Page 77 of Revenge of the Forgotten

Arlet stood and held out her hand to Vega. “Let’s go up.”

Vega took it again, and the two walked hand in hand to the deck. She needed Arlet. Her guide, her protector, and the only friend Vega had ever been able to count on—in this life and all the ones before. If she never got her memories back, she would still consider her the best friend a girl could hope for.

Vega’s boots hit the wooden deck, and she ogled at the land surrounding her. The weather here felt damp, causing a chill to settle on Vega’s skin.

Fraus’s buildings were pointed at the top, made out of large stones. The roads were cobbled, and the people on the docks reminded her of the pirates she’d seen in movies. Vega looked behind her and noticed their boat no longer looked like a war ship, but like the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean. She scrunched her eyebrows, confused.

Khort noticed the look on her face. “The people of this land don’t have the advances we have. Only those in governing positions, the army, the rich. Our boat can’t look like one if we want to stay incognito.”

Her eyes wandered over the gothic city—Fraus seemed to have a perpetual fog hanging over the peaks of its tall buildings.

“How do?—”

“Shhhh!” Arlet was at her other side, finger over her lips. “People know who you are, and there’s a pretty big bounty on your head right now. I can control what people see, not what they hear. You need to keep it down through the town. No one will see us. Khort is the only one the people won’t be suspicious of. He deals here often.”

Deals here? The closer she got to her memories, the more questions she had.

They walked through the cobblestone streets, Vega and Arlet dodging bodies like bullets so they wouldn’t blow their cover. The streets were alive with vendors by the harbor, residents going to and from shops and their homes.

The air smelled salty with a tinge of simmering coals. Vega quickly realized the fog was actually a haze of smoke as she watched people disappear from their doorsteps in a heartbeat. Little tufts of tar-colored smoke covered them before they disappeared.

“They’re like Halo.” Vega had only met the young boy once since waking up in Castra on a day Khort agreed to let her go up top with him. Khort had figuratively taken Halo under his wing, but Vega still wasn’t too sure about him. She’d gotten a spine-tingling chill when his eyes met hers for the first time—his frosted green irises felt like windows into another dimension.

“Somewhat,” Arlet replied. “He’s the only traveler we know of that can transport others too.”

The streets started to grow smaller, turning into dark dirt as they moved through the city. Once out of the prying eyes of the busy city, Arlet let go of their shield. Vega felt exposed, bringing her power to a bubble beneath her skin. She didn’t understand it fully, not yet, but it was there, and God did it feel good.

Thirty minutes passed, and Khort knocked on a little black cabin deep in the woods. Vines grew up the sides of the home, smoke rising from the chimney from a lit fire. A frail older woman with dark circles under her eyes opened the door. Her hair was darker than the night sky with a blue hue. “Come in.” Her voice was high-pitched and whiny—exactly what Vega expected someone compared to a witch would sound like.

The five of them—two rebel guards from Solum, herself, Arlet, and Khort—entered through the door. A stifling feeling wrapped around Vega.

Something isn’t right. Her power felt like a static ball in her hands, her heartbeat spiking. You’re fine. Breathe.

The woman led them into a back room, where vials lined the walls, the smell of herbs strong. “Have a seat.” She pointed to a small pillow on the floor beside a cauldron. The sound of bubbling liquid inside grabbed Vega’s attention. She crossed her legs as she made herself as comfortable as she could. Her heart thudded so hard in her chest, she was sure everyone else could hear. “Did you bring the payment?” she asked, turning to Khort.

“Yes. You’ll receive it after Vega has gotten her memories returned.” Khort crossed his arms, and the Solum guards left the cabin to stand guard outside.

The witch grumbled, moving about the room to collect vials of liquid and baggies of herbs.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve worked together, Flavia. I haven’t done you wrong yet. Why would I start now?” His eyes rolled in annoyance.

Vega twiddled her thumbs, chewing on the inside of her cheek while her eyes bounced back and forth during Khort’s intense interaction with Flavia. The decrepit woman quickly mixed the herbs and liquids into a hot cup of water from the bubbling cauldron. “Drink this,” she croaked.

Vega took the warm mug in her hands, taking a moment to look around the room. This was it—she was about to remember.

“All of it.”

Vega tipped the mug back and chugged the contents. The tingle of her lightning overwhelmed her senses. A burning agony shot through her body, so strong that words couldn’t form into anything coherent. Her eyes squeezed shut, and when she opened them, the corners of her vision started to go fuzzy. No, no, no. Not this again.

“Halo?” Out of the corner of her darkening vision, Vega saw the young blond traveler. Trouble. We’re in trouble.

There was that chill Vega felt the last time Halo was around. She stood without thinking about it. Flavia’s hands were on the sides of Vega’s head. When did those get there?

“What are you doing here, Halo?” That was Khort.

The room went black.

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