Page 141 of Mountain of Mirrors and Starlight
Bell looked around. “Ought to be. Why do you ask?”
“I might have a slight problem…” he said, and swayed on his feet before pitching forward into Aislinn’s arms.
She screamed his name as the others rushed forward, sliding him to the ground, his body buckling. Aislinn’s hands went towards his shirt, peeling it away from his skin. He cried out as her hands touched him—from fear or pain, it was impossible to tell.
“Caer, Caer, tell me where it hurts—”
“Back,” he moaned. “Stung.”
Aislinn rolled him over with the help of the others. A large, swollen mark pulsed beside his spine, oozing liquid.
Aislinn paled. “I can heal—”
“It’s poisoned,” Flora said, stopping her hand. “Don’t.”
She pressed her fingers to the wound. Caer started to thrash.
“Stand aside, lass,” said Minerva, “If the manticore venom doesn’t kill him, killing you might.”
Someone pulled her aside. Someone warm and tall and familiar whose voice she knew better than her own. Beau. He gripped her arms, trying to force her into a hug, whispering soft, stupid lies in her ear.
“It’s going to be fine.”
You don’t know that.
“Don’t worry.”
I have to.
“He’ll be all right, Ais. He will be.”
He has to be. He has to be. He has to be.
He convulsed on the floor, his head in Minerva’s lap, the others holding him down as he thrashed. Flora hovered over him, trying to administer anti-venom. His skin was covered in a ghastly sheen of sweat.
I should be there,she realised dimly.I should be the one holding him.
She knew something was wrong. She’d seen it in his face. She’d just believed him when he said he was fine. She didn’t think it was this bad. She should have known. She should have felt it.
Flora squeezed the anti-venom into the wound using a long needle. Caer screamed.
Stop it, stop it, you’re hurting him!
She turned her eyes away from the wound and what Flora was doing, focusing on his face. His awful, beautiful, contorted face.
He rolled over and vomited on the ground.
“Caer!”
Luna stroked back his hair. The convulsing slowed to a steady shiver. Flora continued her work on the wound, puss and blood oozing onto the ground.
Caer still screamed.
Aislinn wrenched forward from Beau’s grip, yanking on her gloves. She crushed down on her knees and seized Caer’s hand.
Never more had she wanted to be able to lie.
You’re all right, Caer. You’re going to be fine.
