Chapter 19 #2
The next morning, I had him. Malakai had dozed off against a trunk, forcing me to sleep next to him, blaming it on the cold, but I didn’t mind because now I had the upper hand.
Slowly, I turned, placing myself on my hands and knees. His arms were crossed over his abdomen, his head slightly tilted towards his shoulder. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve mistaken him for being peaceful. My hand reached and began searching, carefully, his shirt pocket; empty.
Nothing tied to his belt, no pouches besides the one with water in it. I glanced down at his pants, it felt indecent to even try searching them, and perhaps a bit too obvious. Besides, what if he woke up and I was rummaging through his pants? I’d never survive the shame.
“Are you enjoying the view?” Malakai asked lazily.
My eyes shot up to his and he peeked at me.
“No!” I hissed, before quickly placing my arm on his throat, pressing it against the trunk. “Tell me where the wooden piece is.”
“Go ahead—search. Don’t let me get in your way,” he smirked, not the slightest distressed by my threat.
I was cautious, keeping my arm at his throat as the other hand searched his jacket.
“So, what do you intend to do when you find it?” he asked amused, cocky. “Find your friends and tell them of your abilities?”
My hand froze for the briefest second. “No…”
He tilted his head, reading me. “So you’ll go back to hiding it? Even if it hurts you?”
My eyes flickered to him. “Better it hurts me than the others.”
“You mean him,” Malakai clarified, his tone flat and lifeless.
In the inner pocket of his jacket, I felt something firm, my hand grabbing around it. He felt it as his hand swiftly grabbed over mine. I jolted, surprised at his movement, and flames burst out of me. A slow smirk emerged on his lips. “You lost, kitten.”
I pushed off of him, onto my feet again. “You’re an asshole.”
He chuckled as he stood up, brushing his clothes off.
“Ethalyn!”
A voice called out, snapping my attention away.
“Mey?” I whispered, baffled, before I shouted her name louder.
It took a brief moment before we heard quickened footsteps, and then I saw them.
Ashley came running with her arms out, almost tackling me to the ground as she threw herself on me. When I found my footing again, I saw Nate jogging with Mey on his back, and an annoyed Eve trotting soon after. My eyes kept darting, but didn’t find purchase, I couldn’t see him.
“Where’s Lionel?” I asked.
“He should be here somewhere, we split up to search for you, but we were supposed to regroup close to this place,” Eve huffed, coming to a halt.
Unease, it swirled around like a contagious disease inside of me. What if something had happened to him?
“Ethalyn, I thought I’d never see you again!” Ashley sobbed, for real.
“Easy there,” I chuckled. “You know I’m stubborn.”
Her sobs died off as quickly as they had started, as she pushed me away gently, her eyes darting to Malakai. “You better have been nice towards my girl.”
He cocked a brow at her. “Your girl?”
I hit her lightly with the side of my open hand, right on top of her head. “Don’t say stuff like that, he’ll think you’re serious.”
“Ouch!” she hissed, patting the area I had struck.
“Are you all okay?” I asked, sweeping a glance over them.
My eyes landed on Mey, who still remained on Nate’s back, she looked paler than before.
“Yeah… we’re, ehm, fine,” Nate said, readjusting.
“Mey has gotten worse,” Ashley pointed out the obvious and Nate glared at her. “He’s in denial. Eve is bitter because Lionel was worried about you.”
Malakai chuckled, making us all turn to him, he had a brief smile on his lips, but once caught, it died off immediately. “She’s brutally honest.”
“Is he concussed too or something?” Ashley asked, confused.
Malakai sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, brows furrowed, clearly annoyed, before turning away.
“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 a mage,” 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 accusing my 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.
“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 mages right now…