Page 65 of Wingless Crow: Part 1

“Is that why he put you here? To spy on me?”

“Whyto spy?” She huffed again, clearly offended. “Voron just wants to make sure you’re coping well. Coming to Sky Kingdom was a big change for you. He feels responsible for your wellbeing.”

Responsible? To me, it sounded more like he was keeping control over everything in Elaros, including me.

“And? Do you tell him I’m coping well?”

She tilted her head, studying me with her clear blue eyes.

“Are you, though? You act mostly calm and quiet. But you snap at times and seem stressed and anxious. I’m not sure if that’s your normal state because I’ve no idea what your normal is.”

I definitely felt snappy right now. I wondered if it was her talking about Voron that had put me on edge.

“Funny thing, Brebie, I’ve no idea what my ‘normal’ state is, either. Do you know why? Because Voron took away the memories of my previous life. He erased my past. I don’t know who I was before I came here. I don’t even know what my actual name is.”

“Is it not Sparrow?”

I flung both hands into the air. “Sparrow? What kind of name is that? It’s not even a name! It’s just a type of bird.”

She shrugged. “It suits you.”

“Not you, too,” I groaned, plopping down on the bed.

“Oh, come on, honey.” She sat on the bed next to me and hugged my shoulders. “Crossing the River of Mists is never easy. It’s no wonder you lost your memories—”

“I didn’tlosethem. Voron took them.”

“All right, all right, he took your memories.” She didn’t sound like she believed me, more like she was humoring me. “But do you really need to have them here? Our worlds are so different, you’d have to learn everything anew, anyway. Besides, who knows what your life back in the human realm was like? Maybe it’s a good thing you don’t remember it? Maybe there wasn’t much to miss, anyway?”

I hadn’t looked at it that way. All this time, I’d been mourning the loss of my past, my one true home. Never once had I considered my coming to Sky Kingdom as a fresh start. But Brebie might be right. There had to be at least parts of my past that were best forgotten. Who was to say that my life back home was much better than my life here could ever be?

Releasing a shaky breath, I relaxed into her side hug.

“I want to make it in Sky Kingdom, Brebie. I want to find my place here. I really do. I just wish I knew the best way to go about it.”

“If you want to learn how to play that game, ask Voron to teach you,” she said firmly.

It made sense that Voron was good at the game that required focus and concentration. He was the most level-headed, contemplative person I’d met in Elaros. He was also well-read and intelligent. His strategy skills had been honed in real wars and battles.

“He won’t teach me.” I sighed.

“Why not?”

“Plenty of reasons. First, I made fun of him in public. Then, I told him to stay away from me. I can’t possibly ask him for any favors now.”

She patted my shoulder soothingly. “Voron is a kind man. He’ll forgive you.”

“Kind? He’s so distant, it’s like he’s worlds away even when he’s close.”

Brebie shifted her hooves on the fuzzy rug by my bed. “Life hasn’t been easy on him. Especially in the beginning.”

Other than the wars, I knew nothing about Voron’s past, I realized.

“What do you mean? What happened to him?”

“His mother died when he was only ten. He never knew his father.”

“Who looked after him, then? After his mother’s death?”

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