Standig and Tamkhee quickly got over their shock of what had happened and struggled to drag themselves across the floor to get to Lolo. There was so much blood, but how much of it was Lolo's and how much of it was the Dragon General's was impossible to determine.

“Standig, Jadu says not to remove the sword or she’ll be more likely to bleed out. She actually stands a decent chance if you leave the sword alone. Try to wake her up and keep her awake. We’re coming, and we’re bringing Philige. Send Tamkhee to help us find you.”

Standig relayed the instructions to Tamkhee, and Tamkhee struggled to his feet to climb the stairs back up to the palace. The Silver Wolf and Black Bear spirits reunited with their hosts. That meant that at least Lolo was still alive, if only just, and Standig tried to take hope in that, but on horseback, riding as hard and as fast as they could, the rest of the team was at least an hour away.

Not knowing what else to do, Standig pulled Lolo off the stone ground and into his arms. She was cold to the touch. “Lolo, if you can hear me, please try to wake up,” he begged as he struggled to warm her. “Come on. Please? Please hang in there.”

Something in her expression changed, almost like she was trying to respond to him.

“Jadu’s on his way. If you can just hold on. Just a little longer.”

Her breath caught slightly as though she was trying to tell him something.

“Can you open your eyes for me?”

The muscles in her eyelids twitched, but her eyes didn’t open.

Standig was encouraged that she was at least responding a little, that she was listening to him. “Philige’s coming. Please, Lolo. If for no other reason, try to hold on for him.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek, and Standig wiped it away.

“Did I ever tell you about the time Philige and I ran away from home together?”

Lolo’s eyelids twitched again.

“I’d have been ten years old? And Philige would have been fourteen. Tadellos had punished us for something that felt extremely unfair, but, actually, I don’t even remember what it was anymore. We decided we’d had enough of his tyranny and made a plan to run away in the middle of the night….”

For the next hour and a half, Standig told Lolo story after story, rambling endlessly, encouraged by the slight twitching in her face as though she were trying to react to his tales.

“You know, Lolo, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. Thank you for putting up with me all these years. I know I’ve been stubborn and volatile and tough to deal with. I honestly don’t know why you didn’t just give up on me that first summer, and, since then, there have been so many times you could have simply moved on without me. I’m glad you didn’t though. And I’m glad you married Philige too. I mean, back when you were dating, it was hard for me to see you with someone else, especially my brother. Actually, if I’m honest, that really sucked, but that was my fault. I never told you. But, you know, it’s funny, I actually think you being my sister-in-law works better for us. It seems to make sense, you being my sister, that is. I get to claim you officially as a part of my family without having to change much about our relationship at all. In some ways, it feels like you’ve always been my sister.”

Lolo was trying so hard to listen to Standig talk, but she kept drifting in and out and his voice sort of echoed in her ears making it hard to understand what he was saying. She felt so tired, but something told her that if she gave up and accepted the warm embrace of sleep, that would be it. She didn’t want to let go if she could help it, but she was calm as she’d already accepted the likelihood that she was going to die. Oddly, she wasn’t in much pain anymore. Actually, she couldn’t feel much at all except the cold, and, oh, she was so very cold.

“Standig!” someone shouted from the stairs. Lolo recognized Philige’s anxious voice and felt him take her out of Standig’s arms. She could hear his breath hitch and his heart rate accelerate, and she felt some light pressure on her left temple. Philige had probably kissed her. She knew that she had to look terrible, but she couldn’t remember what her injuries were or how she'd gotten them or why she was feeling strangely relieved....

“How is she?” Ulana asked.

“Alive,” Standig managed to answer before Ulana started crying.

Upon seeing Lolo soaked in her own blood again, Fortus had to sit down, and Tamkhee, nursing a goose egg and concussion, joined him.

Jadu checked Lolo’s pulse, it was slow and sluggish but still going.

From somewhere far away, Lolo could hear her friends discussing her condition. Apparently she’d been stabbed? And there was a problem with Jadu’s spiritual energy.

“I’ve already overextended my energy,” Jadu was explaining. “The sword is keeping her from bleeding out. If I remove it without enough energy to at least stop the bleeding, trying to treat her right now would kill her.”

“So what do we do?” Fortus asked.

“The only thing we can do. Try to keep her alive until I can heal her in the morning.”

“Is spiritual energy transferrable?” Philige asked, catching everyone by surprise.

“How do you mean?” Jadu asked.

“Lolo can give me her energy. Is it possible to give Jadu the energy he needs to heal Lolo?”

“But her energy produces her ultimate, not Jadu’s ultimate,” Standig explained.

“So, the type of energy you absorb is specific to the type of ultimate you produce? Or does it have more to do with the type of vessel you build?”

“Explain what you’re thinking,” Jadu prodded.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about heart bonds. When Lolo created the heart bond with me, she gave me her vessel and then filled it with energy. Since then, she’s frequently restocked that vessel with more energy. But you told me that between two primordials, the heart bond looks different. They exchange half of their vessels and can thus produce two ultimates. But they don’t have to continually exchange energy to refill the transplanted vessels, do they?”

