Page 155 of Moon Chosen

“I almost was.” He leaned forward and dropped his voice, even though Kathleen had moved to the other side of the large nest to tend the patients there. “Listen to me. I have to say this fast. She found me—the girl on fire.”

“What!”

“Sssh!” Nik hissed. “Her name is Mari. The pup was with her, just as we suspected. He’s chosen her.”

“Like she’s a Companion?” O’Bryan’s eyes were fever bright, but his mind was still sharp.

“She’s part Companion. Her father was one of us.” Nik made a sharp gesture to cut off O’Bryan’s instant questions. “I’ll explain everything later. All that’s important now is getting you well.”

“Cuz, I’m dying. Everyone knows it. There’s nothing that can be done. I’m so glad you’re here, though. Will you stay with me when I drink the monkshood?”

“You won’t be drinking that damned monkshood. And you will be healed and whole again.” Nik leaned closer so that O’Bryan wouldn’t miss anything he said. “There was a spearhead buried in my back and my leg was slashed open. Blight set in yesterday.” Moving carefully, Nik lifted his pant leg and pulled the bandage aside so that O’Bryan could see the pink, healing flesh.

His cousin’s brow furrowed. “But there’s no sign of blight.”

“Exactly. And yesterday putrid ulcers covered the wound.”

“Then it couldn’t have been the blight,” O’Bryan said.

“Oh, it was the blight. I’m positive about it. O’Bryan, Mari healed it. And she’s going to do the same for you.”

O’Bryan stared up at him disbelievingly. “Now I know I’m dreaming.”

Nik grinned. “Leave everything to me. All you need to do is not tell anyone, and I meananyone. And be ready to get out of here.”

“Nik, I can’t do much walking.” O’Bryan moved the blanket that covered the bottom half of his body. His right leg was elevated and swathed in bandages from his knee down. His naked thigh was dusky and swollen to twice it size.

Gently, Nik pulled the blanket back over his cousin’s ruined leg.

“It was a good idea, though,” O’Bryan said. “It just didn’t come in time.”

“You’re not giving up because I’m not giving up. If you can’t go to her, Mari’s going to have to come to you,” Nik said.

“I know my thinking isn’t too clear anymore, but how is that ever going to happen?”

“I’m going to trade a life for a life—that’s how.”

41

“Isn’t it strange that something as important as sleep is taken for granted so easily—until you don’t have enough of it?” Mari rested her head against the side of the burrow and closed her eyes in exhaustion.

“Sorry, did you say something? I was asleep.”

Mari opened her eyelids a crack and shared a tired smile with Sora. “You did it all by yourself tonight.”

Sora’s smile brightened, making her weariness fade and her beauty blaze. “I was spectacular.”

“If you do say so yourself?”

“Well, if you’re not going to say it, I certainly will.”

“You were good tonight—really good. Spectacular even,” Mari said. Her gaze went to the pallet that used to hold Nik, but now was a temporary home to the small, sleeping form of Danita. “Her body will heal. It’s her mind I’m worried about.”

“Did Leda write anything in her journals about helping with something like what’s happened to Danita?”

“Rape. Let’s call it what it is. Danita was raped.”

“It’s an ugly word,” Sora said.