Page 33 of Mistake of Magic
“Coal,” I manage to say, my mouth dry as I blink away a bad dream that’s already fading from memory, my hands shaking with fear—the source of which my consciousness no longer recalls. Terror and pain wash over me in a phantom fog that has my breath catching in my chest. “I... don’t think Coal is all right.”
“He is all right,” River says through the door, bringing both Shade and me to our feet. Behind the quint commander, Coal walks stiffly but without assistance, his black shirt looking merely wet instead of soaked in blood. For the first time, I think I understand his usual all-black clothing choice. If you can’t see a warrior’s blood, you can’t see his weakness. “Malikai is disappointed at the lack of sound, but he’ll get over it, I imagine.”
Shooting me a worried look, Shade jerks his head toward his sleeping chamber. “I’ve the worktable set up. Come.”
Left alone for a few moments, I take a deep breath. Then I follow the males, my heart still beating too quickly. By the time I enter, Coal is already lying on his stomach on the table. With no shirt to stanch the wounds, blood flows from his wide back onto the wood, filling the room with a coppery scent. A bowl of water beside Coal’s shoulder is tinged the same crimson as the balled-up cloth floating inside.
River gets the hell out of my way as I step up beside Shade and rest a hand on Coal’s shoulder, relieved to find the full extent of the damage hidden beneath a thick coat of Shade’s shimmering magic. Coal’s eyes are pale and open, staring emotionlessly through the far wall. Sweat beading at his temples is the only sign he’s in any pain at all. His tattoo is hidden by the magic as well, the intricate lines that run down the length of his spine now surely in tatters.
“Leralynn—” River says tentatively.
I glare up at him, silencing the male in an instant. The world sways in rhythm with my pounding, simmering blood. Whatever the others think, whateverCoalhimself thinks, he should never have been trapped against a whipping post. Not him. Not after Mors. My heartbeat echoes through my muscles, my skin, my soul, each new wave more powerful than the last. The hand I have on Coal’s shoulder tightens, my energy flowing through—
Coal lets out a short, pain-filled curse.
“What did you do?” I demand of Shade.
“Not me, cub,” Shade says quietly, his body shifting to bend around mine. His voice is soft, hypnotically calm—at odds with River’s sharp intake of breath. Shade’s hands settle atop my own. “Ease your magic. We want to mend the wounds from the inside, not sear the skin shut on the surface. We’ve time to go slow, not hurt him more than we must.”
Shade’s words ricochet inside me even as I feel him cajole the power that I can’t deny is pulsing beneath my fingers.
“Don’t be afraid,” Shade says into my ear. Calm and sure and confident. “I’ll guide you. Feel along with me.” Without moving either of our hands, I feel Shade’s magic steer my own along paths I’ve never felt before, but which now feel as wide as carriage roads.
I lose track of time, the pulsing magic inside me ticking along with my heart and Shade’s gentle commands. A power that is mine but not mine extends like a limb, probing damaged flesh, sometimes urging it to live and other times searing a tiny part closed to stanch a bleed or clear a bit too mangled to revive. Coal makes no sound, though I can tell the latter hurts him, and after guiding me through several closures, Shade takes those for himself.
The world tips and sways, strong hands gripping my elbows before I can fall. “That’s enough for the first time,” River says into my ear, pulling me out of the room. “Shade can finish up. Let us get some fresh air.”
I follow along obediently, blinking at the breeze as my awareness returns. “Did I just...” I trip on the words.
“Use your magic?” River says. “Yes. And quite a great deal of it.”
“You really should get out of the habit of talking about things you don’t understand, River,” Autumn says, coming up beside us and throwing her arms around me. “Lera didn’t usehermagic. She used Shade’s.”
* * *
With Shadestill working on Coal’s back, Autumn, River, Tye, and I settle around the common room. Tye resourcefully procures a bottle of whisky, putting a tot in my hand before I’m fully aware of what’s happening.
I wrap my hand around the drink, blinking at Autumn.Autumn.Here and real and—I squeal, launching myself at the small female, my arms going around her as Tye industriously rescues the whisky from my hand.
I can feel the female’s grin, her braids tickling my neck. When I start to pull back, her hands tighten in one more embrace before letting me go. “Thank the stars,” Autumn says, grinning back at me. “For a moment there, I wasn’t sure you were going to let anyone near you.”
I sigh. “It’s been an... unusual day.”
Autumn snorts and holds her empty glass out to Tye for a refill. “Don’t jest with yourself, Lera. When it comes to these four, there is never ausualday. Speaking of which, do I want to know where exactly this whisky came from?”
Tye grins. “Your father has a fine taste for alcohol.”
A smile I didn’t think would ever return tentatively touches my face.
Catching my eye, Tye nods and extends my drink back to me.
Autumn rolls her eyes and pulls her bare feet under her, her loose blue trousers billowing around her legs. A circle of tiny gems glints in her exposed naval. “Now, then,” Autumn says, sipping her drink. “Given that I don’t believe the quint magic made a mistake in bonding the five of you, I started wondering why it chose you five, specifically. What’s the connection? It was Coal’s odd relationship with magic that got me thinking.”
“What is odd about Coal?” I ask.
Autumn grins and Tye sucks in a long-suffering breath. “Don’t ask questions, Lilac Girl. She’ll talk your ear off and bore me to death.”
“Magic is somewhat like blood,” Autumn starts, her gray eyes sparkling. “It keeps us fae immortal, quickly healing and, in the case of shifters, able to change form. After basic bodily needs are met, we can use the excess magic externally for things like fire and earth manipulation, healing, and throwing up shields. Everyone except Coal, that is. His magic never leaves his body. It stays inside him, making him even stronger and faster than typical fae.”
