the plane. And, oh, God, he was never going to forget the expression on her face - it was more horrific than any war atrocity he'd ever seen, as if she were being flayed alive, sure as her arms and legs were strapped down and pieces of her very flesh were being peeled from her body.
Qhuinn jumped out of the aircraft. "He's okay, he's all right, I promise you - he's just fine."
Bella froze, like that was the last thing she expected anyone to say.
"My nalla, come inside," Z said in that same quiet tone he'd used on Qhuinn. "Come in here."
The female actually looked at Blay like she needed a check-in that she was hearing correctly. In response, he simply took her elbow and helped her through the aircraft's little doorway.
Then he turned away and once again blocked the portal. As sounds of a female weeping openly in relief emanated, he saw Qhuinn draw his hands over his eyes like the male was clearing his own face of tears.
"Holy shit, son, I didn't know you could fly a plane," somebody said.
As Qhuinn looked up and appeared to glance across the landscape, Blay did the same. Talk about your post-apocalyptic scenes: There was a gully extending all along the flight path, like the finger of God had drawn a little line right through the garden.
"Actually...I can't," Qhuinn mumbled.
V put his hand-rolled between his lips and extended his palm. "You got my Brother home in one piece. Fuck the rest of that shit."
"Word - "
"Yeah, thanks be to God - "
"Hell, yeah - "
"Amen - "
One by one, the Brotherhood came forward, each putting his dagger hand out. The procession took time, but nobody seemed to worry about the cold.
Blay certainly couldn't feel it. To the point that he became paranoid....
Reaching into the warmth of his leather jacket, he found his rib cage and pinched himself as hard as he could.
Ow.
Shutting his eyes, he sent up a silent prayer that this was reality...and not the horror that might have been.
All the attention was making Qhuinn jumpy.
And it wasn't like his little flight of fancy had been a Zen frickin' experience. The burn in his face from all that wind, the aches in his shoulders and his back, the wobbly legs - he felt like he was still up there, still praying to nothing he believed existed, still and forever on the verge.
Of dying.
Plus he was so damn embarrassed - breaking down in front of Z like that? Come on. What a fucking pussy.
"Mind if I take a look?" Doc Jane said as she approached the crowd.
Yeah, good idea. The whole purpose of this was because Z had been injured badly enough not to be able to dematerialize.
"Qhuinn?" the female said.
"I'm sorry?" Oh, he was in the way. "Here, let me get out of the - "
"No, not Zsadist. You."
"Huh?"
"You're bleeding."
"Am I?"
The doctor turned his hands over. "See?" Sure enough, his palms were dripping red. "You just wiped your face. You have a deep cut on your head."
"Oh. Okay." Maybe that was why he felt so spacey? "What about Z - "
"Manny's already in there."
Huh. Guess he'd missed that part. "You want to look at me here?"
She laughed a little. "How about we get you back to the house - if you can walk."
"I'll take care of him - "
"Let me get him - "
"I'll take him - "
"Got him - "
The chorus of volunteers was a surprise, and so were all the helping arms that appeared from out of nowhere: He was literally enveloped by thick fighting arms, and all but carried away from the site like someone surfing the crowd at a concert.
He glanced back, hoping to see Blay, praying to meet the guy's eyes, just to connect, even though that was crazy -
But Blay was there.
That beautiful blue stare was right there, so steady and true as it met his own that he felt like breaking down all over again. And he drew strength from those eyes, just as he'd done back when they'd spent so much time together. The truth was that he wished it were Blay getting him back to the mansion, but no one said shit to the Brotherhood when they kicked in en masse like this. And besides, no doubt the guy would feel like that was too close.
Qhuinn refocused on the way ahead. Holy...shit...
The garden was utterly decimated, half of the ten-foot-high hedge next to the house cut down, all kinds of trees