Slowly, miserably, Nezha stood and wiped the back of his mouth with his hand. It came away bloody. “Is she alive?” Rin was so bewildered that his words didn’t process. Nezha nodded at Pipaji and repeated the question. “Is she alive?” “I—I don’t know,” Rin said, startled into a response. “She—I’ll try.” “I didn’t want to . . .” Nezha coughed again. His chin glistened red. “It wasn’t her fault.”
