Live...Wake Up

I am not good, I am not brave, I am not strong,
I stay a little longer, just to end my final song.
My notes are clear, but slowing fast,
No man will care when I breathe my last.

Kai stumbled into Besai's room with her bowl of...whatever it was...that the kitchens were preparing for the plague victims. It was kind of green and had chunks of rice in it. He didn't think he wanted to know what the green stuff was.

But he thought about it, rice was a good idea. It tended to stay down better than any other food because it absorbed all of the stomach fluids and kept them there to be digested instead of rejected.

He sat down on the chair next to Besai and offered her a spoonful of the rice glop.

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

The bags under Besai's eyes were tremendous. Whatever sleep she managed to nab between check-ups didn't seem to be helping her health much. Her irises, which had at one time been a misty sky blue, were now yellowish. Like Cole's when he had been recovering from the Overlord's poison.

Poison. One of the Overlord's favored weapons, it seemed.

"Fine," she answered, voice whispery and weak. "You look like you need sleep too."

No kidding. Kai felt like it he allowed his head to hit a pillow, he'd fall asleep before a sigh of relief could pass his lips.

"I'm fine," he said. He offered her the spoon again.

He never bothered to make her sit up when he fed her. All of her joints and muscles were too swollen for any sort of movement.

Besai accepted a mouthful and held it in her mouth for a while as she watched him.

Right. She was waiting for him to eat. Kai spooned a half bite into his mouth.

Satisfied, Besai swallowed and opened her mouth for more.

They went on like this for several minutes, taking turns with the spoonfuls until the bowl was empty. He set it on the floor and pulled the blanket off the lower half of her body.

"I'm going to check the rags," he said. He placed a hand on her belly, which was so swollen that anyone's first thought would be that she was nine months pregnant with twins. But no. It was blood. He knew this because of how it oozed between her legs. Like a heavy menstruation, but with more cramps.

A few days ago, this sight would have made Kai feel sick. But he dealt with it often enough now that it didn't even make him flinch. Most every woman and child in the compound was suffering from it.

He replaced her rags with fresh ones that he kept under the bed, then went the extra mile and wiped her thighs clean. She liked this. It seemed to relieve her pain a little when he touched there.

Finally, he was done. He washed his hands in the tiny wall spout next to the latrine, then sat down again and covered her legs with the blanket.

"Guess what?" he said.

"Hmm?"

"It's ready. Cyrus found some proper ceremonial earrings. He says he can spare a few minutes to insert them. But the actually ceremony won't happen since we're in lockdown and can't get to a temple."

A bit of life returned to Besai's face. "When?" she asked.

"In a few minutes. He says he's got to grab something. Then he'll be right over."

He hadn't realized how close their faces were. But the next thing he knew, she was trying to kiss him.

He jerked away.

Besai looked hurt. "What ees wrong?"

Kai took her cold hand in his and massaged her knuckles. "My poison," he said. "I don't know if it's still there. I don't want to hurt you more."

Besai sucked in her lower lip, disappointed.

Kai kissed her hand. "I love you," he said.

"A'ah. I love you too." She pulled his hand to her lips and held it there.

Oh, sweet Besai. Always the mimicker.

"How deed work go?" she asked.

Kai sighed. "That little boy," he said. "You know, the one I told you about last night."

"Yes. He ees the first male to catch the disease."

"You remembered. Well, Cyrus was helping me with him this afternoon. Since he doesn't have a womb, we were wondering where all the blood was going. It has to pool somewhere."

He sniffed and wiped his eyes. Why was he getting so emotional over this one case? There was a multitude of other victims to grieve. But the boy...that sweet little boy who clutched at his toy cat as if it was the only thing he owned...he was unique.

"Deed he die?" Besai asked.

Kai nodded. "Cyrus plans on doing an autopsy later tonight. We think something ruptured in his brain."

"Ah-top-see?"

"Just...examining the body."

"Mmm." Besai stroked his hand with her thumb. Neither of them liked to talk about death. Especially since she was so close to it.

Kai never allowed himself to dwell on it, but he knew she was hours from death. It was a small miracle that she had lasted five days since most of the others were deteriorating in half that time. Perhaps she'd gotten a bit of his antidote with the poison, slowing the sickness a bit.

Cyrus chose then to bustle into the room, breathless- as usual- and red in the face. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said. "I had to find this." He skidded to a stop next to the bed and presented a small bottle of gel.

