War Bird

23. Come To Me Soon.

“True! Come on!” 

A sharp pain snaps my head to one side and my eyes fly open.

“Agh!” I touch my burning cheek.

“Sorry,” Finlay says. He’s standing over me, holding his arm awkwardly across his body. Behind him Grace hovers, holding the little girl’s hand.

“Birdie,” I murmur. She flies at me and wraps her arms around my body, sending spikes of pain through my chest.

“Merci merci merci,” she whimpers over and over. I hug her, press my face into her hair. She smells so strongly of little girl it makes my heart sting for my sister, so I squeeze her tighter. At least she’s okay and I didn’t get a thrashing for nothing. I look up at Finlay and Grace. I’m still in the little box room, but there’s no sign of Private Stanley. The air is thick with smoke and the metallic smell of blood that I’m getting to know quite well.

“What happened?” I cough, my whole body shaking. 

“You tell us,” Finlay says, scowling.

“Where’s he gone?” I try and prise Birdie’s arms off me but she’s on me like glue. “Stanley?” I glare at Grace. “Thought you’d sedated him?”

“I did!” She says. “At least... I thought I had. He must have, I don’t know, broken the spell.”

“He’s vanished,” Finlay butts in, shooting an annoyed glance in Grace’s direction. “And you will have some questions to answer, Nightingale.”

“Excuse me?” Grace’s jaw drops.

“Slacking off at the social whilst one of your patients escapes, attacking the child and True?” He shakes his head and looks back at me. “Goodness knows what could have happened.”

“But I-”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses!” His voice is sharp.

“Just shut it!” I lift my hand. “Just help me up.” 

Finlay grabs my elbow and drags me to my feet, his face twisting with the effort. My ears pop and I sway, bashing into him. 

“Woah.” My stomach does not like this sudden change in height and I swallow back a wave of sick. “I need a minute.” I close my eyes, steadying myself against Finlay. I breathe in and out as the vomity feeling fades away. 

“Can I get you a glass of water?” Grace says meekly.

“Nah, I’m good.” I open my eyes and pull away from Finlay’s arm, which is now wrapped around my waist. “Just glad you got here when you did. How did you know I needed help?”

“We didn’t at first,” Grace says. "I was worried when I saw you leave, so I tried to find you. Captain Finlay offered to accompany me and..." She swallows hard. "We went to the Bay, where we found that Private Stanley had walked and then Finlay somehow just guessed he’d have come here. We heard crying and... when we first walked into the room, first thing we saw was the Cardin girl. And then you and Private Stanley, locked in a fight...in the air. He was choking you, and you were, oh God Marla you were so limp and pale we thought-”

“So I stunned him,” Finlay says. “Made him drop you. I got in a few blows.” He winces and rubs his arm, which deffo doesn’t look right. “Then he just vanished. Coward.”

“What happened?” Grace asks.

So I tell her everything. Walking in and seeing him attacking the little girl. Then the weird connection between me and Stanley, how I saw inside his mind, and Birdie’s power.  “The kid’s important, ain’t she?” I stroke Birdie’s hair and she looks up at me, pale eyes wide with trust so deep it hurts. Finlay grabs my shoulder with his good arm. “What?” I say.