“More than that,” the voice went on, “you used your gift to save your lifewhen you were only a child.”
Warren closed his eyes as the images filled his mind of his stepfather holding the gun on him after killing his mother. He remembered how fear had scored his stepfather’s face when he turned the gun on himself and pulled thetrigger.
“How… how did you know that?” Warren asked hoarsely.
“I know you,” the voice said. “I know your secrets. I know things about youthat you hide from yourself.” There was a pause. “Now hold your hand overNaomi’s brow.”
Warren did.
“Feel for her using your powers,” the voice instructed. “I’D guide you. AfterI show you this, you’ll always be able to do it.”
Warmth spread across Warren’s palm. Vibrations shivered through his flesh.The skin across his shoulders tightened and turned cold.
“Her heartbeat is there,” the voice said. “All you have to do is find it.”
Closing his eyes, Warren felt. When he was about to give up, he felt the thrum-thrum-thrum of her heart. It felt muffled and almost hidden away.
“You feel it,” the voice said.
“Yes.” Amazement filled Warren and drove away most of the uncertainty andanger that coursed through him. “That… that’s incredible.” He stared,conscious of the fact that his hand was inches from Naomi’s flesh.
Then he felt a wrongness in her heart. It was something that somehow didn’t fit.
“What is that?” Warren asked. .
“An imperfection.”
Warren regarded the feeling. As he did so, an image formed in his mind. He remembered some of his biology classes. The heart was a muscle composed of four different compartments. Allof them had valves that opened and shut. One of those in Naomi’s heart felt weakand thin. It quivered beneath his touch.
“If that imperfection is left alone, it could kill her,” the voice said.
Warren grew afraid. Few doctors were to be found in London these days. And the ones that could be found couldn’t do something as demanding as heartsurgery.
“Warren,” the voice said softly, “you don’t have to let it kill her.”
“Then what?” His voice broke at the thought of being alone.
“You can fix it. I can help you.”
“When?” The idea of letting Naomi live another moment with the weakened heartvalve was intolerable.
“Now. Concentrate on that piece of her heart. Visualize it in your mind. Ican see by your thoughts that you’re familiar with what you’re seeing.”
“Yes.”
“Concentrate on that piece and make it healthier.”
Warren tried. He felt the heat and quivering in his palm grow stronger. But he felt the heart valve grow stronger as well. He visualized the valve getting thicker with muscle.
Suddenly the thrum-thrum-thrum of Naomi’s heart grew more sure andmore steady.
“You’ve done well,” the voice said. “Do you feel the wrongness anymore?”
When he passed his hand over Naomi’s heart, Warren didn’t feel anything outof place. “No.”
“Good. Perhaps you’ve saved her life.”
Warren liked the idea that maybe he’d saved Naomi’s life, but he knew thatthe voice could only have fooled him as well. The whole experience could have been only the power of suggestion.
“It was real,” the voice insisted.
Warren hoped so.
“Now,” the voice instructed, “reach into her thoughts and wake her.”
Placing his human hand over Naomi’s forehead, Warren felt for Naomi’sattention. Images of the past few days, all of them from the young woman’s pointof view, flooded his mind’s eye. Softly, he called her name.
Naomi looked up at him. “Warren?”
“I’m here,” he told her.
“I thought I’d lost you.”
“No.”
“Hargastor is dead?”
Warren nodded. She tried to stand and he helped her to her feet. She stood for a moment and gazed around at the darkened room.
“Why didn’t you tell me about your heart?” Warren said.
She looked at him. “What are you talking about?”
“You had something wrong with your heart.” Warren couldn’t let it go. He hadto know if the voice was telling the truth or if it was lying to him.
“A murmur,” Naomi said. “That’s all the doctors told my parents it was. Itwas nothing to worry about” She knitted her brows as she regarded him. “Imentioned that while I was out? What an odd thing to do.”
Warren shook his head and was shocked to learn he was smiling. “You didn’tmention it.”
“Then how did you know?”
“I learned something.” Warren took her right hand in his. Half-healed cutstwisted around her fingers and across her palm. He hadn’t even known they werethere before, but he could sense them now. He passed his hand over hers, and when he didonly smooth, unscarred flesh remained behind.
Naomi looked at her hand in amazement. “How did you do that?”
“With my power. Not Merihim’s.”
“Merihim chose you,” the voice said, “because you already possessed this kindof power. He bound you to him to make you afraid and dependent on him. And to keep you from becoming all that you could be. Demons never do favors. They always strive for what is best for them.”
Even you? Warren asked.
“Yes.”
And what do you want?
“I’ve already told you.”
To save the world.
“Yes.”
J only want to save myself. As he looked at Naomi, though, Warren thought perhaps he might set his goal a little more generously than that. But only as long as both could be saved. He didn’t want to die attempting to saveher if that were impossible.
“You’re part of the world,” the voice said. “I want to save you too.”
Warren didn’t wholly believe the voice. He’d never wholly believed anyoneexcept people who offered him harm. The voice still hid something from him, though. He didn’t fool himself about that.
Naomi looked up from her hand and into his eyes. “Can you teach me this?”
“Perhaps.” Warren strode from the protective circle and she followed. Histhoughts were on Merihim. There were still two of Fulaghar’s lieutenants totrack down and kill.
If they didn’t track him down and kill him first.
THIRTY-FOUR
“Sensor array available,” the suit’s AI stated.
“Execute,” Simon said. The HUD flickered for just a moment as the systemshifted from Danielle’s borrowed sensors to the repaired system in his armor.Then he was whole once more.
The repair coming online also made Simon aware of