"What is it?" Kai asked.

"A numbing agent. I remember what you said about Besai perhaps not being able to handle the pain of the piercing, so I thought that we could use it."

Kai unscrewed the cap and sniffed it. No scent.

"Don't touch it," Cyrus said. "The effects are immediate. You wouldn't be able to feel your fingertips for a good twenty minutes."

Kai handed it back and nodded. "Yeah. Besai could use it."

"No," Besai said. "I don't want to have eet. Eef I don't have pain, eet dosun't count."

"Besai," Kai said. "Listen to me. I don't want you to hurt any more than you already do."

"I already hurt everywhere," Besai said. "So please just let me do thees."

Kai hesitated, then nodded. "Fine," he said. "I guess we're ready, Cyrus."

"Excellent." Cyrus ripped open a paper packet and poured it into a fold-out tray on his wheelchair. "I'll uh...try to recite what I know, but it will be unprofessional."

"I don't care," Kai said. "And Besai definitely doesn't. Anything you do will feel professional to her."

Cyrus took a cotton swab and dipped it in ointment, then motioned for Kai to kneel. "We place the ring on the left ear because it is situated over the heart," he said. A clumsy beginning to the wedding speech, but Kai hadn't been lying when he said he didn't care.

Cyrus dabbed Kai's earlobe with the cold swab, then turned to Besai.

Kai helped her to a sitting position, then held her hand as Cyrus cleaned her ear.

"Umm..." The crow's feet around Cyrus' eyes deepened as he sterilized his hollow needle. "Forgive me, Milord. I've only attended a few weddings."

"Don't sweat it," Kai said. "Just skip all the religious statements." It's not like it'll matter. By the end of the day, she'll be...

He squeezed her hand harder as Cyrus positioned the needle to his ear.

"I don't think it needs to be said, but this will hurt."

Kai almost rolled his eyes. "Just do it fast. I'll get over- wow!"

He yelped as the large needle went straight through his skin and poked his jaw. His grip on Besai's hand tightened.

Cyrus threaded the needle and pulled the small hoop through Kai's ear. "The rings represent eternity," he said. "Love that never ends. A life united forever."

He sterilized a new needle and turned Besai's head toward him. Despite her fear, she smiled like a beacon of joy.

As if Kai had needed more convincing, here was another reason to love her with all his heart. She was always supportive and joyful and strong, even when her own world was crumbling around her.

"Are you ready, sweetie?" Cyrus asked as he aligned the needle with her left ear.

Besai breathed deep, casting a nervous glance in Kai's direction. All of the strange, harmful stuff that Overlord had exposed her to had been injected through needles like this one.

"I...I...love you, Kai," she said. "Yes. I am ready."

Brave. She was brave, too.

"One...two...three." Cyrus pushed it through.

Besai reacted better than Kai had. Just one more wave in an ocean of pain, he supposed. The thing that surprised her the most was the sharp popping noise the needle made as it slid through her lobe.

Cyrus continued his speech as he finished the procedure. "The center of the earring. It is not an empty space. It is a door that will lead you to new places. Places of happiness and peace, and places of sorrow and grief. Places known and unknown. Expected and unexpected."

He gave them both a swab of disinfectant. "Love and respect each other. Care for one another as though you were caring for your own body. For you are one and cannot be separated."

With a gentle hand, Kai reached up and cleaned Besai's piercing. After a moment, Besai understood what was happening and did the same to his. Her fingers were feverish and unsteady, but it was a simple job, and she did it with such focus and tenderness that Kai began to feel dwarfed; a mere shadow cast by her light.

"Besai," Cyrus said when they were finished. "What do you think it means to respect your husband?"

Besai thought for a moment. "Respect ees...leaning on hees shoulder. Making heem feel eemportant. Trusting that he weel always be there when I need heem, and letting heem know that he can lean on me too."

"Good. Kai, what do you think it means to love your wife?"

Kai cleared his throat. He was drowning in her glimmering eyes. "Love is going the extra mile. Making her feel cherished-" Besai smiled "-and safe and...I don't know. Wanted. Love is chasing after her when she blindly runs into the battlefield, and taking the arrow for her in the chest. Twice. And once in the knee, just for good measure."

Cyrus' eyes were misty as he chuckled and backed away. "The First King is your witness to the promises made this day," he said. "You may now seal your vows."

Kai hesitated.

"Kai," Besai said. "Please? One last time."

