Protectors: The Valdronius Kingdom
Chapter 10

Felyx stood guard as Alecko’s teeth clanked against the iron holdings. He was getting stronger; he was starting to put dents in the railings. Felyx watched the moon hit its peak. Alecko changed into the thing he was most afraid of, the monster.

“Come now Alec. Settle down, the worst of it will pass in an hour.” Growls and snaps warned Felyx to keep his distance. It wasn’t the monster that scared Felyx, it was that Alecko didn’t know who he was. The last Phase of the full moon was always the worst. He needed to see the moon, to feel the light on his skin, to run in the darkness as the gleam lit his way. Not locked in a dark dungeon with the moon just beyond his gaze. But Alecko insisted. The growls got angrier and Ameilius came into view.

“What are you doing? You know how he gets.” Felyx placed himself in the middle.

“I know. You should know that Embry is awake.”

“Is she alright?”

“She is.”

“That’s your ‘there’s a but’ voice.”

“She can see.” Ameilius spoke calmly, like nothing was going on behind them.

“She’s not blind anymore?”

“I don’t believe she ever was. I think a spell was placed on her.” Felyx let out a breath.

“That’s a harsh fate.” Felyx looked behind him watching Alecko pace. Hunting instincts.

“It is. The question is why.”

“No, not why but what.” Felyx led Ameilius down the hall away from Alecko.

“That’s an interesting deduction. You think that whoever did this didn’t want her to see something?”

“Aye, but what could possibly be in her world that they didn’t want her to see?”

“Not her world, ours. They knew she would have to come here one day.”

“How? Or is it why?”

“The same reason Calistus wanted her dead.”

“Funny how all questions could be answered with that one answer.”

“We do have one answer.”

“And what’s that?” Felyx looked down the hall watching for any changes.

“She’s able to see something that we cannot.”

“You really think so?”

“It’s the only explanation I can come up with at the moment. The only one that fits anyways.” Howls started down the hall.

“Alright, you need to leave. He’s getting hungry.”

“Not getting any easier?”

“No and he’s getting stronger.”

“Can you handle…?”

“He trusts me to do what I need to do. I won’t let him down.”

“Magic won’t…”

“I know.” They shared a look of warning.

“Alright. Oh and watch out for Helenna, she’s planning something.”

“Wouldn’t be Helenna if she wasn’t” They both smiled and walked away. Alecko snapped and banged against the iron bars. One of the bars ripped from the railing.

“Right. That’s enough out of you.” Felyx prepared himself as another bar came loose. The moon was almost out of the Apex. Once it was out he’d be able to get Alecko’s attention. Another bar came loose, this time it clanged on the cold floor.

“If it’s a chase you want you can have it. But I warn you, if it comes to a fight, I won’t hesitate.” A howl erupted. One more bar and Alecko would be free. Felyx took off before the bar had time to connect to the ground. One advantage was that the dungeons were like a maze. Felyx took the time to scout out the floor plan if it ever came to this point. He heard Alecko crash into the wall as he took a corner. Felyx sped up and mentally prepared himself for a fight.

Helenna paced in her bedroom thinking on Ameilius’ words. If she knew one thing, it was her way around words. She had nothing against the girl, she merely wanted answers. She was used to getting answers anyway she knew how. But waiting around for little miss innocent to wake up and tell them what she saw, was a complete waste of time. Time they didn’t have the luxury of having. It would all have been so very easy if they just peeked into her head, rummaged around a little, to see if she had any pertinent information. But no, instead they tiptoed around the girl like she’s glass. A knock at the door stopped her pacing. Helenna swung the door open and in strode Emlyn.

“What a pleasant surprise?”

“Hardly.”

“Then what do you want?” Helenna closed the door.

“Embry is awake.”

“What does she know?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? After all that, she doesn’t know a thing? She’s awake now, let me take a look at her.”

“I heard about the conversation you had with my husband.”

