The Kill Society (Sandman Slim 9)

It doesn’t go any better for the fry cooks on the opposite shore. Alice and a tall blond romance-novel-cover angel named Johel come at tha

t flamethrower from two sides at once. They dive-bomb the shooters. One of their Gladiuses must have hit the flamethrower’s fuel source, because their whole side of the river goes up in an orange ball of fire that rolls all the way to the top of the cavern.

I yell, “Alice!” But I’m being melodramatic. She and Johel swoop out of the flames a second later and land back on the ship. I run over to her, but she puts out her hands for me to keep back. Waves of heat shimmer off her armor.

“I’m still a little hot to the touch,” she says.

“Can I at least light a cigarette off you?”

“Fuck you. I was being heroic and all you want is a smoke. Typical.”

“You cool off. I have to check on someone.”

By the time I get back to Daja, Doris has cut off the tail end of the arrow right at her wrist. Wanuri holds the end with the arrowhead. Gisco and Johnny hold on to Daja’s arm. I crouch down with Billy and grab her shoulders.

“You ready?” says Wanuri.

Daja grits her teeth and nods.

On three, Wanuri rips the business end of the arrow out of Daja’s wrist. Blood spurts from the wound, but Barbora binds it tight with a piece of cloth, stanching the flow.

“Where’s the Magistrate?” Daja says. “Is he all right?”

Wanuri says, “I’ll find him,” and runs into the chaos of the walking wounded and the dying.

“Who the bloody hell was that?” says Johnny as Alice comes over.

“I don’t know,” she says. “We didn’t see on our side, and they ran off into tunnels before Vehuel’s group could find them.”

“Fat lot of good the angels have done for us.”

Alice ignores him and takes Daja’s wrist.

“I can’t fix you, but I can make you feel better. Is that all right with you?”

“Yes. Please,” says Daja through gritted teeth.

Alice puts a hand on either side of Daja’s wrist and speaks a few words. Some of it sounds like one of the High Hellion dialects, but I’m guessing it is the angels’ original language that Hellion came from. I can’t understand a word of it. I bet Traven could.

Fuck. Where’s Traven? I get up to look for him when Alice pulls me back. Daja’s eyes are closed and she’s more relaxed.

“Better?” she says.

“Much better. Thanks,” Daja says.

Alice looks at me.

“Help take care of her. Keep her hand elevated. I have to go help others.”

Before I can say anything, Alice disappears into the crowd, going from one wounded body to another.

“Has anyone seen the Magistrate?” says Daja again.

“Wanuri is looking for him,” Doris reminds her.

She comes back a couple of minutes later, out of breath and bloodier than before.

“Did you find him?” Daja says.