She could have pretended she didnt hear what hed said, or at least didnt understand him, but she was sick of evasions and lies, so she continued to hold his gaze and told him the truth, Well, actually, that has a lot more to do with me than you, and that makes it a kinda long, confusing story. I guess mostly Im not real sure why I wont kill you, cept for the fact that I tend to do things my own way, and I can definitely say Im not a big fan of killing.
He stared at her until she wanted to squirm under that strange red gaze. Finally he said, You should.
Stevie Raes eyebrows went up. I should know, I should kill ya, or I should do things my own way? Youre gonna have to be more specific. Oh, and you should also consider being less bossy. Youre not exactly in a position to tell me what I should do.
Obviously at the very end of his strength, his eyes had begun to close, but her words had him reopening them. She could see some kind of emotion changing his expression, but his face was so foreign, so unlike anything or anyone she was used to, that she couldnt read him. His black beak opened as if he was going to say something. At that moment a shudder rippled through his body. Instead of speaking, he closed his eyes tightly and moaned. The sound was filled with an agony that was completely human.
Automatically she took a step toward him. His eyes reopened and, even though they were glazed with pain, she could see his scarlet gaze was focused on her. Stevie Rae stopped and spoke slowly and distinctly. Okay, heres the deal. I brought water and stuff to bandage you up with, but Im not really cool with coming over there by you unless you give me your word you wont try anything Im not gonna like.
This time Stevie Rae was sure the emotion she saw within the red of those human eyes was surprise.
I cannot move. His words were halting, and it was an obvious effort for him to speak at all.
Does that mean I have your word you wont bite me or do anything else thats not very nice?
Yesssss.
His voice had gone all guttural and the word ended in a hiss, which Stevie Rae didnt find at all reassuring. Still, she straightened her spine and nodded like he hadnt just sounded like a snake. Well. Good. Okay, lets see what I can do to make ya feel better.
Then, before she could talk some sense into her own dang head, she walked right up to the Raven Mocker. She plopped the towels and the moss on the ground beside him, and set the water bucket down more carefully. He really was big. Shed forgotten that. Well, maybe it was more like shed blocked it from her memory, because forgetting his size was pretty hard. It hadnt been exactly easy to drag/carry him into this shed before Erik or Dallas or Heath or anyonehad seen her, even though hed been weirdly light for how heavy he looked.
Water. The word was almost a croak.
Oh, yeah, sure! Stevie Rae jumped and then fumbled with the handle of the dipper. It fell on the floor, and as embarrassed as she was frazzled, she dropped it againhad to pick it up, wipe it on a towel, and then finally dip it into the water. She moved closer to him. He stirred weakly, obviously trying to raise an arm, but the attempt caused him to moan again and his arm seemed to only be able to hang at his side, as useless as his broken wing. Not pausing to think about what she was doing, Stevie Rae bent, lifted his shoulders gently, tilted his head back, and held the dipper to his beak. He drank thirstily.
When hed had his fill, she helped him lie back, but not until shed put one of the towels under his head.
Okay, I dont have anything to clean you up with except water, but Ill do my best. Oh, and I brought some strips of moss. If I pack your wounds with them, theyll help. She didnt bother to explain that she really didnt know how she knew the moss was good for his woundsit was just one of the snatches of information shed get from time to timeout of nowhere. One second she wouldnt have a clue about something. The next shed be sure of how to, well, plug up a wound, for instance. She wanted to believe it was Nyx whispering to her, like the Goddess whispered to Zoey, but the truth was, Stevie Rae didnt know for sure. Just keep choosing good over evil she muttered to herself as she started to tear one of the towels into strips.
The Raven Mockers eyes opened and he looked questioningly at her.
Oh, dont mind me. I talk to myself. Even when Im not alone. Its kinda like my own version of therapy. She paused and met his gaze. This is gonna hurt. I mean, Ill try to be careful and all, but youre pretty messed up.
Go ahead, he said in that pain-filled whispery voice that sounded too human to be coming from such an inhuman-looking creature.
