Oracle's Moon (Elder Races #4)(91)

“Right over there.”

She looked where Khalil pointed. Somehow the backyard had filled up with people. Max was lying on a stretcher, attended by a man and a woman, EMT equipment on the ground nearby. Chloe sat on another stretcher, wrapped in a blanket. She was being examined by another man. Four Djinn stood nearby, watching the EMTs alertly.

Power swirled behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. At least two other Djinn were in the blackened wreckage that had been the back of the house, although they weren’t in physical form. As she turned back to face Khalil she caught sight of a seventh Djinn, who wore the form of a muscular ebony-skinned male. He stared fixedly at her.

Whatever was up with that particular Djinn, it was definitely not her problem. She had enough on her plate at the moment, thank you. She turned away from the puzzle. As she focused on Khalil again, he said, “The kids are all right.”

“Are you sure?”

His jaw was clenched, diamond eyes filled with radiant wetness. She put a hand to his face, and he snatched her to him so tightly she grunted. “Yes,” he said hoarsely. “You’re all going to be all right. But gods damn, you almost weren’t. Gods damn, I saw my daughter. I talked to Phaedra. She said you healed her.”

“I didn’t heal her. I just showed her who she used to be.” She leaned against him, resting her head on his chest. “She made the choice, and—I don’t know what else to call it—she repatterned or realigned herself. I didn’t mean to call her when I called for you. I just couldn’t tell what I was doing. My head was all f**ked up.”

“The EMT said you had a concussion, and Max probably did too.” Khalil ran a finger lightly down the bare skin of her arm, and his mouth twisted in a quick sharp spasm. “And first-degree burns. A pediatrician is with him now.”

Grace glanced gratefully over at the people working to help the children. She said, “Phaedra looked so threadbare after she changed, I was really worried about her. She said she needed to rest. Is she still here?”

“As soon as other help came, she left. She needs time, maybe a lot of time, and nourishment, and I don’t think she can ever be quite the same as she was. But her essence is true again, not warped. She made a connection with you, and she answered it.” He glared. “You were supposed to call me if she showed up again.”

“I remembered,” she told him, truthfully enough. “I just got busy.”

“We will talk of that later.” He bowed over her. She could feel what a maelstrom he was of out-of-control emotion, pain, a terror that was too slow to fade, and a twisted up, overwhelmed sense of wonder. He could barely hold on to his physical form. “Do you realize what a miracle you are? You scared me so much this time.”

A glowing drop of liquid streaked down and landed on her dirty T-shirt where it lay like a shining jewel for a moment before it was soaked into the material. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She touched the small damp spot wonderingly. It still had a tiny spark of his Power that slowly faded. “I didn’t mean to.”

Someone approached; it was the woman who had been examining Max. She knelt beside Grace with a smile. “I’m Dr. Lopez. You’re looking better.”

“I’m feeling better, thanks,” Grace said.

“I scanned you when you were a little out of it earlier. You’ve strained your knee, but I don’t think you’ve done any further lasting damage. Wear your brace for a couple of weeks and baby that knee. Hot and cold compresses, and ibuprofen. I’m sure you know the drill. Be sure to see your orthopedic surgeon if it gives you any trouble.”

“I will.” Grace twisted around to look at the kids. One EMT rubbed Max’s stomach, talking soothingly while the baby sucked his thumb. The other EMT smiled at Chloe, who was showing him the toys in her bucket. “How are they?”

“They’re doing really well,” Dr. Lopez said. “Chloe had a shock, and she’s still shaken. I don’t see or sense any evidence of injury. Max had a couple of healing potions like you did, and he’s calmer and feeling better. The pink to his skin is gone, and his concussive symptoms have disappeared. I don’t sense any further injury when I scan him, no pressure or swelling in his head or spine. If you would feel better, we can admit him to keep an eye on him overnight, but to be quite honest, I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“Who are you and where are you from?” Grace asked. She glanced at Khalil. He looked focused and suddenly calm.

The doctor’s direct gaze was friendly and understanding. “I work at the Children’s Hospital in Boston.”

“She teaches at the Harvard Medical School,” Khalil said. “We wanted to get the best.”

Like pancakes from the Russian Tea Room? Grace gripped Khalil’s forearm. “And the EMTs?”

“They’re from the Children’s Hospital in Boston too.” Dr. Lopez did not quite smile, but she looked like she might want to. “Our trauma unit does not often see several Djinn appear to demand medical care for two human children.”

“Try never,” said one of the EMTs from behind the doctor. He had walked over hand in hand with Chloe.

Dr. Lopez said, “They volunteered to come.”

Chloe flung herself at Grace and Khalil. She wailed, “Our house broke!”