Page 16 of Obsession

“Simple. You will take him away from them.”

I rub at my temples. A headache is forming. Does this come from Jaegen, like staring at a source of great light? It might be stress. Imagining all of this in practice certainly isn’t calming.

“They won’t let that happen,” I say as slowly as I can, without it sounding like I’m talking down to him. “They won’t let us leave.”

“So you will escape.”

“With Aris? He isn’t exactly known to be cooperative,” I say. “Besides, what if a mind-wiped Aris kills me the second he lays eyes on me?”

“He won’t. You intrigue him.”

I look at him, and my head begins to pound harder. Maybe it is Jaegen, then. I glance away. “And he likes me because…?”

It’s an elusive question: Why does he like me? Because we were stuck together and, for the first time in his long, eternal life, he was forced to be vulnerable? Because he was unable to instantly kill someone who annoyed or challenged him and, for once, had to compromise? If he forgets himself, he forgets all of that. What would make me interesting, then?

“There is a reason he went into you, Mary.”

I whip toward him. Aris had a reason… It wasn’t random? He chose me, all those years ago?

Why?

My head spins and continues to ache. The question pounds at me, but it’s something to consider later, when Jaegen’s sharp gaze isn’t burning into me.

“So we steal his memory,” I say after a pause. “How?”

“He is weak to magic; we must use a spell; I will put a rune on you that will slowly poison him.”

My mind catches on the word slowly. “How long would it take?”

What I mean is: How long would I be with Aris?

“That depends. I’ve been testing the rune, but humans aren’t comparable to a god. They forget themselves after hours of exposure. With Aris, it could take perhaps… weeks. Months.”

I hesitate. Testing? Who could deserve to have themselves erased like that?

Trying to hide how disturbed I feel, I ask, “So, for the time it takes to work, what would I have to do with Aris?”

“Keep him entertained.”

Entertain Aris. He says that like it’s easy. Stay subject to his whims and pleasures. Play along. Be his doll. For months? I might not even make it that long. What if he gets bored or one of his crazy followers knifes me again?

And then, there is the quiet voice which raises the deepest fear: What if he finds a way to trick me again? What if I start to trust him again?

I clear my throat. “Can I see it?”

He knows what I mean. Jaegen opens his hand, and a flame appears, a series of swirls and sharp lines inside. The moment I notice the complex rune, the flame extinguishes.

“I will put it on you. Every time he touches or interacts with you, the magic will bleed out and impact him,” says Jaegen. “It’s so intricately woven that he won’t notice.”

I work through the knowledge, brows deeply furrowed, and I take a seat back on the settee. I want to ask: How does he know that Aris won’t notice? And what if Aris does discover it? But questioning gods isn’t prudent, and Jaegen is already in a mood.

Still, I can’t help my doubt, or the fear that strikes with every pound of my head. This plan is complicated. First, I’ll need to be around Aris for an extended period, keeping the sigil hidden from him and his followers. Secondly, once his mind is wiped, I have to get Aris away from them. Finally, if I manage to isolate Aris, it would be my responsibility to babysit him until Jaegen finds a way of containment. Assuming Aris doesn’t go on an immediate rampage, I’d be looking after an all-powerful psycho with no memory of who he is or what he’s capable of. Even if he’s still “interested” in me, who’s to say he won’t incinerate me by accident?

How long would I be doing that? What if Jaegen can’t find a suitable prison?

This is beyond a long shot.

“Do I need to remind you of the risks?” Jaegen snaps, and my head pangs again. Something warm trickles out of my nose. While I wipe below my nostrils, startled by the scarlet sight of blood, he continues, “Aris has begun already.”

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