Chapter 55 #2
Blessed Mother. The truth was uglier than I realized. “My father was part of this…rebellion.”
“We don’t know that yet, but it’s likely. It…makes sense in ways.”
“Oh Gods.” I brought my hands up to my cheeks.
“Elariya, I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? This happened before the ball.”
She shook her head. “No. No one wants you to feel worse about your father than you already do, so I wasn’t allowed to tell you. Also, I wouldn’t have told you anyway.”
“Why?”
“Because…” She smiled wistfully. “You were so excited about Wolfe and seeing him again at the ball, there was no way I was going to spoil that for you. No way. Every girl deserves to have some happiness with the guy she wants, especially at a ball.” Her smile widened.
“I wanted that for you. A night free from all the worries and problems.”
My throat tightened with emotion at her thoughtfulness, and my heart swelled with love for her. Arielle was truly a friend to me. A real friend. One who cared, one who was selfless, one who would carry a burden alone just to preserve a moment of joy.
“Thank you.” I held her gaze. “You truly are a great friend.”
“You too, Elariya. It’s going to be hard knowing you’ll forget me.”
I'd been so focused on Wolfe that I hadn't thought of the impact my memory curse would have on anyone else.
Of the group, I'd grown closest to Arielle, Garrick, and Sirril. Bastian and Alaric were the only ones I hadn't really interacted with, perhaps because they were always away.
But Arielle… she’d become as close as a sister to me. The only other person I’d thought of like that was Emabelle.
“I think my heart will remember you. I’d be so mad if it didn’t.” I tried for some light humor, even as a tear slid down my cheek.
She giggled and wiped away my tears. “I’d be real mad at your heart, too. You’re the only person I can share my love for scented candles and cupcakes with.”
I laughed, and it felt good. “I know. The gods would be cruel to make me forget all those things.”
She smiled back at me. “We’ll form new memories when you return from the mortal lands. The summer festival will be just around the corner. Maybe we can go with our guys.”
“That sounds great.”
The clock on the wall chimed, alerting us that the seminar was about to start.
“That’s my cue. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”
I nodded. “I’ll be okay. I think I’ll make better use of the time here.”
“Alright. Here’s a little something to get you through the next hour.” She wiggled her fingers, and the batch of muffins Sirril prepared for us earlier appeared on the table. “I don’t care what you say, there’s no way you can resist those muffins.”
“Thanks. I think I’m hungry now.”
"Just don't let the librarian see them. She'll have a fit if she catches us with food in here, but she can't resist Sirril's muffins, either. I once caught her eating the batch she'd confiscated from me."
I laughed and shook my head. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”
“Good, see you in about two hours.”
“Have fun.”
“You too.” She threw me one last smile then sauntered out of the room.
I got up and set the healing book back on the shelf, then grabbed the one about basic conjuring. I'd already read this book twice since starting at Hyxian, but I decided to go back to the first page. There was obviously something I was missing.
My conjuring techniques were no better than they'd been in Stormfell. I could conjure something that already existed and was close by, like when I'd gotten drunk at the manor, but creating anything new from my mind was problematic.
Archmage Magdelena had told me to focus on flowers because they were the most basic things to conjure.
At the moment, every flower I conjured withered within seconds of appearing.
Magdelena thought I was overthinking my spells and needed to slow down. To improve, I needed to go back to basics and take each step one at a time.
I returned to my seat and dove in, reading and making notes. I did that for an hour before eating a muffin. I was about to reach for another when Zyrra suddenly stepped out of the air in front of me.
I screeched, nearly jumping out of my skin.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” She rushed over to me and crouched to see if I was okay. “I was trying so hard not to startle you. I even waited until you took a break because you seemed so engrossed in your book.”
I placed my hand to my heart and calmed my breathing. “It’s fine. I’m okay.” I chuckled lightly.
“Thank goodness. I feel so bad. I came to check on you. I didn’t want to give you a heart attack.” She smiled and lowered into the seat where Arielle previously sat.
“Honestly, I’m fine. And thanks for checking on me.” I looked her over. Like every time I’d seen her, she was dressed in an elegant gown with her hair styled to perfection. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
It wasn't that long ago, but it felt like forever because so much had happened since we last saw each other.
"I've been in the Southern Isles. I run a boutique there with a sailor I met." Her cheeks warmed at the mention of the sailor.
