Darkness crawled up Luce’s arms. Her veins throbbed so violently I swear her blood or the magic or whatever the fuck that was, was about to burst through her skin.
Zienna remained by my side, ready to pounce if I made a move toward Luce. It took everything in me to keep myself from going to her. But I wouldn’t be the reason she blamed herself forfailing. And she had asked me to stay back.
So for Luce, I’d obey.
“What is she doing?” Caterina appeared at my side, where she came from I had no idea. I didn’t think it was part of the plan for her to be here.
“She’s trying to fix the spell.”
Blood dripped from Luce’s nose into the snow, staining it crimson.
“She’s giving too much.”
The ground rumbled beneath our feet as roots burst from the ground and started winding up Luce’s arm. Her head fell back, an ear-piercing scream tearing from her lips.
“It’s going to kill her.”
I whipped my head toward Caterina but she was already gone.
Luce’s back hit the ground with a thud as her mother threw herself on top of her.
Luce’s hand ripped from the ground, severing the roots as Caterina muttered a spell, the words incoherent.
The broken roots waved in the air before latching onto Caterina. The witch queen’s body convulsed as the roots dug into her skin, turning her arm black, the same color as the magic that had been pulsing through her daughter’s arm.
“Mama.” Luce pushed at her mother, trying to move her off, but Caterina didn’t move.
Fuck.
“Mama.” Luce pushed herself as Zienna and I rushed to her side. “Mama.” A hit of fear leaked into Luce’s voice as her mother’s body slumped to the ground at her side.
“Mama?” Panic seeped into Luce’s voice now as she shook Caterina, trying to wake her, but the witch Queen didn’t stir.
“What happened? Luce asked as I fell to my knees next to her.
“The magic—when she pushed you out of the way I think it consumed her instead.” I surveyed Caterina Ambrose. Her body glowed, she looked fine, her chest rose, but she remained unresponsive.
“Magic has a price, Luciana Ambrose. You shall learn that lesson now.” I looked around for the source of the voice but came up short.
“What was that?”
“The earth.” Luce’s eyes were hollow.
“What do you mean the earth? The earth can’t fucking talk.”
“It’s the magic,” Luce said as she peeled back the sleeve of her mother’s leathers; Caterina’s veins were rotted black,the rot spreading up her arm—almost all the way up to her shoulder, a twin to the mark marring Luce’s skin.
Magic has a price, Luciana Ambrose. You shall learn that price now.Luce repeated the words the earth had told her as she stared at her unconscious mother.
“What does that mean?” Zienna pressed.
“I think my mother paid the price for me.”
72
LENNOX
I tore through the battlefield, my gaze hazy as I searched for only one soldier.
