Chapter 11
*POV–ARYA”
Pin drop silence enveloped us as my heart sank to the soles of my feet
“Who what do you mean?” I asked, my suice barely more than a whisper.
Eberina sighed heavily
this somewhere else.” he as, leading out of the grove
Darius helped me down from the altar and held me close. His warmth was a sharp contrast to the cold fear gripping my insides. We followed Ebezina back to the front of the cottage, where he had set up stools for us earlier.
We sat in tense silence, Darius close beside me as I trembled slightly. Ebezina was silent for a long while. He reached into the pouch he was carrying and took out his pipe, lighting it and inhaling long, slow bouts of smoke. His face was pale and his eyes were sunken. In that moment, he looked like a relic of the past, like a phantom that would disappear the moment 1 dared to blink. Silence filled the air, as if the forest itself was waiting to hear whatever explanation he had for us.
After what felt like an eternity, Ebezina finally broke the silence.
“Club, it appears someone has a deep seethed grudge towards you” be finally said.
Darius and I exchanged worried glances.
“Please explain” Darias urged.
Thad the impression the Mallonix could be transferred, given that someone else passed it to you. But it seems the person who did this to you also cursed you.” Ehezina explained.
My heart pounded in my chest. I was cursed? Was that even possible? By who? My sister who had no magic?
“Can non–mapir users place curses?” I asked, my voice trembling
“No” Ebrzina replied.
“Hut I got this from my sister. She doesn’t have any powers. I don’t understand how she could’ve done this to me I choked out, tears streaming down my fare.
Elerina exhaled a cloud of smoke. Right now, it looked like he was relying on his pipe for strength to speak.
“When I examine a patient, I can assess their genetic makeup and that of their close relatives. The Mallonix within you is infused with powerful magic–something your sister cluesit possess,” Eliecina said,
My body stiffened as dread seeped through my pores.
“What are you saying?” Lasked.
“That you’ve got it all wrong, child.” he replied, straightening his back as his expression darkened
“The person who aid this to you is not your sister.”
I clutched my chest as my breath hitched in my throat. Lyra was innocenc
“If it isn’t her sister, then who did this to my mate! And why?” Darius demanded, rising to his feet.
Silence enveloped us once more as Ebezina took another long drag from his pipe and pondered, sending mouthfuls of fumes into the air. The silence was thick enoughs that I could hear the sound of my frantically beating heart.
“Do you know what type of magic weilder is the most powerful?” Ebezina suddenly asked.
Darius looked ready to snap but I held him back before he could anger the old man.
“Healers” I replied hesitantly.
“Wrong” Ebezina said. “Healers are only the second most powerful”
“What exactly does this have to do with my mate!?!” Darius yelled.
14
Chapter II
Therma looked up from his long
ad, sunken eyes and exhaled.
21 an old and not what I used to bar, bait | kw this much. The chains we saw springing out of your mute are a physical manifestation of the nurse placed on her, and that curse busts her to the Mallanix The magic ward for the curse is ancient and eare, only the most powerful mapit users on
in yosuse saying the same can’t be
lone?“ Darius asked with a voice heavy with desperation.
“What about transderring
cunse along with the Mallonis, Ebezina! Can that
Darius asked, his voice strained with panic.
“The curse is linked directly in her life–force. Any attempt at separating the two will result in her instant death. I fear that our attempt to transfer the Mallonis may have already strained her life force. This could affect how much time she has left.” Ebezina said.
The ground felt like it was
was shifting beneath me. Talmost sank to my knees, completely overwhelmed by everything I was hearing
“Sa her health is eve
every worse low???” Darius shouned helplessly.
Tarnis, please. He did what he could-
“No! I shouldn’t have brought you here,” Darius said, his voice tarraking. “I knew he’d stopped taking patients for over a decade and yet I brought
Darius’s voler echoed through the forest, scaring the birds that seemed to have been listening in on our entire conversation as they took flight into the evening sky. It happened so suddenly fluit we all looked up, and I was initially frightened. I watched the lards spread their soaring wings with a sudden sense of longing.
A gentle breeze blew past and somehow, it seemed to have a calming effect on all of us, like the forest was whispering into our hearts.
Darius looked at me with eyes filled with defeat, I didn’t need to hear him to know his soul was ripping apart at the seams, I could already hear the wounded cry of his wolf in my heart.
Treached our ad bell his arm. He didn’t respond, but he didn’t pull away either.
“The healing tone I gave you should help counteract the effects of the strain. Ebrzina said, rising to his fort
sitting your mate in danger with my methods, your highness” Elezina saad to Darius
“Forgive me for putting your mate
Darius stared after him helplessly then bowed his head.
“I apologize for my outburst. I just–1 was certain you’d be the one to heal her.” Darius said, his voice cracking
“Tii not the young bad I once was, your highness” Ebezina replied with a small, sad senile. “I lost my only daughter to Mallonix. My tonics could only keep her alive for so long, I understand how you must feel.
My heart felt heavy at his words.
“I’m sorry to hear about your daughter” 1 mattered,
“It’s fine. She was as bright as you, around your age. The thought of saving you made me feel like I was uning her life as well. I got carried away.” Ebezina said, his eyes dinning
Treached out and clasped his hand, giving him a warm smile.
“You abid your best. No oor blames you,” I whispered.
Ebezina looked at me with weary eyes and gently took my hand in his.
“Child, you are the most complex patient I have ever encountered. I cannot offer a cure, but I can share everything I’ve observed about the curse. It might help you get closer to solving this puzzle. Do you permit me to speak?” Ebezina asked.
Fear pulsed my being at his words. Did I really want to know what he had to say! Would knowing solve anything? Would it make me feel even more hopeless than Lalready was?
My hands trembled as Ebezina’s gaze bore into mine. His nearly white pupils bore into my eyes and wave of dread washed over me. It felt as next words might break me.
But, I needed to know. Whether I refused to hear him out or not, there was no changing the fact that I was dying. Even if his words turned out to be a small, insignificant piece to the giant puzzle my ailment was, it was still worth a shot.
Chapter 11
1 took a deep breath to calm my
w nerves
“Tell me” I whispered.
“The one who cursed you is a child” Ebeing stated, his voter r
“I can tell because there was no spell used in the curse. If there had been, it would have been visible, and I might have been able to reverse the spell with the power of a moon stone, but save home was used, I can’t do that. Wilding magic shouldn’t be possible without spells, especially one this strong. An adult would never be able to pull this od, but chibleen have been known to contend thei nagle based on emotions alone. The mily solution is to time whoever cursed you and ask them to undo their spell. But the magic within
longer linked to a body”
“What does that mean?” I asked, my heart pounding in my ears.
“Only one thing” Eberina said, and a cold shiver spread throughout my body.
“The child who cursed you is dead.”
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