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Mace and I lock eyes, and it's immediately clear that he's having the same thought as me. But what choice did we have? I could not kill Himureal on my own.
Could I?
Fuck.
Fuck.
Now that I have the magic of all the Gods, I would stand a good chance against him. He is deteriorating mentally, and he always did see the best in me. Maybe I could have done this without them.
My heart rate increases, and I feel myself panicking. My fingers drum on my thigh but do nothing to help me center and steady my breathing. The Gods continue to argue around me, their words a blur that I barely understand. Mace is at my side, hand on my lower back, pulling me into his side and whispering in my ear. "Breathe, Viola. In and out," he coaches me.
"What did we do?" I say quietly so only he can hear me. "Was Himureal right? Do they seek only to force humans to worship them?"
"Until Amaryn came around, I would've said no," Mace says, his lips barely moving as we both keep our eyes on the Godly trio. "But I'm not feeling great about what's happening here."
"We didn't have a choice, did we? Could I have taken Himureal on my own?"
"Maybe?" Mace answers honestly. "I don't know, and I wouldn't have let you risk it. None of us would've."His hand finds the back of my neck, and he squeezes. Our friends have noticed his treatment of me, and when they look at me, I see that their faces are all a mixture of shock and horror at the conversation going on in front of us.
"We do not need Himureal or the little God!" Amaryn is shouting, waving her arms.
"You will not harm Viola!" Avidor shouts, standing up. "We owe her our lives. Without her, we'd still be imprisoned outside of the realm."
"I agree," Solarius says in a practiced and subdued tone. "Let's get rid of Himureal and get things back to normal."
Their voices drop again, overlapping one another. I sway on my feet, exhausted from the emotional turmoil of the ritual, my back and body aching from the rough treatment it got. Mace drags his hand down my back, and the feel of it is like he lit me on fire. I wince away from the touch, and he swears. "Your back?" he asks, lifting the back of my shirt and cursing again. "Plume, get over here."
"Fine!" Amaryn is shouting, huffing, and crossing her arms. "We get rid of Himureal, allow the Shadowweaver to take up the mantle of Winter, and then we get on with our lives."
"I'm glad you're speaking sense now," Avidor says with an eye roll. He looks at me, and his brow wrinkles, watching as Plume, who just made her way to me, pulls my shirt off. "What's wrong?"
"Small injury," I say, laying face down on the table beside me as Plume cuts through the back of my chest wrap with one of the bladesI purchased way back in Dalery. With my words, all three Gods walk over, crowding around us.
"Give me some space, please," Plume says politely as she rubs her hands down my back, healing the rips and tears in my flesh. But her hands drop from me quickly, and she gasps, stumbling away from me.
I look back and see Amaryn standing beside her, Plume's eyes trained on the God. "My… my magic," Plume whimpers. "My magic is gone."
I sit up quickly just as Zeph enters the room with Cirrha and Taegan, but I don't care that everyone has a view of my breasts at this moment.
"What do you mean your magic is gone?" I hiss.
Zeph's eyes grow wide, and he rushes to my side, putting a hand on my elbow. I can immediately tell he's filtering devotion into me, bolstering me in case there is a need to fight.
"She… she touched me while I was Healing you, and it's gone!" Plume sobs, burying her face in her hands.
My eyes burrow into the Bloomtide, who at least has the decency to look ashamed.
"I had no idea that would happen!" she says, hands clutched in front of her chest. "I was just so curious to see another wielding my magic. I didn't know touching her would remove it!" She looks at all of us, eyes wild, pleading. "You must believe me. I never would have done that on purpose!"
"Then give it back!" Jaz says, breaking into the group. "Give her her magic back!"
"It doesn't work that way," Avidor says sadly. "The magic the fae have came from the sudden departure of the Gods and is a result of all of the devotion for us having no place to go. It cannot be returned."
"So you mean to say I'm… human?" Plume gasps, her face swollen and splotchy from her tears. She stumbles backward, hands shaking and eyes wide. "I'll never have magic again?" Jaz wraps their arms around Plume, pulling her against their chest. If looks could kill, Jaz would level the room at this moment.
"My child," Amaryn says, stepping closer to Plume.
Jaz wraps her tighter and spins their body, making themself a shield between the two. "Stay the fuck away from her!"
