Page 68 of A Bolt of Magic

“How do you feel?” I ask, pulling back.

Instead of answering, McColl’s eyes fill with worry. “How is Maya?” she says, trying to sit up. “And the baby? What about the baby?” She scrunches her nose. “I can’t remember much.” She shakes her head. “I’m sure I heard him cry, but…I’m hitting blanks. Please tell me they’re fine.”

“Yes, yes, they’re absolutely fine,” I assure her, gently pressing her back down by putting a hand on her shoulder. “Both of them. Maya is already up and about. Maxwell is healthy and hungry. Both Kyrie and Maya have been asking after you. The others, too. We’ve all been so worried…even Thesha.”

Relief crosses her beautiful face. “Good. That’s…that’s good.” She closes her eyes briefly, then opens them again. “Fora moment there, I thought…” She shudders. “I’d better not think about all that could have gone wrong. How long was I unconscious?” She frowns.

“Two long days.” I run a hand through my hair, suddenly feeling the weight of every sleepless hour. “You’ve been out for two full days, McColl. We were starting to worry that…”

I can’t finish the sentence.

“Then Thesha and Xander foraged for something called moonwort. Thesha was here earlier with a tincture she made.”

“I know it.” She nods and smiles.

“Thesha made you the tincture, and it worked.”

McColl laughs softly.

“What is it?”

“Thesha mademea potion…one that worked. Some would say that’s magic. Some would even say it’s the work of a witch.”

I choke out a laugh. “Don’t let her hear you say that. She—”

There’s another soft knock, and this time, it is Kyrie who pokes her head around the door. When she sees McColl’s open eyes, her face lights up with joy.

“Oh, thank Kakara!” She rushes to the bedside, her eyes glinting. “We were so worried. Maya’s been beside herself with guilt, thinking it was her fault you—”

“No, she mustn’t. It’s not her fault,” McColl says; her voice is still weak. Her eyes at half-mast.

Kyrie nods, wiping her eyes. “This stubborn man has hardly left your side. Only to wash. He even took his meals right there in that chair.”

Heat floods my face as McColl turns to look at me with something unreadable in her expression. “That’s sweet of you, Kian. I guess it’s what friends do. They’re there for each other.”

“Exactly,” I say, probably gruffer than is necessary. “You collapsed. Someone needed to make sure you were… I mean, we didn’t know if…you needed water or when you were going towake up. I…um…” I’m rambling like an idiot, and force myself to shut the hell up.

McColl’s lips curve in the faintest smile, and I’m grateful to see it.

“You look exhausted,” she observes, and I catch a glimpse of myself in the small mirror on the wall. My eyes are indeed bloodshot, my hair disheveled, stubble covering my jaw.

“I’m fine.” I feel like I could sleep for a week.

“How are you feeling?” Kyrie asks, her gaze fixed on McColl.

McColl licks her lips. “Weak,” she admits. “Like I’ve been drained completely. But better than when I first woke up. I’ll be right as rain in no time. I’ll keep taking the tincture Thesha made for me. It’ll help.”

“She and Xander left yesterday and only returned this morning. Thesha insisted on making the tincture herself. She’s been very worried about you, even if she denies it. She said it’s made of… I can’t remember.”

“Moonwort,” McColl says. “It’s the root of a tiny plant that grows at the base of certain trees. Its leaves are snowy white, hence the name. It helps restore the life force of a person.”

Kyrie’s eyebrows shoot up. “Life force. What happened to your life force?”

“What exactly did you do?” I ask McColl, leaning forward. I don’t like the sound of this. “What happened to make you collapse like that? I thought it was because you used too much of your magic. I thought it was exhaustion.” And yet, I knew it couldn’t be as simple as that.

McColl’s eyes dart away from mine, and I can see her choosing her words carefully. “I gave Maya some of my life essence,” she says quietly. “I had to. She was too weak to deliver Maxwell on her own after I turned him to the right position. Her body was failing, and he was in distress. It was the only way togive her the strength she needed. I was careful not to give her too much. But at the same time—”

The words leave me reeling. “You gave her yourlife essence?” I surge to my feet. “You could have died. I’ve heard of people dying. Just a little too much, and it’s over.” McColl slept for two days. She didn’t just give a little. She almost gave too much. She almost…

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