as a black jaguar took to a limb above Marlene, roared, but dropped to the ground and instantly transformed. The moment they saw Kamal, they normalized.
Kamal's entire body trembled as he walked a hot path back and forth behind Shabazz, unable to keep his eyes on Marlene. "Whatever I can do. If you need another seer, mon, I will go blind for her. Just tell me."
Berkfield dropped beside Shabazz, shrugging out of Marjorie's protective hold. "Man, for the love of God, let me help you. Me and you, together, with Kamal, bring the burns to us while the Neterus go in. Maybe Kamal's help can block it?"
Carlos was instantly down on his knees by Cain's side. No matter what he'd seen, no matter what was going on, the priority was to staunch the pain, make Marlene breathe, and try to keep her heart beating before hysterical Guardians went in with good intentions and killed themselves from pain-shock.
"Tell me what I've gotta do, man," Carlos said, focusing on Cain's eyes and blocking out the look of affection Damali had offered his competitor. It was beyond all that, with Marlene's life in the balance.
"Grab Damali's hand with mine," Cain ordered. His tone was that of a senior surgeon as he motioned for the correct physical, kneeling alignment. "The female Neteru at her head, each male Neteru at her side to form a pyramid--us as the platform at her heart level just beneath her lungs, and Damali siphoning life force up through the most damaged organs through her crown chakra."
Cain waited as the other Guardians quickly moved out of the way and Carlos and Damali took their positions. "The staff," he said to Damali. "Female energy therefore, you hold it, our hands over yours. Place it on her heart chakra. Visualize the kundalini serpents coming to life. One ascending into the Fohat macrocosmic field, pure white Light, the other descending into her energy field bringing the Light from the upper realms into her being."
Cain glanced up at Carlos. "Mind lock with me, brother. See only the green bands of Light. The harmonic frequencies of healing tones. Let it radiate out of your third eye, engulf your hands, and send the gentle pulse into the conduit, the rod. Do it easy, with skill. This woman a severely injured and what we do must be delicate. Then, we wait."
Carlos nodded. Damali positioned the staff over the center of Marlene's now-quiet chest, noticing that it no longer struggled as hard as it initially did to take in or release air. Damali's grip was slicked by nervous sweat. Her mind screamed a prayer, held Marlene's mind in constant monitor, begging her not to let go or flow into the Light.
Carlos closed his eyes. Searing silver strength held his mind. His initial impulse was to fight it and pull away, but he surrendered to the invasive sensation, and tried to find the green harmonic Cain mentioned. But this was his first time ever attempting such an advanced Neteru procedure. His focus repeatedly fractured as everything that had recently happened in the frontal consciousness of Cain's mind ripped into his.
"Focus," Cain ordered through his teeth, grappling with Carlos's untrained entry. "What you are witnessing with me and Damali is of little consequence. Go deep. One mind. One path. Healing." Total frustration made Cain open his eyes, which made the two junior Neterus stare at him. He looked at Damali. "Show him how to do it," Cain muttered, thoroughly disgusted. "If he cannot use sight, then tune his ear to the harmonic so he can do what must be done!"
Damali grasped Carlos's hands tighter as Marlene's chest went still. "Listen to me. Look into my eyes. Hear the sound in my head and follow that until the color takes over your mind. We're losing her."
Cain nodded and closed his eyes again. Damali settled down. Carlos closed his eyes but was anything but settled. In fact, so much was riding on his shoulders at this point that he wanted to stand and bolt. Not only was he shown to be the weaker Neteru in front of the entire team, his boyz--but also his woman, in front of her near lover, with her mother-seer's life hanging in the balance... and if Marlene died, it would be his fault. No one on the team would ever forgive him; just like he would never forgive himself.
The strength, this time, is in the surrender, a quiet female voice said within Carlos's mind. Oddly, it wasn't