The Pain in My Heart [Completed]

Chapter 4

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asks. "And with these?" She points to the stack of books that lay on my desk.

The study is open to all but is always mostly empty. My life for the past two months has been lived within these candle-lit walls. It has become common knowledge that if I have free time, it will be spent within the study. Books on herbology, potions and spells, conjuring, and properties. I've read it all and yet there is always more to learn.

Reading helps with the night terrors. When I'm not sulking by the window, I at least try to make myself useful. It is more important now than ever. Anything, absolutely anything could serve to be useful.

Lucy pulls up a chair across from where I sit and slides the book over to her.

"Hey!"

"Did you have another nightmare?" she asks unbothered, flipping through the pages.

"Not tonight." I answer snatching the book out of her grasp finding the page I left off on. "Ancient Hieroglyphs." It's a good try, but not much has come of it.

"You have to get some sleep. You know better than this," she says earnestly, leaning back in her chair.

"I can't sleep. Not now," I counter. "Mika is keeping Crista locked up in some cage. I have to do something to help."

She reaches her hand out, her skin pale and smooth. "No one expects you to be a machine." Again, sliding the book back over to her she sets it on her lap. "Take a rest."

I glare at her, but quickly advert my gaze. She gives me a don't-make-me-say-it-again look. Lowering my head to my folded arms I allow myself to relax.

I sigh slowly and my eyes sting from being awake for so long. I go to close my eyes but a lavander patch of smoke catches my attention. Keeping my eyes peeled I watch as it dances and whisps. The more it moves the darker it gets. Lavander to purple, to mauve, to almost red.

What is happening, I ask myself lifting my head. The smoke gets heavier and clouds the room until I can barely see.

"Lucy?"

I squint until I can focus across the table. The book is no longer on the table, no it seems to be on her lap. She looks down, her eyes wide.

"What did you find?" I ask, assuming something in the book might cause such a reaction.

But, as I study her closer, I realize she is not looking at any words inked into those thick pages. She looks past it, to her right.

I stand from my chair, the feet of it making an awful noise as it slides against the smooth floor. "Luc—

And then I see it.

"Please Lucy," I plead. "Calm down..."

I breath in and out slowly hoping Lucy will at some point follow my lead and take a breath. But her eyes are peeled on her arm and so are mine. I don't know what to say; what to think.

Lucy's pale skin now marked with ashy ink. A pair of wings.

***

"Okay... you know... it's not that bad."

"You can't be serious!" she cries, disturbed.

There's no point in trying to cheer her up. I practically carried her through the palace to Axil's room, banging on his door. He had woken up from some delirious dream, and if I had to guess I would say he's still under the impression he's in that dream.