a secret blow-dart compartment into—to draw a fat teardrop around each swollen wound, before tenderly rubbing it in with his thumb. The sketch became a cool salve under his touch. Then he drew a series of neat bandages, covering each sting.
“This is an ointment against the venom,” Adrian said, finishing up with the first arm and starting a new teardrop on the other. “Honey and antihistamines. And this”—he drew another bandage—“is an icy-cold compress, to bring down the swelling and take away some of the pain.”
Her lashes dipped. They still felt damp and heavy from the tears, but she wasn’t crying anymore. Though her body ached and burned, the pain on her neck and arms had already dulled significantly.
“Okay,” he said, finishing her arms. He cocked his head and she could feel him watching her, but she kept her attention on the compresses that now dotted her limbs. “Where else?”
She grimaced and bent forward, peeling up the bottom of her shirt so he could see the welts along her back. He worked his way through them, steady and meticulous, and when it was time to do her legs, Adrian looked away while she wriggled out of her pants, hissing and flinching the whole time. He handed her the jacket to cover herself as much as she could while he treated those wounds, though she felt the modesty was for his benefit as much as her own. She didn’t much care what he saw, so long as he made this agony go away.
Distantly, she recognized the thunderous cacophony of a raging battle. Though they sounded miles away, she knew it was much closer than that. It didn’t sound as if the Renegades had yet breached the makeshift barrier over the cathedral, and she imagined the villains standing at the western towers, waiting to see if Ace’s structure would hold. Ready to defend their newly earned territory, with their lives if necessary.
That had been the plan. In the event that the Renegades did make it through Ace’s wall, the villains would hold the cathedral at all costs. Ace had been insistent that they not lose their sanctuary. The Renegades were weak, anyway. Nearly half of their numbers were neutralized. Holding the cathedral should be easy.
Nova found herself hoping that the Renegades never made it inside. She couldn’t stomach the thought of another battle that nobody would win.
By the time Adrian was finished, the pain had become a distant, dull thrum throughout her body.
Again, Adrian allowed her privacy while she stood and pulled her pants back on, busying himself with finally addressing his own wounds. Nova swiped the backs of her hands across her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she murmured, and felt tears welling up again. Tears of gratitude, but also tears of guilt. A part of her wanted to lie down on this dirty, ancient floor and do nothing but sob until this whole miserable ordeal was over. It was all she could do to stay standing. “You didn’t have to … after everything…” She buried her face in her hands. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I don’t know what’s right or wrong or—”
“Nova, stop. Listen to me.” Adrian took her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face. “I can only begin to imagine what your life has been like, but none of that matters right now. What matters is that you are good and strong and brave and willing to fight for the people you care for. Right?”
She gaped at him, not at all sure his description of her was accurate. Who was she? Who had she become?
“Oscar and Danna are down there somewhere. And my dad…” His voice wavered. It seemed like an eternity had passed since Captain Chromium had started scaling the cathedral walls in an effort to get to Adrian.
He was battling Ace, perhaps at this very moment.
But he was invincible. Ace couldn’t hurt him.
Right?
“Help me,” said Adrian. “Ace Anarchy wants us all dead. Please, help me stop him.”
“He’s my uncle,” she whispered.
“He’s an Anarchist.”
“I’m an Anarchist.”
“No. You’re a Renegade.”
She grimaced. “Adrian—”
“You are, Nova. If you don’t believe it, you’re just going to have to trust me.”
She hesitated. His words reminded her of what Ace had said, what felt like eons ago. You cannot trust them, Nova. You are not one of them, much as you might wish otherwise.
But she did trust Adrian. She always had. Even if he was a Renegade. Even if he hadn’t told her about the Sentinel. She trusted him.