“It’s working,” she reported. She went through the process again and again until she held a scorching bowl of liquid gold in her hands. She grabbed a towel and, using it like an oven mitt, brought the steaming bowl over to Henry.

Talon lay quietly, looking ill. Florence held his hand.

“Hang in there with me, Talon,” said Henry. “Do you feel pain?”

“Not really. It doesn’t matter. Do what you must.”

Henry went to work. Talon winced, making the others wonder if he was just trying to be brave.

After a moment, Henry lifted his instruments and looked up. “The vein is closed,” he announced. He picked up the bowl of melted gold. “Now, brace yourself. This might burn a little.” Henry held the giant’s leg steady with one hand and poured the steaming liquid into the slice in his bronze ankle. Steam rose up, and Talon squelched a scream. The gold cooled quickly and solidified, filling the space.

Henry checked it all over, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Your leg is sealed up again. I think it should be okay, but let me know if you feel strange or light-headed.”

Talon opened his eyes, relieved. “It feels better already,” he said.

Once the Talon emergency had passed and he was sitting up, and many of the other injured had been patched up and discharged, the remaining Artiméans realized the band had started playing once more outside. Fifer looked up. “Is the party continuing?” she asked, incredulous.

“I don’t see why not,” said Henry. “People are back out there already. I just need to check a few others before I’ll be going out there myself.”

Talon slid to the edge of the bed and set his feet on the floor, testing his ankle. Then he stood up. “It seems like I’m back to normal,” he said. “Let’s not let a good costume party go to waste.” Looking decidedly more healthy, he took Florence’s hand. “If you’re finished with us, Henry, we’ll be going out to show these youngsters how to dance.”

Henry dismissed them, laughing. “Don’t start the dance competition without me and Thatcher,” he warned.

With a grin, and almost forgetting about how she’d caused all of this in the first place, Fifer led the others out of the mansion and onto the decorated lawn to continue the party.

A Twinge of Something