They continued on.
Levi was under a broken pine tree a little farther on. Adelaide saw him first, forgetting the wolves for a moment and running to where he lay limply on the ground. She reached him a second later, already opening her backpack and grabbing out equipment.
"He needs gauze and antiseptic right away." She whispered furiously. Her voice shook, but her hands were deft, firm and competent. She checked his pulse, his breathing. He didn't seem to have any broken bones, but she was worried about moving him in case he had suffered some spinal injury. He shivered under her hands, his skin clammy. "Let's get a blanket over him."
The light was horrible. She couldn't see anything, was working more by feel and instinct. With gloved hands she traced four long gashes that ran down from his right shoulder down his side, all the way to his thigh.
"Is he alright?" Emily asked anxiously from behind her.
Adelaide swallowed. "He's lost allot of blood," she said, keeping her voice even. So much blood, soaking the ground, her gloves, his pants. She felt through his jeans, found a series of puncture wounds on the left calf. Probably where one of the wolves had gripped his leg in its teeth, carrying him along.
She pressed gauze after antiseptic gauze into his gaping wounds, but she didn't have nearly enough. When she ran out she pulled out the sports wrap. It felt like trying to duct-tape a life raft, and she was losing. The wrap soaked red as soon as it touched Levi's flesh.
"Emily, does your magic do anything for healing?" Adelaide asked helplessly.
"A little, but if we use any more magic it'll break the enchantment keeping us hidden," Emily said.
"I think we're going to have to risk it," Adelaide replied. "Tell me what I need to do."
"I haven't really learned that much," Emily said nervously. "Mostly you're just trying to get the body to remember what it was like to be whole, and then you gotta give them some rest. It takes allot of energy."
"You said I have some of this magic stuff too, right?" Adelaide asked. "Can you use some of that?"
"Yeah, but we're-"
"Emily, if we don't do something right now Levi's going to die," Adelaide hissed. "Brett, you, me, we've come all this way. I can't do anything for him this way. He's lost too much. Now tell me what I gotta do, and let's get this done."
"Okay," Emily nodded. "I'll explain as quick as I can, then. The magic I use is all about knowledge and sacrifice. Basically, that means I need you to give something up so that I can give you the knowledge of how to do what we're going to do here."
"What kind of sacrifice?"
"In the old stories, the Odin gave an eye for wisdom, but I don't think we need to be that drastic. A ring or something would work."
"Like some hair, or a fingernail?"
"No, it has to be something you'd miss."
Adelaide took one of her shoes off. "Will this do?"
Emily hesitated. "I think so."
Adelaide handed the shoe over. Emily took it in her hands, and a moment later the shoe started glowing, like it had a black light shining on it. It lifted from Emily's hands, and then burst into fire, the acrid smoke smelling of burning plastic and cotton.
As the smoke hit Adelaide's nose, images and symbols bloomed in her mind. They spiraled upwards, faster and faster until she felt she was in a galaxy of miniature suns. Behind her, she could feel a warm, comforting, ancient presence, wrapping her in its arms. It comforted her with its familiarity and simultaneously scared her with its immense age. It had seen millennia, she could tell. She tried to turn around, to see the presence, but in that moment it was gone.
"So you know what to do now?" Emily asked.
"Yes," Adelaide said. She knelt down again next to Levi. "Give me your hand."
Emily knelt down on the other side. Emily put her right hand over Adelaide's, on top of Levi's forehead. Emily grabbed one of Levi's hands in her other, whispering, "It's going to be alright." Adelaide passed her second hand in the air over Levi. A soft silver glow emanated from them both, fading into red-black afterimage spots as the light sunk into Levi's body.
Adelaide went deeper into the magic she could now feel Emily weaving. They were convincing Levi's body to rebuild itself, but Adelaide knew there was so much more she could do, she felt. She felt her mind diving deep, into the tendons, the nerves, the muscle fibers. She felt where the blood still leaked out, and closed the arteries. She whispered words of encouragement, and the flesh knitted itself back together. She felt along the lines of his energy, pausing here and there to encourage, revitalize. She poured some of her own vigor into him, until she felt his raspy breathing deepen beneath her hand, felt the erratic scattering of his broken thoughts smooth into theta waves, felt him returning to consciousness and vitality.
Levi breathed deeply, suddenly. His eyes flew open and he sat up, throwing the two girls off. Emily came right back, smoothing his hair, patting his back. "Sh, sh, sh," she whispered. "We need to be quiet."
"I was going to die," he whispered hoarsely. "And you saved me."
"It was mostly Adelaide," Emily nodded. "I don't know half of what you did," she said, glancing at the other girl, "you've got a real gift."
"It was both of us," Adelaide whispered. "Now lets get out of here before-"
"Before what?" A cold, growling voice whispered behind her.
