“How does that feel?” I held my breath, watching her.
“Wet,” she frowned, before her eyes darted to her hands again. “Soothing.”
Small droplets began climbing the air from her hand, but the mere sight made her jolt and they dropped to the ground in an instant. “Wha-what!?”
Nate fell to his knees, wide-eyed as he had witnessed for the first time his sister being a water mage. “It can’t be…”
I heard a rifle load, and my head snapped to Eve who pointed her weapon at Mey.
“Don’t you dare,” I barked at her, placing myself in front of Mey.
“Are you stupid? Move away, she’s a mage, we have to kill her,” Eve said through her teeth.
“But… she had no idea,” Ashley murmured, scratching her head.
It felt like a bad joke. If Eve only knew, she was pointing her rifle at two magesright now…
CHAPTER
20
“Put that down,” Malakai ordered, swiftly grabbing Eve’s rifle. “Or I’ll break it into pieces.”
Eve struggled against his grip, baring her teeth. “What!? You’re a Lieutenant of the Ashen Corps, and you want to keep a mage alive now!?” Eve shouted, half-feral.
“You’re right,” Malakai scoffed, snagging the rifle away from her in one sweep. “I’m the Lieutenant, and I’m failing to see why I’d need to explain myself to any of you. This mission is bigger than your small opinions.”
Eve’s eyes widened. “Then, what are we doing,sir?”Her voice was not as strong as before.
“We’re not attacking mages,” Malakai ordered, and I saw the relief on Mey’s face. Nate however, still looked pale. The news of his sister being a mage must’ve struck him hard, but I worried for Mey more. How was she going to cope with this? She had been raised like normal, thinking she was like everyone else,ungifted.
I turned my attention back to her, and was surprised, her skin looked healthier than moments ago, but her eyes glimmered as tears threatened her sight. They began slipping down her cheek, quietly, no sobs, no movement.
“Mey?” I whispered carefully.
“I’m… I’m not sick,” she chuckled quietly. “I… I feel great. Nate… I’m not sick.” Her words slammed against me, as I felt my lips trembling, she was glowing with relief. Nate must’ve seen it too, because it didn’t take long before he sprinted over and swung his arms around her into a tight hug.
“I’m not sick,” she sobbed, over and over and he began patting her head as his body shook, sniveling underneath her sobs.
Ashley slowly stepped in from my other side, one hand on each side of her hips with a small smile. “It’s hard not to be happy, even though this probably makes us traitors?”
“Are we, though?” I whispered quietly. “Powers or no powers… we’re all still human, are we not?”
Ashley gazed at me, her eyes calculating, studying, before her smile widened. “I knew I liked you for the right reasons.”
We both embraced Mey, who cried—almost screamed—her heart out, realizing she had never been sick. She wasn’t slowly fading away as she had thought for so many years. To her, becoming a mage was a relief, it meant she got to live, without the fear of going to sleep and never waking up again.
“Are you stupid?” Eve barked, destroying our happy bubble. “The mages brought the demons, they are slaughtering us because we’re lower on the food chain.”
“That’s where we went wrong,” I snapped at her, my blood boiling at her nagging. “We let the demons divide us, mistrusted one another. Tell me, if we’re too busy killing each other, who’s killing the demons?”
Eve was pissed off, her hands curled into fists as she stared at me in utter hatred. She was eager for a fight, butthe truth was, no matter how much she hated me, or the other mages, my words were no less true.
“Stop yapping. We’re continuing with the plan whether you like it or not,” Malakai interfered. “You’ll shut up and help, or I’ll get to practice my aim on you… your choice.”
Eve slid her eyes to meet with his, defiance lingering inside of her. A beat, then she nodded, and he handed back her rifle.
“Just don’t come near me,freak,” Eve spit low towards Mey, as she took a few steps away.
