Maybe she had the power to stop her father’s growing empire after all. Maybe…
Ice formed in her veins. “Could not knowing I have magic make me sick?”
What if her headaches were her magic? What if having power and not using it was what was wrong with her brain? It would explain why every doctor was so baffled by her condition.
Aurora perched beside her on the couch, her form flickering as concern lined her face. “What do you mean, sick?”
Gia’s insides twisted, but there was no point keeping it to herself now. “I get headaches. Really bad migraines, and I black out. I lose time and can’t remember anything after the pain sets in.”
“Your magic wouldn’t do that to you,” Aurora said, her voice firm.
But how could she know?“What if the headaches are my magic trying to escape?”
“Magic doesn’t do anything unless you actively ask it to,” Lilly said again. “I’ve never heard of a witch experiencing adverse effects because they possessed magical power they didn’t use.”
Gia’s heart sank. Having an answer would have been such a fucking relief. “Could the headaches and memory loss be a spell someone cast on me?” That made even more sense. No wonder medical professionals couldn’t help her.
Aurora and Lilly shared a look.
Lilly shook her head, seeming uneasy for the first time. “Unless someone was there, casting a spell on you every time you got a headache, it can’t be a spell, and witches can’t alter memories, period. Our power can do a great many things, but we can’t craft illusions strong enough to result in memory loss.”
“How do you know someone didn’t cast a spell on me once, when I was ten, rather than every time I get a headache? It could have been causing my headaches ever since. Memory loss could be my body’s response to pain rather than directly caused by the magic.”
Lilly crossed her arms, her features twitching with alarm. “I can check if any curses or spells are lingering on you. But it’s highly unlikely someone could have cast a spell that lasted from your childhood until now. The amount of power they would have needed…”
“Well, it can’t be someone casting spells every time I get a headache.” Gia was alone when the headaches hit often enough. These days, her family was never far, but she’d had headaches in the middle of class before. Unless… “Could someone cast a spell on me if they weren’t with me?”
“Giving physical symptoms from afar is complex and difficult to pull off,” Aurora said. “But we can check you to be sure.”
Lilly nodded. “Give me some of your blood, and I can examine it. Any spells cast on you in the last few weeks will register. Have you had a headache recently?”
She hadn’t had a blackout since running from her family. Her heart skipped, but it was probably a coincidence. She’d gone weeks without a migraine before. “The last one was nearly two weeks ago.”
“It should still register.”
Gia ran a hand through her hair. She hadn’t missed the part where Lilly said she needed blood, but she had to know. If this was what had been wrong all these years… “Tell me what to do.”
All Lilly needed was a tiny amount of blood. Gia pricked her finger and let a few droplets fall into a bowl, then watched as Lilly muttered, waving her hands over the blood. Aurora sat so still, she might as well have been frozen.
After a few minutes, Lilly met Gia’s stare. “I can’t detect any spells.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded.
Gia fought her disappointment.
Aurora frowned. “Isn’t this a good thing? It means no one in your life was lying to you and hurting you behind your back.”
Except her family had lied and hurt her all the time, right to her face, just not physically. “You’re right,” Gia said, not wanting to get into it. “I can’t see anyone in my life having magic anyway.”
Franco Balzano didn’t need magic. He had enough power already, wielding fear like a weapon.
Imagine how much worse it could have been.
Lilly scooped up the bowl and stood. “You can go to an apothecary if you’re after herbs to help with your headaches. Even though magic wasn’t the answer, it can still help.”
Gia almost said no, then caught herself. “Maybe. Magic is about the only thing I haven’t tried.”