“I’m sure all the flies on the wall heard our conversation.”

“If harm comes to her by your hands…”

“Who said anything about harming the girl? I simply want to see if she’s lying.”

“Simply? You never do anything simply.”

“She doesn’t know what she is looking for, maybe she missed something. After all she is blind.”

“Not anymore.” Helenna locked eyes with Emlyn.

“Well now that is interesting.” Helenna’s tone changed into a curious one.

“Helenna?” Emlyn asked cautiously.

“You’re certain she wasn’t faking?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just covering the details. Wouldn’t want to be left out of the loop.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well you know that I don’t lie.”

“I still don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Whatever you are up to Helenna, I suggest you stop.”

“Goodnight Emlyn.” Emlyn harrumphed as she was ushered out of the room. Helenna had just been given her loop hole. Ameilius told her not to touch the girl, and with Embry regaining her sight she wouldn’t have to.

Embry opened her eyes slowly remembering the events that happened earlier. The room was still dark like before but she could make out more. Damien had shifted to laying down, he was in a deep sleep. Climbing out of bed she found it reassuring to count her steps while watching her feet. She didn’t use her cane but brought it with her. Damien had told her to never let it go and she wouldn’t. It was an odd sensation, a little uneasy all of a sudden watching where she was walking. Now where was she going to go? She made it to the door and looked back at Damien, still sound asleep. The door creaked open and shut soundly. The hallway was dark, a few more steps out and a candle lit to her right, then another and another. The glow wasn’t as harsh as earlier, the light no longer hurt her eyes. She could see dim colors, grey stone, a reddish carpet, the gold color under the candles. The more steps she took the deeper down a hallway she went, candles lighting her way. A glow down the hall started to get brighter as someone rounded the corner. Embry forced a stop and watched as a man came closer.

“Embry luv, you’re awake?” He sounded relieved.

“Alecko?”

“The one and only.” He stopped in front of her, the first thing she noticed were his eyes. They were human shaped but different somehow. The color was remarkable, they were a bright dark green, so very piercing. Embry realized he had very little whites in his eyes, how could…he’s part Wulver.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, sorry…it’s just…umm...well I can see now and you’re…”

“Strikingly gorgeous? Go ahead take it all in.” He gave a grin with full bottom lip and a thinner upper lip.

“I shouldn’t stare.”

“I don’t mind. Go ahead, inspect to your hearts content.” Embry shook her head with a small laugh. Alecko was definitely the type to enjoy attention. But Embry took the chance to look at the man in front of her. She walked around him slowly, inspecting every part she could take in. He was a white man with a slight tan, very tall and very handsome. He had short brown hair on the sides and just a tad longer on top, it fell over into his dark green eyes. His face was long but fit him, his ears stuck out a little but she found that cute. His eyebrows were bushy, his nose had a long bridge but didn’t hold a point. His trimmed facial hair came down from his hair line surrounded his lips and chin, but left a clear U shaped just under his bottom lip. His jaw line was strong and strait. She could tell under his clothes that he wasn’t stocky but he held muscle. His hands looked strong, she could see tiny scars that must have been from years past.

“You are a beautiful man.” He gave a cocky smile.

“Why thank ya luv. So watcha doin’?” Alecko took Embry’s arm and started to walk the direction she was headed.

“I don’t know. I’m not tired and couldn’t lay still. What are you doing and what is that?” Embry felt a warmth of relief flow threw her. Alecko was…still Alecko.

“I woke up in my bed.”

“Waking up in your own bed, I see the problem.”

“Funny. I was supposed to wake up in the dungeons and when I went to look to see why I didn’t. I found broken railings. Looks like I escaped.”

“So you broke free and made your way to your bed?”

“I don’t think it was the cut and dry.” Alecko stopped and lifted his shirt up. Embry caught sight of huge bruises along his back and stomach, which she noticed held a lot of definition.

“Oh my! What happened?”

