Curse of the Fallen (Fallen Light Book One) by H.C. Newell

Author:H.C. Newell [Newell, H.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2021-04-29T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter twenty-two

Echoes of the Past

"Memories are windows into the past, meant to be locked and untouched. Do not be consumed by what once was or seek to lose all you have.”– Vethad, the Book of Time

Neer sat in the silence of her home and twisted the memory shard between her fingers. With a distant gaze, she looked through it, reliving the memory inside. How could Reiman have such a memory? Who was it that held the brand to her skin? She imagined every possibility, but none seemed to make sense. Reiman would never have tortured her. He would never be part of the horrors she endured, but how he came to retrieve such a memory, and why he would keep it locked away remained a mystery.

As she sat at the table, drowning in her thoughts, Klaud and Avelloch stood by the fire in quiet conversation.

“Aegrandir?” Klaud asked. “You’re sure?”

“Yes… and the triandal.”

Klaud’s face paled, and his eyes widened with fear.

They turned away from one another as the door burst open and Loryk stood cheerfully in the doorway with a basketful of fruit tarts.

“Mornin’ everyone!” He smiled before bragging about how lovely the day was.

Gil followed behind and pushed Loryk aside to enter more quickly. “Get a move on, sprite! We haven’t got all day!”

Loryk glared at the dreled before passing out breakfast to everyone. They absentmindedly accepted his gifts without so much as a nod in his direction.

“Rude creatures, you elves, I tell ya,” he commented while passing an apple tart to Avelloch.

The assassin thrust forward, as if ready to attack him, and Loryk jumped back with a silent yelp. With a deep huff, Avelloch turned away, and Loryk scrambled across the room.

“Everything all right, child?” Gil touched Neer’s arm, and she jumped from her trance. “Nerana?”

Without speaking, she placed the shard in Gil’s hands and forced him to watch the dreadful memory. Once it was over, he stepped from the table and gripped his forehead. “Oh, Neer… why’d you go and watch such a thing?”

“Why does he have this? Did he do this to me?”

“That wasn’t Reiman, child.”

“Then who was it?”

His eyes moved to the men standing around, who all looked at Neer with sorrowful eyes. “Reiman… could tell you were troubled. From the moment you arrived, you were angry. Hostile. You hadn’t eaten properly in years and had screaming fits every night.”

“That never happened!”

“It did, child… It was awful. You’d lash out, do all sorts of nasty things with your magic.”

“Why would I do that? I would remember if—”

“You were in a rage, child. Defiant. Reiman needed to know what happened to you. How to help you. So, he had the scholars take those memories and lock them away.”

“But they aren’t my memories, Gil! I’m seeing from another person’s eyes!”

“The shards are a strange thing. It’s a manifestation of your memory but isn’t always seen from your own eye. It isn’t always the same circumstances that truly happened, but merely the way you remember them.”

“That doesn’t make any sense! This is—”

“Magic, my dear, isn’t always the best indicator of the truth.

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