"But...my poison- mmph!"

Besai leaned too far over- on purpose, the sneaky little conniver- and Kai caught her shoulders half a second before her head could hit his collarbone.

He opened his mouth to scold her, but he suddenly found his tongue...occupied.

Her lips were hot. Her tongue was hotter. She tasted of honey, tears, and blood.

Kai found his resolve melting away. So he gave up and leaned in, kissing her back with all the force of a man who knew this would be his very last kiss.

The kisses of their night almost a week ago had been wonderful, but this one...it felt special. Almost magical.

"I love you," Kai said when they separated.

Besai turned her head away and coughed, then nodded. "I love you." Her voice was muffled by her hands, which clamped over her lips as she moaned. "My mouth..."

The poison, of course. It was burning her lips.

Kai held her to his chest. His throat tightened.

"I think that's all," Cyrus said. "Kai...I'll give you the rest of the day to be with her."

Unable to speak, Kai nodded. He whispered- no, mouthed- his thanks, and Cyrus wheeled out of the room.

"Kai..." Besai tucked her head under his chin. "Kai...eet hurts."

Kai laid her in the bed. He tried to sit down, but Besai grabbed a fistful of his shirt and would not let go, so he climbed in with her and held her hand. She rested her head on his breast and closed her eyes.

"Your heart," she said. "Eet's beating fast. Why?"

Why indeed. The question of the day. Why him? Why had he been chosen by the Overlord? Why did everything he did end with someone getting hurt?

"Because...I'm scared," he said. "I don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose my sister. I don't want everyone to die."

Besai opened one eye and found his hand. "Feel my heart," she said.

Kai wrapped his hand around her tiny wrist and squeezed the artery. "It's unsteady," he said. "And really slow."

"Mmm. You see? I'm not scared."

"Why?"

Besai closed her eye and smiled. "Because I have you. I am not alone."

What did she have that made her so happy all the time? Whatever it was, Kai wanted some. She certainly didn't have any reason to be happy right now.

"I love you," she said. She fingered his earring with an airy touch. That's not to say it didn't sting when she threaded her pinky finger through it, but he let her.

"I love you too." They never seemed to get tired of repeating it.

Besai lifted her head and kissed him again.

Why was she doing this? She knew it would hurt her. Perhaps even kill her faster.

Kai began to think that maybe she wasn't entirely sane.

He kissed her back. Maybe they were both a little crazy.

Her kiss tasted different this time. It was bitter, like medicine.

Bitter like death.

Besai pulled away first, teary-eyed and smiling. "Sleep," she said. "Please."

No. Kai wanted to stay awake because he knew that if he allowed himself to fall asleep, he'd wake up with her...dead. He wanted to cherish his final hours with her.

Besai gathered this from the look he gave her. "I am tired," she said. "Und you are, too. Sleep. Dream of me."

It was her final wish. If she wanted them to spend this last day in slumber, he would oblige her. Reluctantly.

He let out a yawn that he'd been holding in for hours. Besai did the same, and clasped their hands together on his shirt. She coughed again, then exhaled, slipping into sleep.

It took Kai a little longer, but only because he wanted to memorize this moment. Besai- his sweet, lovely Besai- with her reddish-brown hair resting in a loose braid over her shoulder, and her tiny nose, which twitched every time she wheezed. And their hands, hers tiny and fair, his large and calloused, intertwined. A picture he didn't want to lose.

Perhaps, when all of this was over, he'd try to paint it on canvas.

Holding the memory close to his heart, he closed his bleary eyes and allowed sleep's gentle, numbing tendrils to pull him into slumber.

I will never forget you.

And I will never stop loving you.

It was still dark and stormy when Jay opened his eyes and stared up at a thatched roof.

Wait.

He shot upright and felt his body. He was clean, dry, and wearing new clothing.

Feeling hopeful, he felt his waist for Stormstrider.

A familiar thrumming filled his mind, and he released a breathy laugh.

His Blade was here.

"How?" he said, shocking himself with his hoarse voice.

"You had a very powerful friend on your side," another voice said from the shadows.

Jay drew his Blade and commanded it to grow. It did.

"Calm yourself, John," the voice said. "If I'd wanted you dead, you wouldn't be awake right now."

Jay rose to his feet and faced the shadow. Thunder pealed outside. "There are worse things than death," he said. "There's nothing you could throw at me that I haven't already seen."

"Oh? Hmm. Well, that's something of a disappointment."