Alright, well, here goes. Stevie Rae worked as quickly and as gently as possible. The hole in his chest was terrible. She flushed it with water and picked off as much of the twigs and crap from around it as possible. His feathers made what she was doing super weird. There was chest and skin under them, but it was just so dang odd! He had feathers, and under them she found downy little black puffs that felt soft as cotton candy from the state fair.
She glanced at his face. Hed laid his head back down on the towel pillow. His eyes were squeezed shut, and he was breathing in short little pants.
Sorry, I know this hurts, she said. His only response was a grunt which, ironically, made him seem more guy-like. Seriouslythe grunt was well known to be a major guy communication method. Okay, I think its ready for the moss. She spoke more to soothe her own nerves than his. Tearing off a section of the moss, she carefully packed it into the wound. It doesnt seem as bad now that its not bleeding so much. She kept chattering, even though he barely responded to her. Here, gotta move you a little. Stevie Rae rolled him further on his stomach so she could get to the rest of the wound. He pressed his face into the towel and stifled another moan. Stevie Rae spoke quickly, hating that agonized sound. The hole where it came out of your back is bigger, but its not as dirty, so I wont have as much cleaning to do back here. It took a larger chunk of moss to cover the exit wound, but she got it done quickly.
Then she shifted her attention to his wings. The wing on his left side was tucked tightly against his back. It didnt look like it had been injured at all. But his right wing was another story. It was totally messed upshattered and bloody and hanging lifelessly down his side.
Well, I guess its time to admit Im totally out of my comfort zone back here. I mean, the bullet wound was nasty, but at least I knew what to do about itkind of. Your wing is something else. I have no clue what to do to help it.
Bind it to me. Use the cloth strips. His voice was gravelly. He didnt look at her and his eyes were still tightly closed.
Are you sure? Maybe I should just leave it alone.
Less painif its bound, he said haltingly.
Well, shit. Okay. Stevie Rae got to work tearing another towel into long strips, and then knotting them together. All right. Im gonna arrange your wing on your back kinda in the same position your other wings in. Is that right?
He nodded once.
She held her breath and picked up his wing. He jerked and gasped. She dropped it and jumped back.
Shit! Im sorry! Crap!
His eyes slitted and he looked up at her. Between panting gasps he said, Just. Do. It.
She gritted her teeth, leaned forward and, blocking out his muffled moans of pain, rearranged the shattered wing into a position that vaguely resembled the unwounded wing. Then, with barely a pause for breath, she said, Youre gonna have to hold yourself up a little so I can get this tied around you.
Stevie Rae felt his body tense and then he heaved himself up, leaning mostly on his left arm, so that he was in a tilted-over, half-sitting-up positionand his torso was far enough off the floor of the shed for her to quickly wrap the towel strips around him and secure the wing.
Okay, got it.
He collapsed. His entire body was trembling.
Im wrappin your ankle now. I think its broken, too.
He nodded once.
She tore more towel strips and then securely wrapped up his surprisingly human-looking ankle, just like she remembered her volleyball coach wrapping up one of her teammates weak ankles back when she was in high school at Henrietta High, home of the Fighting Hens.
Fighting Hens? Okay, her hometowns mascot had always been silly, but at that moment it struck Stevie Rae as super-funny, and she had to bite her lip to keep a hysterical giggle from bubbling out of it. Thankfully she got herself under control in just a couple breaths, and managed to ask him, Are you hurt bad anywhere else?
He shook his head in a short, jerky motion.
Okay, then Im gonna stop messin with you, cause I think I got the worst of it tended. When he nodded once in agreement, she sat on the floor beside him, wiping her shaking hands on one of the leftover towels. Then she just sat there, looking at him and wondering what the heck she was going to do next. Ill tell you one thing, she said aloud, I hope I never have to tie up another broken wing in my whole dang life.
His eyes opened, but he didnt speak.
Well, it was totally horrible. That wing hurts worse than a regular broken arm or leg, doesnt it?
She was talking because she was nervous, and Stevie Rae didnt expect him to answer, so she was surprised when he said, It does.
