awe at mecha pilots, but until Alonzoâs match, I never considered that it was something I could do. I still wasnât sure if I could do it, then Mr. Cody laughed at me.â Her gaze turned cold. âNow I need to.â
âI wish you had a different need. I donât want either of you in the Arena.â
âThen stop us before the bout happens. Stop Mr. Cody.â Tatiana stated it as a challenge.
Challenge accepted. âBroderick?â Rivka called. âCan you loosen the chains?â
âI can, but if Lump rolls with her up thereâÂâ
âI wonât blame you if Iâm crushed to death, all right?â said Tatiana.
âWill the weight of a rider hurt Lump?â Rivka asked Broderick.
âNo. His own weight is substantial. Both of you would be nothing compared to that.â
âWe can trust you, right?â Rivka murmured to Lump. The chimeraâs gaze shifted to follow Broderick. The purr stopped, replaced by an unmistakable growl. The lips bared, showing two rows of gleaming teeth. Tatiana leaped backward and to the far side of the copper line.
âLump?â A sickening wave welled in Rivkaâs gut. She didnât want to lurch away, but she was keenly aware of the proximity of his mouth. Itâd take a split second for her to lose an arm, or worse. She stroked his forehead again, her fingers trembling. Tense lines furrowed his green skin.
Suddenly, she understood, and realized her own stupidity. âStop, Broderick! We canât expect him to trust you. He shouldnât trust you.â The apprentice medician had torn apart gremlins to piece together Lump. His very presence meant pain and death. âTell me how to go about adjusting the chains.â
âI wish youâd get away from him,â Broderick said. âThis is dangerous. I donât want to be in a place where I have to heal either of you.â
He didnât think heâd be able to do it.
Rivka continued to pet Lump. His hackles lowered, the growl vanishing. The purr didnât return. Lump watched Broderick with the wariness of a dog often kicked by its owner.
âThen Iâll do it myself,â said Rivka.
âI have the key.â
âI donât need a key.â
âShe doesnât,â added Tatiana. âThatâs how we managed to come down here the other day. Sheâs good.â
Rivka reached to her sleeve, where her trusty little screwdriver was threaded. She heard a frustrated, masculine growl behind her, and the hard chime of keys hitting the tile floor.
It took Rivka a few minutes to adjust the chains. Lump was tethered at the neck and behind his front legs, with extra shackles restricting his new feet. Leather bound his arms against his torso, and Broderick slid her a knife to slit those bonds.
At last, Rivka stepped back. âUp, Lump,â she called, making a rolling motion with her arms. He blinked, then imitated her gesture and rolled to his new feet for the first time. A prolonged groan escaped him.
âIâm so sorry,â she whispered, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, embracing him as well as she could. His ribs heaved as he keened in agony.
Heat crackled against Rivkaâs skin as the circle activated. A sudden, strange breeze caused her skirts to waft around her ankles. âBroderick, should I leave the circle so you can heal him?â
âNo. Stay put. Iâd never confuse your songs, and neither will the Lady. Lump is like a drum corps. YouâÂyouâre wind instruments. Flutes, clarinets, a piccolo.â
âOh.â That pleased her.
Broderick pulled a bag from a supply shelf. He stepped just inside the circle, sending a new warm ripple around Rivka, and threw a handful of red powder toward Lump. To Rivkaâs awe, it spun in the air as if dancing, bobbing until it flowed onto Lumpâs broad back. The red vanished. Rivka caught the wonderful scent of