline agreed. She nodded toward the door. “Still. You’re pretty pale. Go eat something and have a sit for a while.”
His smile matched hers and he nodded despite himself. I’ve just spent days flat on my back. I’m not entirely sure that sitting’s what I need to do, but healer’s orders are healer’s orders. “Yell if you need something.”
“I will,” she said, then shooed him off again. This time, he listened, stepping out of the room and heading down the hall back toward where Tala kept the cookfire burning all day and all night. She’d been amazing down below in the tunnels, between her and Neve telling Angie stories about things long ago and places far away.
She was near the fire as usual, pouring Marin a mug of tea. Both women glanced at him as he approached.
“How is he?” Marin asked.
“He’ll live,” J.T. said.
“How are you?”
“Jury’s still out.” He grinned and sank down onto the ground near the fire. “But it’s looking favorable.”
“Thank god for small favors,” Marin said.
“Absolutely,” J.T. agreed, then leaned back and closed his eyes.
A sudden chill crept up his spine and he sat up straight again, looking around and swallowing hard. Where–?
The ghost disappeared down the way he’d just come, down the corridor.
Without a word, he stood and followed.