“Felyx doing what he promised.”

“You’re smiling? Your boyfriend beat you to a pulp and you’re smiling.”

“Aye that I am.” Embry just shook her head.

“Where is Felyx now?”

“Snoring his head off.” This got a small laugh out of both of them. Embry wasn’t paying attention to where they were walking when she looked around. A sight forced her to a dead stop. Whatever Alecko had said was lost in her ears. The only thing that she could focus on was her reflection. Her eyes shone such a blue she didn’t think existed. They were so bright like a light was shining behind them. Her lashes were long, her eyebrows sleek and framed her eyes. Her nose was small and rounded. Her lips pink and plump, pouty. Her face was round but her chin came to a soft point, her cheek bones were soft but her jaw line was prominent. Her black hair was long and full, framing her face. Her skin was a pale tan color. The girl in front of her was beautiful. The girl…in front of her. She didn’t even recognize herself. Embry turned away from the mirror.

“Sorry...” When she looked up Alecko was no longer there. Where did he go? How long had she been standing there? Embry forced herself to walk past the mirror, not taking another look.

Damien made his way to Ameilius’ office. If he was awake at this hour that is where he would be. When he woke up alone he decided not to go find out where Embry had gotten off to. He could understand if she didn’t want to be around him. He didn’t blame her. He didn’t mind the dark hallways, he preferred the dark. The candles were supposed to light up when someone walked down the hallways but Emlyn had seen to it that Damien not be allowed that curtesy. A slight glow came from a room that told Damien that Ameilius was awake.

“Does anybody in this Manor ever sleep anymore?” Damien leaned against the door frame watching Ameilius sift through warn out papers.

“Oh how I am a willing slave to the master called Sleep, it beckons for me and yet I do not answer. The wakefulness of the mind, my ever persistent punishment.”

“Who said that?” Damien walked in and placed himself in the darkest corner he could find.

“I did.”

“Of course you did. What’s occupying your thoughts now, besides everything?”

“The connection.”

“Why would someone purposely use a blinding spell on a girl if she was from a magicless realm? That whoever did it didn’t want the girl to see something that could probably be seen only in a place that held magic. That connection?”

“Caught up have you? She has no knowledge of this world. It doesn’t quite make sense. What object could be so dire that they didn’t want Embry to see it.”

“Aye that would be the question if an object is what they didn’t want her to see.”

“Alecko?” Ameilius looked over at the door.

“What are you doing?” Damien looked at him curiously.

“Ah, well it seems I escaped.” Alecko made his way to the couch that lined the wall.

“What do you mean?” Ameilius looked like he was getting an idea.

“Well I must have broken the…”

“No, your comment about Embry.”

“Oh, well it depends on the spell used and the specifics. But Blind spells are not just used to blind someone. Some people use them to stop the power if foresight.”

“You think that she’s a seer?” Damien asked.

“No not a seer. Perhaps a slight power of divination.” Ameilius answered.

“Ameilius, she was blind not but hours ago and now you think that she can see into the future.”

“Not just the future, but past events as well. It makes sense Damien, think about it.” Ameilius watched as Damien furrowed his brows.

“If, and I say if, it is true, we now know why Calistus wanted her dead.”

“Aye, she could potentially unfold his plans.”

“How would he know that though? And how would she know what she was seeing correlated to him?” Damien kept with his thought process.

“What do you mean?”

“He ran into her when he was looking for the Sword. He took one glance at her and tried to kill her. He knew. How?”

“He’s a smart man.”

“Not that smart Alecko. No he knew. You said it yourself Ameilius, she has no knowledge of this world. If he knew that she had powers of divination, how would she be able to connect the dots?”

“She wouldn’t. So why blind her?” Ameilius was just as confused as Damien.

“Memories.” Felyx walked through the doors.

“Seriously, does anybody sleep?”

“Memories?” Alecko reached out for Felyx, who took his hand and sat down beside him. He looked worse for wear.

