“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Maeve flopped in the chair and hung her leg over the arm.
“Ladies, don’t slouch,” Mother chastised from her high-back chair.
Maeve pulled her leg down, properly tucked her dress around her thighs, and folded her hands in her lap. “I never said I wanted to be a lady.”
“Of course, you want to be a lady. What else do you want to aspire to be?”
“A dragon.” Maeve cackled, and her eyes glittered dangerously.
“Not in the house,” Mother warned. “Plus, you haven’t passed your shifting tests yet to transform into anything larger than a swan. And you, Aura, need to work on your shielding.”
I stilled like a prey animal sensing the predator about to strike. I knew what was coming.
“So you will go into town today to get our supplies,” Mother continued.
I winced. “You know I’m not exactly welcome in town.”
“Then you better work on your mental shielding while you’re there.” It was an order, not a casual suggestion as she made it seem.
“Yes, Mother.”
I went to the iron hook by the door and grabbed my dark brown cape and waited for her to present me with the list of items. My hand shook as I took the parchment, but I tried to hide my nervousness.
Rhea brought me the basket and gave me a wry smile. “It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”
“I just wish I could have spelled the entire town and made them forget.”
“We can’t do that. It’s against our code. Too many repercussions, and eventually someone would remember.”
“I know.” I sighed.
I took the empty basket and headed into town, my fears weighing the basket down unnaturally until my arms hurt.
I crossed the bridge and followed the path down the hill, focusing on shielding myself. Working through all the exercises Lorn had taught me. But with each step I took, my reserve faltered. This was punishment of the worst kind. I hated large crowds, I hated cities, and I hated being around people.
Nihill sat in the middle of nowhere. A godforsaken cesspool filled with lowlifes and thieves. Eventually, over the years, it grew and garnered enough population where they finally elected a mayor. But no kingdom claimed us. We neither gave allegiance to Candor, Baist, or Sion, nor their neighboring kingdoms. We were forgotten, and no one cared about our taxes. Except for the mayor. But even with the installment of taxes, the roads or sewers were often neglected.
I tucked my hair into my hood. Thankfully, I didn’t have Meri’s deep red locks, for she always drew attention with her unusual hair color. I focused on keeping my head low. With a wave of my hand, I used glamour and made my clean dress appear darker in shade and color. A few more stains and tears appeared to deceive the viewer.
As soon as the glamour took hold, I could feel the ache behind my eyes as I held the spell in check. Over time, I would get a throbbing headache. It would be even worse if I tried to change my face or body. Eden could easily become someone else if she had a personal item of theirs.
I felt a small pang of jealousy at her glamour gift, but it quickly dissipated as my yearning for my sister took its place. I missed them so much. As soon as I crossed into town, the darkness flashed in my conscience.
Burst of gray signifying gloom and despair, followed by angry flashes of red for anger. The auras were overpowering. My steps slowed, and I sought shelter against the corner of a building as the townspeople’s deepest innermost thoughts reached me.
He’s such a deadbeat husband. Why am I even married to him?
She never does anything around the house.
Peter broke my new toy. I hate him.
If I can sell all of my vegetables today, I will have enough money to buy medicine.
I wish that new dress were on sale.
Fresh fish, my foot. This has already gone rank.
Yellow, red, gray flashed in my mind like fireworks and I tried to blink them away and focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Taking a deep breath, I headed into the marketplace.
As I passed the butcher’s shop, I tried to hurry my steps, hoping to not catch the attention of the butcher’s son. Clutching the paper in front of me like a lifeline, I headed into the first store.
My head ached as I bartered with the merchant for linen.
“Three copper coins, that is my final price,” the merchant said firmly.
I shook my head as I picked up his hesitancy. “I will give you two coppers.” My head was throbbing, but I knew he would go lower.
“Aw fine, take it, but it is highway robbery.” The merchant packaged the linen for me, and I added it to my basket. It was for a new apron for Mother. Three more stores followed similar deals. I kept my head down, listened to their thoughts, and negotiated lower prices.
An old arthritic woman sat on a trade blanket near the square. Her skin wrinkled like raisins, her mouth square and hollow from lack of teeth, but her face radiated with kindness. Her aura was a bright yellow and soothing. I didn’t have much money, but I wanted to help her out as much as I could. I took a few coins and handed them to the women.
“Bless you, child. Here, let me give you something in return.”
“Oh, it’s fine.”
“A word of advice, then. When you are afraid, remember the first light will protect you.” She clapped her hands in merriment and rocked back and forth.
“How odd . . .” I shrugged it off and looked at my list and frowned. I was so focused on my own thoughts that I didn’t see the hooded man approach me until it was too late.
He pulled me through a doorway into an abandoned building.
“You lied to me!” Strong hands gripped my upper arms painfully and flung me further into the room. “You’ve had me walking in circles for days.”
I blinked in the darkened room as my eyes struggled to adjust. Holes in the thatch roof let in beams of light as the man walked near me. I recognized the man from Rya.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied and tried to move around him toward the door, but he blocked my path.
“I saw you come into town, and as soon as I did, I remembered. Everything. I remembered why I’m here. My quest, my purpose. You stole that from me,” he yelled. “when you took my memories.”
I trembled before the mountain of a man, but I didn’t deny his accusations.
He paused in front of me, his voice low and threatening. “And now I demand that you take me to Lady Eville.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I won’t endanger my family again.”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean again? Who are you?”
“I am Aurora Eville, daughter of Lady Eville. It was I who found you in the woods, and my mother and sisters tended to you. You have already graced the presence of our household, and she has refused to see you further.”
His handsome face paled. He immediately thrust his arm in front of his heart and kneeled before me. “I’m so sorry, milady. My name is Liam Falcane. I come seeking aid on behalf of the kingdom of Rya. There has been a blight that has attacked our home and all that live within it. My armies have been fighting against it for weeks, but we cannot make any headway. There is talk that your household may be our only hope in finding the answer to banishing the blight.”
“I’m sorry, that is none of my concern, for I am only a lovesick girl,” I repeated his words back and pushed past him. Surprisingly, he let me leave. I covered my hair and hurried to complete the last item on my list. Now, more than ever, I wanted to retreat to the safety of our home and away from the pious knight.