“What happened?” I demanded through clenched teeth, my eyes locked on the two men working feverishly over Zara.
Julian’s voice was low, chanting something under his breath, his fingers weaving in a delicate, controlled pattern as he used his magic to clean and stitch her wounds.
Gunnar, who had been leaning over her, suddenly jolted upright, his eyes flying open in alarm. His gaze snapped to mine, sharp and furious. “Her magic,” Gunnar spat, his words dripping with anger. “Did you know about this?”
“What about her magic?” Panic bled into my voice as my eyes darted between them.
“It’s… I can’t even describe it,” Gunnar hissed, his voice trembling with fury. “It’s worse than torn. It’s in ribbons.”
I knew his anger wasn't aimed at me, but at the violation someone had done to Zara. My rage ignited alongside his, and I looked down at her, trying to understand how this could have happened to her.
“Whoever took her magic is using it,” Gunnar continued, his voice harsh. “And it’s calling her back toward it. The charm malfunctioned because of that.”
My chest tightened. I had caused this…I had caused her harm by using that charm.
“They’re healing slowly, but they are healing,” Julian said, breaking the heavy silence. He meticulously wrapped Zara’s arm in bandages, his touch gentle. “Like you, she’s not healing as she should. It’s going to take time.”
I glanced down at Zara, her face pale, her breathing shallow but steady. My gaze shifted back to Gunnar. “I won’t be able to stop her from shadowing if her magic swells again.”
“She can shadow?” He raised an eyebrow, surprised she had such a rare magic.
“Yes, how do we stop her from leaving?” I asked, panic starting to grip my chest.
“The sedative should suppress her magic temporarily,” Gunnar continued, his tone thoughtful, though confusion flickered in his eyes. “But I can craft a new charm, modified to prevent this from happening again. Does she disappear like this often?”
His question hung in the air as I sighed. “You might as well get Aria and Soren in here,” I muttered, running a hand across my face.
Julian’s voice cut in, “We should move her to the bed.”
Without hesitation, I bent down, scooping Zara off the floor. Her body was limp in my arms as I carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. I brushed a stray lock of hair from her face before turning back to the others. “We have a lot to discuss,” I said, feeling the exhaustion settle in my bones.
Gunnar and Julian stared past me, eyes wide. I spun around quickly, but I was already too late. Zara was gone.
Chapter 20
Zara
I remembered pain and the gentle way Xavier had stroked my face. My arm still hurt, but the pain was manageable now, causing only a light discomfort. I shifted, and my head stung. I definitely drank way too much wine.
“Hello, Zara.” My mother’s silky voice rang out in the room, and my eyes shot open, heart racing. I tried to move, but my wrists and ankles were bound, tethered tightly to a hard surface beneath me.
Cold darkness greeted me, and a flash of light erupted a few feet away. I squinted against the burning light that had come to life on a nearby wall, illuminating the room in a warm glow. The warmth of the newly lit fire barely reached me from where I now lay, tied to a cold wooden table.
I thrashed against the bindings, my wrists and ankles straining against the ropes. Each movement made them dig deeper into my skin, sending sharp bursts of pain through my injured arm.
“What is going on?!” I asked into the darkness, trying to find where my mother’s voice had come from.
She emerged from the shadows at my side, and her face was twisted into a sneer. Winnie’s blonde hair was loose and hanging down over her shoulders, and my eyes darted to her necklace, but it wasn’t there.
Her eyes narrowed as she noticed my gaze. “Looking for something?” she purred, her lips curling into a cruel, mocking smile.
“What’s going on, Mother?”
Her expression soured, her smile slipping away. “Don’t call me that. You know how I hate it.”
“Why am I tied up, Winnie?” I asked, my voice wavering with panic.
She arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. “Don’t you already know?” Her gaze flicked toward a corner of the room, and a snickering laugh echoed behind me. Her eyes narrowed sharply at the sound, silencing whoever was there.
