18. Chapter 18
Erick tutted. It was the tenth time he had tutted in the span of an hour, and Yareli was coming to hate it.
“What?” she snapped.
“You pushed it, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You put two leaves in your tea.” He held his hand up, stopping her from replying. “Don’t deny it. I can tell with one look at your mind.”
“It worked!”
“It was dangerous.”
“It’s dangerous not to remember most of my life.”
“I know you’re impatient, but you need to follow your treatment plan. If you remember something too quickly, you risk permanently damaging the rest. I’ll prepare your tea when we’re together, but if we’re ever separated, promise me you’ll only steep one leaf.”
Yareli pursed her lips, but she knew he was right. She had been reckless. “Fine.”
He motioned for her to settle back against the bed’s headboard. “It’s going to feel a lot more intrusive this time.”
“Can’t you give me something for the pain?” she exclaimed.
He tutted. “No. I need to know your limits. Besides, it’s tricky; pain-relievers for this procedure require a specialty brew that takes a week to complete.”
Yareli glared. “I meant, more like the magical kind, like wave your hand and spell the pain away.”
He chuckled. “You’re in for a rude awakening.
Magic isn’t a solution for everything, especially in medicine.
While it’s true that I can use magic to close a gaping wound, it is also true that magic doesn’t replenish the blood that was lost. And although the wound was closed, the spot will remain tender because the body remembers the trauma.
It’s why we combine magic, potions, and good ol’ first-aid methods.
“That said, I can alleviate any lingering pain after, but I can’t block the pain without putting you under. I’m sorry. The brew should be ready in time for next time. I’ll take care of your pesky, lingering pneumonia while I’m at it.”
Yareli groaned, but she rested her head back and closed her eyes. “Fine!”
The pain was instant, like the beginning of a tension headache.
It increased in magnitude until she groaned.
Erick sifted through her memories, except this time it was accompanied by a cool, gel-like sensation.
The relief was brief; it quickly became a searing heat that ignited a sharp, blaring pain in her temple.
Sweat trickled down her forehead, and she gritted her teeth.
Stop. Please stop. The words begged to be uttered, but the longer she held out, the more progress Erick could make.
It slipped from her dry lips anyway. “Stop.”
His presence vanished, and Yareli’s eyes fluttered open. He wore a smile.
“You did great. We’ll talk more after you rest.”
Her heavy eyelids drooped shut, and she fell into sleep’s embrace. Her last thought was of a vaguely familiar curly-haired little boy.
When Yareli came to, Erick was still in her room. He sat at a small oak table—it looked suspiciously like the one from the kitchen—and was reading a thick tome.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Studying, silly,” he replied without taking his eyes off the page.
“I can see that, silly. I meant, what and why.”
“A doctor never stops learning.” He pointed at a dress on the armchair by her sitting area. “That’s for you. Bri brought it. There’s a festival this evening to celebrate Fall’s arrival.”
“Bri’s back?”
“Yup. She got in an hour ago.”
Yareli eyed the dress; it was a pleasing shade of blue, darker than the sky, but lighter than a deep sea blue. She thought it might be her favorite color.
“A festival?”
“Yep.” He popped the “p.”
“Are you going?”
“Yes, but you,” he said, wagging his finger at her, “are going with one of the two situationships. I recommend going with Leo, because August has been sulking since you arrived. He’d suck the party out of the festival, and you deserve to have fun after what you’ve gone through.”
Yareli laughed. “Listen, both situationships—as you call them—are in the pits right now.”
Erick gave her a conspiratorial grin. “They are far from being in the dumpster, Reli.” He brought her the dress. “You have both of them in the palms of your hands.”
She scoffed. “I find it hard to believe. Leo has been moody since we’ve arrived, and August refused my advances.”
His eyes widened, and he grabbed her shoulders. “What! What happened?”
Realizing her mistake, Yareli said, “Nothing happened!”
She didn’t want to admit she had practically begged August to kiss her, only to be turned down.
“But you said that—”
“And nothing happened.”
He searched her face, his blond eyebrows falling from their high pedestal to rest over his eyes. He dropped his arms. “Regardless, trust me. They’re both fickle in their own way, but it’s time someone brought them to heel. That someone is you. Now, go get dressed. I’ll call Bri to do your hair.”
She held out for a few more moments, staring him down, but he met her stubbornness with his own. He rolled his eyes.
“If it goes horribly, I’ll eat nothing but snail soup for a week.”
“Make it two weeks.”
“Deal. Now, go.”
Yareli grinned and rushed to the bathroom, pausing before closing the door.
“We were close friends, weren’t we?” she asked.
The exasperation melted off his face; his features softened, and he shook his head.
“We never had the chance to be,” he said softly.
“Oh.”
She closed the door, an ache in her chest. She tried to remember Erick as she dressed, but nothing surfaced.
It was sad to know that they hadn’t had the chance to become close; she had thought their easy rapport was born of their old friendship.
