Chapter 3

Lost. There was no other word to describe the feeling brewing inside Davion. He was utterly lost. It wasn’t just the empty spaces in his mind where the memories from the last fifteen years should reside; it was his very soul. Nothing was right.

He looked around at the stone halls that were supposed to be his home, but he felt nothing but the cold. He kept his head down as he hurried along the corridor, realizing he wasn’t just lost in spirit. He was actually physically lost.

“Dammit,” he groaned. “Not again.” Losing his way had become a daily occurrence. He refused to be confined to his rooms as his father suggested. His father. He shook his head. He barely knew the man. They had a blood bond, surely that should be enough. Memories returned in pieces. Every time he met with his father, the sorcerer was with him. But then again, they were all sorcerers in Dreach-Dhoun. Had Davi ever used magic before losing his memories? As a prisoner in Dreach-Sciene, he wouldn’t have been able to. Ramsey, the man who seemed to enjoy rooting around in his mind, told him stories of his time in captivity. They’d been watching him somehow. Blood magic. He didn’t understand any of it.

As he ran his fingers along the smooth stone of the wall, he released a sigh. How long would it be until he remembered? Why had he forgotten? That had never been fully explained, and it only deepened his confusion. He knew the prince of Dreach-Sciene had something to do with it.

His legs collided with something soft, and a rough bark rang in the air. When he looked down, the wide snout of a very large dog confronted him. He jumped back instinctively, but the dog followed his movement and lunged for him. He sidestepped him, preparing for the teeth still coming his way.

“Hey,” he yelled at the dog. “Hey, stop. Do you hear me? I don’t taste nearly as good as you think I do.”

The dog didn’t listen, and soft laughter joined the dog’s aggressive growls. Davi jerked his eyes up to find his cousin, Lorelai, standing in a doorway. She held a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughs.

“I’m about to die and you find it funny?” He looked back to the dog that had gotten closer. The dog lunged again and Davi wasn’t quick enough. Before he knew what was happening, a warm tongue slid across his hand. “What the…?”

“Cousin.” Lorelai was still laughing. “Meet Deor.” She gestured to the dog that was jumping to put his paws on Davi’s chest. Davi stumbled back from the sheer weight as the wet tongue slid across his face.

“Ugh.” Davi turned his head. “I know it’s hard to resist my good looks, but I think he’s trying to kiss me.” He laughed and pushed the dog away.

Lorelai stepped forward and for the first time, he noticed she wasn’t alone. A slightly older woman stood next to her with the same white-blonde hair. Instead of Lorelai’s bright eyes, the other woman’s were vacant. She didn’t look at him.

“I think that’s the first smile I’ve seen from you, Davi.” Lorelai reached out her hand to scratch Deor behind the ears.

His lips turned down. For just a moment, he’d forgotten he didn’t even know who he was. “You haven’t exactly been a ray of sunshine either.”

She crouched down to pet Deor, but he suspected it was so she didn’t have to meet his eyes.

Something haunted her, but she was a stranger to him. What right did he have to ask?

Footsteps echoed across the high ceilings as a young girl sprinted toward them. The boys clothing she wore hung off her skinny frame. Her face was dirty and red hair hung down her back. Something sparked in Davi’s mind. A memory? He couldn’t pull it forth, but warmth filled him.

The girl skidded to a stop in front of him and dipped into an awkward curtsy. “Your Highness.” She couldn’t have been more than ten.

It took him a moment to realize she meant him. The girl looked in uncertainty at Lorelai. Davi was the Prince of Dreach-Dhoun. He had to remind himself of that every time someone bowed. The title was hollow, but the people were so happy to have their lost prince returned, he couldn’t ask them to stop.

“Hello,” he said slowly.

“I’m so sorry, milord,” the girl said. “One of the boys was playing with Deor and left the door open. The king says he isn’t supposed to be inside the palace, but I swear it ain’t my fault. And he ain’t even that dirty.” Her voice wavered, the fear showing on her face.

Lorelai stepped forward to whisper in his ear. “If your father finds out, he’ll give her a lashing with his magic.”

Davi crouched down to look into her face. He put a hand on each shoulder. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

Her lip quivered. “Tessa.”

“Tessa, how about we keep Deor’s little trip as our secret?”

Her eyes lit up and Davi winked.

Her mouth curved into a smirk. “Okay, Prince. I won’t tell a soul that you let the dog into the palace.”

She flashed him a smile as she wrapped her little fingers around Deor’s collar and tugged him after her. He followed willingly, clearly in love with his little friend.

Davi shook his head.