“Aye, only whoever performed the spell wasn’t specific or powerful enough to perform it.”

“Hold on a minute. Let me get this straight. Are we saying that Embry was given memories from someone else, they performed a spell on her that was botched and left her blind, they put her in another realm, and somehow Calistus knew this by just one glance and tried to kill her? Then upon coming here she unlocked the spell and now can see these memories?”

“Why give her memories and then blind her?” Damien watched as Alecko tightened his grip in Felyx’s hand, what was up with them?

“We don’t know if it was the same people.” Felyx chimed in.

“We don’t know anything!” Damien was getting frustrated.

“It was a mistake.” Ameilius said it slowly, making Damien wonder what he was thinking.

“What?”

“If they only wanted to hide the memories, they made a mistake. They blinded her instead.”

“Instead?” Felyx wasn’t sure what Ameilius meant.

“Her dreams…You think they’re the memories.” Damien caught on.

“Yes.”

“Why now?”

“They started happening when she got here, maybe the magic here set something off?”

“No, they started before she came here.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“How do you know that?” Alecko was suspicious.

“Not important. What is important is what we tell Embry.”

“The truth.” Ameilius stated.

“What truth? We don’t know anything definitive.”

“We are not keeping anything from her Damien.”

“Fine. So we tell her, then what? She just accepts that she was a casualty, that her being blind resulted from someone who didn’t know what they were doing?” Damien and Ameilius locked eyes, challenging Ameilius to say something different.

“…Wait.” It was Felyx that forced them to break eye contact.

“What?”

“How do we know that they didn’t know what they were doing?”

“Are you saying they did?”

“Nae, what I am saying is what caused someone inexperienced to perform such a delicate spell.”

“There must not have been anyone else.” Alecko offered.

“Then who gave her the memories?”

“Something happened. What would force someone to perform the spell?”

“A War...” Ameilius answered.

“A war…The War? You think this is a result of the attack on Valdronius?”

“It fits.”

“It fits! It fits? How would we not know about this? Any of us? How is it that a defining crucial part of the War could be kept from us? We were a part of every council that was a part of the Kingdom!”

“Not every.”

“NO! Do not go there! She is not some PAWN Felyx!”

“I’m not saying she is Damien. The Princess was to prepare for any occurrence that could happen.”

“No, you are saying that the Princess put memories in Embry, that when the war broke out and was declared a hopeless case they fucked up and blinded her, hid her away from her home, forced her to live her life as a lie.”

“I’m saying she is a piece of the puzzle.”

“This is not a game!”

“NO its not, this is very real! Embry is a crucial part of defeating Calistus. Whether or not she agreed to it.”

“Both of you settle down now.” Emlyn walked in from a corner door Damien didn’t know was there. Damien threw his arms up in the air and placed himself back in the darkness of the room.

“This room is getting very crowded.” Ameilius mumbled.

“Right, let’s lay the suspected facts out shall we? Embry was given memories. The War forced someone to hide those memories away, unfortunately blinding Embry. They hid her in another realm to protect her. Now, whose memories? Who knew about this? Who was there to protect her in the Realm? What memories has she seen? And how did Calistus know?”

“How could you possibly know all of this?” Alecko looked at her like she was a pariah.

“I keep nothing from my wife.”

“The Princess…her memories.” Damien answered.

“The things she could know. It would give reason as to why someone would perform that spell.” Alecko speculated.

“Her parents?” Felyx asked.

“Dead. She showed me their graves.”

“Who were they?”

“Don’t know, I didn’t recognize their names. I’ll look into it.”

“They must have known, right?” Alecko asked.

“If they did, were they killed for it?” Felyx caught on to what Alecko was asking.

“Then why not go after the girl?” Emlyn fought through the logic.

“Maybe they did, they just never figured she survived.” Damien listened to Felyx’s words. Who took care of her? How did she end up with that guy? More questions ran through his head.

