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Killing Trust
“I didn’t do it,” I said. “I hurt him, but I didn’t kill him. It wasn’t me. There was someone else there.”
Matteo nodded. “Are you ready for the second memory?”
I frowned looking down at the tower card still lying face up on the table. “Wait, was that the only hole in that day? What happened after that?”
“From what I could see, you were asleep until Jackson woke you up in your dorm room that night. I can’t be sure how you got there, but if you were blocking out anything else between what we saw and the moment you woke up, we would have seen that too,” he explained. “I wish I had all the answers you want, but—”
I shook my head. “It’s fine. I understand. Show me the other memory.”
“Have another drink,” he said, pouring a fresh glass of absinthe for me.
I took it and tipped the liquid back against my lips without stopping to think about it. The warmth spread through my chest, and I set the cup down again. I hadn’t killed Viktor, but Nadia was still a question mark.
Matteo turned the second card and it flashed with simmering black energy. My heart lodged itself in my throat. The skeleton of death glared up at me with vacant eyes. It’s scythe ready and waiting to cut my soul to ribbons. Nadia’s face blossomed in my mind and another mote of light formed in the air above the card. Matteo’s fingers snatched it as quick as he took the first and the fog rolled in once more.
It burned as it passed through my nose, crawling its way into my skull. My eyes closed and I felt my body drop back against the cushion. Warmth swelled against my face and the light of the annex fire surfaced through the darkness. My body lay prone, in the exact position I remembered waking up in when Nadia’s calls finally woke me up. Except something was different this time.
A pressure appeared at the corner of my vision, and I realized I wasn’t alone. My shadow pulsed out of my body again and sat up. Blinking through a faint haze, I sat up with her and saw my husband leaning against the bookshelf beside the fire.
“Jack?” My shadow yawned. “What are you doing here?”
He set a picture frame back down on the shelf and turned to look at me. “Hello, love.”
“You’re not supposed to be here,” my shadow said, starting to rise.
“I know, but—no, don't get up, not yet. You were sleeping. I didn’t mean to wake you. You should lay down,” he said, gesturing back towards the couch.
My shadow continued to rise. “What are you doing here, Jackson? You don’t live here anymore.”
“I know,” he said, stepping away from the shelf. “I just wanted to check on you.”
His hand rose to tuck hair behind my ear and I jerked back away from him. “What are you doing?”
“I just—” his face fell, and a nervous look passed over his features. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking coming here.”
My shadow took another step back away from him and brushed the hair from her face. “Did you need something?”
Jackson’s eyes flashed with unnamed emotion. “Yes. Actually, I do.”
My shadow folded her arms over her chest with a heavy sigh. “What?”
“I need you to inhale this,” he said, pulling something from his pocket.
“Wha—” before my shadow could finish her question, Jackson opened his hand and blew a brick red powder into her face. I felt the echo of it hitting my cheeks, and then the enchantment activated. A ripple of red flashed over my shadow’s body. It stung my skin and I watched as an electric cage rippled to life around her. The light flashed, her body tensed, and her eyes glazed over.
“That’s a good girl,” Jackson chuckled, stepping closer to her. “Now, stand still, while I do my work.”
What is this?I demanded, searching for Matteo’s presence.
I’m not sure,he said.I don’t control the image. All my power does is bring light into the dark corners of your mind. This is your memory.
But what is he doing?I asked in horror, watching Jackson drawing sigils in the air around my frozen form. Squinting, I tried to make them out, but none of the shapes looked familiar.
I don’t know, Matteo said, his presence condensing beside me a little more.
Jackson continued to draw and after a few minutes, he smiled. “There we go. How do you feel?”
