The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

breathing was too shallow or she didn’t breathe—hadn’t
been breathing. A slice of pain cut through my chest.
“Poppy,” Cas whispered. A moment later, I felt his hand
on my shoulder.
I didn’t let myself feel what he was experiencing. “Just a
few more seconds,” I said, my gaze returning to the child’s
face, to the blue pallor of her lips.
“Oh, gods,” the father moaned, rocking backward.
“Please. Help her.”
One of the wolven brushed against my back as
desperation swelled.
“This is unnecessary,” the Healer stated. “That child has
already gone into the Vale. You are doing nothing but giving
them false hope, and I must say something—”
Casteel’s head lifted, but I was faster. My chin jerked
over my shoulder as my gaze met the Healer’s. Static
danced over my skin.
“I don’t give up so quickly,” I said, feeling the heat in
my skin flare. “I will still try.”
Whatever the Healer saw in my face—in my eyes—he
shrank back from, stumbling a step as he pressed a hand to
his chest. I honestly didn’t care as I turned back to the child,
exhaling roughly.
It couldn’t be too late for this child because that
wouldn’t be fair, and I didn’t care how unfair life could be.
The girl was far too young for this to be it for her—for her
life to be over, all because she’d run out into the road.
Tamping down my rising panic, I ordered myself to
focus. To think about the mechanics. When I healed Beckett,
I hadn’t had to think about much. It just happened. Maybe
this was different. She was injured far more seriously. I just
needed to try harder.
I had to try harder.
My skin continued vibrating, and my chest hummed like
a hundred birds taking flight inside me. Sharp inhales