The Price of Magic

Chapter 2

The journey to Luca and Micha's home was agonizing. No matter how gently Micha tried to guide the horse, every movement caused immense pain to my thigh. The one upside to this journey was the scenery. I had never been this far from home before, and everything was breathtaking. Everything from the glowing lilac flowers that covered the meadows on either side of us, to the crystal blue waters from a stream nearby. It offered a sense of tranquility. Of peace. It was not marred by the destruction of war. I can barely remember my village before Margo torched it. Nan tells me stories of its beauty, and how in the spring, when the flowers would bloom, their aroma would engulf the village. But to me, it's all a distant memory, more like a dream.

"....melia?" I am shaken from my trance by the sound of Micha's voice.

"Huh," I reply, in a dazed tone.

"I said, are you doing alright? You had a strange look on your face, and you are a bit pale." Micha responds, concern seeping from his voice.

"I'm managing. I'd be better if I weren't on this horse," I respond in a pained voice, "My thigh is on fire."

"Don't worry, Amelia. We are nearly there, and you'll be fixed up, good as new." Luca jumps in, shooting a half smile in my direction. 

True to his word, we arrived at a small cottage at the edge of the meadow with the glowing flowers shortly after. The cottage was articulately covered in leaves and vines with various flowers growing. Once we come to a stop, without waiting for assistance, I drop down from the horse. Bad idea. The moment my feet touch the ground, I crumble to the ground in pain. It was searing. Surging through every fiber of my body like lightning, causing me to see white.

"Ah!" I exclaim on impact. I hear hurried footsteps rushing towards me.

"Amelia! Are you ok? Why didn't you wait for us to help you down?" Micha yells as he reaches my side.

Unable to respond, I can only groan in agony as the two boys lift me, careful to not cause me further pain. They move quickly, rushing inside and calling to someone as I am laid onto a soft cushion. Everything is a blur. There is an older couple who begin rushing around franticly grabbing supplies. The woman approaches me and places her hand on my arm, "I'm sorry miss, but this is going to hurt." Before I can try to form a sentence, I feel her begin to slice at my thigh. Black dots swirl my vision and I scream. The woman looks up at me and gives what I can only describe as a look of pity. She begins to pull on the arrow, tugging it out of its place in my thigh. "Almost got it!" she exclaims and with one last tug, everything goes dark.

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When I come to, I hear hushed voices frantically whispering.

"Who is she?"

"What did you do?"

"It was Micha."

"It was an accident!"

The whispers stop when I begin to try and sit up. The older woman rushed over to me and places a hand on my shoulder, "Easy now, don't move too much." She gently helps me into a sitting position and offers me a kind smile. I take this moment to study her. She has long black hair and eyes that look like oceans. She must be Luca's mom.

"How are you feeling, Amelia?" my head snaps in the direction of the voice and my eyes land on Luca. He has an indescribable look on his face and his eyes are staring at me intently.

"I feel ok. My leg isn't on fire anymore," I respond with a small smile.

The woman suddenly turns to the boys and by the look on Micha's face, I can tell that the look she is giving them is entirely different from the one given to me moments ago, "I have warned you boys about blindly firing arrows in the forest and each time you ignore me! Well look at what's happened now. You have injured this young girl with your irresponsible ways. Apologize!"

"We did apologize. Mom," Luca states with an exasperated tone just as Micha rushes forward into my view and all but begs for forgiveness. Luca begins to scoff but stops when his mother takes a step towards him.

"And you will apologize again," she stated in a tone that left no room for argument.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. It was not our intention for the arrow to hit you in your thigh," Luca states begrudgingly.

I stared at him for a moment. Why is it so hard for him to offer a sincere apology? I mean, this was their fault. I should be looking for my sister but instead, I am here. Injured. "Thank you," I say despite my feelings.

Satisfied with Luca's apology, the woman turns to me, and a look of realization takes over her kind features, "Oh my! Where are my manners? I'm Natashi and the quiet one over there is my husband, River," she motions to the older man sitting on the stump across the room. "We are the parents of these two hooligans."

"I'm Amelia," I say hesitantly, remembering Nan's warning. Trust no one. I can almost hear her voice.

"Amelia... that's a beautiful name. Well, you are going to have to rest that thigh for the night, so you are more than welcome to stay for dinner," Natashi states matter-of-factly.

"Oh no, I can't. Really, I'm feeling much better." I feign. When I go to stand, to show that I can walk, my leg gives out and I fall back into the cushion.

"Mhmm. You're staying for dinner." Natashi states. "River, come help me finish up in the kitchen. Dinner is nearly ready."

I sigh and lean back into the cushion, closing my eyes in the process. This is not how I intended this to go. The village must be way ahead of me now. Getting closer to Margo and I haven't even begun my search. Taking a deep breath, I push those negative thoughts away and remind myself that no matter how far they've gotten, I have something they don't. Magic. 

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A/N: Hello! 

I hope you enjoyed this part as much as I did. Its a little slow now but it will pick up speed and we'll get into figuring what The Price of Magic actually is. As always, please leave a comment and vote if you enjoyed this part and I do hope you stick around for the next part!

xoxo Kendra Lashay