Chapter sixteen
We look at each other.
Blink.
Blink.
The lines on his face are smoothed out, the way they were minutes ago when he was relaxed. The hardness has left his eyes, as if I never betrayed him. As if he never betrayed me.
As if we never met.
“What?” I say. My terror clings, uncertain if it should leave.
“What?” he parrots, studying me. “Do we know each other?”
I don’t say anything, continuing to stare. He perks a brow, staring back, and I’ve no idea how to react. Did Aris figure out my plan and he’s just mocking me?
Or did it actually… work?
“We do. My name is Mary,” I say, carefully watching his reaction.
His brows push together. “I don’t think that I know you.”
The words hurt in a way that I didn’t expect. I feel the sudden, absurd need to scream at the top of my lungs: YOU DO KNOW ME. YOU KNOW ME. WE HAVE MET BEFORE.
YOU WILL NOT DENY ME THAT.
But I stop myself.
Slow down. Think it through.
It looks like he’s actually lost his memory. But for how long? Is it temporary, the way it was with his absentmindedness? Will I have time to escape the castle before he remembers?
The possibility of survival spurs me to action. I jump out of bed, briefly cringing at my state of undress. In the heat of the moment, I hadn’t noticed how close the two of us had gotten to…
I shove the uncouth thoughts aside, face hot as I hurry to the wardrobe. Inside, I find some history-piece gowns and night dresses—probably on display from before, when this was a museum and there were tourists—and I replace my ruined clothes with a white night dress. It’s too long and too big in the bust, but it’ll do. I tug on my shoes, then glance at Aris nervously, checking in.
He’s been watching everything from the bed, sitting with his legs crossed like a school boy. “You are acting rather… frantic,” he remarks.
I make an acknowledging noise in the back of my throat, then start towards the window to look outside. The lawn is dark, no followers in sight, and the rain has miraculously abated. Unfortunately, we’re on the second floor, and I’m still recovering from my last jump.
I’ll have to chance walking through the castle, but I hardly remember the route Aris took to get here. What’s more, a follower may catch me trying to leave and alert someone.
“What are you doing?”
I jump at Aris’ appearance beside me. The room is entirely dark, all of the candles now extinguished, with only the moon to illuminate his interested expression.
“I need to leave,” I explain as I brush past him.
Aris is right on my heels. “Why?”
“You ask a lot of questions,” I say distractedly.
“You don’t answer any.”
“I told you my name, didn’t I? Now hush.”
Surprisingly, Aris obeys, quieting as I open the door and stick my head out to peek around the hall. Abandoned. I let out a quick breath before venturing out, the wall sconces provide enough flickering light to show the curves of the hall and the path to take.
“Where are we going?” Aris whispers from behind me.
Reaching a juncture of hallways, I peek out again. No one’s to the right, and I’m about to look left when Aris just steps out in the open.
“Are we hiding?” he asks.
“ I’m hiding,” I whisper-hiss, head whipping around to see if we’ve been spotted. “And you’re not going anywhere.”
“Why not? I want to come along.”
“I don’t care. Stop talking,” I say and cover his mouth with my hand. He pushes it off with a frown .
I walk away in a huff and don’t need to look back to know that he’s following along; like carrying a backpack, his presence has a distinct weight. There’s no time to convince him to stay back, not with this sudden, child-like curiosity of his. I just have to hope he’ll see something shiny and lose interest.
We continue through the castle hallway by hallway until our luck runs out by the entry room, where Silva is reading by the fireplace. Unfortunately, the main exit is just through here. Though there are certainly other ways out of a place like this, I don’t want to risk getting lost or Aris remembering himself while searching.
Aris pauses beside me as I try to work out a plan. “Who is that?” he asks, nodding toward Silva.
I raise a finger to my lips to request silence, and Aris rolls his eyes, leaning against the wall as he continues to stare at me. A few seconds tick past before an idea forms.
With my fingers, I indicate that he should lean down, Aris complies, letting me whisper in his ear, “Go talk to that man.”
He straightens, brow wrinkling. “What should I say?”
“I don’t know. Anything .”
“Anything?” he repeats skeptically.
“Yes, just go out there and talk to him!” I hiss. I’m trying not to raise my voice, but I’m too panicked and he’s pushing my patience.
“You want to walk by without him noticing,” Aris says with realization. “You want me to be a distraction.”
Apparently, he isn’t entirely dumb now.