She smoothed out the dress; it had a sweetheart neckline with ruffles that fell loosely around her hips.
It ended mid-thigh, which was not weather-appropriate for the mountains.
She walked out, barefoot, and raised an eyebrow.
Erick clapped. “You look hot!”
“I’m going to freeze,” she said blandly. She pointed at her bare legs and shoulders.
“Oh, right. I was supposed to give these too.” He handed her a fur shawl, socks, and knee-high boots.
She was still skeptical about the cold, but she took them anyway. Bri walked in as she slipped the final sock on.
“You’re looking healthy,” Bri said. “How did the treatment session go?”
Yareli hugged her. “Actually, I haven’t had a chance to ask.” She sent Erick a pointed look.
Erick said, “It went well. I managed to close a small portion of the wound.”
“I felt you going through my memories.”
He looked surprised. “You could feel that?”
Yareli nodded. He seemed to reassess her—his eyes narrowed slightly, but he otherwise kept his face neutral.
“I wasn’t looking at the memories’ contents. Rather, I was healing the shattered lines between your memories and your long-term storage.”
When Yareli and Bri didn’t say anything, Erick explained, “It’s hard to describe in concrete terms, but think of it this way.
Your memories are stored in your long-term storage cabinet.
When you pull one out, you have a string attached to it that places it in the correct folder.
Your memories are scrambled because the strings between them and your filing cabinet became knotted, and some have even been severed.
“Undoing a knot is a lot harder than healing a ruptured line, so I started with severed lines. The tea helps loosen the knots and prepares them for more intense sessions where I will have to put you under.”
Yareli turned to Bri. “So what he’s saying is that my memories are a mess, but they’re getting better.”
“You make it sound less cool, but yes,” Erick grumbled and returned to his tome.
Bri rolled her eyes at him. “Glad to hear it. Let’s get your hair done.” She motioned her to the bathroom, where a chair waited for her.
Yareli sat. “Thanks for doing my hair. I don’t really do much with it besides the occasional ponytail or braid.”
“You have beautiful, long black hair. You don’t have to do much for it to stand out.”
She blushed. Bri was not one to compliment easily. She took strands of Yareli’s hair into her palm, scrunching it lightly and letting it go. It spiraled downward into a perfect curl.
“It’s cosmetic magic,” Bri explained. “Quite popular across Izmari. Would you want me to do your makeup, too?”
Yareli nodded eagerly. “Is it semi-permanent?”
“It can be.”
“Please.”
Half an hour later, Yareli emerged from the bathroom feeling every bit the temptress Erick had argued she was. His opinion remained unchanged; he stood, clapping. “Stunning. Your dress is fire.”
She stared blankly at him.
His smile dropped. “It’s human slang. You look absolutely irresistible. If I weren’t your friend, then I’d definitely try to sleep with you.”
Yareli laughed. “Is that a high compliment?”
“He says that, but you wouldn’t be the first friend he’s slept with,” Bri interjected. “Be wary of his flirtations.”
“Funny you mention that,” Erick said, “because I recall you kept coming back for more.”
Yareli’s eyes widened. The room’s temperature rose, and she thought she heard a crackle spark between the two. Bri blushed—the slight redness on her cheeks spread rapidly across her fair skin—but she didn’t shy away from Erick.
“And it was you who ran, because it was that good.”
Erick opened his mouth, floundering for a response. Yareli couldn’t wrap her mind around the revelation—they had slept together before, multiple times in fact—so she missed when the door swung open. Leo’s voice boomed across the room.
“Folks, are we ready?”
She spun around, meeting his stare. His broad grin faltered, and heat rushed to her cheeks as he looked her up and down.
Erick kicked her foot, whispering, “Temptress, remember?”
She straightened her shoulders, smiling. “Erick and Bri aren’t ready yet. How about the two of us go, and they catch up with us later?”
Leo glanced at the two behind her, chuckling. “Sure. Let me cast a warming spell on you, because these two didn’t dress you for the weather.”
Yareli shrugged. “It’s not like you’re any better.”
Which was true. Leo was dressed in a simple sleeveless shirt and shorts. He winked.
“I run hot.”
“Clearly.” She walked up to him. “Let’s go.”
He looked taken aback at her forwardness, but he led her out of the room.
“Oh, before I forget.” Yareli stopped, turning to the two red-faced Fae in her room. “Take your ‘discussion’ outside my room. Please.”
She closed the door before they could respond. Leo had leaned against the wall, waiting.
“Are those two arguing again?”
“Is this not the first time?”
“Nope. Come on, let’s go before either the cabin is set on fire or we hear something we shouldn’t.”
He took her hand in his, and they ran down the stairs like children running from their parents. Laughter bubbled up her chest. This. This was how it was supposed to be between the two of them—all lighthearted and giggles. She squeezed his hand. Tonight would be fun; she’d make sure of it.