Quiet hysteria briefly broke Damali's concentration, sending Mike into a convulsion. "C'mon, Mike, stay with me. Stay with me, man!"
Blood was everywhere as Damali tried to keep one hand near Mike's wound while using the other to feel for his pulse. "He's going into cardiac arrest!" Damali's gaze went to Inez, who was weeping and stroking Mike's brow. "Suck that bullshit up, pound on this man's chest, and keep him breathing while I work, if you want him to live!"
Inez quickly moved into place and kept up the rhythmic CPR, in�termittently pressing onto Mike's chest with both hands and blowing into his mouth, while Damali closed her eyes and focused heat around the broken vessels.
Damali,Aset said, her tone apologetic.We do have mercy. Our tears are yours. But there is a dark energy lesion surrounding your team. Carlos's old alliances are tipping the balance. This is what Heaven waits to witness. The individual choices of you, Carlos, and the team.
"I can't focus on that right now, Aset," Damali yelled. "If I can't show my... then work with me!"
Remove the wood from him,Aset said quietly.We will assist as best we can from here. If he does not recover, bury him on hallowed ground with full Guardian honors. The kings will send a retinue to escort his admirable spirit to Heaven.
Damali looked at Inez. It was not about losing Mike. Screw what Aset said! This was her brother!
"I'm gonna have to pull out the deck rail, and he's gonna raise up and holler good when I do," she told Inez in a panting command. "Use your body to hold down his shoulders." Damali kissed Mike's forehead, and tried to still his eyes, which were rolling back and forth beneath their lids. "Mike, I love you," she said, and then grasped the wood, yanked hard, and quickly turned her head when a section of his intestines came out with it.
The wail Mike released echoed on the beach and brought Marlene and Marjorie stumbling to the broken door. Berkfield dragged himself forward, reaching toward Mike before he dropped to the sand, unable to move another inch unassisted. Marlene dashed away from Marjorie, fell, got back up, and half-crawled, half-scrambled to Damali's side with blood running down her temple from her scalp, where she'd sus�tained a head wound. Marjorie was at Richard's side within seconds.
"Oh, Jesus, Richard," Marjorie said, touching his leg and making him cry out.
Damali's hands were slick with blood as she forced her hand into the gaping wound, shoving Mike's innards back into the hole as Mike cried out again in pain. She ignored his cries, shudders of agony claiming her as his suffering reached fever pitch. He was begging for her to stop and just let him die, but she had to blot all that out with a fervent, mental prayer for him to make it as she worked to save his life. Slivers of wood bit into her fingers and palm as she drew the frag�ments out along with the internal poisons his intestinal tract was in�ternally leaking into his bloodstream.
The fetid stench of broken bowels and the intensity of Mike's agony put a cold sheen of sweat over Damali's whole body. Inez held down his torso with her own body weight, receiving weak blows to her back as Mike fought in pain to get her off him while sobbing. Marlene instinctively grabbed Mike's legs and began working with Damali's healing in a weakened state. Inez continued to hold him down, dry heaving, trying not to vomit until Mike's body slowly calmed. Damali finally pulled her hand out of his abdomen, her entire body trembling as she rolled over on her side, gasping.
"Seal him up, Mar," Damali whispered through chattering teeth and then slowly pushed herself up to stand after a moment. She stag�gered forward as she looked at her fallen team. "We ain't losing no�body on my watch," she wheezed. "Marj, get a cup from the kitchen, take blood from Berkfield's inner elbow-other side than the one used earlier today. I'ma work on him, first, so he can help clean up this beach," she said through ragged breaths, "while Marj goes behind Marlene to close up everybody's gashes."
Damali bent and rested her bloody hands on her knees for a sec�ond, sucking in air. She glanced around, glad to see that Jose and Dan were finally semiconscious.
Carlos and Shabazz stood on the beach staring at the villa in shock, holding up Rider's limp body. The dwelling looked like it had been shelled with the entire team in it. Tara's disintegrating form was bound in a black silk sheet over Carlos's shoulder, and he let it slide off him to the sand. Shabazz caught Rider's weight as Carlos dashed forward. Damali was lying facedown on the beach with a group of demons and a nymph hostage standing over her. The rest of the team was in varying states of injury grouped around his wife, unable to protect the fallen.
Dirty faces stained with tears and eyes stricken with pure terror looked up at Carlos as he made his way to Damali, calling the blade of Ausar into his grip, and running forward, sword raised, clearly ready to take a demon head. Shabazz eased Rider to the sand and began run�ning, Sleeping Beauty leveled at the closest demon standing near Mar�lene.
"They're on our side!" Berkfield said in an exhausted croak.
"Allies!"Marlene shouted.
"Hold your fire!" Marjorie yelled, scrambling to her feet to protect Hubert.
Shabazz slowed to a jog, coming up behind Carlos.
"What the f**k happened?" Carlos said, going to Damali but look�ing at the hybrids with suspicion.
"She healed a near mortal wound that Mike caught in the gut," Marlene said breathing hard, "after expending nearly all her energy in a battle against Cain. Three quarters of the team sustained serious in�juries, but she sealed 'em up with me, Marj, and Berkfield--Juanita, Krissy, Inez, and Jasmine didn't do too bad on assist, either. We'll live. So will she." Marlene motioned toward the nymph. "Sara sealed up her team, but they weren't as bad off."
Sara looked at Carlos and then dropped to her knees in exhaustion and awe. "The fabled one."
The eleven demon hybrids that had surrounded the nymph all went down on one knee.
"We are honored to serve you," the large hybrid named Hubert said. "If we die at your side, the Light shall accept us."
Carlos inhaled and Hubert's blood tracer matched the ripped T-shirt Rider had given him earlier. "All right. You check out," Car�los said, ramming his blade into the sand to free his hands so he could gently lift Damali. "You guys wait outside. Sara and the rest of the team go in the house." He stood and looked at Shabazz, and then at Marlene. "Tie Rider to a chair, then wake him up. 'Bazz, me and you dig the grave. Mar, we need you to stand in as chaplain."
Marlene got to her feet with a grunt, her eyes frantic. "Who's in the body bag?"
"Tara," Carlos said flatly, stepping over debris with Damali in his arms. "She didn't make it."
The villa's living room became the recovery ward. Newly healed Guardians rested and sipped water slowly as those less injured tended to them. Damali rested on a stool with her head in her hands, barely able to remain upright, but she'd refused to go to sleep until she knew for sure each Guardian would be all right. But it was the news about Tara that most pained her heart. Rider's bellows from the bedroom simply made her close her eyes as quiet tears fell.
"What went wrong?" Damali whispered, searching Carlos's eyes. "Why would Yonnie do something like that?"