“We’re going to look for Lio, right?” Eve raised her voice, interrupting us, her face stern, like I’d never seen before. “So we can go back?”
“Of co—”
“No,” Malakai cut through. “We’re not going back just yet.”
“Sir?” Eve stammered, glaring at him.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re in enemy territory and in no condition if we stumble upon a larger group,” Nate added, slowly putting Mey down as she began coughing into her sleeve. “My sister is getting worse, I’ve got a concussion and Eve has a nasty wound.”
Eve snapped her head towards him, cursing him in silence.
Malakai glanced back and forth between them.
“Do you know why she’s sick?” he asked, his voice lower, calm, like before a storm.
Nate furrowed his brows. “She has a sickness that can’t be cured, it’s been slowly progressing since we were kids, but lately… it has progressed rapidly.” Nate sounded defeated, his eyes lowered to the ground.
Mey patted his back, trying to sooth him.
Malakai chuckled dryly, earning all our confusion.
“That’s funny?” Ashley asked, voice sharp like an attack-dog.
“Do you want to tell your brother, Mey Wickham, or should I?” Malakai asked, slow, laced in venom.
Her brows furrowed as she looked at Malakai. “What?”
“She’s amage,” Malakai said, cutting us all with his sharpness.
Nate took a couple of quick steps until he was five feet in front of Malakai, holding himself back from lunging at him. “What did you say? Are you accusingmy sister!?”
Malakai’s mouth twitched, amused by Nate’s bravery, as he crossed his arms and took a challenging step towards Nate, making him take one backwards. Malakai’s expression said it all: ‘go ahead, take a swing at me, if you dare’.
“When mages refuse or don’t know how to get the power out of their system at times, they overload. It takes a toll, until the body gives in.” His eyes slid to mine, lingering for a mere second, before they darted to Mey, who coughed violently until blood filled her palm and her whole body trembled.
“Mey?” Nate breathed, panic filling his voice.
“I-I don’t know, I’ve never produced any magic,” she said, voice shaking. “Could… I be one without… knowing?”
“Of course not!” Nate shouted hysterically.
“Yes,” Malakai corrected. “Depending on the power.”
Eve stepped away from Mey, her expression completely different. Disgust. Fear. It was clear, she wanted nothing to do with Mey anymore, even though nothing was proven yet.
I walked up to her, grabbing her hand, squeezing it until she jumped. “Do you feel drawn to anything?”
“I…” she began but went quiet. “I always wanted to paint.”
Perhaps her abilities didn’t work the same way as mine, how the flames often called to me, whispered in my mind to let them out.
“The sea,” she added, her voice suddenly lower.
My eyes widened. “Give me water.”
Ashley slammed her bag down and rummaged around until she found a pouch and handed it over.
I opened it and poured it over Mey’s hands.
