Catarina came running out of the hospital carrying a small canvas bag. She leaped into the back of the ambulance, slamming the doors behind her and snapping Tessa back to the present.

“Go, Charlie,” she said.

Charlie shifted the ambulance into gear, and they started forward. Overhead, the drone of the Luftwaffe was back, like the hum of an army of bees. Catarina immediately scooted next to Jem and passed Tessa a bandage to unwind.

The ambulance juddered, and Jem was jolted on his stretcher. Tessa tented herself over him to keep him in place.

“Catarina,” Tessa said, “you said this was a cataplasm. What does that mean?”

“It’s a rare belladonna concentrate with demon poison added in to it,” Catarina said quietly. “Until I can get the antidote, we need to try to keep it from spreading in his bloodstream, or at least slow it down. We’re going to tie some tourniquets, start cutting off blood flow.”

This sounded incredibly dangerous. By tying off the limbs, they could be risking their loss. But Catarina knew what she was doing.

“This will not be comfortable,” Catarina said, unwinding a bandage, “but it will help. Hold him.”

Tessa pressed her body down on Jem a bit more as Catarina looped the bandage around the injured arm and shoulder. She made a knot, then grabbed the ends of the bandages and pulled tight. Jem arched against Tessa’s chest.

“You’re all right, Jem,” she said. “You’re all right. We’re here. I’m here. It’s me. Tessa. It’s me.”

Tessa, he said. The word came out like a question. He writhed as Catarina wound the bandage tightly around the shoulder and arm. A mundane would not have been able to withstand it; Jem was barely able to. Sweat broke out all over his face.

“It’s going to be rough going, Sisters,” Charlie called back. “They’re trying to burn down St. Paul’s, the bastards. I’m going to have to go around the long way. It’s fires everywhere.”

Charlie did not exaggerate. In front of them was a view of solid orange against the black silhouettes of burning buildings. The fires were so high that it was like there was a sun rising up from the earth, dragging day out of the ground. As they drove on, it was like they were pressing into a solid wall of heat. The wind had quickened, and now fire was meeting fire, creating walls instead of pockets. The air shimmered and cooked. Several times they turned down streets that no longer seemed to be there anymore.

“It’s no good this way either,” Charlie said, turning the ambulance again. “I’ll have to try another way.”