the nose piercing was new, and so was the pentagram around his neck. He still looked like a wannabe badass. Only with Kevin, it was a mistake to underestimate him. He had the capacity to be a genuinely scary badass, and I'd seen him do it. I didn't want to witness it in close quarters, underground.
And then I realized that Kevin wasn't sitting on the ground, back to the wall, because he was being a sulky little bastard, although that wasn't beyond him; he was pale, leaning, and breathing in shallow gasps.
Hard to tell against the black, but it looked as if the front of his shirt was wet. I didn't think he'd taken a splash in the surf.
"They came after us," Lewis said. "Wardens. I got us hidden, but I didn't know the boy had been hit until we were already down here. I can't leave him."
"Why?" It was mean, but hell, Kevin deserved it. "All right, fine. He needs medical help, I get it. Let's get him out of here."
"I can't."
"Why?"
He sent me a look, then nodded at the cave around us. I realized-belatedly-that the hard-packed walls were really just packed, sculpted sand. Sand being held together by his willpower. Yep, Lewis had hollowed himself a secret hideout, which was pretty damn cool, but the idea that the whole thing could collapse in on us at any moment didn't exactly make me glow with confidence.
"I need your help," he said. "Actually, I need David's help. I can't do everything at once. He can hold back the sand while I treat the wound..."
Oh, shit. "Um... I can't do that."
Lewis's expression turned even more tense, which really wasn't good. "Jo, I just need to borrow him. I won't keep him."
"I can't."
"I need him."
"He's not-he's not well, Lewis. He's-"
"Jo! The kid's going to die!"
I sucked in a deep breath. "I'm not calling David. What's Plan B?"
Chapter Eighteen
For a second I saw sheer fury erupt in him, which was pretty frightening, considering he was the human equivalent of what Jonathan was in the Djinn world-a near-perfect repository of power-but it wasn't like Lewis to lash out with it. He pulled it all back inside and closed his eyes for a second, and when his voice came, it was low and quiet. "Plan B consists of me watching him slowly bleed to death," he said. "I don't like Plan B. Look, Jo, healing is the hardest of everything I do. I can't do it and hold this place together at the same time. It takes precision. I need help."
"Fine. Just lift me back up, I call an ambulance, we get him out of here. Regular, mundane medical treatment. It does work, you know."
Lewis shook his head, watching Kevin's shuddering breaths. Kevin seemed to not be hearing us. "He's got a torn artery," he said. "I'm holding it shut, but between that and keeping this cave open I'm at the limit. You'll need to get yourself out."
Something occurred to me. "Where's Rahel? Why isn't Rahel helping you do this?"
Another flare of anger in his face. He didn't bother to hide the edge in his voice. "Rahel doesn't think he's worth saving," he said. "She also thinks she has better things to do. She left. Jo, I wasn't kidding. I need David. Please."
Cell phone. I dug it out and checked for reception.
Uh-oh. A couple of dozen feet of sand resulted in a flashing NO SIGNAL. "Um ... the answer's still no. Look, if I call wind down here-"
"You'll kill us."
"Right. Bad idea. Water... right, will kill us. Lewis, you called the wrong girl. I've got nothing."
"You've got a Djinn!"
"No I don't!" I yelled back. "I've got an Ifrit, dammit, and I'm not fucking calling him, so you need to get your head together! Tell me what I can do!"
"Nothing," Lewis snapped. "Thanks for dropping in."
"Guess I'm fucked, then," Kevin whispered, and opened his eyes. Not by much.
They were vague and unfocused; I guessed that Lewis was also doing some kind of pain blocking. I crouched down next to the kid, feeling a strain in my knees.
Nothing like landing flat-footed after a ten-foot fall to really limber up the joints.
"How do you feel?" I asked.
"Like you'd care," Kevin shot back. It was half reflex, I could see that. His heart really wasn't in