Katie must have given him a look, because his face softened and he reached over to squeeze my left hand. "She'll live," he said. "As will you, tough as you are."

"Thanks, boss," I said, thinking I should go to sleep soon. The medicine was making everything even more fuzzy.

"Let Melanie get her stable," Katie said from in front of my head.

I couldn't see her, but her hand rested on my left shoulder.

Jimmy leaned across the open space, putting his face in my view. "Did you kill the bastard?"

"Yes," Katie said, shooing him away. I could see her hand, pushing him. "That's done. Let her rest."

Jimmy moved out of my vision. "Fair enough," he said. "We can get details later."

The warble of emergency vehicles began to sing in the distance.

"Here comes the cavalry," Stuart said from somewhere to my right. "About damn time."

"Help me get this off her," Jimmy said, motioning across me.

Stuart appeared, and began undoing the harness that held Gram to me.

"What, wait," I mumbled.

"Need to get this into hiding," Jimmy said.

When they had the sword and sheath freed from me, Jimmy handed it to Stuart. "Wait, take this, too," he said, turning.

When he turned back, he handed another sword to Stuart. I recognized the sheath as one he wore when we went to battles with the SCA, but I'd never seen the sword. Why was he hiding them?

"Don't forget that axe of yours," Jimmy called.

"And Gunther's claymore," Stuart called back. "I'll take care of them."

More questions, more secrets.

I just wanted to sleep.

Melanie appeared at my side, did something to my right arm that hurt bad enough to cut through the drugs. Apparently I screamed.

"Her circulation is for shit," she said, grumbling. "Katie, help me get her shoulder back into the socket."

"What can I do?" Katie asked.

"Hold her, here." Melanie moved around to my other side. "Press your hip into her left shoulder like this. I'll push from the other side."

"Ready," Katie said.

"On three. One . . . two . . . three."

The drugs allowed me to observe, hear the wet pop as my right shoulder was forced back into its socket. I'm not sure I screamed as much as blacked out.

"Don't panic, she's breathing," Melanie said the next time I could understand anything through the haze of pain.

"Is she going to lose the arm?" Katie asked, squeezing my left shoulder.

"Maybe below the elbow," Melanie said, listening to my chest with a stethoscope. "Her vitals are good, circulation is back in full swing. She'll likely get most of the shoulder motion back."

"At least it's her right arm," Katie said.

"I'm still here," I reminded them.

Both women looked down at me. Katie cried, her face streaked with tears and dirt. Melanie smiled grimly and patted my chest. "We can talk after I get you into a nice hospital bed, young lady."

"I'm flattered," I said. "But shouldn't we wait until Katie leaves?"

Katie barked out a laugh, and took my left hand, pulling it to her lips. "She's not a bad choice," she said, wiping tears from her face with her right hand. "But I'm a better choice."

The ambulances started arriving, a string of six or seven, I lost count.

I refused to go in the first ambulance-insisting I had to speak with Qindra first. I needed some clarity.

Melanie patted Katie on the hand and picked up a clipboard. "Don't let her sleep," she said. "I want a CT scan and some more information."

"Okay," Katie said, scootching closer to my side.

"How many dead?" I asked.

"Too many," Katie said. "More wounded. Let's get them seen to first, eh?"

Dena and her crew were first on the scene and loaded Deidre before the rest even made the turnoff to the house. Jimmy refused to leave her side, so he squeezed in behind the stretcher while they loaded a second person.

Katie gave me the play-by-play.

Melanie kissed her hurriedly, accepting a box of supplies from the truck before they took off.

"Gunther, damn it," I heard Stuart yelling.

I rolled my head to the side, and watched the bear of a man hobbling across the grass to where I lay. He had a crutch under one arm, and held his leg at an odd angle. I could see the splint.

"Let 'em take one of the others," Gunther snarled. "I'm fine."

"Stubborn ass," Stuart said, throwing his hands up into the air.

Gunther sort of hopped the last few feet and leaned against my table, gasping for breath. Fresh sweat broke out on his face, and I could see he was in considerable pain.

"Hey, Gunther," I whispered. It felt like anything else would break something inside me.

He reached for my right hand and paused, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Stuart nudged him, and he reached over me. Katie moved my left hand onto my stomach and he placed his hand over mine and bowed his head for a moment. When he looked up, tears streamed down his face. "They better take good care of you," he said, his voice thick.

