Page 90 of These Fractured Bonds

Chapter 35

Morningcamefast.Yareliblinked, rolled over to check the time, and groaned from how sore she was. It was past nine, but the room was almost pitch-black. Fumbling with the bed sheets, she reached for the lamp on the bedside table. Orange light soon pervaded the room, fighting off the darkness. She noticed a pattern in her life: She often woke up in a new room. This time, much to her chagrin, it was a guest room in Allyah’s villa. Although Erick had done preliminary first aid, she had shooed him away to pass out in bed before he could take care ofall her injuries, leaving her sore and in pain.The consequences of sloth, she thought.

Memories of last night replayed in her mind, particularly the memory of the rushing wind and the drop in her stomach as she dove into the black lake. By the time she had emerged from its waters, having struggled her way to shore by sheer stubbornness—and panic, but she wouldn’t admit that to anyone—Augrys, Erick, and Leo had been waiting for her outside the arena. Teeth chattering, bleeding, and exhausted, she hardly remembered what they had said to her coming out of the challenge.

She did, however, remember one thing: Grinning and proclaiming, “I fucking did it.”

After that, it was a blur; she had been taken to her assigned room and promptly fallen asleep. There was a single knock on the door before Erick strolled in. Yareli sighed. Would he ever properly knock?

“Mornin’ sunshine!” he chirped, striding across the room and settling in a cushioned chair. “Although I dislike her, I gotta admit, Allyah’s interior decor is bee-tiful.”

Yareli rolled her eyes, to which he responded, “Forgive my ass for being sick of hard, wooden stools!”

She laughed, then winced as her ribs protested the movement.

“Let me take a look.” Erick stood, plucking her arms away from her midsection. “I’ll heal your remaining injuries and apply a numbing agent for your bruises.”

“Thanks,” she said, leaning into the headboard as he got to work.

“Have you had any more headaches?”

She thought about it, but it had been a while since the last one. “No, I haven’t.”

“That’s a good sign. Do you mind if I take a look after I finish up here?”

“Actually, I have a question about that. Do you see the lake?”

“Lake?”

She hesitated before explaining. “When my memories of Augrys returned, I was submerged in this lake in my mind, and it was like… when the water rushed through me, I remembered. Even now, I can return to that lake, and I can sense where certain memories are stored.”

Erick remained quiet for a long moment. She peered at him, nervous that she had admitted that something was wrong with her and ruined her chance at continuing with the Fire Festival.

“While I haven’t seen a lake, it’s not unusual. Mind magic is understudied, but you may simply have an affinity that allows you to manifest your mind as a tangible space. The lake, then, might be your subconscious tapping into your magic to create something that gives you an understanding of its fractured state.”

She mulled over his words; it made sense.

“Then, the tar I see… it must mean the wound still inhibits their retrieval.” At his questioning glance, she explained the bubbling tar that hid her family’s memories.

“You could be right, but more importantly, what did I say about forcing it?”

She looked away, staring at the thick, black curtains that covered the entire right wall. Of course, he had fixated on her recklessness and not on the reason underlying her decision.

“It’s easy for you to say,” she snapped. “You’re the one with all your memories. I can’t remember who I was. Or who my family was!”

His sharp look softened, and he pulled his hands back to his side, presumably done healing. “I know it’s hard, but you’re risking never remembering.”

“I don’t even know if I have a dad,” she cried out, her voice pitching an octave higher. “I bet you knew I could speak Spanish,but Ididn’t. Do you know how fucked that is? I’m a stranger pretending to be myself.”

She was yelling, and she knew it wasn’t fair for her to take it out on Erick, her doctor, but she was tired of listening—following their instructions without any empathy on their end. She wanted to beheard, and if that required her to shout, then she’d shout until her throat was raw and their ears bled.

He opened his mouth, then closed it, reminding her of a fish, and she laughed.

“Can you at least tell me my brother’s name?” she asked bitterly.

“Fernando.”

She tested the name on her tongue.Yes, it felt right.He was… older than her? Or was he younger? Excitement drove her forward; she shot another question at Erick.