His eyes widened. “You did what?”
“She was having major side effects from the memory loss. She was suffering. I did the only thing I could think of.”
“This is not good at all.”
“Why?” I asked. “Aren’t you glad she remembers you?”
“Glad?” he said. “Olive, do you realize what you have done?”
I didn’t understand what the big deal was. Shouldn’t he have been happy that his wife remembered him?
“That spell did more than remove her memories. It kept her safe.”
“Safe from what?”
His voice grew hushed. “Don’t you realize who she was?”
“Umm—your wife?”
He sighed, a bone-tired sound that made him look wearier. “The spell will have to be recast. As soon as the magic returns, we must notify the sky king. Only he has the power to cast the spell. How you were able to undo it is a mystery to me.”
“But why is she in danger?”
He shook his head. “It’s not my place to say.”
“Does it have something to do with you?”
“Olive,” he said, his voice stern, “I will not speak of it. It would be best for you not to pry. She cannot be allowed to have her powers back—that is all you need to know.”
“Powers? What powers?”
“I will say no more. I have said enough as it is.”
I crossed my arms. I hated when he got this way. Riddles and nonsense. “Just so you know, she’s never been happy on Earth, living alone in her huge, empty house. I realize now that I never knew her. How could she be herself as long as she had those fabricated memories to keep her from the truth? After I restored her mind was the first time I ever saw my real mother—the woman she really was. I spent twelve years of my life with a stranger. If you restore the spell, you’ll take who she is away again, and she’ll have you to blame for it.”
He looked on me with his impassive stare. It made me wonder if he had emotions at all. I’d just relayed to him that the woman he’d once loved had suffered for over a decade of her life and would continue to suffer because of him, and he’d had no reaction. Perhaps I only imagined that he still had feelings for her.
Gathering my bag, I stood, feeling too frustrated to carry on our conversation. I turned toward the staircase when my father stopped me.
“Olive,” he said.
I turned.
“You may think me cruel for taking part in casting the spell, but trust me when I tell you that what we did was for the best. The alternative would have been much worse.”
“Alternative?”
“It was either the loss of her memories or the loss of her life.”
“You would have killed her?”
“As I said, memory loss was a much more humane alternative.”
I looked on my father as if seeing him for the first time, watching the firelight glow over his pallid skin, watching his amber eyes as they reflected the flickering flames. Who was he? What was so important that he would consider killing his wife? Killing my mother? I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing. Turning away from him, I found the staircase, feeling as if the world reeled around me.
I wandered through the inn until I found my assigned room. Several elves occupied the other beds, so I lay down on the only empty mattress, trying to ignore the faint scent of urine coming from the worn fibers.
One of the elves said something to me. I did my best to make an answer, although my mind wasn’t on the conversation. The elf who’d spoken made a huff about extinguishing the light.
Tears burned my eyes as the room darkened. I hugged my pack close to my chest, feeling the magical orb tucked safely inside. As I ran my hands over the glass bauble, I also felt the curving, leaf-shaped pendant of my father’s memory charm through the canvas fabric.
I’d almost believed he was someone worth admiring. But lies were usually easier to believe than the truth. What was worse, my own stepfather, the sky king of Faythander, had been involved in removing Mom’s memories.
I would never get to sleep if I kept rehashing my fears, so I did my best to push my worries aside. My mind drifted as sleep took me. As usual, even ignoring the conversation with my father didn’t quell my worries. Instead, my memories took me to another conversation from the evening. My last thought was of Kull.
Until I find someone suitable to marry…
Chapter 18
The next morning, I stood with Brodnik as we waited to board the ship. The tall masts of the Sea Ghost rose above us. It was one of the largest vessels at the dock. Tatty sails flapped in the stiff breeze, and the maidenhead, carved in the likeness of a skeleton wrapped in frayed robes, was crusted with years of sea salt.
I pulled my fur-lined cloak tighter as the crowd pressed in around me. After waking this morning, I’d washed up as best as I could and then eaten a scant breakfast of dry biscuits. After that, I’d packed up what little I had and headed to the docks. Brodnik, with his flaming red beard and overbearing voice, had been the only familiar face I’d seen in the crowd.
Heidel appeared from the wheelhouse and stood at the ship’s railing. Her black, braided hair glistened in the sunlight, although the expression on her face was brooding. Something had her upset.
She scanned the crowd. When she found me, she motioned me forward.
“Well,” Brodnik said, “looks as if they’ll let at least one of us on. Lucky, you are.”
Judging by the look on Heidel’s face, I wasn’t sure I agreed with him. I pushed through the group and made my way to the gangplank. The Wults parted as I approached, and Heidel motioned a crewman to open the gate. He unlocked it with a
