“Sweetheart, it’s all right,” he said. “What do you remember?”
Viv blinked again. “I—the magic failed,” she said. “The anchors vanished too quickly.” Her voice was quiet, dry and scratchy like a rasp.
“That’s right.” Jeremiah drew a deep breath. “You broke the fulcrum, and it knocked you unconscious. You’ve been unconscious for several days.”
Viv coughed. “Several days?”
“Yes, and there’s more.” He kissed the back of her hand. “You were injured. The part of you that regulates your magic is broken. It can’t be repaired.”
“Oh,” Viv said. “It…I don’t understand. Am I dying? I need magic to live, right?”
“That’s right. But we have a solution. If you receive an aegis, it will take over the job of regulating your magic. It will save your life.”
Viv licked her dry lips and whispered, “I can’t be a magus. That’s not possible.”
“It’s possible,” Jeremiah said. “But you have to make the decision yourself, and you have to make it soon. Every moment you’re awake, more of your magic drains away.”
Rick beckoned to me. “Helena. Judy.”
I jerked upright and hurried to the other side of the table, followed by Judy. “You can do this,” I said. “You just have to want it more than anything, and for you, that means wanting to live.”
“Helena,” Viv said, turning her gaze on me. Her eyes were deeply shadowed and gleaming with tears, sure sign that she was about to break down. “What do I do?”
I took her other hand. “It’s painful,” I said. “I won’t lie to you. You have to be strapped down so you don’t hurt yourself. When Malcolm went through it, he was in so much pain, and he nearly didn’t recover. But you’re strong, and I know you can endure this. Please, Viv. We don’t want to lose you.”
Viv looked from me to Jeremiah, who actually was crying. Her jaw firmed. “If it’s my only chance at life, I’ll take it.”
I bowed my head in relief. “We’ll be here the whole time.”
I went back to stand by Malcolm, who put his arm around my shoulder. Judy resumed her place holding up the wall, but I saw her rub her eyes and knew she wasn’t as calm as she seemed. Jeremiah was talking to Viv in a low voice, words I couldn’t make out, but she smiled. He kissed her, nodded to Rick, and stepped away.
“That’s it, people, let’s do this,” Ruby said. The lavender- and white-suited magi surrounded the table, all of them working the leather straps to hold Viv down. The magi on my side of the table pulled out an extension and strapped Viv’s arm to it, swiftly removing the IV and making Viv cry out weakly. Jeremiah twitched as if he wanted to go to her, but stayed put. All I could see of her was that arm, buckled down securely, her skin nearly as pale as the leather.
Then they were done, and all movement ceased. For the longest time, nothing happened except Ruby, who stood by Viv’s head, stared at her enormous diver’s watch. Finally, she looked up. “Twenty-two minutes,” she said. “Begin now.”
It didn’t look like they were doing anything. The two white-suited magi flanking Ruby put their hands on Viv’s shoulders. The other magi just stood there. Harriet, next to one of the white magi, had her back to me. The back of her light gray hair was flattened as if she’d just gotten out of bed for this. I took Malcolm’s hand and crushed it in mine. He hugged me closer. His warm, strong presence reassured me. I closed my eyes and prayed more fervently than I ever had before.
A low moan broke me out of my devotions. Viv’s hand was clenched tight, and as I watched, she let out another moan. “It’s all right, Viv, don’t hold back,” Ruby said.
The air around the table wavered like heat haze and stank of ozone and the sharp smell of magic. Viv moaned again, louder this time, and her arm strained helplessly against the leather straps.
“Fifteen minutes,” Ruby said. “Step it up, people.”
The ozone smell grew stronger until I felt I might choke on it. Viv began screaming, a garbled sound as if she were gagged—which she was; they would have given her a mouth guard as Malcolm had had. I closed my eyes again and buried my face in Malcolm’s shoulder.
Then the screaming cut off, and Viv’s hand relaxed. A low murmur went up from around the table. “Keep going,” Ruby said, and put both her hands on Viv’s forehead. I didn’t see what happened next, but Ruby threw back her head and closed her eyes like an ancient priestess performing a sacrifice. Viv’s hand flexed, closed tight, and once again she strained against her restraints. Ruby was sweating and her eyes were still closed. “We should have kept that infusion going,” she muttered to Rick.
“It would have interfered with Damerel,” Rick said. “Keep her awake. Just a few more minutes.”
Ruby nodded and craned her head to see her watch without removing her hands from Viv’s forehead. “Twelve minutes.”
Viv screamed again, then sobbed as if the tears were being wrung out of her. Jeremiah’s face was a mask of anguish. I was sure I looked the same. All that kept me from tearing those magi away from my friend was my knowledge that she would die if this failed. And if she could bear it, I could.
“Ten—”
“It’s time,” Harriet said. She took the Plexiglas ball out of her pocket and cracked it open one-handed. “Open the passage.”
The two white-suited magi each took a step forward. Viv made another strangled sound. The aegis drifted out of the ball and descended beyond my sight. There was a moment of total silence that made me feel I’d gone deaf. Then Viv screamed and bucked against the straps. Something broke, and her arm was free, allowing her to claw at her chest. Two magi swore and grabbed her arm, pulling it back down.
“Damn it, it’s draining faster,” Ruby exclaimed just as Viv went completely limp. “Four minutes. Jeremiah—”
Jeremiah and I shoved past the magi unfastening Viv’s restraints. “Viv,” Jeremiah said, “now you have to accept the aegis. It’s trying to transform you, but you have to agree to it. Viv!”
I snatched up Viv’s hand and gripped it in both of mine. “It’s okay,” I said. “Wake up, Viv. It’s okay.” Judy hovered at my shoulder, gripping the edge of the bed like she wanted to break a piece off.
“Two minutes,” Ruby said. Jeremiah glared at her, and she backed away.
“Listen to me, Genevieve Haley,” he said, “if you don’t come back from this, I’m giving your drum kit to Goodwill. Think about that. Some pimply adolescent banging away like a monkey on your drums. Wake up!”
“That’s good,” I said, wiping away tears. “Viv, you have to come back, because Judy and I will drive each other nuts without you to get in the way.” Judy choked on a laugh.
Jeremiah smiled. He leaned way over and whispered something in Viv’s ear.
Viv blinked. “You would not,” she said in a clear, strong voice. “You know how I feel about marriage.”
I cried out and dove on her as Jeremiah did the same. Viv put her arms around both of us. “I feel so dizzy,” she said. “And hungry.”