He was alive, but what if his body was an empty husk? She’d heard tales of wizards burning themselves out, expending so much magic that their life force went with it, leaving nothing but a mortal shell behind. Sylus had done that, giving everything to avenge Lyndella. But she’d been dead and he’d had nothing left to lose. And Sylus hadn’t had his familiar anymore, confined to drawing only on his own magic.

Wishing she hadn’t given up so much of her magic to Jadren’s efforts, Nic tried offering her magic to Gabriel. If only there were a way for her to inject it into him.

“Don’t,” Asa said wearily, lifting his face, complexion gray with exhaustion. “You’re tapped out, Nic. You give up any more magic and you’ll be risking your life, and the baby’s. You, too, Laryn. That’s enough for now.” He shook off her touch, leaning away, and she opened her eyes, giving him an inscrutable look.

“But Gabriel…” Nic protested, staring into his beloved face, the cheeks gaunt, shadowed eyes sunken in his skull, as if the precipitous draining of magic had emptied his flesh as well.

“I’ve done all I can do for the moment,” Asa said, listing with exhaustion. “We need to move him to a bed. Once we’ve recovered somewhat, I can work on him some more.”

How bitterly ironic that a flood of uncontrolled magic had nearly killed them all, and now they couldn’t recover for want of magic. “What about other familiars?” Nic asked.

Laryn’s eyes flew wide, her lip curling in a silent snarl. Nic ignored her. She’d given her own magic to Jadren; Laryn could share her wizard. Asa was frowning. “The unbonded familiars Alise brought?”

“Yes.” Or bonded ones, Nic didn’t care at this point. “Let’s round up every unbonded familiar in House Phel. Do you have the strength to use them?”

Asa’s expression wavered—and Laryn glared hot daggers at Nic—but he straightened and nodded. “I need some food first, and we need to get him into a bed.”

“I’ll take care of that,” she replied, forcing herself to her feet, despite the aches in every pore. Jadren appeared to have fallen asleep, or passed out, over Selly’s prone form. Selly herself was sleeping, looking more peaceful than Nic had ever seen her. Nic made it to the infirmary doors by concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Fortunately, Jadren’s wards had collapsed with his consciousness, and she was able to manually unbolt the doors.

Outside, GF and Daisy sprang to their feet with anxious expressions. Of course they hadn’t gone home. “Nic!” Daisy exclaimed. “You look awful. Let me help you.”

Nic couldn’t even manage a sarcastic reply. GF put his arm around her, his strength and bulk so like Gabriel’s she wanted to cry. “I’ve got the gel,” he said gruffly.

“Are they…” Daisy didn’t finish, trying to peer around Nic, eyes narrowed as if afraid of what she might see.

“They’re both alive,” Nic managed to say, her ribs protesting the draw of breath. “But we need help. Brawn to move Gabriel to a bed. And I need unbonded familiars—Han and Iliana.”