Memory's Wake (33 page)

Memory crushed his hand in hers. She tried to be brave, for him, but still released a tiny, crying scream as she stepped through.

They arrived at a small cottage. It overlooked a sea that ended in a horizon of mist, lit by a near full moon. Lonely on a rocky bluff made barren by salty winds, a grove of malformed grey trees skirted the cottage, making it more sinister than cozy. Will vanished again into those trees the moment they arrived.

The dragon did not travel with them, and Memory knew she wasn’t the only one to hope they wouldn’t meet again.

Slowly, they shuffled indoors. Their grand scheme to stay up planning was laid to waste when they all passed out from exhaustion.

“That’s it,” Eloryn said.

“That’s the plan?” asked Memory.

“That is the plan.”

“Huh,” Memory said. She sat on the very edge of a plush armchair, knees bouncing, chewing her lips. Blood red rays of the setting sun cast over waves below and through the wide open windows, dragging in the smell of rotting seaweed and sea foam. They had slept like the dead, and woken late. In the remaining hours of sunlight, Eloryn reviewed every last piece of information they had, every angle and advantage, until she finally explained her plan.

“It isn’t any good?” Eloryn stood in front of the windows, backlit almost too brightly to look at, lips pulled into her mouth and frown forming.

“No, I mean, it’s sort of brilliant. Free the Wizards’ Council as a distraction, then some identical twin shenanigans to cat and mouse Thayl off on his own. Having the resistance help once Thayl is beaten is good. I reckon there’ll be some unhappy people around.”

“I won’t ask the resistance to act until we’ve done our part, so they aren’t exposed. I think they will agree to that. Alward has a Speaking Mirror here that he used to contact suppliers when setting up this home, and I saw that Lanval owns one, so we can send our messages through him.” Eloryn drew in a deep breath. “I wasn’t sure I could bring it all together, but the dragon giving Memory the knowledge of Veil doors was the final piece.”

“Stupid dragon making me the important part,” Memory muttered to herself.

Roen’s head wobbled, somewhere between a nod and a shake. “I won’t say I like it, but it could work, if your theories are right.”

Eloryn turned a shade of pink that glowed in the setting sunlight. “All laws of nature and magic say they are. Like calls to like. Energy will channel to where it belongs.”

“It still sounds dangerous,” said Roen.

“I’ll keep Mem and myself moving fast. I can behest our bodies to react quicker, keep us a step ahead of Thayl. He won’t know which of us is which. I think we’ve a good chance of luring him away from the rest of his men with glimpses of us.”

Roen leant forward in the matching armchair across from Memory. “And you say your behest can also help me fight better, to hold back any men with him until he’s on his own? Will too, if he shows up again?”

Eloryn nodded, moved as if to pace, but instead fidgeted in place.

Memory leaned back into the upholstered comfort, pulling her knees up in an effort to stop their jittering.

This cottage had been set up by Alward, Eloryn had told them when they arrived. A home away from home in case their other was lost, bought and fully stocked with essentials by Alward’s guidance from afar. Stocked and furnished but too sparse to be considered cozy. Memory now sat in a simple cotton dress, more grey brown than lilac, taken from a small supply in a room fitted for Eloryn. Inexpressible happiness filled her to be out of the destroyed black ball gown. Clean, dry, fed
and
sitting. All the good things in life. But a dark unease at what lay ahead continued to build.

“I don’t know, isn’t it risky though? He’ll still have his magic the whole time. We know he hit me once and it did nothing, but the two of you... We’re going to have to get so close to him. Maybe it should just be me. I can do it, lure him out by myself,” Memory said past the fingers in her mouth, having graduated from chewing her lips to chewing on them.

“I can’t let you take that risk on your own,” Eloryn said firmly. “He could have any number of men with him even with the distractions. You need us there to help. Even if you’re immune to his magic again, he could hurt you in other ways.”

Roen rested his elbows on his thighs and bent his head down into his hands. “If anyone is to confront Thayl on their own it should be me. He doesn’t know me, and I can probably sneak in close enough without being seen. Both your lives are too valuable.”

“It needs to be all of us for the plan to work. Thayl needs to see Memory and me. I need to be there, close by, for my behests to work. Memory must be there for the chance to get her memories back.”

