Page 71 of Queen of Ruin

“I want you to focus on the sound of the waves. Can you do that for me?”

“Mmhmm.”

“The rolling and the crashing, the forward and the back. Picture that in your mind. It can be a beach or the edge of a lake. Anything that you prefer. I want you to time the waves you see to what you’re hearing.”

“A beach,” I murmur. “I like the beach.” It’s simple. Matching what I see in my mind's eye with the rolling waves from the air around me only increases that sense of peace inside me, and I begin to lose the sensation of sitting.

“Now,” comes Cassian’s distant, soft voice. “Every time the waves roll forward, I want you to cast your mind back to that night. The night you got into Diego’s car. And when the waves roll back, I want you to roll back to the beach. Can you do that?”

“Mmhmm…”

It flickers in my mind. The waves on the beach and then suddenly, Diego’s alarmed face in his car. The warm beach and the gun in my hand. Back to the beach and then the heat of pain consuming my body. The beach comes back one more time and then…

I’m not in the car anymore. Suddenly, I’m somewhere terribly cold with a throbbing ache in both of my shoulders. I try to recall the beach but when I do, it’s not a beach I see but a face. A child.

“Valentina?”

She stands in front of me, clutching a threadbare rabbit with tears pouring down her tiny face, terror in her eyes, and her mouth wide open as she screams and sobs. Hot pain ignites across my back like a razor is tearing through my spine and then the child vanishes, replaced by a crumpled, dead body at my feet.

“Valentina!”

An adult, with their face covered by their arms and blood. So much blood. I can’t tell where the pain stops and I begin, but when I blink, I see that kid’s face again.

“Valentina!” Cassian’s voice rips me out of my thoughts and my eyes snap open with a gasp, my cheeks wet with tears.

“Cassian?” I croak.

“Oh, thank God,” he gasps. “You were so focused, I didn’t think I could reach you.” Concern washes over his handsome face and his brows furrow. “Are you alright?”

“I… I remembered something.”

“What was it?”

“Uhm…” My breath trembles out of me. I gasp, then wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand. “There was… There was this kid. A little girl. She was screaming and crying, and I was so cold and in pain but her face was so clear.”

“Do you think you’d recognize her if you saw her again?”

I nod quickly. “I’m sure of it.”

“Come on.” He stands and holds out his hand, then swiftly pulls me to my feet. “How are you feeling?”

“Uhm…. a little scared but kind of invigorated? It feels like I’m smarting after ripping off a Band-Aid.”

“This is good. And you definitely never ran into any kids when you were with Diego?”

“Not at all.” Following Cassian out of the room, we hurry down the hall but as we round the corner, I run into Diego. “Diego!”

He glances up in alarm, then smiles. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll catch up with you, Cassian,” I say.

Cassian nods, then hurries down the hallway.

“Oh, Diego, it was amazing! I remembered something! Something that might actually help us work out what happened to me.”

“Valentina… that’s great.” Diego glances away, although his smile doesn’t waver. “I’m happy for you.”

“It's great! Wait… why are you wearing a jacket?” The soft leather is nice to the touch, but given where we are, it’s a little warm to wear indoors.