"She'll be fine," Katie said. I could just see the smile on her face, as she used her best kindergarten voice.

"Yeah, well . . ." Gunther trailed off.

Stuart came up and put an arm around his shoulder.

Gunther glanced over his shoulder, saw who it was, and didn't shrug him off. "Just . . . well . . ." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Thank you for saving me back there," he said finally. "I'd be a battlefield burrito if you hadn't jumped in."

Stuart winced, but didn't say anything.

I turned my left hand, grasping his fingers, and squeezed. "World wouldn't be right without you in it," I said.

He turned his head to the side and Stuart smiled. "Can we please get you to the hospital now?" he asked. "They really need to get that leg set, and make sure you won't lose that hip."

"Yes, mother," Gunther said. He leaned over, pulling my hand up, and kissed it. He looked at Katie and smiled. "Take care of her, huh?"

"Of course," Katie said.

Stuart helped Gunther up and over to an ambulance. I heard him cussing up until they shut the door and drove off.

"Remind me of The Odd Couple," Katie said. "When I was little, I thought they were gay."

"Aye," I agreed. "But they're not."

"Makes you wonder," she said.

Stuart returned when there was only one ambulance left. "Can she go now?" he said.

"I don't think so," I said. "I still need to speak with Qindra first."

Katie sighed heavily behind me and stood. "Watch her," she said. "I'll go get the witch."

He waited until she was out of earshot before he sat down, placing his hand on mine. "Kyle recovered one of your hammers," he said. "Pulled it out of one of the choppers."

"Morbid," I said.

"He was looking for survivors," he said, turning his face. "Even among the enemy."

I didn't bring up his own journey through the carnage of the battlefield. It was a moment we had shared and did not need to be discussed.

"Tell him thanks."

"Sure," he said, clearing his throat. "I'm proud of you."

I turned my head, studied his face. He had me by about fifteen years. Not quite old enough to be my father, but old enough. I'd never figured why neither he nor Gunther had married, but they were content with their lives. I'd grown to love them over the few years here at Black Briar, learned to trust their instincts and their wisdom.

"Thank you," I said. "That means a lot."

We sat in silence for a while, just letting the day settle over us, waiting.

Soon enough, Qindra appeared at my side, obviously not completely happy.

"Smith," she said, nodding at me.

Smith again. Warrior, smith . . . "How about Sarah?" I asked.

She looked at me, her face passive.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever," I said. "I'm too damn tired for games."

"You asked for me," she said. "What is it you wish of my mistress?"

Of her mistress. Did she have no life of her own?

"She knows, then. About Jean-Paul?"

"My mistress knows many things," she said. "There was a grave mistake made this evening. Certain things got out of control."

"Out of control?" Katie said, her voice cold and thin. "People died here."

Qindra waved a single manicured hand. "Don't be a child. People die every day."

"Not like this, they don't," Katie said. "This was a slaughter."

Stuart barked out a laugh. "Slaughter indeed." His voice was angry, but his face was too calm. "For every one of us that fell, we took two of theirs. Not just lowly humans, either." I could feel his pulse racing through his hand.

"Yours fought valiantly," Qindra acknowledged. "But this should not have happened."

"This is not our fault," I said. "We didn't ask for this."

Qindra looked from Katie, to me, to Stuart. "Your seneschal is not unknown to my mistress. Neither are his activities here and elsewhere."

I tilted my head, looking over at Stuart. "What?"

He shook his head, as equally confused. "She's a nutter," he said finally.

"How droll," Qindra said, a smile touching the edges of her lips. "Is it possible you have no knowledge of what exactly is going on around you?"

There was something. Jimmy had mentioned a secret late yesterday, before I drove out to confront Frederick. "You serve them," I said, letting some anger slip into my voice. "You live your life in their service." She did not flinch, did not even raise an eyebrow. "And Jimmy, somehow, opposes you."

"We have suspected him," she said. "Though he has not proven to be a threat. Until now."

"We didn't ask for this," Katie said. "That bastard attacked us."

Qindra nodded. "This is also known to my mistress. And it is why we will fix this."

Stuart coughed. "Fix?" He stood up, laying my hand gently on my stomach, and turned toward her. "Will it fix Susan or Maggie?"

"Let it go," Katie said.