“Look into all the people Calistus could have come into contact with. If he knew, then someone told him or…” Damien added.

“He was part of it?” Emlyn finished.

“No, the Princess wouldn’t trust him. Not above one of us.” Felyx cleared up.

“Then someone committed treason.” Ameilius stated.

“Are we able to figure out who performed the spell that caused her blindness?” Damien wondered.

“Anyone can perform botched spells.” Emlyn answered.

“That leaves the last question.”

“Has she mentioned anything about the dreams she’s been having?”

“She mentioned that she was remembering them, but they were in pieces.” Damien rubbed his eyes and watch Felyx head out the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Well we’ve hit a dead end. Unless there is anything else we need to discuss I’m going back to bed.” Felyx walked out the door.

“Who’s going to talk to Embry?” Alecko asked.

“I’ll do it.”

“Do ya think that’s a good idea Damien?”

“No, but it should be me. I’m the one who brought her into this.” Damien left the room.

“Then you’ll want to know where she was last.” Damien looked behind him at Alecko and saw Felyx leaning against the wall. He looked at them both suspiciously.

“And where would that be?”

“South corridor, second floor…The mirror.” Alecko gave him a look that told Damien to think about what he was saying, Damien realized.

“You just left her there?”

“It was a very personal moment for her Damien.” Felyx came off the wall and stood next to Alecko. Damien straightened up instinctively.

“What has gotten into you…?” Damien felt Felyx’s fist before he saw it. He also felt the wall before he could brace himself.

“WHAT the…” Another punch came from Alecko that surprised him all together. Damien fumbled getting himself off the floor.

“That was for playing us against each other.” Felyx stood where he was.

“Playing you?” Damien huffed as he nursed his split lip. He could feel a bruise forming on the right side of his jaw. Alecko was a force to be reckoned with.

“There’s no need to lie Damien. I’ve seen the looks you’ve been giving Felyx.” Damien watched Alecko carefully. If it was possibly he was more worried about what he was capable of doing than Felyx.

“What looks?” Damien looked over at Felyx.

“And the looks you’ve been giving Alecko.” Felyx stepped forward which forced Damien to step back.

“Now you’ve both gone off your rockers. As hard as it may be to believe, I haven’t been giving anyone any looks.” Damien was confused.

“You’ve been playing us against each other, getting into our heads. Admit it.” Felyx took another step.

“Oh and I’m the only one in this place that likes to get into peoples’ heads.” Damien watched as Alecko pulled Felyx’s arm back. They shared a look then looked back at him.

“She’s not above it Felyx.”

“She was warned.”

“And when has a warning ever stopped her?”

“You might want to check the fine print of that warning, you know how she is with words.” Damien offered. Felyx looked Damien in the eye and walked off, Alecko trailed behind him.

“An apology would be nice.” Alecko turned around and shrugged while Felyx just waved his hand. Damien made his way to the south corridor. He wondered if it was a mistake to involve Helenna. He knew she was going to be trouble, but this was just petty. He saw no sight of Embry in the corridor. Where did she go? Back to the infirmary? A pain shot threw him that told him exactly where she was.

Embry found her way around corridors and closed doors before she saw a glimpse of someone turn into the hallway. She sped up a little bit catching the last sight of the man entering a room. What she could tell was that he was a big man with a head full of hair. There were voices coming from inside. Damien? She went to knock on the door then stopped.

“It was a mistake.” Ameilius?

“What?”

“If they only wanted to hide the memories, they made a mistake. They blinded her instead.” They were talking about her. Embry leaned against the wall and listened to what they were saying. She could feel the warmth of slow tears run down her cheeks. Could it be true? Was she just a pawn? That it wasn’t a mistake she was purposely made. Everything she knew was a lie. Embry walked away she didn’t want to hear anymore. Questions were starting to form in her head. Her parents knew, were they even he parents? Did they get killed over this? How many other things were suppressed or made? She couldn’t stop thinking of questions and scenarios. Embry felt her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing was hoarse as she ran into a room she didn’t know and let out a crying scream.

