CHAPTER 52
“Alex?” a voice called behind Alexander while he was walking back to his house after his morning jog. He turned to look for the woman who’d called her name. And froze. Because standing in front of him was none other than Tamara; his best friend’s wife. Seeing her brought a pang of hurt to his heart – a longing for home.
“Tamara” he whispered her name. She was looking at him wide eyed, her eyes full of shock. She looked like she was as speechless as him. If she was here, that meant Chris would be here too. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you home?”
But it was as if she wasn’t listening “you’re alive. How?” she asked slowly.
“What do you mean how? I’m just alive”.
“Alex you died. How are you alive?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I... I don’t... I don’t get it. Come to my house with me and tell me everything. Alex this is unbelievable... you being alive”.
“Sure. But I still have no idea what you’re talking about”.
“Come. We’ll talk”.
Alex opened the passenger door to her car and helped himself in. Nobody talked the whole drive to her house. Both trying to digest what the other was implying.
“Come on in”. And he went, following her inside. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back”. He sat on a couch looking around at the place which looked well lived, not a place someone visits to spend a holiday. That was strange, but he waited for her to tell him all about home first. He was dying to know about Chris.
Tamara came with a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hands. She sat in front of him placing the glasses for them both; she poured for him first.
“Now tell me how are you here? And if you were alive this whole time, why did you never come back home?” she asked calmly.
“How could I come back Tamara? If you don’t remember they exiled me. After all I did for Evreux they couldn’t accept my mate just because she was a witch? I get people aren’t comfortable with witches. I understand. But to exile me? It was too much. I long for my home with each breath I take, but I couldn’t come back. Wait, they exiled you too? I thought they’d accepted you after your oath of never using magic again”.
“Alex, what in the name of God are you talking about? What happened to you? You don’t remember anything? Your kidnapping, the curse, the war, and then you fell ill... you DIED Alex. We burned you and buried you. We mourned you. People of Evreux still do. Chris is the Steward of Evreux; even though people named him king after your dying wish but he refuses to take your title. Oh if only he knew you’re alive. My God I can’t believe my eyes Alex”.
“Tamara for God’s sake, you’re not making any sense to me. This is not what happened according to my memory”.
“Memory” she mumbled to herself “of course”.
“What?”
“Let me show you my memories. You’ll know what I’m talking about”.
“You can do that?” he asked in wonder.
“A witch, remember?”
She got up from her seat and came to sit directly next to him. She lifted her hand hovering it near his head “may I?”
“Yeah sure” he said a little weirded out.
She touched his forehead with her palm and her eyes closed. Warmth started trickling out of her palm and into his forehead. It was a weird sensation but he sat still.
Suddenly images started forming in his head that were not his own... they were Tamara’s memories. He saw everything then... their return from the war... panicked dragons bound in that form... his body lying on his bed, all frail and fragile... the pyre built high to burn his dead body; people weeping around it in a huge circle – despair and grief clear on their faces.
He got up so fast Tamara was left blinking her eyes. “Alex wait” she called after him but he was long gone.
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To explain anger they say “angrier than a wild boar in a stampede” but what dimi had just witnessed, they had to update the proverbial grammar. He didn’t know anything about a wild boar but what he did know was that Valiance, if let loose, could burn a whole kingdom down with his rage… and Damien would be right by his side. Valiance was out of his mind with fury, pain, and worry for his mate. It had taken four of them to subdue him enough to sedate him. He had no doubt that Valiance would have torn apart the entire kingdom to search for his mate. No he wouldn’t think about Sarah – his own mate… if she chose to become so… no… Valiance needed him… and he would be there for his friend… but he couldn’t help the despair and sick worry clawing at his being. He’ll find them both… his mate and Valiance’s…
Dimi was standing near the shack from where the girls were taken, in hopes to find some more clues. Late in the night when some people from the town came running to them with the news that they had heard a dragon who sounded injured he and Valiance had come here to inquire and to take the girls back but they had found a dead dragon in their stead and no sign of the girls… the shack showed signs of struggle and fight. And the dragon’s scent was unknown to them. The roar that Valiance had roared; he was sure whole Evreux had heard it. The nearby dragons had come to help in case there was a problem… and they were right to have come… It was not in Dimi’s hands to control Valiance alone… he was a force of nature. It was Dimi’s reluctant decision to call a healer and ask them for a sedating potion for Valiance. How they had made him drink it was another story for another time.