Free Clockwork Twist : Dreamer by Emily Thompson Page A

Sight flashed with tiny fractures, dislodged cogs, and bent gears.  Myra's body had been damaged, so his Sight was showing him none of her emotions.
    “Myra!” Jonas's voice called from afar.
    “Over here!” she yelled back, waving an arm.  In a moment, Jonas ran to her side and looked down at Twist in fear.
    “Holy hell!” he gasped, dropping to his knees beside him as well. “Twist, look at me,” he said, placing a hand on Twist's brow and peering into his eyes.
    Twist's Sight washed over with cold, tight dread in the wake of a very anxious and thin version of the normal white fog.  More than anything else, it was the fear in Jonas's deep-purple eyes that truly scared Twist.
    Jonas looked up to Myra. “He's hurt, but he'll be all right.  Stay with him.  Don't let him move too much.”
    “Oh!” she gasped, looking for all the world as if she were about to break into tears, no matter if she was actually able to or not.
    “Myra,” Jonas said sharply. “Twist will be fine, I promise, but he needs you right now.  You have to be strong for him.”  She seemed to swallow her nonexistent tears, and nodded to Jonas. “Stay here.  I have to find—“
    An explosion burst into the sky, breathing a hot wind over them and scattering the sand.  Jonas cursed and then jumped to his feet, running towards the source of the explosion.  Twist tried to watch after him, but he couldn't get his head to rise very far off of the sand.  Myra tore a piece of singed white cloth off of her dress and leaned over him, wiping at his brow.  To Twist's horror, the cloth came away soaked with blood.  Somewhere in all of the chaos and abject terror, Twist's mind finally retreated, letting him drop back into silent darkness...
    It felt like only a moment had passed before he opened his eyes again.  But as he gazed up at the clear black, starry sky, he gently began to realize that there had been a storm up there before.  He heard the soft crackle of fire and could feel its warmth from one side.  He tried to sit up and look around, but his neck, back, and shoulders screamed in pain at the slightest motion.  He hissed and let himself fall back into the cool sand.
    “Twist!” Myra's voice said quickly from close by.  She appeared above him almost instantly, kneeling close beside him, and peering down at his face. “Jonas, he's awake!  How is he?” she asked as Jonas appeared at the edge of Twist's vision.
    Once again, Jonas knelt down and looked into Twist's eyes. “I'm not a doctor, Myra,” he said to her gently. “But he looks a bit better.  How do you feel, Twist?”
    Twist tried to speak, but his voice still wouldn't comply.  He clenched his jaw in frustration.  Jonas got to his feet and walked quickly away.  Myra didn't move from his side.  Now that Twist finally had a moment to look at her, he saw that her face was blackened on one side from soot, as was some of her hair.  Her dress had been reduced to scorched tatters that clung to her form modestly but not at all fashionably.
    He moved his hand, reaching for her, until she took it in hers.  His Sight showed him that the gears in one of her wrists were badly tangled, some of the sensors against her inner crystal were out of place, and there were a handful of other damaged spots all over her body.  He squeezed her hand, wishing he had something to say to take away the concern on her face.
    Jonas reappeared with a cup and reached down gently to lift Twist's head off the sand.  Twist's Sight washed over with the normal level of fog, which then receded away to the edge of his mind and soothed some of his confusion along the way.  Jonas helped him to drink a little bit of cool water from the cup.  Twist hadn't noticed that his throat was dry until the water washed down.  There was a nasty flavor on his tongue that seemed like ash.
    “Better?” Jonas asked, still holding his arm under Twist's neck.
    “Yes,” Twist managed to say, his voice rough but finally