I nod, and he purses his lips, pauses for a single moment, then strides into the room. His sudden action surprises me, and I hug the wall with wide eyes as Silva takes note of Aris’ presence and jumps to his feet.
“Dark One!” he cries. “How may I serve you?”
I don’t move, heart racing in my chest. Will Aris give me away? Will he say something to make Silva suspicious?
“Yes, to serve me… I would like something from the farthest corner of this place,” Aris replies.
There is a pause. It’s an odd request, to be sure, but Silva knows better than to question Aris .
“Of course,” Silva says with a short bow, before taking a step toward the hall I’m in.
I shrink against the wall, mentally chanting curses as I wait to be discovered.
“No,” Aris speaks suddenly. “Not that way.”
My eyes shut in relief as I clutch my chest. My heart is going to give out from stress one day.
After a breath, I risk peeking out again, seeing that Silva has turned back to Aris. Though now visibly puzzled, he, again, does not question his master. He just nods and takes a path adjacent to mine.
I wait a moment before stepping out of the shadows, facing Aris’ self-satisfied grin. “I made him leave. That was what you wanted,” he says proudly.
“You did well,” I mutter, distracted. That takes care of Silva, but how am I going to get rid of Aris?
Brushing past him, I make my way to the front door. Luckily, no one is standing guard, and we duck outside without issue.
“Where are we going?” Aris asks again as I walk to the woods paralleling the main road. The grass squishes under our weight, fresh mud jumping on my bare legs.
“Away from here,” I reply. Truth be told, I don’t have an actual answer; I have no idea what I’m doing. All that I know is that I need to get away.
“Why?”
I don’t respond until we’re under tree cover, swallowed by shadows. The night is on the cooler side, making me regret storming out in just a nightgown, but there weren’t many other options.
“Look,” I say, some irritation leaking into my tone. “You’re supposed to stay there . And I’m supposed to get away from there. You get it?”
“Why, though?”
I come to a stop, and Aris does as well. I cross my arms over my chest, trying not to wince at the burn of my ribs, and Aris mimics the movement. I almost roll my eyes, certain he’s mocking me now, but his expression is earnest.
“Why what ?” I huff .
“Why do I have to stay in that place?” He pauses, then asks, “And who was that man?”
“That’s… he’s your servant.”
“Servant?”
“And that’s your house,” I continue. “I don’t live there anymore.”
“Why not? If it’s my home, I say that you’re allowed to stay there.”
“I don’t want to stay there anymore.”
“Why not?”
I look skyward for strength.
“Look,” I say more firmly, finally losing my patience. “You’re sick. Something happened to you, and you’ve lost your memory for a bit. You should go back there to recover.”
He blinks, something unidentifiable passing over his face. For a moment, I think I’ve got him, until he insists, “And you come with me.”
I uncross my arms, changing my stance, and again he follows my movements. I let out a frustrated noise. “Aris, you have to go back,” I hiss.
“‘Aris’… Is that my name?”
I freeze, unsure if I’ve made some kind of grave error by telling him that. Will it make him remember faster? How much time do I have left before Aris returns, completely homicidal?
“Yes,” I admit, and begin walking again. Maybe if I’m rude enough, he’ll go back on his own?
But Aris is undeterred, keeping pace easily. “Why are you leaving in the middle of the night? You’re cold.”
“I’m not cold.”
“You are shivering.”
I glance at him, unamused. “Go back to your home and your servants, and they’ll answer your questions.”
“Why won’t you answer my questions?”
“You have too many.”
He splutters for a moment, then remarks, “You are not nice.”
I don’t miss a beat. “Normally, you’re not very nice either. ”
Aris purses his lips and considers that as we walk deeper into the forest and further into the embrace of the cold night.
And it is a cold night. I was hoping that getting my heart pumping from exercise would alleviate the chill, but the further we go, the colder I get. The goosebumps on my arms refuse to go down, and it takes a conscious effort not to rub at them.
I’ll need some shelter soon. Food, too.
What the hell am I going to do? I have no idea where I am. Somewhere in Denmark.
“We know each other, then,” he surmises.
“Something like that,” I murmur, studying our surroundings as I try to come up with a plan.
“What does that mean?”
I sigh, ribs protesting as my breath materializes before me. “I don’t know if anyone could ever really know you, Aris.”
I probably shouldn’t have said that—maybe I’m giving too much away—but it’s too hard to hold my tongue in these conditions.
