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Toward the middle in the back, I noticed one of the iron lungs seemed to be occupied. I hurried over. Conflicting emotions tightened my chest as I caught sight of the occupant. Fear as I saw my tormentor’s face, softened in sleep, overlaid with my memories of Baz as a kid. This being wasn’t responsible for not-Baz’s behavior.
“How do we get him out?”
Dio already inspected the contraption that encased Baz’s body. He manipulated a lever and a soft hiss sounded. He was able to pull the iron lung apart, and together we figured out how to remove the collar around Baz’s neck. Then we were left with an unconscious Nightmare prince.
“Now what?” I sighed.
Dio shoved Baz’s shoulder. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”
Baz didn’t move, body limp and unresponsive other than a slight rise and fall of his chest.
“He’s alive, right?” I put my hand on his chest, confirming that I could feel what my eyes told me, that he was breathing.
“Yeah. Whatever is causing all this is probably making him sleep, too.”
Oh, right. I’m the only one who knows. I was about to fill Dio in when the ground shuddered under us.
“We should get out of here.” I grabbed the edge of the gurney that Baz lay on and Dio grabbed one side. We ran for the door, the clatter of the wheels across the tile loud. Before we could get to the other end of the ward, the world melted.
“Fuck!” I skidded to a halt, and jerking the bed back in the other direction. The leading edge of the nothingness storm was too close. There was no way we would make it.
“Go through the shadows, Ember,” Dio demanded.
Could I do it again? The real question was, did I have a choice? I didn’t. Before Dio could stop me, I lunged across Baz’s body and grabbed Dio’s arm. The power came more easily to me this time, and I yanked Baz and Dio into the shadows. Latching onto the stronger connection I shared with Nic, I hurled the three of us away from the nothingness storm and prayed I could hold on long enough to get us safe with Nic and the others.
Pain tore at my mind, would have torn at my body if I had one. I was no stranger to pain. My chosen profession involved a great deal of physical discomfort and sometimes outright pain, but this was a whole new level of agony. Every molecule of my body screamed in protest as it tried to reform in a realm that couldn’t support a physical body.
Screaming into the void, I held on as long as I could. This time, when my body coalesced, I lost the contents of my stomach before I lost consciousness.
Dio
“If I never have to do this again, it’ll be too soon.” I groaned, forehead pressed to the cool floor, curled up into as much of a ball as I could manage while the world heaved around me.
Ember had undoubtably saved my life again. I hoped there wasn’t a next time.
“Ember! Dio!” Nic shouted.
“Is she okay?” I forced out when I saw feet in my peripheral vision.
“Unconscious,” the damn knight said. “I think she’ll be all right, though.”
I heard clothing shift and assumed he was picking her up.
“Are you all right? Where did you find Baz?” Nic kneeled next to me and put his hand on my shoulder.
“I don’t know how you do it, brother,” I said instead of answering. “Your body being ripped apart all the time?”
“I am the shadow, Dio. It’s different for me. Though the shadow realm takes some getting used to. It can be very disorienting,” Nic replied.
“I remember them giving you some sort of special lessons when they saw you step through the shadows the first time.” It was easier to focus on the memories than on the way my body screamed at me.
“Yes. The shadow people were generous with their knowledge.” His voice was flat, and he didn’t elaborate.
Nic had never spoken about his time with the shadow folk other than to tell us he didn’t want to talk about it. Baz and I had speculated that it hadn’t been pleasant, but that was the case for much of Nightmare.
“How’s Baz?”
“Also unconscious.”
