Vic nodded and set to work, cleaning Cypher's wound with antiseptic salve from his pack. The punctures were deep, angry red circles already swelling with irritation. I watched Vic apply a salve, then wrapped bandages around Cypher's shoulder.
"That's the best I can do for now," Vic said, packing away his supplies. "The venom will cause discomfort, but it's not lethal. You'll need to rest."
Cypher grunted, and we settled in for a tense wait. Zoya took the first watch, positioning herself near the barricaded entrance. Cypher leaned back against the wall, his face drawn with pain despite his attempts to hide it. I sat beside him, watching as Click finally ventured out of my pocket, his brass tail ticking nervously against my hand.
"He doesn't like this place," I said softly.
"Smart lizard," Cypher replied, a bit strained from pain. "Neither do I."
He watched him for a moment, fighting a smile. "I've been meaning to ask," he said, reaching out a tentative finger toward Click, who eyed it suspiciously. "What kind of lizard is that? And why in the realms does he have all that metal work on his tail?"
I smiled, gently stroking Click's scaled back. "He's not actually a lizard. He's a lorik, from Vesparin."
"Vesparin?" Cypher's eyebrows rose. "That's not an easy realm to access."
"No, it's not." I lifted Click so he rested in my palms, his brass tail curling protectively around my wrist. "I was on a scavenging run about four years ago. Vesparin has these amazing ruins from an ancient city in what's now a dense forest. The Assembly doesn't patrol it much because most of the salvage is incompatible with our crystals. They still have some metal we harvest for our settings."
"I found him during that scavenging run," I explained, watching Click's little chest rise and fall with each breath as he tried to rest. "He was trapped under some fallen debris, his tail completely crushed. I could tell he was in agony."
Cypher studied Click with new interest. "You rescued him."
"I couldn't just leave him there to die. Loriks are actually warm-blooded, despite the scales. They're not reptiles at all, though everyone mistakes them for lizards. They're closer to birds in their biology, if you can believe it."
I let Click climb onto my shoulder where he settled comfortably, his bright eyes still wary of our surroundings.
"The interesting thing about loriks is they can't regenerate lost limbs. Once something's gone, it's gone for good. His tail was beyond saving." I gently touched the brass mechanism that now served as Click's tail. "When I brought him home, my father took one look at him and disappeared into his workshop. He emerged three days later with this."
The brass tail was a matrix of tiny gears and delicate metalwork powered by a tiny anchor crystal the size of a bead, responding to Click's muscle movements almost like a real appendage.
"Your father is talented. That's expert craftsmanship."
"He's the best craftsman in the city. The Assembly knows it too, which is why they hired him to make their anchor crystals."I swallowed hard, thinking of my father locked away in the Dredge. "Click's been by my side ever since. He's my good luck charm."
Cypher reached out again, and this time Click allowed him to stroke a finger along his back. "Good luck, huh? How's that working out for you right now?"
I laughed and shrugged. "Well, we're not dead yet. I count that as luck."
Hours passed. Vic rolled a small brass ball across the floor. Click immediately perked up, his predatory instincts overriding his fear. He darted after the ball, tail whipping excitedly behind him.
"Well, at least someone's enjoying themselves," Vic said with a tired smile. He rolled the ball again, and Click pounced, his little claws scrabbling against the smooth metal.
"He's easily entertained," I said, watching him chase after Vic's contraption with single-minded obsession.
After a while, Zoya and Vic settled down to rest while I took the final watch. The eerie glow of the vegetation outside cast strange shadows through the cracks in the walls. In the dim light, I could see Cypher was still awake. I moved to sit beside him, checking his bandages. They were soaked through with blood and whatever clear fluid the scather's venom contained.
"These need changing," I said, reaching for Vic's medical pack.
"I can do it," Cypher insisted, trying to take the pack from me.
"Don't be stubborn." I batted his hand away. "Let me help."
Surprisingly, he relented, sitting back with a barely suppressed groan. I carefully peeled away the soiled bandages, revealing the puncture wounds beneath. The skin around them was angry and inflamed, with thin red lines spreading outward. Itchy, he'd said. It looked considerably worse than that.
I cleaned the wounds as gently as I could, though Cypher still hissed through his teeth at the contact. "Sorry," I murmured.
"Not your fault."
"It is, though." I applied fresh salve, my fingers light against his hot skin. "You took that bite for me."