He doesn’t reply, but I can tell that he has something to say. Like this, he is easy to read.
The two of us don’t speak for a few minutes, every second making me more anxious than the last as I wait for him to remember himself in a sudden burst, or for cultists to come crashing through the brush. And then, out of nowhere, a shimmering light nearly blasts me off my feet.
Aris quickly comes to my side, steadying me as I cover my eyes. His hands linger on my arms, even as I shake him away and blink the fuzziness out of my gaze to focus on the newcomer. Seven feet tall, with bronze skin that shines like the sun, Jaegen is patently out of place. The luminous moon is a contrast to his skin, the light too… mundane.
“Mary,” he says in greeting.
Aris looks between us, and I notice that he’s angled himself in front of me, a hand on my shoulder as if to push me away should the need arise. The behavior surprises me. It seems… instinctive that he wants to protect me.
“Who is this?” Aris asks, watching me carefully.
“A friend,” I reply, and Aris’ eyes tighten around the edges, maybe recognizing the lie .
“We are friends,” Jaegen confirms firmly.
Even with corroboration, Aris does not seem convinced, but Jaegen doesn’t care. His attention switches to me with a frown. “You managed to escape, yet were planning on abandoning him,” he says. “That was not our agreement.”
“Abandoning?” Aris says in alarm, looking between us.
My lips purse. I can’t speak freely, so he’ll have to read my mind.
Jaegen, I didn’t know if the mark worked. He’s returned to himself before, and if that happens this time, I don’t want to be there. He figured out what I was doing.
I see. The god’s gaze flicks to Aris beside me, the corners of his lips twisting. How interesting to see him like this .
I don’t know what he means by that, but it isn’t important. Did the mark work? I ask. Is it permanent?
His lips curl higher. Yes. He is weak now.
I don’t like him calling Aris weak. I don’t like the glint in his eyes. But, I remind myself pointedly, the spell worked. That’s what matters. I allow myself to feel some relief. Aris forgot himself, I escaped his followers, and I’m alive. This is the best outcome, one I dared hope for. I made it out, and I’m not alone.
Jaegen is before me. Magical, omnipotent, he can get me anything I need and quiet the creeping worry of, what do I do next ?
And yet, as irritating as it’s been with Aris trailing after me, I felt better when it was just the two of us.
He’s annoying, but harmless. Jaegen, on the other hand…
I glance at Aris, who has been watching us closely.
He’s catching on that we’re talking. I can just tell. What do we do?
Jaegen draws my attention by shifting his bulk closer to me. Either he doesn’t notice or just doesn’t care when Aris and I both stiffen. “As we told you,” Jaegen says aloud, “Mary and I are friends. And I’m here to take her someplace safe. You may come with her, if you wish.”
I try not to hide my surprise. Why is Jaegen giving Aris a choice?
“‘Safe,’” Aris says, eyes narrowing on the word. “Why is she not safe here? What is unsafe about this place, which I apparently own? ”
“We will explain everything once we are away from here,” Jaegen replies. “We cannot risk being caught.”
Aris glances at me to confirm this as the truth, and I dip my head in a nod. He shifts uneasily, instinctively aware that this is wrong in some way.
“Caught by my servants?” Aris presses, brows pushed together. “Could I not simply order them to leave?”
“Things are more complicated than that,” Jaegen tells him, and I nod when Aris again looks at me for confirmation. “But Mary cannot stay here. Do you want to go with her or not?”
Once more, giving Aris a choice. At least, the illusion of one. It surprises me; it’s such a gamble.
“I will be with her,” says Aris, jaw jutting. The implication that leaving me was considered a possibility offends him.
I try not to visibly display my relief at his acquiescence. Aris has no power now—at least, he doesn’t know that he does. Still, if we were to force him along, things could’ve turned ugly.
“Then we must leave.” Jaegen pauses to study his brother who has forgotten him. “Now, Aris.”
“You speak familiarly. You know me as well,” notes Aris.
Jaegen doesn’t reply, waving his hand. A slice appears in the air before us, and Jaegen steps toward it. “Come,” he says.
I want to ask where it leads instead of blindly following his lead, but if I show any hesitation, Aris might dig in his heels. We can’t afford that. It won’t be long before the Following notices his absence.
Suppressing a sigh, I walk toward Jaegen and the cut in reality. I enter first, Aris close behind, and Jaegen taking the rear. Together, we step out of a shadowed forest and onto freshly cut, dry grass.