“It’s nice to have you in the palace, Davi.” Lorelai gripped his arm. “I know it’s hard for you after everything you’ve been through.” Her eyes shifted away as they’d been doing every time his memory was brought up in her presence. What was she thinking?

Dark thoughts once again worked their way into his mind.

She wasn’t finished. “You’re kind. It’s… a nice change.”

Was he kind? How could he remain kind or even sane after fifteen years as a prisoner? The answer: there was no possible way. The sudden urge to hit something had him turning away. Lorelai touched his arm again. The sad thing was, he didn’t want her to release him. It was the only affection he could remember in the empty brain of his, and it made him feel slightly less adrift.

Why couldn’t he remember any of his time away? His father told him he’d been injured, but it would return.

He turned back to face her once again.

“You’re home now,” she said softly. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Is it? Because you’ve been home, cousin, and I still see the shadows in your eyes.”

She released his arm and ran a hand over the pale skin of her face.

“Shadows,” the woman beside her mumbled. “That’s right. Dangers in the dark.”

“Ma,” Lorelai whispered. “It’s all right.”

The woman turned her vacant eyes on Davi. “Nothing is all right.”

“Davi,” Lorelai said. “This is my mother.”

The woman smiled and released a sigh. “Nephew. Where have you been?”

Davi looked to Lorelai who only shrugged.

He lowered his voice. “I was kidnapped.”

“That’s right.” She stepped forward and patted the side of his face. “Our lost prince has returned to us.” She held her palm against his cheek. “Hmmm, it seems not all of you has returned.”

“Ma,” Lorelai snapped, brushing her mother’s hand away. “Quit it.” She looked apologetically at her cousin. “She has the sight as well and…” She glanced at her mother. The older woman was no longer paying attention to them as she started to walk down the hall. Lorelai lowered her voice. “It’s taken a lot from her. I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Wait,” Davi called after her.

She turned.

“I have no idea how to get back to my rooms.”

Her lips stretched into a smile. “Take this corridor until it dead ends at the door to the training yard. Turn right and go straight until you see something familiar.” Her eyes dipped sadly. “I will help you, Davion. This is your home now. You have a family. And we have awaited your return for too long. Just give us time.”

With that, she turned on her heel and chased after her mother, leaving Davi to his empty mind. Images flashed in the blank spaces, but he couldn’t figure them out. The only thing left to do was trust in what he knew. His father saved his life. Dreach-Dhoun was his realm. And he had to do whatever he must to earn the title of prince, the designation as son. If he couldn’t remember who he’d been, he must decide who he would become.

* * *

Davi managed to find his way back to the rooms he’d been given without much trouble. The palace was surprisingly easy to navigate once he found his bearings. The halls ran continuous in a square around the main hall and throne room that sat in the very center.

Stone and steel statues marked each corner, guiding the way. There was very little adorning the walls of the corridors, but his rooms were another story. He ran his hand along the soft tapestry near the door. It depicted three symbols he couldn’t decipher. His fingers traced the inverted triangle of the first one. Was it important?

He moved on, walking towards the fire to warm his chilled hands near the wolves carved into the wood on the mantle. Everywhere he looked reminded him of the generosity of his father. He’d provided the best linens, plush rugs, and clothing fit for a prince.

He sat on the corner of the bed and unbuttoned the collar of his jacket before removing the tie from his hair and shaking it down over his shoulders. Solitude brought peace to his addled mind, but it didn’t last long. A knock sounded at his door.

He stood slowly and crossed the room to greet the servant who stood on the other side. The older woman curtsied. “His Majesty requests your presence.”

Davi refastened the loose buttons and followed her out the door. “Where are we going?”

“He’s in the South tower, your Highness.”

“Did he demand you escort me?”

She smiled sympathetically. “He did not, but servants talk, your Highness. We couldn’t have you getting lost again, could we?”

He reached up to rub the tension from the back of his neck. Losing his way had been a daily occurrence. Heat crept up his neck, and he lowered his gaze to the ground. “Thank you.”

She touched his arm. “It’s okay, your Highness. What happened to you was horrible and we will help you as much as we can.”

He finally met her gaze. “What’s your name?”

“Clara.”

“Okay, Clara, you can call me Davi.”

She gasped. “That is not the proper way of things.”

“Just in private, then. My father won’t have to know.” Desperation for some sort of normalcy clung to him. But what was normal? He didn’t think of himself as a prince. His name was the only thing he had that was still truly his.

“The king knows all.” They’d reach the door to the passage that would take him into the tower, but she stopped walking. “You’d do well to remember that, your Highness. I think you can find your way from here.”

