The pack pulsed with life from the sphere, and Lucy craved the feel of the cool metal against her skin, but she couldn't take it out with her brother standing right there. Still, the pulsing warmth comforted her and took the sting out of her wounds.
Luke sat cross-legged a few feet from her so she could see his face even while on the ground. His skin looked pale, and dark circles loomed under his eyes. "It's amazing how fast your wounds are healing. When Hunter carried you here, your back looked like ground meat. Mr. K taught me how to make an herbal remedy to help, but still, you healed quite a bit in just the first few hours."
"Must be the magic of this place. Maybe the herbs you used had superpowers." Or maybe it's the sphere. "Where's Hunter? Is he okay?"
"Resting. He's been asleep almost as much as you." Luke adjusted his long legs, trying to make them fit in the small tent. "I managed to get most of the story out of him before he collapsed, though. Sounded pretty terrifying." His eyes clouded with tears but he shook his head and blinked. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
Lucy reached for his hand, despite the pain pulling at her skin. "Don't blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done. Besides, I told you to stay here."
"Yeah, but I didn't have to listen."
"Of course you did. You have to respect your elders."
He dropped her hand and laughed. "Don't even start. Wouldn't want the elder to run out of breath."
"Wouldn't want to make the baby's head hurt from all the big words."
"Whatever. Get some rest, old woman. If being born one minute before me counts as old."
A new warmth filled her. Not the kind brought on by the sphere, but the kind that only lighthearted banter with her brother could bring. She'd missed this side of him and was so glad he was back.
"I am kind of tired." She closed her eyes.
The deep voice of Mr. K filled her mind. "Lucy, I'm sorry about what happened. If I'd been listening more, maybe I could have warned you. I'd—"
"It's okay," Lucy said. "It's not your fault. Thank you for helping Luke figure out the herbal mixture. It's really helped."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you're back."
"Me too."
The talking exhausted her, and she needed to sleep, but the pain throbbed and poked at her relentlessly. An idea formed, and she wondered if she could minimize the pain with the meditation she'd been practicing. With a deep breath—as deep as she could get without tearing at her back—she relaxed her body and focused inward. The pain throbbed in her like a living thing, so she visualized it getting smaller and smaller. Soon it faded just enough that she could sleep.
Dreams haunted her—memories of past assignments, visions of abnormal creatures attacking her. She woke on and off, sleeping in small increments, never really aware of how long she'd been unconscious or what time of day it was. She missed Hunter and worried about him. He came to her in dreams, but she needed to see him in person. When she woke next she asked Luke about him.
"He's still sleeping. Would you like me to wake him?"
"No. Thanks. He needs to rest, I guess. I hope he's okay." What's wrong with him?
She'd been the one torn up by the lizard, not him. But he did exhibit some pretty impressive acrobatics. Unless she'd imagined it all. And the change in his eyes.... She'd have to ask him about all of that once he woke.
In the meantime.... "Luke, I'm bored. Entertain me."
He bowed with over-the-top exaggeration. "As you wish, m'lady. As it so happens, I've been practicing something that I think you will find quite entertaining."
Lucy adjusted herself so she could see him without stretching the skin on her back, as her brother sat crossed-legged in front of her.
He raised his hands and his eyes glazed over with a far-away look.
The change happened so subtly, Lucy didn't know what she was looking at, but then she saw it. Little droplets of water formed in front of them, from the air. They multiplied until the air shimmered with drops everywhere.
"If I focus, I can shift the molecules just a bit, keep the air liquid instead of solid. And I can...." He spread his hands apart and the droplets divided, making hundreds of tiny tears in the air. When he dropped his hands, the water burst like fireworks and turned back to air.
"That's amazing!" She smiled at her brother, so happy he to see him actively engaged in his powers again. Maybe mopey Luke was really gone for good.
"Thanks." He grinned like a kid at Christmas. "It's what I did when I slowed us down as we dropped from the plane. I made the air more viscous, closer to liquid. Maybe even a little liquid at the end, so it's like we sank instead of fell."
"Cool." For an instant, jealousy clawed at Lucy. She wasn't a jealous person by nature, but she did covet more active para-powers. Since Luke had discovered his shadow powers, they'd been very useful, whereas she felt like her powers weren't that helpful most of the time.