“I don’t believe so,” Jadu shook his head. “Each primordial is capable of meditating to absorb their own energy.”

“That would imply that the vessel is what determines the type of ultimate then, not the energy,” Philige finished his logic. “So, to return to my question, can we give Jadu the energy he needs to fill his vessel and thus produce his ultimate?”

“It’s worth a try,” Standig said, finding some sorely needed hope in the theory.

“It’s better than waiting until the morning and hoping Lolo survives that long,” Fortus agreed.

“Assuming we can even figure out how to transfer energy, I want to test it on someone else, maybe Standig’s shoulder, before I remove that sword,” Jadu said. “Once the sword is out, there is no going back.”

“Who still has energy in reserve?” Ulana asked. “I know I’m tapped out.

“I’m pretty empty too,” Fortus realized anxiously.

“I do,” Standig and Philige said in unison.

“Any ideas on how to make the transfer, Philige?” Fortus asked.

“Me?”

“It was your idea.”

“Uh. I only know sort of know how Lolo does it. It’ll be a little awkward between a bunch of dudes though,” Philige admitted.

“I think we’re all willing to suffer a little awkwardness at this point,” Fortus smirked.

“Standig, hold Lolo for a minute,” Philige said, passing her back to him. “Jadu, you’re going to have to take your armor off, and unbutton the top of your shirt until your chest is exposed. Then lie down for me.”

Jadu followed instructions while Philige took off his own armor and fiddled with his shirt. “Now what?”

Philige cleared his throat uncomfortably and moved into position over the top of Jadu to press their chests together.

“Please tell me that this doesn’t involve kissing,” Ulana said, scrunching up her nose.

“It doesn’t,” Philige almost laughed despite his anxiety, and Jadu observably relaxed. “I’m not exactly sure what to do next,” he admitted. “I don’t know if I’m capable of passing energy as a non-primordial or not. My part on the receiving end is always passive. Lolo does all the work, and her eyes do that primordial thing while she makes the transfer.”

After a minute or two without anything happening besides Jadu and Philige avoiding eye contact, Standig suggested that he give it a try instead, and Philige traded places with him. Standig followed Philige’s example and removed his armor and unbuttoned his shirt to make the connection.

“Her eyes glow, you said?” Standig asked.

“Yeah.”

“Ok.” Standig took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Black Bear, we’ve never really tried talking like this, and I don’t know if it’s possible to transfer spiritual energy like this or not, but if it is, I need your help to pass ours to Jadu.”

“Unusual,” Standig seemed to hear the Black Bear's voice in his head, and his eyes glowed that metallic steel color. For a few terrifying minutes, Standig felt like he was dying. His body ached with exhaustion, and his nose started bleeding. He’d seen Lolo do this a few times, and he’d seen how it affected her, but he had no idea just how intense and frightening it could be or how vulnerable it left her feeling afterwards. By the time the transfer was finished, Standig was trembling violently and spluttering as a result of his nose bleed. It was all he could do to roll off of Jadu. Now he knew why Lolo struggled not to pass out afterwards, and Standig could feel himself begin to drift.

“Is this normal?” Ulana sounded disturbed as she watched Standig gasp for breath.

Philige nodded regretfully. “Lolo gets a bloody nose and does this every time. She says it feels like the life is drained out of her until she can meditate again.”

“Let’s find out if it was worth it this time then,” Fortus said. “Jadu?”

Jadu sat up and put his hands against the wound in Standig’s right shoulder, closing his eyes in concentration. Seconds later, the wound was gone. “It worked,” Jadu was almost giddy. “I can’t believe that actually worked!”

“Does that mean you ready to try it on Lolo?” Philige asked hopefully.

“I think so. I’m going to need some help. Ulana, you have pretty steady hands. I need you to help me remove the sword, and Fortus, I need you to lift the bottom of her shirt and armor up so I can get my hands underneath it. Philige, I doubt she’ll move or wake up, but if she does, keep her calm and hold her still.”

Everyone got into position.

“Ulana.” Jadu gave her a nod, and Ulana carefully and quickly pulled the sword out. Lolo’s bleeding accelerated dangerously. “Fortus.” Already in position to tug at the many layers she was wearing, Fortus lifted her shirt. Jadu’s hands found her wound, and he closed his eyes again to help him focus.

Huo Lohse felt a jolt of pain spread from somewhere in her abdomen followed by a burning heat. In contrast to the cold she was becoming accustomed to, the heat was unbearable, pushing her over the edge to finally succumb to the overwhelming darkness.

Philige felt something in Lolo’s body give out, and that terrified him. “Jadu, stop!”

“I can’t stop until I’ve stopped the bleeding.”

“You’re killing her!”

“What?!” Jadu's glowing blue eyes popped open.

Ulana put her fingers to Lolo’s neck in search of a pulse. “Jadu,” Ulana gasped, “he’s right. We’re losing her.”