Something Wicked This Way Comes

Chapter 25

He wasn't sure how long they'd rocketed over the water. Eventually, though, the Pearl hit dry land and they were tossed onto the sand. Jim hit his shoulder and rolled. Sand got in his mouth, but he didn't care about that nearly as much as the snap he felt in his collarbone.

He yelled out, white hot stakes of pain shooting down his arm and neck. His vision went fuzzy, body vibrating in absolute agony.

"Jim!" Harley yelled, somewhere to his left.

The air was scorching hot still, and through the fog of pain, Jim remembered Douxie's outburst. The sheer rage, the agony, the power. He'd never seen the wizard exude that much raw power before. It scared him.

Jim sat up quickly, ignoring the flaring pain. "Douxie!"

He craned his neck, searching for him. He saw Douxie laying unmoving in the sand a few feet away. The breath was torn from his lungs, panic replacing it.

Light was still flaring from Douxie's body, and Jim could see him twitching. Good, he was still alive. For now.

"Jim!" Harley yelled again, much closer now.

Jim turned, heart dropping into his stomach. Harley had a nasty gash over his forehead, and was holding his arm like it hurt. "Harley—"

The boy stumbled over to him, breathing hard. "Jim, the others..."

Jim closed his eyes, taking in a shuddering breath. "I know, but we've gotta... we need to collect our bearings before we can think about that."

He tried not to think about Claire. How she'd tried to save Antigone, but had only gotten dragged over with her. Rage lit in him, but he pushed it down. He couldn't help anyone if he wasn't able to do anything in the first place.

He would save her, though. He would do anything to get her back.

He opened his eyes, looking Harley over. "Are you okay?"

Harley looked down and pursed his lips. But he nodded. "Yeah... are you?"

Jim nodded too, though when he started to get up mind numbing pain completely flooded his every sense. Harley made a gagging noise, and Jim felt his collarbone shift painfully—uncomfortably—under his armor.

"What?" He asked weakly. He felt cold.

Harley was turned away, hiding his eyes behind his hands. "I—" he swallowed hard, trying to compose himself. "I looked to see how bad the break was, and—" he looked like he was going to be sick.

"Looked?" Jim blinked. "Like, x-ray vision?"

Harley took in a deep, shuddering breath through his nose. "I don't know, it just— fuck."

Jim stared at him. "No. Too little. Don't say the fuck word."

Harley whimpered, keeping his face in his hands. "Jim, it's bad."

Jim didn't need magic to know it was bad. He could feel it.

Forgotten for that brief moment, Douxie got their attention again by moaning pitifully. Jim snapped to attention, ignoring the pain flaring in his collarbone as he crawled over to his brother.

"Douxie?" Jim almost couldn't breathe, shaking him by the shoulders gently. "Doux, can you hear me?"

Douxie's brows were scrunched, eyes flitting back and forth beneath his lids. His skin was pale and clammy, blood beginning to trickle from his nose. Jim's heart seized in his chest.

"Is... is he okay?" Harley stammered, his voice shaking.

"I really don't think so," Jim said, rolling Douxie onto his back. The wizard groaned softly, fingers twitching. Magic sparked in his hand. "Harley, can you check him for any broken bones?"