VALERIEI woke up in a startle. My mind was blank—no recollection of where I was or what had happened. My head ached with a usual pressure, and then my memories slowly began to fall back into place.The witch, pressing on the mark on my neck. The way my vision went dark.I recalled the scenes I saw afterward. The memories of a child, shackled in a lonely room. Of all the lost memories that the witch had brought forward.If what Amara said was true, and they really were lost memories—then that little girl was me. Those people were my parents. They were taking me away—but away from…where?It all felt too real to be a lie. I still smelled the sugar and roses on Christine. I felt the cold wind on my face and the snow, sticking to my lashes.Was that why Isabella had never been found?Had she been saved by wizards and taken to the distant North islands, only to die in childbirth?I sat up, my head reeling. I was…in Sebastian’s room again. The chamber was empty, but someone had left me a gl
SEBASTIANValerie’s breath hitched.Her chest rose in sharp, shallow breaths. Tears spilled from her eyes and I saw them streak lines of red down her pale face. Her body trembled violently under Amara’s touch.A sound caught in her throat. A cry that didn’t quite reach her voice.This wasn’t just a struggle to remember. This was absolute torture.She wanted to cry—to scream, but she couldn’t. It was like something within her was being peeled back. Like she was being flayed from the inside out.Amara frowned. Her fingers glowed faintly, pressing hard into Valerie’s mark. Her gaze was steady and searching. “Almost there…”Valerie’s face reddened. A hoarse sound escaped her throat. Her suffering bristled through me, every muscle in my body urging to lunge.My voice snapped against the silence, “What is happening to her?”“She’s remembering,” Amara replied. She didn’t look up from the sharp focus she had on Valerie. “Her memories are tangled. Layered over one another. I need more time to
VALERIEI couldn’t moving. Couldn’t speak.I had lost all control of myself. I could only feel, my chest rising and falling with startled gasps. My fingers twitched, my breath catching in my throat.I was trapped inside myself, watching my own memories play out like nightmares. I didn’t know who I was—which memories belonged to me and which ones belonged to the little girl in my visions. They were all beginning to mix together. Who was I? Where was I?For all I knew, we were one person.Suddenly, the blindfold came off. Light poured into the room, too sharp and sudden. My head spun, brightness daggers in my vision. Then, somehow, I felt warmth.Arms closed in around me, soft and careful as they lifted me from my shackles. The woman cradled me like I was something precious to her—her hair a beautiful moon-dripped silver, her skin pale and glowing. Her eyes met mine and she smiled sweetly.Then she raised a finger to her lips, signaling not to make a sound.I nodded without thinking. Th
VALERIEA nervous unease walked up my spine like tiny insect legs. I shivered at the chill it left behind and looked at the woman.“Who are you? W-what are you?”The woman didn’t answer right away. Instead, she reached a hand out to me and whispered, “Come closer.”Every bone in my body told me not to. Something about this woman was strange and made me terribly uneasy. Her voice was gentle, but the eerie way it reached my ears put every hair on end.I wished Diya was here to tell me what to do. I wished she was here to howl or snarl or pace—or to reprimand me for making the stupid decision to follow Sebastian to this room. But I did not have her guidance here. I was all alone.I hesitate, my eyes falling to the woman’s thumb. It was adorned with a ring—almost exactly like the one we’ve found at Baycrest and the dungeon in Orheroad.The realization struck me and I gasped.She was a witch. Every instinct in my body told me to run, but I didn’t know why. All I knew was that my heart wan
VALERIESebastian nodded to Miriam and she pressed a gentle hand to my back, nudging me toward the circle. My feet moved reluctantly, heat washing over my face at all the eyes that watched me approach. The entire crowd had turned their attention my way, and their warm, welcoming gazes made my heart flutter.The dragons were all so tall and beautiful, their shapes broad, stunning outlines in the sunlight. The breeders that had gathered at the circle watched my slow movements with soft smiles on their faces.I caught Sebastian’s eye just as he was handing the child back to his mother. His hand rested on the toddler’s round head for a moment, then he leaned in and murmured something to the twins. Nirvonth and Adrian both nodded in return, disappearing into the dark mouth of the cave.As I came closer, Sebastian turned to me. “Did you rest well last night?” he asked. His voice was low—barely a murmur, so as not to draw in any more attention.“Yes,” I replied. It was mostly true. Waking up
VALERIEI slept surprisingly well that night. I didn’t think it was possible after everything that had happened, but I supposed the exhaustion of my journey here had worn me down more than I realized.More surprisingly, I had dreams. Gentle, sweet, golden-tinted dreams.I dreamed of my mother—her laugh echoing like beautiful wind chimes through my childhood home. She was hanging laundry on the lines that ran along our back yard—the same back yard in Westshield, where I played with Mathilda.I dreamed of my mother’s hair—held up with a pencil, like it always was when she was busy. The curly tendrils falling from the corners—framing her apple cheeks and her wide, beaming smile.My father was pushing Mathilda on the swing he’d found at the local market. He’d bartered for hours over that swing—knowing we couldn’t afford to pay outright for it. He sold them a week’s supply of Mom’s canned fruit supply instead.The swing set had seen better days. The slide was crooked and dented, and the sw