“Then Roen at least can stay behind then, and Will; he doesn’t need to be part of this either,” Memory said, volume growing.

Eloryn paused with her mouth open, looking across to Roen.

“Not a chance.” Roen’s voice was barely below a yell as he stared at the two of them.

“But-” Memory said, her voice rising again to match.

“Mem, Roen, please, if we do this, we have to do it together. I won’t let either of you do this without me, so you won’t stop me. It is my plan. Now, do we follow it? Together?”

Roen nodded gravely then put his head down into his hands.

Memory tore off her last fingernail between her teeth and chewed on the rough fibers left behind. Her mind whirred, but all she could catch from the thoughts that flew past was a large amount of cursing.

She shrugged and nodded.

Eloryn sighed out enough air that she visibly decreased in size. “Then we do it tonight.”

“I figure you heard all of that?” Memory said out loud to the copse of trees, feeling foolish.

With the faintest rustle of leaves, Will dropped down in front of her, landing as easily and quietly as if he’d simply taken a step forward. She squeaked a gasp of shock at his arrival. At this point she could do without such surprises, and punched him in the arm in retribution. She thought she saw him smile in response, but it passed too quick for her to be sure.

Seeing him here now, so close in front of her, she realized she hadn’t ever really looked at Will. William? William what? He had just been “that animal man”. But he wasn’t that. He was some normal boy whose life she’d ruined, lost in her own insane world of issues. Half the time she forgot he was even there, watching her from a distance. So many questions she hadn’t asked him, things she hadn’t seen. He seemed several years older than her now. On his bare chest large pale scars showed against the worn skin, silver in the moonlight. Clothing, if it could be called that, covered only parts of him. It was an odd mixture of finely made but worn garments and the furs that added to his animal appearance, all held together by strips of leather. He stood straighter than he normally did, making him even taller than she’d thought. She only just came to his biceps.

“Maybe you shouldn’t go,” he said.

“Don’t you want me to get my memories back? Then, I would remember you too.” She smiled, but her lips shook for some reason.

“Maybe. But others, maybe not. Maybe you shouldn’t.” He didn’t seem comfortable, his eyes turning from edge to edge but not toward her.

Memory snorted. “Considering the grand memories I’ve made for myself so far this time around, really, what could be worse?”

No answer. Will’s breath formed a shimmering haze as it shook from his mouth.

Memory lost the wry smile from her face. “I’m not talking about happy endings here. I honestly don’t think that this will turn out the way Lory wants it to, but we have to do something.”

“Then hide. I can keep you hidden, in the forests…”

“With your fairy friends? Maybe you haven’t noticed, but they don’t seem to like me at all.”

“Somewhere, somehow I’d keep you safe.”

He sounded so much like a child at that moment, so touchingly, that Memory breathed out a giggle. She instantly regretted it. He looked at her as though that laugh was something familiar and hurtful.

“I’m going to do this. One way or another,” Memory muttered. “What are you going to do?”

“Mina, Yvainne, the other fae... they won’t help. But they’re close. They’re watching to see what happens. If it’s done, after that, I don’t know. But I will help. I’ll follow you. As long as I can.” He looked behind him into the trees, then finally brought his eyes onto her face. The corner of his mouth twitched. “I’ve never seen you without your hair dyed.”

“You don’t dig the blonde?” Memory folded her arms up into her chest, lifting her eyebrows. This was the one person in all Avall that knew the most of her life. His opinion suddenly seemed to matter a lot.

“Never in a dress either. You’re different.” The cool blue of his eyes remained fixed on hers, assessing her, making her heart jitter. “Everything is different here.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was like before.”

Will huffed, mouth lifting slightly more, almost a smile. “You would never say sorry, before.”

The faintest flicker of light caught the corner of Memory’s eye, and Will turned away from her again.

“I have to go,” he said.

“Oh, well, do you want to stay tonight in the house or...?”

Will had already taken three long strides, then stepped up into the trees and disappeared. Memory’s words drifted to nothing.

She wished she could do that light spell, to light up the trees and see where he went. She just couldn’t get it to work, a simple thing like that. If she couldn’t even do that, why did she think she could do what she had to for Eloryn’s plan? This wasn’t going to work. The blood drained from her to think of what would happen if it didn’t.

Chapter Twenty-Six