Pieces of Eight (The Frey Saga, #2)(9)

And then I was back in my own head again. Gah, what had I gotten myself into now? Hunting Grand Council, scoping out the perimeter, planning to capture animals for use in battle. I decided that I might have been nuts; that maybe people weren’t looking at me like I was an idiot all the time, maybe they were wondering if I was crazy. But in the back of my mind I had to fight a thought that said I might be. After all, my mother had been. I felt my face pinch up and tried to smooth it out before someone noticed.

I realized they were otherwise occupied when Grey began whistling a tune and asked Anvil to join in, provoking him about his tongue. Anvil flung a metal stud from his vest at him in retaliation and it must have been carrying electricity because the instant it hit Grey he jerked, almost losing his seat. Steed laughed wildly and it wasn't long before a mêlée between the three ensued. I was starting to enjoy the spectacle, though segments of it did look pretty painful, but Chevelle eventually stepped in, informing them that he could think of a better use of their energy. I thought I saw him smirk when, several minutes later, Steed and Grey were still twitching.

And then an image came to my mind. For no reason that I could come up with, I saw, or rather, remembered someone. There was a split second of astonishment before fear choked me.

It must have been audible because instantly the others were surrounding me, confused and concerned and ready to act. “What?” I heard someone say, but I wasn’t sure who. My ears were ringing again but I couldn’t bring myself to be irritated because I was overwhelmed with fear that was quickly turning into hatred.

I made an effort to focus when Chevelle was suddenly in front of me. I thought he’d grabbed me by the arms and pulled me from my horse, but I couldn’t be sure because when I was finally able to bring myself back to the moment, he was all I could see. So close, right in front of me, demanding my attention. But it was good he was close, because I was only capable of a whisper. “Archer Lake.”

Two words, but it was enough. I heard the intake of breath sweep through my audience, though all I could see was Chevelle’s face. It was a study in fury. The name meant something to him as well, but I couldn’t tell if it was more than simple recognition. Because all I knew about Archer Lake was that he was a member of Grand Council. And I hated him.

I heard someone ask where and I forced the sickening hatred down enough to explain. Not a vision from above… a memory, returned from nowhere, as if it dropped from the sky, and missing essential pieces. I had no idea how I knew him, no idea when (though it had to be from my previous life – didn’t it?), and no idea why it had come back. Only the image of his face and the knowledge of his station. And the feeling that accompanied them.

“Does that happen a lot?” Grey asked, concerned.

“No.” I answered automatically, and then remembered. “Just today.”

“There’s more?” Chevelle interceded.

“I’m not sure. I just remembered, or rather, think I knew something new about Fannie this morning.”

He blanched.

It seemed like less of a coincidence now. The dream of Fannie that had bothered me so much was creeping into my thoughts again. And the one before, the one that included him. I looked down, away from his face, still blank with shock.

After a few minutes, Ruby collected herself enough to keep me occupied as usual. She offered me some powder for my headache, which I refused, having been subjected to her concoctions in the past, and fluttered around doing things. I didn’t watch her too closely, partially because sometimes the flow of her clothes and swing of her bright red curls made my head ache more, but mostly because I was forcing myself not to hope (and at the same time, fear) that my memory was returning.

The group made like there was a good reason we’d stopped for so long in the middle of the day, busying themselves as well. When we’d finally gotten back on the horses, they took it easy until early evening when we’d stopped again to make camp. I was impressed that they had managed to make creating a fire and situating themselves around it a seven-man task.

No one even mentioned training.

The next morning, I woke groggy to find that they’d let me sleep in. The idleness seemed to bother Grey and Anvil; they looked a little itchy to get back on the trail, so I hurried to mount my horse, taking my cold breakfast with me. I couldn’t believe I’d actually slept through the smell of cooking meat. I remembered how I used to love elk, but it was everyone else’s favorite as well, which made it hard to come by on the mountain.

And then I froze.

I had a new memory. I examined it, trying to decide if I should, if I could, explain it to the group. It was nothing but a “like.”

I decided to save it; maybe I’d tell them if I remembered more. Chevelle was looking at me now so I kicked my horse up, pretending I had only been daydreaming.

We rode at a more normal pace and the ground was leveling off a bit as the mountain valleyed into a smaller ridge. I looked back for the castle but between the distance and fog it couldn't been seen. I wondered how the cats were doing. When they’d arrived there had been more than one fight; they were extremely territorial and I couldn’t seem to convince them otherwise by impression. Complicated animals. It made me curious as to how other animals would react. I’d had a pretty limited experience so far. Birds proved very useful. I recalled my plan from yesterday and looked up, trying to find a vessel to scan the mountain again.