Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [100]
They seem to have other priorities, Maudi.
I don’t! What are they thinking, defacing my totem?
The tube down her throat was attached to a bag, like a blacksmith’s bellows, and someone was using it to force air in and out of her lungs. The mechanical rise and fall of her chest was the only movement, save for when they discharged the electrical shocker through her heart. When that happened, her whole body arched, convulsing for an instant before falling back to the table.
A man was in charge. He was young, stressed and surrounded in an aura of purple edged with muddy brown. No wonder he was not able to help her. He needed healing himself. She moved her energy closer to him, offering a whisper of curiosity and concern. His aura jumped, turning a brilliant violet that expelled the murky undertones. She reached out to him, like a child to a flower. You are going about this the wrong way, she whispered.
His head turned towards her, eyes seeing past. What was that?
So you can talk to me. Good news.
He looked around; no one noticed his confusion.
What’s your name? Rosette asked.
The word Everett came to her before he formed the thought. Everett? That’s nice. She said his name slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.
I’m hearing voices now? Lack of sleep, no doubt. I’m going mad.
Not madness. I’m real, and, Everett, I don’t know where you learned your healing arts, but this is all very cart before the horse.
Cart? Horse? Who are you?
Rosette de Santo, a witch from the Dumarkian Woods.
I’m hallucinating.
If so, it’s a shared experience.
I don’t understand.
For now, just pretend you aren’t hallucinating. I’m real and you need to listen to me.
What?
You need to take a different approach. Your emergency measures are making my body uninhabitable.
He looked up at the clock, sweat trickling down his temple. He shouted ‘clear’ again and everyone stepped back from the table. Her body jolted as the paddles shocked her.
That’s not working. You’re trying to revive my body when you really need to give me more energy.
Energy?
Mine’s badly depleted. Can’t you see that?
What I see is a cardiac failure on the table and a minor schizoid episode in my head.
Great. So now I’m some kind of minor episode? Everett, jump-starting my heart and cleaning my blood won’t help. I need more energy. Don’t you know anything about healing? We are energy beings. You’re treating me like I was blood and bone.
‘Last heparin?’ Everett asked aloud.
‘Fifteen minutes ago.’
‘Give one more. Resume compressions.’
Rosette watched as one of them rammed her chest like it was a tyre pump. This isn’t the way. Look, he’s cracked my ribs. That’s going to hurt like demons when I get back in, you know.
Who are you?
I explained all that. Please. Just stop this nonsense and boost my energy field with your magic. That will fix it.
Even if I could give you energy, I wouldn’t know how.
Sure you would. You do it all the time.
Explain.
You’re flooding me with stress and anxiety right now. Everyone is. You could start with giving me a boost of something a little lighter—more nourishing. The fear in here is making me close off. Actually, I’m totally disconnected from my body now, so if you can come up with a different methodology quickly, that would be grand.
Like what?
Joy, for example. Bliss. Are you familiar with those terms?
Joy?
Can you think of something that makes you happy?
I never think like that when I’m working.
And you can see how effective it is. Zilch. Everett, give it a go. Just think of one good feeling. Otherwise, I’m dead.
He didn’t respond but shouted ‘clear’ yet again, ordering more injections—using words she didn’t know.
Bother him, Dray. He’s not listening.
She floated away, a balloon slipping out of a toddler’s hand. Rosette watched the scene from a mountain-top perspective. They were like ants below,