Chapter 59 The Healer's Price

• “What kind of cost?” Kaden asked. His jaw was tight, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
• Mother Elara didn’t answer right away. She turned back to Kael, her gnarled fingers tracing the black veins that spread across his chest. Where she touched, the veins pulsed brighter, like they were responding to her presence.
• “Witch magic doesn’t just sit idle,” she said finally. “It needs to feed. Right now, it’s feeding on your brother’s life force, draining him bit by bit. But if I pull it out, it won’t just disappear. It’ll need somewhere else to go.”