The voice's owner stepped from the shadows, bearing in one hand a staff. "Because I honestly thought that my surprise would...well, surprise you."

Prince Wu. Of freaking course.

Jay shrunk his Blade and sheathed it. "Did you really need to do that?" he asked. "And what did you mean by that bit about me having a 'powerful friend'?"

Wu nodded to the door. "That Kraken," he said. "It brought you to shore. It also found your Blade."

Jay snorted. "That's not possible," he said. "I mean, sure, it followed me for a little while, but why would it save me, let alone my Blade?"

Because I told it to, Stormstrider said.

Jay didn't believe his ears- or...whatever he heard his Blade's voice with. "You're back!" he said, unable to hide his grin.

I never left, Master, the Blade said. But back to your question. I knew I did not have the power to fly you across the ocean. So when I saw the Kraken, I knew I had found a way to save us both.

"You told it to follow us," Jay said.

It was more like...an urge. A gentle prick in the beast's mind, telling it that we were to be protected. It took a lot of energy. Energy too valuable to be wasted in conversation with you. Also...

Its vibrations sounded like laughter. You don't like water, I don't like snow. It seemed like a good way to get revenge for the other day.

"Unbelievable," Jay said. "You are amazing, Stormstrider. Thank you."

Stormstrider purred with pride. More thunder rolled outside the hut.

Wu set a hand on Jay's shoulder and guided him to the table. His stomach complained as he saw the meal of fruits and roasted yirrish, a local seabird.

"Eat," Wu said. "And do it fast. You must continue your journey."

Jay took one of the three prepared plates and sat on the floor. His joints were stiff.

The door to Jay's left opened, letting in a torrent of angry wind and rain. Then it shut again.

"Found some more coconuts," a new voice said. It was brusque and a little...crackly.

Jay stiffened. He recognized it.

The new person stepped closer, boots making squishy sounds with each step. "He's awake. Pity. I'd hoped he'd die in his sleep."

Pixal stepped into Jay's field of vision and dropped three coconuts on the table. Her green eyes glowed with light-emitting diodes, shining like lanterns in the dark room.

"Surprise," Wu said.

Jay coughed down a chunk of slimy banana. "Yeah. No. I take it back. You've thrown something completely new at me."

Wu looked as smug as any old man could.

Pixal snapped her fingers, and her eagle- which had been perched in some dark recess of room- did a flyover. Green lasers shot from its eyes and bored two holes into a coconut. It fluttered into the corner and went silent again.

Pixal tasted the juice, then poured it into a gourd that she'd pulled from somewhere on her person.

Jay recognized that type of gourd. They had a tapered end that made them useful for storing liquid like a canteen. If crafted right, the top could even be reinserted like a cork.

From behind Jay came a distressed wail. Like an infant.

On instinct, he rose and rushed to the child, who was lying in a bundle of blankets.

"Ah. Of course she woke up," Pixal muttered.

Jay held the baby close and shushed her. "It was probably the wind when you opened the door," he said. "Na, lidiyin. Lirygsh anisch to."

The little girl's cries faded, and she gave Jay a quizzical look.

"A'ah," Jay said. "M uehmgdo, lirygsh anisch, drydem. Anisch."

"Give her here," Pixal said. "She's hungry."

At hearing Pixal's voice, the child's lower lip protruded, and she broke into pitiful whimpers.

"Na, na," Jay said, kissing the child's forehead. Then to Pixal, "Let me."

Pixal seemed all too happy to drop the gourd into Jay's hand. "Fine. I don't understand why the kid doesn't like me."

Jay could think of a couple reasons, but he didn't dare say so out loud.

He returned to his mat on the floor and offered the mouth of the gourd to the baby. "How did you end up a nanny?" he asked Pixal.

He'd meant it as a lighthearted jest, but Pixal was far too serious for that. She shook water droplets from her cloak with a "Harrumph" and scooped her plate from the table.

"Let's just say," she said, plopping herself on the floor, "that Cole owes me a huge favor when we get back to the mainland. Chedva is a lot more than I bargained for."

Chedva meant 'joyous'. A lovely name, Jay thought.

Chedva tasted the coconut milk and grimaced. Her wailing returned with more force than ever.

"Lost her real mother yesterday," Pixal said. "Stone warriors found us by the river. There were too many for me to fight, so I fled with this little brat- she was sleeping in the cave at the time- and brought her here."