Candles lit up when she opened her eyes, the room was bare. Empty except for a piano in the middle of a rather large space. No pictures hung on the walls, no drapes for no windows, just candelabras mounted on the walls to hold up the candles. The walls were covered with what could have been a pattern for a carpet. She found it funny, another problem another piano. She sat down and just looked at the keys. She remembered what piano keys looked like but seeing them now, in front of her was another thing all together. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Most of her questions could probably be answered in time. But the hard questions, the questions that teared her up inside. They would never be answered. She placed her crystal on the seat beside her and touched a few nonchalant notes, not looking for any particular rhythm.

“Do you play?” She didn’t look around when she heard him. She didn’t hear him come in but she would never forget that voice, it was soft even when he yelled there was no sharpness to it. It was a voice that knew the unfairness of the situation. Embry placed both hands on the keys and played a quick middle piece from Broken Heart by Danny Schramm. A recent song she was learning with the help of Jeffery. Memories threatened to spill over. It was a different feeling, being able to see the keys while she played and yet not watching her fingers as they moved. She let her fingers rest on the keys, not playing just resting. Embry looked straight ahead as she listened to his footsteps come closer.

“You play beautifully.” She bowed her head slightly.

“Do you play?”

“…I don’t have the talent that you have.” Embry wasn’t sure if that was a yes or a no, either way she didn’t care to ask about it. She needed to talk to someone, she needed Jeffery but he wasn’t an option.

“Have you come to tell me that my blindness was a mistake?”

“How much did you hear?”

“Enough to know that I was a plan, that I was forced into this. That people have died because of this…whatever it is.”

“I won’t lie to you Embry. The fact is we have no facts, only speculations.”

“Do you really believe that?” Embry looked up past the piano.

“Yes. But I also believe that it’s the closest we’ve come to making any sense out of the situation.”

“So I just accept it? And what, move on?”

“No. You take a stand and fight. Use whatever anguish and hatred you have towards the situation and fight back. This war, the one that is starting is just as much yours as it is ours.”

“What if I can’t? I feel more broken now than I have ever felt when I was blind.”

“That’s your choice. But you have something to fight for now.” Damien sat beside her, facing the opposite direction.

“What?” Embry looked sideways at him.

“Your freedom from all of this.” They were both quite. Embry knew he was right. She was a part of this and they believed she could help.

“Is that why you fight? For your freedom?”

“No, I would never wish to be free from the ties that bind me here. Being a Shade…The darkness is my home, it is my freedom.”

“Then why?”

“It’s the right thing to do.” Embry nodded at his words. It was the right thing to do, but she wondered if there was something that went deeper than the moral high road.

“Before…when I couldn’t see, I painted pictures in my mind of what people would look like. Based on their voice, if it held a high or low pitch. If it held a raspy effect to it or a squeak. I used the description of their features, how they pictured themselves, what I felt when I touched their face…” Embry swallowed, forcing her throat to relax.

“You saw your reflection.” Embry couldn’t stop the sobs from coming.

“…I didn’t even recognize myself. I thought I knew what I would look like and when I looked into that mirror... I recognized features of my mom and my dad, but I remained oblivious to the girl that was in that reflection.” Embry cleared her throat taking deep breaths. Damien handed her a handkerchief.

“Do you know what it feels like to not recognize your own reflection?” Embry shifted her gaze to look at Damien who looked down and away as soon as she did.

“…A fate like that...”

“Don’t hide from me.” Embry placed her hand on his arm for encouragement. Damien slowly looked her way. She stared into the darkness before she noticed his lip

“What happened?” Damien waved her off.

“A misunderstanding. Are you alright?” Damien cleared his throat.

“I don’t know what I am. I keep thinking and thinking, never coming up with any answers. At least not the answers that are important.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s stupid…It doesn’t matter.” Embry shook it off.

