Page 69 of The Only Way Out Is Up

“Somi?” Spike says from the stairs. “What’s happening? Is it—”

“Go and get Ameliana,” Somi says.

Spike descends far enough to get a glimpse of us and freezes. “Who’s—”

“Now, Spike!”

“She’s hurt worse than I am,” I tell Somi as Spike dashes off. “Get her into a bed.”

“But who—” Somi bites back his question. “Right. Come on.”

“She can’t see.” I guide Ky’s hand to his arm. “It’s okay. This is my family, nobody’s going to hurt us. Spike’s getting a physicker.”

“Lovely to meet you,” Ky says, staring at a point above Somi’s shoulder. “I’ve probably had more awkward introductions, but I can’t remember them right at the moment. Head’s a little fuzzy.”

“That’s all right,” Somi says, automatically assuming the same calm, caring air as when Ema falls down and hits her head. “Just up these stairs; we’ll get you somewhere to lie down.”

With a backward glance at me, he takes her up. I stagger to a chair and collapse, and the pain takes this opportunity to make itself truly felt. My arm is the worst, numb and tingling under the tight bandage but still shot through with spikes of agony. How can it be numb and painful? Seems like you should have one or the other—

I open my eyes. Ameliana leans over me, her hair tied back, thin shift glued to her skin with sweat. A very agreeable sight, ordinarily, except that she’s also bloody to the elbows and wielding a small but extremely sharp blade.

“Mmm?” I say, finding the familiar leather-wrapped stick wedged in my mouth.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” she says. “Tell me, does this hurt?”

She does something that causes iron spikes to be driven into my eyes with a sledgehammer. My back arches and I give a muffled shriek.

“That’s excellent,” she says, relenting. “The good news is you’ll probably keep the arm.”

For a while I can only lie there, breathing raggedly. Eventually I work up the strength to spit out the rod and gurgle, “What’s the bad news?”

“I had to go pretty deep into your muscle with the acid,” she says matter-of-factly. “It was filthy, that would have festered for certain. You won’t have much strength there for a while.”

“Fingers still work?”

She gives a tight nod. “You’re lucky. Again.”

“Feel… very lucky,” I mumble. She gives me a sharp look, and I swallow. “Sorry. Just in a lot of pain at the moment. How’s Ky?”

“Badly concussed, and I don’t know what’s wrong with her eyes,” Ameliana says. “She says they’re improving, so I’m hoping it’s temporary. Her cuts bled a lot, but they aren’t anything serious. She’ll need a lot of rest, but I think she’ll be all right.”

“Okay.” I let out a breath. “Thank you.”

“Taj…” she says quietly.

“Don’t you start with ‘You should be more careful,’” I mutter. “I get plenty of that from Somi.”

“Somi’s right, though.”

“You think I’m trying to get stabbed?”

“I just don’t want to come over here one day and find something I can’t help with.” She shakes her head. “The doctors on Hod can practically bring back the dead, they say, but I can’t. I’m not even as good as my father was.”

“You’re amazing,” I tell her, trying for charm. “Where would we be without you?”

“Dead,” she says succinctly. “Try to get back to sleep. You need all the rest you can get.”

Once she’s gone, I reach out to Star. We’re safe.