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Ellie’s screams pierced Nox’s skull, driving his mind from sleep. He fumbled in the dark for a weapon, any weapon, to ward off the goldwings or gargols or whatever had seized the Sparrow girl. The panic raised its ugly head, all to remind him of that terrible night three days ago.
“ELLIE?!” He yelled over a thump and an “oof”. The lantern near Gussie’s palette blazed gold, revealing a confused Falcon and a groggy Twig.
Nox whipped his head toward Ellie, who lay screaming on the floor. Her face was wet with tears. She fisted the blanket in her hands. Every part of her was shaking. All Nox could do was push away the memories of dragging her from the city in the sky with her shattered leg, hyperventilating exactly as she was now.
Nox was by her side in an instant, his chest tightening.
“Ellie, is it your leg?” He rasped, his voice rough with sleep. She nodded her head, unable to speak through all the screaming, screaming, SCREAMING, it was Nox’s fault, he knew it, who else’s fault could it be, he was the reason they discovered the island at all, if he had just saved his mother, Ma would be alive, Ellie could still run, Twig would still have his wings, it was ALL HIS FAULT—
“It hurts…” Ellie’s voice cut through the shame and panic. He shoved the guilt to a box in the back of his mind, frantically hunting for the mattica extract.
“Here,” Gussie called, passing a small glass vial to Nox. Dr. Alceda had left it, along with instructions to only use a tablespoon. The extract was far more potent than the pain-numbing leaves, knocking the largest High Clanners out cold with only a few spoons.
Nox fumbled the cork for what felt like far too long before the bottle opened.
He tipped the golden extract into Ellie’s mouth with shaking hands, pleading with her to swallow over her far-too-rapid breaths.
She stared up at him, sobbing from the pain. He took her hand in his, breath in for three, out for three, Ellie, please, just breathe, the pain will be over soon, I promise.
Ellie took shaky breaths in time with Nox’s quiet counting. Neither noticed when Jaff barged in, panic in his eyes, only for Gussie to send him away quietly.
Before long, Ellie’s eyelids drooped, her tears almost dry. Her breathing steadied, the mattica leaves taking effect.
“Thank you, Nox…” She murmured, drifting off to sleep. Nox squeezed her hand, battling back his traitorous tears.
“Yeah. No problem, Ellie.” He ignored how his voice broke on her name.
But she was already asleep. She looked so peaceful. It was hard to believe that the same girl who had been screaming in agony just thirty seconds ago could look so content. Could she dream through the mattica daze?
Nox looked over at his palette in the corner. He didn’t think he could fall asleep anywhere that wasn’t right next to Ellie. Not tonight, anyways. After a moment of deliberation, Nox lay down, his head at her feet, hand in hand. He covered her with his wing, succumbing to nightmares of brown and white feathers littering the floor and a girl’s screams.
He wondered if Ellie, too, could hear the screaming in his head through her mattica-induced daze.
Gussie blew the lantern out, plunging the room into darkness.