Page 128 of Revenge of the Forgotten

He stuttered over his words. “No, I know she was here. I saw her! I saw them!” he rambled.

“No, no one was here. You must be seeing things.”

Nero was as red as a tomato. “I know what I saw!”

Colette sighed, her shoulders heaving. “Let’s get you inside. I think you might be coming down with something.”

The old man jabbered on as Colette walked him back through the doors. She looked over her shoulder, scanning the tree line before ducking back into the archives.

Arlet broke their silence. “Let’s get back to the horses.”

They never slowed or gave their steeds a break until they were back at the docks.

Khort and his soldiers ate lamb stew near a fire at a rebel camp, laughing it up like a bunch of old chums. Their merriment ended when Vega and Arlet returned.

No one spoke a word until after they were loaded on the boat and on their way back to Imber.

“I’m sorry it ended like that,” Khort said, patting her on the shoulder as they descended into the hull of the boat.

“It’s not your fault. Thank you again for the help,” Vega said, wrapping herself in a larger fleece-lined jacket Urban gifted her. Since the trek back, she hadn’t been able to escape the cold.

Vega was too tired to ask or answer any questions. She found herself a comfortable place to curl up and rest, but the disappointment of not getting the old tomes kept her from dozing off.

Vega opened the bag Arlet stuffed full of books, sorting through what she’d taken. She did the same with her own, wondering if the answer would be inside any of these or if the answer lay in what she hadn’t gotten her hands on.

Her eyebrows met in the center when she pulled out a book she didn’t remember grabbing. Where did these come from? Vega pulled out another as a smile spread across her face.

“Oh my gods,” Vega gasped.

Roman Blood Curses: Vol. 1.

“Colette, you sneaky girl.” Somehow, the young girl had deposited the two tomes she’d gone to fetch inside her bag without Vega knowing.

Alone in her corner with no one paying attention to her, Vega started to giggle, kicking her feet in excitement. “I’m going to break this fucking curse.”

50

Vega ran until her lungs begged for a break. She’d spent another sleepless night tossing and turning, fighting away nightmares and an insistent itch on her wrist.

When she wasn’t training, she was reading through the books and tomes she and Arlet brought back. She’d learned more than she had in any other life on ways to trick curses, to bind them to someone else, but nothing about how to break them, nothing about how Remus cursed the original gods.

Vega finally got her way after weeks of arguing with Khort about being cooped up like a prisoner, and he allowed an hour of air time… but only if she agreed to a guard. Vega chose Leo, knowing at least he would make it seem like training time and not babysitting.

He turned backwards, continuing his jogging pace. “Oh, come on, Princess. You’re not giving up so soon, are you?”

Vega’s eyes shot daggers at Leo and the nickname he’d chosen for her. “Leo, I am going to drown you in that puddle.” She pointed at the stagnant, muddy water behind him.

He laughed. “Okay, but that nickname makes sense. You were the daughter of the head Curia seat, kind of making you a princess to lowly families like mine.”

“And now, I’m just like you, but cursed,” Vega said while she shoved his shoulder, picking back up on her run. “Let’s go, lowlife.” She winked playfully.

Vega wasn’t interested in Leo—sure, he was gorgeous. But her life was already too complicated without adding him into the mix. Vega’s focus was on herself and the curse consuming her every single thought, and only that.

Leo’s laugh followed her as she sprinted the last half mile. When they got back to the crumbled pile of buildings the hatch was hidden in, Vega sat down against a rock to catch her breath.

He checked the watch on his wrist, standing tall as he took in deep breaths. “You broke five minutes a mile until that last one.” The abilities in Tolevarre made everything easier, faster.

When Vega returned, she couldn’t run a mile in under ten. She was officially back at her old running speed. “Good, so I have a little time to read in the sun.” She smiled, pulling her bag out of its hiding place.

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