“That sounds nice.”
“It is. But I’m afraid my family wouldn’t think so. The daughter of Lysander Nightblade isn’t supposed to be shacked up in the Southern Isles with a sailor.” She gave me a coy smile. “Especially since we’re not married. Hence why I never attended my uncle’s name day celebration.”
That explained a lot. “You didn’t miss much.”
“That’s not what I heard. It sounded like I missed quite a lot.” She smirked. "Word on the grapevine is that my brother turned down the beautiful, stick-up-her-ass Princess Seraphina for a mage from the Ravenwood. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
My cheeks turned red. I wasn’t sure what I could say to her, though, so I decided to play it safe. “I think you’ll have to ask your brother that one.” That was also my way of trying to get her and Wolfe talking again. I hoped she wouldn’t be offended by my attempt.
Zyrra laughed, to my relief. “Nice try.”
“I had to. It’s getting a little awkward not talking about you.”
“I know, and I hate putting you in the middle. Anyway, you should know that I’m excited for you both. Also, I kind of guessed you two may have become a couple, but that’s not why I’m here.” Her expression grew serious. “I heard what happened yesterday with the guard. Are you okay?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’m okay. It was just awful.”
“Of course. I can’t imagine what it must have been like seeing someone die like that. But I’m glad you’re okay and safe.”
“It helps being here.” I motioned around the books. “I can escape reality in books.”
Her smile widened. “It’s been an age since I walked these halls. And I’ve never been inside the library. Although it’s renowned throughout Galaythia even for those who aren’t mages.”
“I heard that.”
“It’s true. So, you’re in a good place. I hope it’s okay I came here. I picked up your essence and didn’t want to wait until you got back to the manor. There are too many people around. Especially Wolfe.”
“I understand.” I would have left it at that, but I couldn’t restrain myself any longer. Wolfe could be stubborn, but I knew he valued those he loved. With my impending reset, I also wanted to do something good. “If you don’t mind me saying so, I’m sure Wolfe would want to see you.”
“I don’t mind.” Zyrra sighed and nodded. “And yes. You’re right. I’m sure he’d want to see me. I want to see him, too. I miss him dearly but… I think I still need my space for a little longer.”
“How long has it been since you last spoke?”
“Eight months… and counting.” She sighed deeply. “That’s a very long time.”
“It is.”
“And here I am, talking about waiting even longer.” She shook her head. “I’m sure you’re even more curious about what happened between us.”
“I am, but I didn’t want to pry.”
“It’s okay. I guess I should tell you. The heart of the problem is that Wolfe has always blamed me for our mother’s death.”
My eyes widened. I was not expecting to hear that. “What do you mean?”
“Our mother got sick with the Slivershade blight. It’s a disease that… well, there’s no coming back. You’ll die eventually in the most horrific of ways.”
My breath slowed. “Is that how she died?”
“No. She ended it before things got that far. She didn’t want us to see her lose her soul and become… undead.”
My hand fell from my lap, and all I could do was stare at her. The grief in her expression was palpable, and she looked… lost. I felt terrible for her. And Wolfe. Poor Wolfe.
“I’m so sorry. Wolfe never told me.”
“He wouldn’t tell you anything until it’s absolutely necessary. You’d be lucky if you ever hear him talk about her. He took her death the hardest. It changed him. It broke him.”
I recalled the night of the festival. And how sad he’d looked as he spoke about his mother. I was so happy to be with him I held back on asking about her. I’d felt it wasn’t the right time. I was glad now that I’d trusted my instincts.
“Why do you think he blames you?”
“Because I got the blight, too, but I never told anyone.”
I gasped and looked her over. “Oh, my goodness.”
“I’m okay. And don’t worry, it’s not contagious like a virus. You get infected, but you don’t pass it to anyone.”
“Oh, I wasn’t implying—"
“I know, but I thought I should explain, so you don’t have to worry.
” She smiled, but the warmth didn’t reach her eyes the way it usually did.
“You see, the disease is incredibly rare, and the medicines to keep you going are even harder to come by. I wanted everyone to focus on my mother. On keeping her alive. Mother managed to get a rare potion that could extend life by a hundred years. But she gave it to me when she found out I was afflicted, too. She didn’t tell anyone until after she did it.
She swore me to secrecy and told me about her plans to end her life. ”
“Oh, Zyrra.”