Page 29 of Their World

“I do not have any proof. It’s impossible to have proof when he changes people’s memories and destroys history books.”

Some part of me felt like she was telling the truth. Some part of my mind, in the dark recesses, felt like I was forgetting something important and that she was right.

“I believe you,” I said and gripped her paws, pulling her upright. “But it is impossible for me to leave without a portal, and the portals are random.”

My hair glowed as fury over her being attacked because of me grew. Why was he doing this? What was his motivation? What did he hope to gain?

No, the portals were not random. Some memory, some knowledge that had been shoved to the back of my mind, struggled through a barrier and into the light.

Gasping, I said, “It’s him. He creates the portals.”

“What?” Jol asked.

Talrinir’s eyes widened. “That makes sense. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”

A guard ran into the garden and whispered urgently into Zoman’s ear. Zoman jerked back after hearing what the guard had to say, then both ran out of the garden.

If she was right and the Grand Advisor had altered my memory or messed with my mind, it was possible for me to reverse it. If it was a siren ability he had used, Dad had taught me a few tricks.

Closing my eyes, I pictured my mind, pictured the wall I normally kept up around it, to protect myself from siren attacks.

When I realized the wall was completely gone, I knew Talrinir was telling the truth. To remove the tainted magic within, it would cause me a lot of pain, but I had to do it.

“I might faint, so I’m going to sit down,” I said as I sat cross-legged next to Talrinir.

“What are you doing?” Jol asked, concerned.

“She’s right, there’s magic in my mind, a dark magic that’s altered my mind in some way. I’m going to burn it out, and it’s going to hurt.”

“You can sense it?” she gasped.

I nodded. “My protective walls within my mind are destroyed.”

Jol growled. “You’re certain it’s the Grand Advisor.”

“Yes, it has his aura,” I admitted once I realized it.

Jol growled again.

Taking a deep breath, I used the spell Mom had taught me, a mental fire flash to burn away siren magic.

The pain was so immense that I screamed and fell backwards.

Talrinir threw her arms behind mine so that I fell into her instead of on the ground. “I’ve got you.”

There was so much in my mind. So much manipulation.

“I have to do it again,” I panted. “There’s … so much.”

“I will hold you while you do it,” she promised, “and try to provide you some comfort.”

Using the spell again, I finally cleared away all of it and all of my true memories returned, making me gasp in disbelief. How had I forgotten so much?

Racing up to my room, I grabbed the bag that Dhun normally carried that contained my book, the protection charm I had been given by the shopkeeper, and reached beneath the bed where I had hidden the necklace, wrapped in a towel. I had forgotten about doing that a few days ago, but with all my memories back, I recalled that this necklace was most likely something that the Grand Advisor used to listen in on what I was doing or see who I was talking to. It was also likely how he created portals that I could use. Well, that was my working theory, anyway.

I returned to the garden at the same time as Zoman.

“There’s news I must update you on,” Zoman said urgently. His eyes darted to mine before he looked back at Jol and refused to look at me again.

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