“It matters to you.”

“I keep thinking and thinking and quotes just appear… ‘O, teach me how I should forget to think!’” Embry shook her head.

“Come with me.” Embry watched him stand up. She took one last breath to calm her nerves and stood up. A few candles went out and she followed him into the darkness. She stood close as darkness seeped in, she was right, she saw nothing but darkness.

What do you see? Damien asked her.

What do you mean?

I see an empty void filled with nothingness. A never changing absolute darkness, forever chained and bound to that fate. It’s tragically and beautifully simplistic. In a world that is constantly changing this place is bound to forever stay the same. Close your eyes, keep them closed. Embry does as he says. She felt a warmth touch her skin, and sounds that woke her ears. Damien pulled her forward, it was refreshing not to see where she was going. A comfort she wondered would ever come back. Wind picked up and whipped around her hair. They stopped and Damien’s footsteps disappeared.

“Open your eyes.” Embry took a few seconds, but nothing could prepare her for what she saw. Vibrant colors clashing together. A golden sun rising from a sparkling blue sea, white waves rose and fell, the sky was on fire. Small blades of green grass swayed as the wind flew by, small flowers bent with the wind.

“It’s beautiful.” She lacked words that would describe what she was seeing. She never thought she’d see anything with such amazement again.

“Only to be seen by the grace of light. Forever bound and chained to a fate of change. Every day it is forced to be something different. Never allowed to capture the beauty it held the day, hour or minute before. A tragic fate, never being able to stand still for even a second, never allowed to breathe and rest.” Embry looked back at him, his features were clear and precise. He was a handsome man. She caught his eyes shift to hers and she looked back to the sunrise.

“A morbid mirrored opposite.” She understood what he was saying but she would never think of this place as morbid.

“Perhaps. And yet thought has escaped your mind, has it not?”

“You know Shakespeare.” Embry gave him a small smile. It was pleasant having thoughts cease. Shakespeare knew what he was talking about.

“You didn’t recognize your reflection, not because you didn’t know who was looking back at you. You didn’t recognize her because you weren’t looking for her. You were looking for that girl you remembered so very long ago. You were forced into darkness Embry, never to see change and yet you were always in the light changing every day. You didn’t see the girl you remembered, you saw the women you have become.” Embry couldn’t help but smile at his words, they were a warmth she’d never known.

“How do you do that? Find the perfect words to say?”

“The truth is always the right thing to say. We should get going.”

“Could I have a few moments more? It’s the first time since…since the accident.” Damien nodded his head and strayed a few feet away. She tried to capture everything she was seeing but Damien was right, it was forever changing. She never wanted it to end. She looked over at Damien, he was looking at the same thing she was but his gaze seemed to go on for miles.

“What are you searching for?” He blinked and looked her way.

“I said I would protect you, I didn’t.”

“You couldn’t have possibly known what was going to happen. You suffered for me. You helped me escape from being trapped in my own body. I was lost in darkness and you, not anyone else, you saved me.”

“You saved yourself. I shouldn’t have put you in that situation.”

“It was my decision and if I had a choice to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing. You stayed by my side and you didn’t let me go. You did protect me Damien, if anything I trust you more than ever.” She never thought about the ‘what if’. If she didn’t go she’d still be blind, but then she wouldn’t have known that it was done to her.

“What does that mean…to you?” They stared at each other for a moment before Embry could answer. What was he asking?

“I was so lost in there and you found me. Like you’re Peter Pan or the Mad Hatter. I can trust that you’ll be there.” Embry gave a slight smile. Will literature solve all her questions? He came closer to her.

“Who do you want me to be?” His voice was a whisper. A tingle ran through her fingers as she remembered the last time his voice was soft. Who did she want him to be? Who did she want to be to him?

“…I don’t know.” Liar. Damien took her hands and she followed him once more into the shadows.

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