We’re under a night sky just like before, but the air is warmer here, the stars shining brighter, untouched by pollution. Fireflies dance, illuminating a forest a hundred feet off, thick with foliage that the light of the moon and stars cannot breach. The trees surround a cabin in a perfect circle, the symmetry unnatural, as if Jaegen just placed a home in the wilderness. Without any paths, roads, or even a mailbox, I suspect that’s exactly what he did .
“Where are we?” asks Aris. Unlike before, when asking me, his voice is firm, leaving no room to be ignored.
Ignoring him, Jaegen strides towards the cabin, holding the front door open for the two of us. Inside, it is clean but sparse and impersonal, like something out of a design catalog. The lights in the room are already on, as if we were expected.
“This is a safe place,” says Jaegen, nodding at the two of us. “Safe for Mary, and for you.”
Aris still doesn’t move, not until I walk toward Jaegen. Then, he follows a step behind. When we enter, Jaegen shuts the door behind us.
The ceiling is so tall that Jaegen can comfortably stand to his full height, looking down at us as we glance around. Basking in the break from the cold, I find the living room rather rustic, with an old-fashioned television, worn couch, and frayed rug. The room connects to a kitchen that appears to have all of the proper appliances, nothing of extraordinary quality. Beyond the exceptionally tall ceiling, it just feels like a normal house. After all of the castles and mansions, it’s refreshing.
Is it warded? I ask.
No one may enter without your permission, Mary.
And can we leave?
Jaegen’s response is slower with that one. Where would you go?
Though my body has largely recovered from the cold from Denmark, the words chill me anew.
Aris steps further into the room, distracting me as he looks up at Jaegen with challenge. Though he has forgotten himself, he is still himself; Aris is unintimidated. “Who are you?” demands Aris. “And why do I not like you?”
Jaegen surprises me by laughing—an actual, full-bellied, boisterous laugh. I glance at him in shock, not having known he was capable of such a sound, and am equally surprised by the easy grin overtaking his face. “I’m a friend of Mary’s,” Jaegen says again.
Aris lifts a brow, unimpressed. He wants more.
I don’t blame him; all we’ve done is recycle the same phrases .
“You and I have known one another for some time now,” Jaegen adds.
“And Mary? How do you know her?”
“We have a common interest.”
“And what is that?” Aris crosses his arms over his chest.
Inappropriately, I chuckle, knowing that he learned the gesture from me. Both of them turn to me, and I quickly cover my laugh with a surreptitious cough.
“How long will we be staying?” I ask, mainly to distract Aris from his questions, but also…
Jaegen catches my true meaning. “Until it’s safe to leave.”
Until there is a more permanent way to contain him, Jaegen adds in my head.
The humor slips from my face, and I turn away. That could be weeks. Months. Years I’d be playing babysitter.
A wave of heat rolls off of Jaegen’s body, and Aris and I tense as one. We succeeded, Jaegen reminds me. What he doesn’t say is: Careful. You are acting ungrateful. I feel his irritation in the air the same way humidity is felt: sticky, heavy.
I know, but… that takes time. Briefly, I thumb the corners of my amulet, wondering if Aris might get put into me again. Will I have to stay in the house?
There is a pause, Jaegen’s flare dimming, the muggy air shifting, but Aris doesn’t relax. He looks between us with narrowed eyes, aware that something is going on. Something he is not privy to.
We agreed that you would stay with him. And control him,
And we have to stay here to do that?
Leaving exposes him to new things. It would introduce variables.
I don’t reply, remembering what I said to Aris earlier. A prison with field trips is still a prison.
“I’ll leave the two of you,” Jaegen says aloud.
He pauses for a moment, waiting for one of us to object or raise further questions, but we’re quiet. I don’t know how long it will be until I see him again, and maybe I’ll be dying for more information in a few days. But, for now, I just want Jaegen to leave.
I did exactly what he wanted me to, and I didn’t get so much as a thank you, just hard words and a new assignment .
With nothing to keep him, Jaegen walks out the front door like a human. His stride is purposeful and long, and he summons his slice of light on the lawn.
Before entering, Jaegen turns, giving me a look over his shoulder.
Contain him. The words jump into my mind, the force and abruptness making my footing uneven. I let out a quiet gasp, gulping in air that is suddenly hot again, my fingers twitching and curling into fists.
It’s a warning. An order.
I can do nothing but dip my head in acquiescence.