My shoulders droop the minute my eyes meet Garth's. My brother is back, and safe. We both walk towards each other frankly and embrace each other. We are going to start the new year on a clean slate. The sages are behind this is the first piece of information that he gives me.
"What?" I release the hug as my face contorts in confusion. It's suddenly windy now, with two men in tuxedo's on a rooftop, a new year, and a duty mixed with desire to protect one of the most formidable mages in the world. He moves back slightly and he brushes his hands through his brown hair messing it up even more. "I know it sounds insane but you will simply not even believe what I'm about to..." I stop him before he's about to continue because this is too sensitive of a conversation to have here.
"How's she doing?" he asks once we're in a more secure place. Now it was my turn to pace around and run my hands through my hair. "Nothing new?"
"Nothing?" He asks the despair dripping from his tone. "Yeah." I admit. Sadly or maybe fortunately Reika woke up remembering nothing of the wraith attack that night. She didn't seem to remember the fact that she'd been called by her actual name as well. Garth and I started recommending she go to therapy because of her memory loss(referring to her general one) so that she could get better. She took it all like a joke and said that the memory will come back on it's own and if not she will talk to Telena about it so that they can do something about it.
"What did you find out?" I query fearing that the amount of information about to be dropped on me will hit like a thunderbolt. "So apparently Reika's father is the reason that she manifested her abilities too soon." He starts off and my heart sinks, in-fact if I felt like a muscle in my heart tore and now IK have internal bleeding. He knows. Fuck, he now knows what I know. I listen to him painfully ramble on and on about this and hearing this for the second time makes my heart break even more, but at least this time....... Reika is not close by this time. I keep calm and stay in control.
"So they were trying to use him as a trauma response in hopes that his presence will make her remember everything." I state after he's done. We're both raging and out of breath. "They are desperate, why else would they do that?" Garth bellows pacing around.
Wait, he has a point, It's not that easy to go looking for a fucking human soul so that you can turn it into that monstrosity, and all for what? To jog a memory? This might have been among their last resorts. Something much much bigger has to be going on. I reason.
"She needs her memory back." I admit finally. Garth looks at me like I have gone berserk. "Hear me out now before you lose your marbles okay. You're right, this might be among their last resorts. Just think about it, what could possibly drive them to such lengths? Don't you see? they know something we don't! And they need her to execute something for them. Plus, she is directly below her mother beneath the most powerful beings in the magic world, and with her mother dead....." I trail off and let the realization settle in his head.
It doesn't take much for it to click and when it does, I can practically see the designation ebb off him. "So what does this mean?" He asks after a prolonged silence. "It means we do everything we can to get her her memory first. And with that he leaves for the main hall where the event is being held to go and meet up with Reika. I on the other hand need to have a talk with Warden.
~
"What do you mean you knew all this all along?" I ask infuriated at an expressionless Warden who is currently staring outside the huge window of his office, his back facing me. "Of course we knew, we knew from a long time back before her mother even became a sage. I also know the little secret you have hiding." He states and turns to face me. At that statement I freeze and my heart drops to my ass but I don't portray it on my face. He could be talking about anything for all I know I have a whole closet full of secrets. "About her mother." Shit, that secret.
"And?"
"And? You do something of the magnitude that you did and all you have to say for it is and?" he drawls trying to keep his cool. "Well there a lot of underlying issues that led to that event." I defend myself.
"And those 'underlying issues' are the exact reason that I haven't reported what you did to the sages yet." he bellows. Is he serous right now? I stare him right in the eye and for a moment I sense the flicker of emotion portrayed there. Just then his jaw clenches harder. Ow this was not a matter of the magical world, this was a personal vendetta against me.
"Well I know you're not a kylte, but at least I know you know what its like to fall for a Psythelian, and what it's like to be around a person with such huge magnitude of power. Now imagine what that was like for me." I say in a calm tone that is backed with an insane amount of rage so much so the room starts feeling smaller for no reason. I turn without saying another word and exit the room needing to breathe.
Seconds later I storm into the common room from the bar station side. My eyes immediately land on Reika at the bar, she's scanning the room, watching people, probably making out the weaponry crafted into their fancy suits and dresses. I strut over to her as I exhale a relaxing breathe and loosen my tie. Fuck it, I remove the damn thing and toss it to the nearest armchair in the room and ran a hand through my hair, messing up my curls, who cares anyway? Certainly not her, she's probably seen my hair in worse condition.
I settle next to her and nudge her with my elbow, breaking her out her daze, startled, she turns and faces me. "For someone who seems to be so locked in on observing everyone else, it sure looks like you didn't see me coming." I tease.
"Well I could smell your cologne from the hallway genius and I can already take you down in a fight so I thought I'd rather focus on the more...interesting characters in the room. " She says, her voice draggy and sultry with tease. I take a look at the drink in her hand that she has just gotten refilled, I stand and come into her direct line of view and she looks up to me. Fuck she is sexy, her eyes alone......no..no...no don't go there. I slowly take the drink out of her hand and into mine.
Eyeing her all while I downed the contents of her martini glass. Well I'll be damned, my girl was full on absinthe today. Feeling drowsy already from the glass I had just downed, I face her fully and I can immediately tell my senses might me taking their leave for the night.