Yeah, thats what I thought, she continued, as if they were two normal people having an ordinary conversation. His voice was still weak, but it seemed easier for him to speak and she guessed immobilizing his wing had really helped his pain level.
I need more water, he said.
Oh, sure. She grabbed the dipper, glad her hands had stopped shaking. This time he was able to hold himself up and tip back his own head. She only had to pour the water into his mouth, or beak, or whatever the correct word for it was.
Since she was already up, Stevie Rae decided she might as well gather up the bloody pieces of towel, thinking that she should get them away from the shed. The red fledglings sense of smell wasnt as good as hers, but it also wasnt as undeveloped as regular fledglings. She didnt want to chance any of them having a reason to sniff around there. A quick search of the shed and she discovered extra-big lawn and garden trash bags, into which she stuffed the rags. There were three towels she hadnt used, and without really giving it much thought, she unfolded them and spread them out, covering as much of the Raven Mocker as was possible.
Are you the Red One?
His voice made her jump. His eyes had been closed and hed been so quiet while she was cleaning up that she had assumed he was asleep, or maybe passed out. Now those human eyes were open again and trained on her.
I dont know how to answer that. I am a red vampyre, if thats what you mean. The first red vampyre. She thought briefly about Stark and his completed red tattoos, which made him the second red vampyre, and wondered where he was going to fit in their world, but no way was she going to mention him to the Raven Mocker.
You are the Red One.
Well, okay, I guess I am.
My father said the Red One was powerful.
I am powerful, Stevie Rae said with no hesitation. Then she held his gaze and continued, Your father? You mean Kalona?
Yes.
Hes gone, ya know.
I know. He looked away from her then. I should be with him.
No offense, but from what I know of your daddy, I think its best that youre here and hes not. He isnt exactly a nice guy. Not to mention Neferet has gone completely batshit crazy, and the two of them are like peas in a nasty pod.
You talk a lot, he said and then grimaced painfully.
Yeah, its a habit. A nervous habit, but she didnt add that. Look, you need to rest. Im gonna go. Plus, the sun started to come up five minutes ago, and that means I need to be inside. The only reason I can walk around at all out there is because the skys so full of clouds. She tied the trash bag closed and scooted the water bucket and dipper within his reachif he was able to do any reaching. So, bye. Ill, um, see ya later. She started to hurry away, but his voice stopped her.
What will you do with me?
I havent figured that part out yet. She sighed and fidgeted, picking nervously at her fingernails. Look, I think youre safe here for at least one day. The storm isnt letting up and the nuns arent going to be messin around out here. All of the fledglings will probably stay inside until sunset. By that time I should know what to do with you.
I still do not understand why you dont tell the others about me.
Yeah. Well, that makes two of us. Try to rest. Ill be back.
Her hand was on the door latch when he spoke again. My name is Rephaim.
Stevie Rae smiled over her shoulder at him. Hi. Im Stevie Rae. Nice to meet ya, Rephaim.
Rephaim watched the Red One leave the building. He counted one hundred breaths after the door clicked closed, and then he began shifting his body until hed forced himself into a sitting position. Now that he was fully conscious he wanted to take inventory of his injuries.
His ankle was not broken. It pained him, but he could move it. His ribs were bruised but, again, he didnt think any of them were broken. The bullet wound in his chest was serious, but the Red One had cleaned it and packed it with moss. If it didnt fester and putrefy, he would heal. He could move his right arm, though it was difficult, and it felt unnaturally stiff as well as weak.
Finally, he shifted his attention to his wing. Rephaim closed his eyes and probed with his mind, following sinew and ligaments, muscle and bone, through his back and down the length of his shattered pinion. He gasped, almost unable to breathe, as he truly comprehended the full extent of the damage the bullet, and then the terrible, ripping fall had done.
He would never fly again.
The reality of the thought was so horrible that his mind skittered away from it. He would think of the Red One instead and try to remember everything Father had told him about her powers. Maybe he would find some clue in his memory that would explain her unusual behavior. Why had she not killed him? Perhaps she still wouldor at least perhaps she would betray his presence to her friends.