The flash of something in Ace's memories, something horrible, hits Dan as hard as if it were his own memories; a kid he feels somewhat responsible for, paternal towards, not just maimed but mutilated by cruelty. She's not just Stacia. She's Stacia, and she's also Tabitha, and she's also Jessica, and she's also all his other siblings who died in his arms by someone who wanted to make sure their death horrified and shocked and impressed as well as devastated.

For a moment, Dan's not on the fairgrounds anymore. He doesn't know where he is. He isn't even in his body; he's a paralyzed, formless set of senses, seeing and hearing and smelling and tasting the copper blood in the air. He begs his muscles to obey and after what feels like an hour, but is actually just seconds, he gets his hand up to his mouth and he bites down on his own finger so hard he draws blood.

It does the trick. Dan remembers where he is. And, blessedly, biting his hand that hard isn't going to slow him down, because he knows innately just how to position his hand on the bow, just how to push through pain.

He runs over to Ace to help rip away the rest of the netting, keep it from dragging with Ace. "Get on the horse, she can take us both but not far."