Chapter 14
I found the sword lying in the sand near Kull. Under the light of the sun, the leather wrapping the grip looked cracked and worn, the blade more tarnished than usual, and the blue crystal at the bottom glowed light blue. It seemed so very real, yet I knew it wasn’t. Jeven must have had the real sword at one point, and then Geth must have stolen it. I wasn’t sure why Jeven had created a fake sword, except it must have hurt his pride to have the real sword taken from him. It was also possible that Geth had created the fake sword and traded it with the genuine weapon. Whatever the case, the only thing that mattered was tracking down the real sword. But first, we had to get back to Faythander.
Grabbing the sword, I felt its magic warm my hands. The strength of its power made me realize that my own magic was missing. Alarmed, I tried calling my powers to the surface, but nothing came. I gripped the sword tightly, the leather grip warmed by the sun, and attempted to use the sword’s magic to compensate for my own, but it wouldn’t come. It was as if the magic had abandoned me altogether. But why was this happening? What had happened to my magic?
Kull roused, and I knelt beside him. I placed my hand on his cheek and felt the warmth of his skin. No longer pale, he was hopefully healing from whatever curse Jeven had placed on him. With any luck, the portal crossing had cured him.
“Kull,” I said, taking his hand.
He turned to me, blinking several times as if to clear the fog from his brain.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I believe so. Where am I?”
“Earth Kingdom.”
He nodded, then closed his eyes again. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I?” His voice was quiet, almost indiscernible.
“No, you’re not dreaming.”
He didn’t answer, and I worried he’d passed out.
“Kull…” I gently shook his shoulder. “Come back to me.”
He lay still, motionless, only the rise and fall of his chest telling me he was alive.
“Are you there?” I asked, my face inches from his. Still, no answer. The portal crossing must have been more difficult on him that I thought. “Kull?” I asked, hearing the worry in my voice.
I shook him again, but he only lay there. Beyond us, waves crashed. I looked out over the ocean, feeling the anxiety creep up inside me, not sure how to help Kull. He gripped my hand, vice-like, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
“Kull?”
Fear filled his eyes as he looked from me, then out toward the ocean. “What…?” He gasped. “Where am I?”
“Earth Kingdom. I just told you, remember?”
“I… I…” He gulped shallow breaths.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m here with you. Everything is all right.” Honestly, I’d never seen him act like this before. First, I’d lost my magic. Now, Kull was acting strangely, and I didn’t know how to fix either problem.
A clump of blond hair fell over Kull’s eyes. I pushed it away from his brow when he reached up and grabbed my hand.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at my hand, and then his gaze met mine. “Who are you?”
When he looked at me, he didn’t know me. I saw nothing in his eyes that looked familiar. I felt as if a rock plummeted to the bottom of my stomach when I realized what Jeven had done to Kull.
He’d taken me away.
But maybe I was wrong. I had to be wrong.
“Kull, it’s me, Olive.”
“Who?”
“It’s me—your fiancée. We’re going to be married. You have to remember me.” I reached for him when he sat up and pushed me away.
“I don’t know you.”
His words stung.
Kull stood, glanced at the ocean, and then up to the seawall where cars sped past, the roar from their engines mingling with the crashing waves. “I must leave,” he mumbled, then set off toward the staircase carved into the seawall.
After grabbing the sword, I followed him. I could fix this. I knew I could, because if I didn’t… No, I couldn’t let my thoughts go there, not yet.
“Kull, stop,” I said as I stood in front of him, blocking his path. He moved to push past me, but I grabbed his hand. “Listen to me,” I said. “Jeven placed a curse on you. Do you remember Jeven?”
“I…” He paused, rubbing his forehead. “He was a warlock.”
“Yes, that’s right. He cursed you. He said he would take from your mind what you treasure the most. Do you remember?”
“I was in his castle. We were fighting… but…” Unable to continue, he focused on me.
“Yes, you were in his castle, and I was there with you. We went together.”
“We?”
“Yes, you and I. We went together to Jeven’s tower and—”
“No,” he said sharply. “I remember now. My sister and a few of my best men journeyed to the unknown land to retrieve the Madralorde sword. We found the druid Lucretian who helped us. He created a portal that led us to the outskirts of the city. I entered Jeven’s tower alone.”
“That’s not true. I was with you. I found the sword.” I lifted the blade. “This sword.”
“No,” he argued. “I remember it all now. I remember taking the weapon; I remember fighting Jeven. I wounded him, and then I escaped with the sword. My sister and the others waited for me in the forest, the druid created a portal that would take us back to Faythander… and then, I arrived here.”
“If that’s so, then how did you get here and not Faythander?”
Confusion clouded his eyes. “I don’t know.”
“You came here because I was with you. The portal’s magic was failing. I was forced to use my own magic to keep the portal open, but it didn’t work as expected. Instead of bringing us back to Faythander, it brought us here.”
“That can’t be true. I have no memory of you. How could you have brought me here? Unless…” His eyes turned dark. “You are a practitioner—a magic user?”
“Yes.”
“A