He sighed and pushed through the door. A staircase spiraled up into the darkness. Torches hung along the wall of the bottom landing, so he took one from its bracket and began to climb the stairs. Each landing of the stark tower had multiple rooms, but none of them contained his father so he continued upward. His steps echoed through the narrow space, foretelling of his coming.

“Davion,” his father’s voice boomed from above. “Is that you?”

“It is,” Davi answered.

“We’re up at the top, my boy. I have much to share with you.”

By the time Davi reached the room at the top of the tower, his thighs burned. His father turned from his place at the window and beamed at him. Ramsey stepped into Davi’s line of sight, but something lay beneath his smile that Davi couldn’t decipher.

The king’s smiled dropped. “Davion, when I summon you, I expect you to make yourself presentable.”

Confusion flashed on Davi’s face.

“Tie your hair,” his father burst out.

“I’m… I’m sorry, father. I don’t…”

Before he could finish, his hair flew back from his face and was tied with a knot. His eyes widened as he tentatively reached towards the top of his head.

Ramsey cleared his throat. “Sire, the boy has no experience with magic. Maybe it’s best if we go slow.”

“Come to the window, Davion,” his father said. “And put that torch out.”

Ramsey took the torch and diffused the flame with a wave of his hand.

A light formed in the room and Davi jerked his head around to find the source. Ramsey placed a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, my prince. It’s only magic.”

Only magic. Only magic? If he hadn’t seen it with his eyes, he wouldn’t believe.

Ramsey guided him gently to the window where Davi’s father peered out on his kingdom. The palace was a sprawling structure surrounded by barren land. A garden stood along one wall, but as his father pushed the light out onto the land, the garden’s twisting branches and dead grasses were on full display.

“This will one day be yours, my boy.” His father put a heavy hand on his back. “Dreach-Dhoun has survived despite our enemies trying to destroy us. We have overcome great odds and will do so again.”

He pointed into the distance. “The nearest village is there. Soon, you and I will be calling on our people to fight.”

“To fight, sire?” Davi looked up into the dark eyes of his father. Eyes that swirled with something dangerous. He took a step to put space between them.

“Yes, Davi. You may not remember the past fifteen years, but some of us will never forget. Or forgive. You and I are going to take everything from the Renaulds. We’re going to destroy their kingdom. Your dear cousin already began the fight when she killed their king.”

He jerked away. Lorelai killed a king? The sweet, helpful cousin he’d come to rely on?

“I didn’t know that,” he whispered.

“Oh, yes.” Pride coated his father’s voice. “Lorelai is my sharpest blade.”

Was this what haunted her eyes? Davi turned. He had to go to her. Something wasn’t right.

“Enough about war.” His father clapped his hands. “Ramsey is going to attempt to bring some of your memories back.”

He looked to the sorcerer sharply. “Can you do that?”

Ramsey nodded. “I believe so.” He held out his hand palm up and the king dropped a clear crystal into it. “Your Highness, I need you to kneel.”

Davi obeyed, eager to regain pieces of himself.

Ramsey stepped forward and held the crystal against Davion’s forehead. It warmed when it touched his skin, sending jolts of power straight through him. Ramsey placed his other hand on the crown of Davi’s head and closed his eyes.

Davi’s eyes slid shut as well and images flooded forth. At first, he was just a boy with a mop of dark hair riding atop a horse in front of a guard. Rain pounded down around them. The scene played out until a hand yanked him from the horse and shoved him into a bare room. The image changed, and he was much older. It must have been recent.

He fought a lighter man with a grim expression. “Cede or I will run you through,” the man growled.

The memories came so quickly he couldn’t hold on to just one. Many featured a beautiful girl with fire-red hair and an unpleasant scowl directed his way. She hated him. He was below her. Her prisoner. Pain stabbed through his mind and the images disappeared, leaving behind the memories and feelings attached to them.

For fifteen years, the Renaulds imprisoned him. They were the enemy. A scream escaped his lips, but it sounded far away.

His eyes rolled up into his head and Ramsey jerked his hands away.

Immediately, the pain stopped. Davi hunched over, panting.

“That’s all he can handle tonight, sire.” Ramsey wiped his brow.

Davi clutched at his head as the empty spaces of his mind filled. His father walked towards him and bent down. He hooked one finger under Davi’s chin and turned his face so their eyes met.

“Do you remember, my son?” he asked, hope thickening his voice.

Davi tried to speak, but the words didn’t come. He cleared his throat and began again. “It’s all in pieces, fragments. I don’t…” His eyes darkened. “Are we going to get our revenge, father?”

His father’s face filled with pride. “Yes, Davion. They will pay for what they’ve done to you.”