Rise [Bruno Mars]

Chapter thirty-five

Chapter thirty-five

The last drop of liquid lingered on the rim of the glass vial, a dot of amethyst. With the slightest tilt of my wrist, it slid and descended into Bruno's mouth. I imagined it was a drop of pure serenity.

"Done?"

I extended the vial out to Rev. He took it and it vanished in a fold of his coat. The trench fitted him loosely, the pleasant fabric baggy and wrinkled. My last memory of him was panic and desperation. Loss. But I remembered the first. That particular one was enigmatic, desert sunshine and heat, fear, joy. I had not seen him in a little over a year, and he was our first encounter. He grinned with every word spoken, its radiance respect-inspiring. It was good, really good, to see him again.

"Girlie," he said, pointing. "magic."

He gestured toward his son, but I looked at Bruno instead. I'd seen this happen before. Twice, on both him and Joseph. It wasn't magic. It was a blessing, another chance. It was more time. 

The veins receded. I rested the tip of my finger on top of Bruno's cheek, my glove a barrier, as the last one dipped past my touch and vanished. Rev beamed, proud. This medicine was of his creation. He named it, for a laugh and the reversal aspect, Sumina. Despite him being Grim born, and without a doubt he mastered some form of science, it was odd imagining him behind a table of smoking glass tubes and fogging goggles. It was an image that didn't quite fit, like a photo-shopped picture. Nonetheless, Sumina worked quicker than the average drug, but did not last as long.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Rev tipped his head, tenderly ruffling Joseph's hair. Something inside me twisted. The sight seemed too personal, and I had to look away. "I should thank you, for saving my son. It's a miraculous thing you've done girlie, pulling two fat men all this way. I have a reward for you." He grasped his cane and straightened. "Sand?"

The dog's-wolf's, seemed more appropriate-head popped up and cocked. I tilted Bruno's head back down and closed his parted lips. I reached over to do the same to Joseph.

Rev patted his lame leg. "Here, girl." Tail wagging, she picked herself up, stretched, and loped gratefully to her owner. A satchel was strapped around her thick-furred torso and from it, Rev offered me a surprisingly warm plastic bowl. I peeled off the lid and the smell of buttered potatoes and chives attended my uneven inhalation. Sandy lifted her muzzle to the sky, nose working.

The sun's steady fall into the horizon crisped and intensified the air. Rev leaned heavily on his cane while I ate slowly. I swallowed, voice hoarse. "How'd you find me?"

He winked. "I have a few mind games of my own."

Of course. I remembered in Grim the dream he had built inside Bruno's and my's heads. We were just talking about it, last night. Had it been last night? The moment didn't seem too far. Rev had created a beach, with a bleached sky and sand, a bad replica of Bruno's home island, because Bruno had been dreaming about it at the time. Does he now?

Sandy huffed, catching my attention. She sat directly beside me, staring expectantly, still as stone.

I lifted my gaze to Rev. "How is that possible?"