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Oh no.We didn’t consider what to tell Eirik and the others.
Why is lying so hard?
19
ELZORA
“What’s going on?” Eirik repeats, looking between us. His brows pinch together when neither of us speaks, and he comes closer to the bed. “Did you find out what you had forgotten? It did work, right?”
“Yes,” I say, nodding before biting my lip when I can’t elaborate. Tears well up in my eyes, and I duck my head so that nobody can see.
I feel absolutely terrible right now. Not just because I’ve had to steal Ryes’s memory of Vitalis, but because I’m not going to be able to give the others a choice.
Because even if I tell them, and hope they make therightchoice, that’s not really a risk I can take.
It doesn’t come down to not trusting them, which is something I’m worried they’ll think it was because of when they eventually get to know.
It’s a calculated move to keep them safe. If Vitalis needs to tell his boss, well, who knows what will happen this time? He’s already taken our memories once, but I’ve proven that I can get those back with ease.
Sort of.
What would be the next step?
I sniffle, and Ryes instantly starts stroking my back. I don’t need to borrow his abilities to know they’re conversing mentally about me.
A lie is still a lie, even if done for good intentions.
“What was it?” Eirik asks, his tone taking a softer lilt as he comes to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Private,” Ryes replies for me, and that helps me settle down. He might not remember exactly what he forgot—whohe forgot—but he knows he made the choice, and he’s okay with it.
I shoot him a hopeful look, and he grins at me.
“Do not feel guilty over this,”he says, wagging his finger in my face. I giggle, and he boops my nose before sitting back on his heels.
I turn to look at Eirik, whose brows are still pinched together as he scrutinises my face with his very intense eyes. I’m not sure what he’s looking for, or whether he actually found it, but he does nod slowly.
“You accepted that better than I thought you would,” Ryes says, smirking at Eirik. I hope he doesn’t taunt them with this. “Are you just dying with curiosity?”
“No,” Eirik says, shortly. He gives me a warm smile, offering me his hand. I take it, letting him pull me up off the bed with him. He towers over me, but it makes me feel safe, protected, even. It’s weird considering there is no threat here. “Do you feel more settled now that you’ve discovered whatever the hidden truth was?”
“Yeah. Is it… are you upset that I’m not sharing?” I ask, biting my lip as I try to look for clues in his face. He shakes his head, his poker face not betraying anything. I’d rather he shouted or pushed, rather than hiding his feelings from me. “I’m sorry. It’s not about trust or wanting to keep something from you. The secret just isn’t mine to share.”
“I’m not upset, love,” he says, cupping my cheek and tilting my head ever so slightly so that I need to look into his eyes instead of at his chin. “I’m proud of you, Zoe.”
“What for?” My bewildered gaze causes him to smile.
“For two things, actually. The first, asserting your boundaries and doing it in a way where you didn’t cry.Much,” he says, grinning at me. I giggle, and his thumb soothingly rubs over my cheek. “And the second, for successfully dreamscaping with Ry.”
“I didn’t do anything. Ryes did it,” I say, my brows drawing together as I see the guilty look on Eirik’s face.
“You have the ability to dreamscape, love,” Eirik replies. “We didn’t know if you would, but the fact that you responded to Ryes’s call, and let him draw you into the memory, shows that you do. It’s something the two of you can hone, and you can practice until you can do it perfectly.”
“Something we can taunt Zohar over, too,” Ryes says.
“Zohar? Why?”
“90% of water witches have the ability to dreamscape. It’s very rare for them to not,” Eirik replies. “And, well, Zohar is one of the 10% who can’t. It’s a sore subject for him, especially since both Ryes and I can. It’s quite rare for air witches.”
