Chapter 9

Ava looked around, checking that everything was cleaned up, and left the way she’d found it. The small fire pit was the same one she used every year, so she spread the ashes around to make sure the ground would absorb them.

Satisfied, she walked back into the trees. When she reached where she’d laid the flowers the day before, she dropped to her knees and looked at what was left of a building. “I don’t know why I have to come here.” She turned slowly around, checking that no one was lurking nearby because, after yesterday, she knew she wasn’t the only person who came here. She looked at the weeds growing over what had been a floor. “I don’t know what’s happened here.” She winced when a pain stabbed through her head. “And apparently, I’m not supposed to.”

Standing up, Ava put her backpack over her shoulder and looked down at the flowers. The tribute that she still didn’t know why she brought them each year. “I’m not coming back.” She blew out a breath. “I’m never going to get answers here.” She backed up three steps before turning and walking away. Her chest felt tight, but she knew if she stopped, it would end up with an episode of her kneeling on the ground clutching her head. Capri had tried to figure out why trying to remember her past caused her so much pain. Over the years, Ava had just learned not to think about it. The only way to do that successfully was to be angry all the time. Even her good moods were spiced with anger, and she was okay with it. At no point had she ever been a happy-fluffy girl. She didn’t need to remember anything to know that was true.

When she reached her bike, she secured her backpack and then pulled out her phone. She should at least check for messages before she decided what she was going to do next. It would take her the entire day to get back home. Looking away from the phone, she scanned the area. How had she ended up in the city? It had to be at least a three-day walk without distraction, so how had she gotten there all those years ago? A stabbing pain made her growl. “Fine. I won’t think about it.”

Poking the screen on her phone, she unlocked it. She had messages. That was unusual. When she went away each year, everyone knew she was out of reach. She tapped the icon to check the voicemail. With all the weird things happening back home, she hoped it wasn’t anything dire. That would piss her off if she’d been needed and was sitting here for no reason instead of being there.

Jeri’s voice came over the speaker. “I know you’re not reachable. I just need to talk to you.” She sounded stressed. “So, the Solrelm family is going to announce to the entire realm that they’ve been lied to all these years.” Ava nodded. Kudos to them for telling the truth. “And—” There was a long pause. “I’m now mated to Trendan.” Ava smiled. “Oh, and apparently, at some point, I’m going to be Queen of Solrelm.” She laughed a nervous trill. “Isn’t that the most insane thing you’ve ever heard?” Ava shook her head. It wasn’t. It totally made sense that someone like Jeri should lead a realm. She closed her eyes. Realms. There were realms out there that would blow people’s minds if they ever knew. “I should go. Be safe. Come back soon, I might need a shoulder to lean on to get through all of this.” The message ended. She hung up and tucked the phone in her pocket. She was happy for Jeri. Truly. But there was a part of her that was going to miss her being in the mix around the building every day.

Getting on the bike, she put her helmet on and started it. Backing it up slowly, she tried to decide what she was going to do next. She could go for a road trip and take a few days to get home. That would be nice before the cold weather got here. The leaves were already turning, so soon, she’d be restricted to only riding in the city that rarely got enough snow to count as winter.

When she got back to the paved road, she turned in the direction that would eventually take her back to the city. If she found anything of interest along the way, she’d stop. There was nothing to rush home to.