THUNDER RUMBLED AS WREN SLUMPED AGAINST the bole of an overgrown oak. The tree hadn’t been tended in years. Its branches spread out too far, their weight causing them to dip down and brush the sparse grass.
“By Thor’s fat arse, Cyndralla’s good.” Magnus craned his head around the thick trunk. “She put us down in sight of St. Matthew’s hospital based on some old black and white photo from twenty years ago. Is that magic, or what?”
Stiff and drained, Wren rolled her eyes. “That bitch can suck it.”
“Wren.”
“Just…let’s get on with this.” The outline of the hospital showed through the leaves. She slid between the intersection of two major branches without disturbing a single leaf and started across the vacant field toward their goal.
Magnus thrashed through the branches like a yeti and when he caught up to Wren he draped his arm across her shoulder. “Look, I know you’re upset about Sparky.”
Wren snorted.
“He can turn it around.” Magnus actually sounded hopeful.
Wren shrugged off his support. She didn’t want to be comforted and she definitely didn’t want to march across an open field toward who knew what.
“Why are we here again?” Wren asked. Magnus didn’t deserve her attitude. He was the only one who stood up for Dev, arguing strongly against sanctions. Stillman ignored his protest and restricted Dev to the Cradle anyway.
Sure. Dev just needs to get control of himself. Good luck with that one. She tried to clear the image of Dev’s fallen face as he heard the proclamation, but it stuck with her like a rash. The hurt look in those eyes broke her heart.
What’s done is done.
“What are we looking for?” She asked, picking a path around the cars lining the drive to the hospital.
“You already asked me that.”
“Well, did you answer?” He so didn’t deserve her attitude.
“Yes. I said that I didn’t know. Something suspicious, I guess.” Magnus placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped. “I’m only going to say this one more time. The stuff with Dev is not your fault. You did what you had to do.”
“I know that, but does he? Will he forgive me?”
He wrapped her in a hug. “In time, bird brain. In time. But, enough of this mushy stuff.” He pushed her away. “Let’s find us something.”
“Something.” She echoed and fell into step beside him. “How do you want to do this? Go in the front, or the back?”
“We should hit the back. Go in through Emergency.” He cocked a grin at her. “Want a broken arm?”
“Want a kick in the bal—something’s happening.” On the red carpet in front of the hospital, a well-dressed man held his hand out to a woman on the ground while a line of reporters snapped pictures.
“Let’s check it out.” Magnus changed direction, trotting toward the front of the building to get a closer look.
“Do we have to? We have our own stuff to deal with,” Wren said.
“It wouldn’t hurt to look. She probably just fell. It’s not like we can get involved with those reporters around anyway.”
The reporters stayed clear of the pair near the limo, so Wren had a decent view. A little closer and she’d be able to make out faces.
“That looks like Ms. Sinclair,” Magnus said.
“Magnus, that’s Alexander Gray.”
They picked up the pace.
What is Cassidy doing with Alexander Gray?
“He just cast a spell.” Magnus shook his head. “I felt the release of his magic.”
Gray got into his limo and drove off with Cassidy spilled on the ground.
Wren and Magnus reached the edge of the pavement, not far from Cassidy. If she yelled, Wren could get her attention.
“Do you taste that?” Magnus asked, working his tongue in and out.
“Uh uh.”
“Ugh. That’s foul.” He gagged and dry heaved. “I can’t even describe it.”
The reporters outside the building fell and a nurse stumbled out the door. Cassidy stood up and leaned toward the hospital.
“Don’t let her get any closer. That spell will kill her.” Before he finished his sentence, Wren sprinted toward Cassidy.
“Cassidy!” Wren shouted, but Cassidy must not have heard because she stumbled toward the hospital.
* * *
Cassidy avoided the blood around the nurse’s head and knelt near her shoulder. The skin of the nurse’s face, neck and hands was a uniform, battleship gray. Cassidy pressed two fingers against her throat and recoiled. The texture was wrong, too hard, and her temp was off the chart cold.
Dead. Before she stood, Cassidy thanked the woman for her kindness two years ago and closed her milky eyes. The reporters looked to be in the same shape. Gray. Cold. Dead.
Oh my god.
A dull pain rooted in her stomach and slowly branched out, following her blood flow. Cassidy stared at the other corpses laid out around her.
Everyone inside can’t be like this, can they? If they are, what can I do to help? She shuddered, wrapped her arms around herself. Tears threatened. No. She looked at the face of the head nurse. I can do something. I have to try.
Determined, she took another step toward the door and found herself on her back looking up into the sky. A dark silhouette blocked the clouds and small hands grabbed her under the arms.
“Pull her back to the curb.”
Magnus? Cassidy’s arms and legs throbbed.
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Wren dragged Cassidy down the red carpet with ease.
“Wren? What’s goi—?”
“Shh. Take it easy.” Wren said. “You’ll be alright.”
The further away from the building Wren dragged her, the better Cassidy felt. The pain receded from her limbs, centering once again in her belly until it disappeared altogether.
“Her color is coming back.” Magnus dropped to one knee at her side. “Another minute or two and we would have lost you, Ms. Sinclair.”
“Cassidy.”
“Alright, Cassidy, how are you feeling?” Magnus helped her into a sitting position.
