Chapter 16
Luz POV:
“I don’t have magic anymore?”
Her eyes are wide, her face the whitest I have ever seen it. Even her hair hangs limper than before, her ears drooping as the corners of her mouth turn down into a frown. I shake my head, my cheeks blushing with shame. I feel terrible, and the guilt is threatening to eat me alive.
As if in denial, she lifts a weak hand into the air, drawing a wonky circle above her head. A small blue lopsided circle forms, but nothing else changes. Her eyes dim as she lowers her hand, muttering under her breath.
“No, no, no.”
She repeats this word as she pushes the blankets off her, swinging her legs around to sit on the edge of the bed. Pushing herself up using the bedframe, her feet find the floor and she staggers quickly towards the window.
“Amity, stop!”
I’m on my feet before I know it, travelling quickly across the room towards her. I reach her just in time to catch her as she cries out in pain. My hands find her waist, pulling her into me to soften the blow of her fall as her legs give out. Both of her arms clutch around her stomach as she falls against my chest. She's crying, muttering under her breath. With another scream of pain, she collapses into my arms, crying quietly, shaking gently. I lower her and myself to the floor, holding her in my lap as she whispers to herself.
After a long moment, the pain seems to ease and she’s left, breathing heavily in my lap.
“Are you okay?” I whisper into her hair. She doesn’t respond. Her eyes are squeezed tightly closed, her hands clutching the sleeves of my jumper. Without warning, the memory from inside the Coven cell comes back to haunt me, how she told me she loved me for the first time. I wonder if she remembers.
“I really don’t have magic anymore?” she asks me, her voice small. She turns her head up to look at me with big beautiful eyes.
I shake my head slowly. “There’s only one way we can get it back, but it’s dangerous.”
“What is it?”
I hesitate. If I tell her, she’ll want to go, but I know she needs to rest for a while. Instead of answering, I scoop Amity up into my arms, standing up slowly. She makes a surprised noise, but doesn’t resist as I lay her back down on the bed.
“Why don’t I go check with Eda?” I say as I pull the tangled blanket over her legs. She’s refusing to look at me, and instead stares up at the ceiling. I know she’s upset, but I also don’t know how to help. “I’ll come back up in a bit, okay?”
As I make my way towards the door, I hear her call out my name in a quiet voice. I almost don’t hear her, but I turn back anyway. I see her lying where I left her, her eyes red and tired. Her green hair, though tangled, still falls around her shoulders and she wears a hopeful expression on her face as the words tumble from her parted lips.
“Wait. Please.” A slight blush creeps onto her face, but she ignores it. She reaches her shaking hand out to me as I listen. “Will you stay?”