All of Jay's attention was on little Chedva, not on Pixal's tale. He spoke soothing words in the Dark Tongue, trying to coax the food into her mouth.

She wouldn't take it. Instead, she nuzzled her face into his shirt and mewled.

"Aha. No." Jay laughed. "I don't have any of that stuff."

Somehow, she managed to get her fingers between the buttons of his shirt. She grabbed a fistful of his chest hair and pulled.

The sound left Jay's mouth before he could stop it. It was something between a yelp, a startled intake of breath, and some exotic and loud animal's bray.

Chedva let go and went silent. She looked about as startled as he was.

Jay smoothed his shirt and checked her chubby hand to see how many hairs she'd ripped out. A few brown strands were stuck in her fist.

"Dwrandi," he said. "I know you're not happy, but there's no need to get violent about it."

Chedva's coo seemed tentative. Her wide, silvery eyes stared up at him with that never-changing inquisitiveness.

Jay teased her lips with the gourd, and she hesitated only a moment before fastening her lips around it and sucking.

"Yeah," he said. "Good girl. I know, it isn't anything compared to mommy's milk, but it's the best Pixal could do."

Pixal shook her head, a rueful smile fixed to her face. "Do you like kids?"

"Oh, I love them. Especially babies. They're so sweet."

"You should've chosen a different line of work, then," Pixal said. "Something with more kids and less thievery."

"Done," Jay said. "This kid is mine now. Hope you don't mind."

Pixal rolled her eyes. "Be my-y-ay-" She hit her chest a few times with her fist and coughed. "Da-a-mn voice-oice gli-li-li-tch."

She stood and hit herself with more force.

"Gentle," Jay said. "You'll break something."

Pixal cleared her throat. "As i-if you knew anything a-about robotics."

"Umm...actually, yes. I've tinkered with it a bit. Zane even let me look at his panel once."

The look on Pixal's face could only be described as stunned revulsion.

"No," she said. "I can fi-i-ix it myself."

Jay looked at Chedva- who was busy sucking at the gourd- and said, "ooh. You see that, lidiyin? She's a bad example. Do the world a favor and don't be like her."

Pixal stared with her mouth half-open, her frown sour enough to curdle milk.

Chedva pulled away from the bottle, nose wrinkled in distaste. She whined, arms flailing again.

Maybe the milk had curdled.

Stormstrider, Jay said. What did you just do?

The Blade hummed. I tried to get her to like the coconut. But she's a little smarter than a Kraken. It didn't work.

"Thanks for trying." Jay stood and bounced the child, keeping a hand behind her head. She looked no older than two weeks, and her neck was still delicate.

Bouncing didn't work, so he lifted her to his shoulder and patted her back.

"How much has she eaten?" he asked.

"Almost no-o-thing," Pixal said. "She's stubborn. Refuses everything I've offered her."

"Have you tried mervlengd root?"

"Eh...what?"

"Mervlengd root," Jay said. "You know, big, bulbous clump of rock. It has a flower that pops out during the day, then retracts at night."

"Oh, those things," Pixal said. "No. I didn't know if it was edi-edi-ble or not."

"Well, the flower soaks in a milky substance in its bulb at night," Jay said. "You can break the rocky bulb open and harvest it. It's really sweet. A lot of people use it for-"

"Okay, I get it," Pixal said. She growled. "There's one down by the river. I'll be-e-e right back." She stood and stormed out of the hut.

Okay. So she hadn't had the best vacation of her life, but that was just rude.

Wu snatched Chedva from Jay's arms. "Your knapsack is next to the bed," he said. "Most of the stuff was wet, but-"

"Wet?" Jay flew to the bed and flipped the top. It was dry and filled with fresh foods. His canteen was full, too.

But that's not what he was looking for.

Finally, his hands touched something cold and soggy. He pulled out his waterlogged journal and carefully flipped through the pages until he found the little bluish-green flower.

He breathed a soft sigh of relief and closed the book. Of all the things he could have lost, Nya's flower would have been one of the worst.

"Sorry," he said, shutting the sack. "You were saying..?"

Wu repositioned the baby in his arms- he'd set down his staff- and nodded to the door. "There is no time to waste. If this child's mother isn't dead already, she will be soon."

"Whoa," Jay said. "Listen. I know how important saving lives is. Heh. I do that on a daily basis. But I really don't think that saving Chedva's mother should be my top priority. I have the maps and Merv. You know?"

