Page 30 of Guiding Desire

“I should remain with the next of kin,” the triage bot said.

“I won’t repeat myself, but I’ll fry your circuits if you make me get you,” Vin said.

The bot moved and both of them went outside, leaving Col and Senlas alone.

Col reached for Senlas’s hand, and Senlas could feel Col’s subtle channeling.

“It’s fine,” Senlas said.

“Don’t be stubborn. It can’t hurt. Analyses are still running, but it looks like insurrectionists did this. We watched the footage on the way over. When he comes to, you want to tell that protector Conduit of yours he very likely saved lives when he told people to take shelter.”

“Will do. Then I’ll explain to him the bottomless stupidity of running toward danger. I might use big words.”

Col squeezed Senlas’s hand. “I’m so sorry this happened.”

“Why though? Why today, why not yesterday?”

Col sighed. “This is nothing definitive, but from the little digging I did, this was easier as a means to vent their anger. Too much protector presence yesterday. That café has been supporting the parade for years, and they’ve been selling food and drink to the waiting crowds, little flags and participation banners too. They have a specialty, Guardian cream rolls and Conduit cream rolls, the former with spices, the latter with berries. I like the ones with berries.”

“Those who did this?”

“The surveillance web caught the one who planted this bomb. Protectors have her. They are still after the other.”

Senlas nodded.

“I can keep you updated, but sentencing will take into account a Conduit got hurt.”

Senlas bobbed his head again. “I don’t really care right now.” He handed Orrey’s screen to Col. “His mother called. I answered. The first words out of my mouth to my Conduit’s mother were that I was at the hospital with him.”

“Did you tell her to stay inside? They have already issued a lockdown notice.”

“Yes. Can you make sure she gets updated? And there’s a second mother and a father too. She said she was going to call them, but…”

“I’ll handle it.”

They sat there for long minutes, Senlas trying his best to focus on Col’s channeling, the slow drain of power from his body, like a block of ice melting away on a hot day.

Vin poked his head in through the door, interrupting the replay of the entire thing in Senlas’s head.

“I found him. Come on.”

Senlas was on his feet and out the door without consciously initiating movement. The bot still hovered near. “The patient is still undergoing treatment, and it would be better if you waited,” it said, no longer sounding quite as chipper.

“Shut it,” Vin said.

He led them through a door after using an override code on the door panel. It opened to one of those long hospital hallways, the walls yellow on white, creating calming geometrical shapes. Physicians and nurses moved through the hallways, triage bots trailing some of them, their faces showing the kind of focus Senlas recognized from his own missions.

They got more patients from the explosions then,he thought.

“Manipulating hospital property is—” the bot began.

“One more unhelpful word out of your mouth, and I’ll manipulate you.” Vin only glanced at the bot as he was informing it, but its hovering pattern still jerked, the equivalent of a person stumbling.

They all filed into an elevator, and Vin hit the button for the second floor. “They’re done with the scan. First analysis looks clean, but they are getting a second and third read. I guess they want to be extra sure before telling you anything.”

The second floor was pale blue and pastel orange. It was quieter here, with one nurse actually looking up from his tablet, raising his eyebrows as if he too suspected they weren’t supposed to be here. But they were two Guardians with a triage bot leading them.

Possibly to the nurse’s credit, he said, “Can I help—”