“Much better now.” Cassidy looked at Wren. “Thank you.”
“You’re crazy,” Wren scolded, “Didn’t you see those dead people? Why would you head into the building?”
“I had to help.”
Wren spun, throwing her hands in the air, and walked off.
“I think the magic is subsiding. That taste is going away,” Magnus said.
“What taste?” Cassidy asked.
“Well,” Magnus stood and looked to the hospital, “Our dear Mr. Gray made a statement.” He seemed to be talking more to himself than to either Wren or Cassidy.
“What do you mean?” Cassidy asked.
Wren stomped back. “Gray unleashed a spell at the hospital. What you see is a result of his magic.”
“Yes, the spell is over, but…” Magnus walked toward the building. “I feel something dark… rancid, like what we found at the club site.”
“Are you sure?” Wren asked.
“Yes. It’s inside.” He closed his eyes. “Close. I need to get it.”
Was that a…? Cassidy held her breath, straining to hear.
“I-” Wren started, but Cassidy raised a hand to silence her and focused all her attention on a sound she thought she heard.
Wait…wait. THERE. Cassidy jumped up and bolted for the hospital doors. At her approach, they shushed open and she ran inside. Gray bodies lay on the floor, slumped over the reception desk, and sat upright in the leather and metal chairs. Death’s noisome aroma filled the room. Cassidy let it wash over her as she paused to listen. A low coo, off to her left. She ran. Magnus and Wren pounded after her.
A cough, louder this time. Close. Moving quickly down the hall, she hopped over bodies when she couldn’t walk around them, ears straining against the hospital’s white noise.
She turned left on instinct, passed the vending machines, and slowed her pace.
Where are you?
Magnus and Wren followed her silent lead. Outside the pediatric ward she stopped beside a child-sized kitchen play area complete with table, chairs, and Playskool appliances. A whimper behind the plastic refrigerator fixed the position. Cassidy gently lifted the plastic table out of the way and went around the refrigerator.
“Oh dear God,” she breathed and dropped to her knees at the feet of a little girl. Eyes shut tight, the girl tossed her head from left to right. Short red bangs swished across her forehead.
“Magnus, pull the kitchen out. We need room.”
The Earth Knight stepped closer and eased the kitchen pieces up and out of the way. Cassidy scooted up to the little girl’s head. Her skin was too pale, nearly white, but thankfully not gray yet. A blue tint colored her lips.
“Wren, we need something to warm her up. Blankets. Anything. Go.”
Wren ghosted away.
Carotid pulse faint, but there. Breathing shallow. Cassidy chafed the girl’s arms and motioned for Magnus to do the same with her legs.
Wren appeared with an armload of blankets and a portable electric heater. Cassidy covered her patient, leaving only her head, hands and little feet uncovered, as Wren plugged in the heater and positioned it near her chest.
The girl shifted, kicked her left foot into Magnus’s knee that sent the little pink and purple lights on her sneaker to twinkling.
Come on, baby.
The wheezing stopped. Cassidy felt for a pulse. Nothing.
No.
She flipped the blankets down to the girl’s waist and started CPR. Thirty quick pumps. Two breaths. Thirty quick pumps. Two breaths. Cassidy paused, checked for a pulse. Nothing.
Don’t leave me.
“Magnus, Wren, rub her legs.”
Thirty pumps.
Come on, girl.
Two breaths.
Breathe, baby. You can do it. Cassidy’s eyes welled.
Thirty pumps.
Not another one.
Two breaths.
Cassidy checked. Nothing.
She couldn’t hold the tears at bay. They rolled down her cheeks and plopped onto her bunched hands as they pumped up and down on the ironed-on image of Dora the Explorer.
Two breaths.
Thirty pumps.
Still nothing.
She leaned forward and placed her forehead on the child’s chest. A barely-there whisper tickled her cheek. Cassidy froze. It came again, stronger this time. Without moving her head, she slid her hand to that thin, fragile neck and felt a faint pulse beneath the skin.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
“Cassidy, we need to go.” Magnus warned.
“She’s alive.” Cassidy said.
Magnus and Wren’s mouths dropped open and they stared first at the girl and then at Cassidy.
“Take her.” Magnus said.
Cassidy clutched the little girl to her chest. Magnus took the lead until they got back to the lobby.
“Go around back.” He told Wren. “I’ll meet you there.”
Magnus pounded down the hall and turned into the stairwell. Cassidy followed Wren through the Emergency room exit and found a discrete spot to wait between two ambulances.
The sirens reached a constant volume and leveled out.
What will they make of all this?
The child stirred, whimpered. Cassidy rocked her, made comforting shushing noises in her ear and kissed her on the forehead.
You’re going to be okay.
Magnus emerged a few minutes later carrying a bundle wrapped in a lead x-ray smock under one arm.
“Did you get it?” Wren asked.
“The parts I could find at least.”
Cassidy interrupted. “How are we getting out of here?” She didn’t have her car and she didn’t know how Wren and Magnus had gotten there.
“Wren, do you know how to hot-wire a car?” Magnus asked, eyeing the vehicles in the staff parking lot.
“No.”
Magnus cracked his knuckles. “I guess it’s on me.”