"Yes, I understand why you would think that way," Wu said. "But I don't believe you are grasping how important this woman is."

"Is she a part of some prophesy?"

"No. She is a helpmeet to one."

Wow.

"Thank you," Jay said. "That made total sense. Here, let's throw my plans into the wind and rescue her because, hey, she's a helpmeet to some prophesy."

Wu smacked Jay's head with his staff- hadn't it just been on the floor?- and scowled. "Cole is days from killing himself," he said. "He needs to know that she's alive. That he still has a family."

Jay stared at Chedva and rubbed the welt on his forehead. "A baby." He smiled, then chuckled. "Cole has a baby."

In no time, he was in full-blown laughter, doubled over with tears filling the cracks around his eyes. "The Dark Knight's baby? You can't be serious. Like, what woman would- Ow!"

He touched the new welt on the back of his scalp. "Okay. Sorry. Yeah, I can grasp how serious this is. Kind of."

"Good," Wu said. "Now get going, before Pixal gets back. If she knew why you were here, she'd try to follow you." He placed a hand on Jay's shoulder- the staff was inexplicably on the floor again.

"This is your battle," he said. "Fight well. Fight bravely. But most of all," he smiled, "fight wisely."

Jay nodded. "Thanks." He shouldered his pack and opened the door, throwing himself to the winds that would carry him to Overlord's camp.

Kai didn't want to wake up.

To open his eyes was to accept what was happening to him- and what had happened to Besai, who was still as stone in his arms.

But no. Don't think about that. Think about instead...the sun. Yes, it was probably rising right now above ground.

How long has it been since he'd seen the sun? Three days, at least. Time had no meaning when one was quarantined in an underground fortress.

He shifted his position to relieve his numb shoulder, and Besai's body moved with him. Rigor mortis hadn't set in yet.

Stop thinking about it.

He was now fully awake. His eyes ached to be open and blinking at the dark ceiling of their- his- room. But he wanted to stay in denial a little longer. Imagine that Besai was actually just sleeping, head nuzzled under his chin, arms tucked close to her tiny chest. Not dead.

In his mind's eye, he saw her smiling as she slept. Eyelids closed over beautiful glassy blue eyes, forehead relaxed instead of wrinkled from stress.

Besai moved in his arms.

No, Kai thought, hugging her tighter. They know she's dead, and they're trying to take her away. I won't-

"K-Kai! You're hurting me!"

With a gasp, Kai let go. He also opened his eyes.

What he saw made him wonder if maybe he was a step beyond crazy.

Yeah. Losing his wife and being in the process of losing his sister...it was doing bad things to his mind. The kind of bad things that would end him in chains in some basement where no one could hear his crazed rants.

"You...can't be alive," he said.

"Are you disappointed?"

"What- no! It's just..." He laughed as best he could with his tightening throat, then cupped Besai's face between his hands and kissed every inch of it.

Besai returned the affections, and their ecstatic laughter filled the room like music.

Still laughing, Kai pulled away and searched her face. "How are you alive?" he asked. "You...you look so much better now, too!"

Besai leaned in and kissed him. "Cyrus told me yesturday that maybe the poison was gone from your body," she said. "Und that the antidote might steel be een you. He said eef I kissed you, I might get bettur."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Cyrus said I shouldn't get your hopes up, in case he wasn't right."

"You stinker," Kai said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I can't believe you did that to me."

He pulled back the sheets and looked at her belly. It was shrinking. An excess of blood was absorbed into the rags beneath her. Her body was draining out all the unneeded liquid?

"You're getting better," he said. "I-I never...wow!"

Besai seemed a little surprised herself. She nodded, one eyebrow scrunched up, and rested both hands atop her swollen abdomen. "Yes," she said. "Yes. But...eet steel hurts."

"Not for long," Kai said. He leaped from the bed, grinning like a mad jackal. "Oh-ho! If my poison is gone, that means that Cyrus can draw more of my blood and find his antidote. This...this is perfect!"

Besai nodded to his legs. "Your pants," she said.

"What about them?"

"They're filthy. Don't go out there weeth clothes like that."

Kai looked down and saw that she was right. Her blood had soaked into the material, turning the gray into burgundy.

"You're not sanguine," Besai said, smiling, "so don't act like eet."

Kai bowed and kissed her hand. "Yes, ma'am. I shall just get new clothes out of the trunk and change here. Do you mind?"

Besai shook her head wryly. "Not at all."