Page 90 of Shadow Queen
The pages of her memories turned quickly again as Naavi sifted through her mind. Through Mercia, through her time there, through the castle itself. Naavi stopped in the hall to the throne room. On its wall was a painting of her father, King Aamon. Naavi looked at it for a long time.
The Wild woman finally let the image go and began looking once again through the memories. She shifted to Norah’s capture, through the journey back to Kharav, her journey to Odepeth, her time with Mikael. She slowed for a moment on the vision of them lying together in her sanctuary, Mikael holding her close. Norah’s cheeks flushed again. She could hide nothing.
Naavi pulled up from the memories and flipped back to the beginning—when Norah first woke in the Wild. She seemed already familiar with the drifters, spending little time on them. But suddenly Naavi slowed, seeing Norah come upon Alexander in the forest. She watched him with seemingly great interest.
Suddenly, her images blurred forward to the temple in Odepeth, quickly pulling the vision of Alexander shown by the traveler seer, comparing it with the image of Alexander in the Wild. Then everything went dark, but Norah still felt her moving, searching through time.
And then she was released. Norah opened her eyes to find herself back in the pool with Naavi.
“I have nothing for you,” Naavi said sadly.
Norah’s eyes welled. “There must be another who can try,” she said.
The Wild woman shook her head. “It does not work that way. We sever them, and they die. You cannot bring them back.”
“So, you didn’t hide them?” Norah’s voice broke. “You just destroyed them?”
Naavi sighed sadly and nodded.
“Why would you do that?”
“For your protection. We severed your link to the Aether. It was the only way we could hide you. As a result, your memories were lost.”
Norah shook her head. “I know they’re not gone. Something triggers their return!”
“No, it isn’t possible to bring them back.”
“No!” Norah cried. “If it’s not possible, then I wouldn’t have gotten any memories back. But I did!” She turned to Alexander. “When you kissed me in Mercia, I saw you, I saw your face. Us, together. We were lying in the fields under the sun, and you loved me. I remembered.” A new thought struck her, and she looked at Alexander. “Maybeyoucan bring them back. Maybe you do have power, you just don’t understand it.”
Alexander shook his head, but Norah’s breath shook as she thought aloud. “We were at the tree. Perhaps it’s what gave you strength. This pool is a sacred place, a place of magic. Maybe you can use it?”
“Norah, I’ve spoken the truth,” he said. “I’m only a man. I don’t have this ability. I don’t have any power.”
“There’s a great power within you,” Naavi countered. She turned to her sister. “I saw it. He is the one who found her. But his shield hid him from us. It covered her too. It’s why she disappeared from our sight.” Naavi paused as she shook her head. “But I don’t understand. The vision from the traveler clearly shows his face. How can the traveler see when we cannot?”
“How do you know there’s a power?” Norah asked. “What is it you feel?”
Sana didn’t answer, visibly reluctant to share, but Naavi explained, “It’s not so much the feeling of his power, but rather the interruption of our power. Seers are protected from the sight of others by their shield. It creates a void. We’ve never seen a shield strong enough to cover others, but,” she paused and nodded at Alexander, “his does. It’s why you seemed to disappear from us when he first found you. And why we didn’t sense you in the forest today until he distanced himself from you.”
When Alexander had gone to scout ahead.
“I told you I’m not a seer,” Alexander said, growing short of patience.
“Where there is a shield, then there must be sight,” Naavi insisted. “And with a shield as strong as yours, then a very great sight.”
“If he had sight that powerful, he would know,” Norah said.
“Unless he’s not telling the truth,” Sana replied.
“I speak only the truth,”Alexander said agitatedly. He turned to Norah. “I swear to you.”
Naavi looked perplexed. “Then how does he have a shield? And how can the traveler see him when we cannot? None of this should be possible.”
Soren snorted. “How long will you keep saying things are not possible when they are obviously so?”
Sana shot him a warning look. “You were not to remind us of your presence,” she snapped.
“What must you do to try to help her?” Mikael asked Alexander directly.
