The Blessed Curse (The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4)(142)

“Zoey you shouldn’t remember any of this,” Seth repeated and shook his head in confusion.

She snorted in amusement and ignored the flash of pain it caused. “You said I was stronger than other Undrae and I understand why now. I’m Delvay, Seth, and while I never understood what my father meant in life, I do understand his words now. The Delvay are as strong as the mountains and I have finally found my strength. Thank you, Seth. Without you I would have been lost forever.”

Seth stared at her for a long moment before nodding slowly. “I’m not sure I will be able to adjust to calling you Zyi,” he admitted quietly.

“I don’t I want you to,” Zoelyn replied softly. “I may remember who I was, but that doesn’t mean I want to return to that life. I think for now I’m content with being Zoey and learning from the memories of Zyi’s mistakes.” She smiled at him again and carefully pulled her hair back from her head wound. “Would you mind? I remember what it is like to die now, and it’s not something I want to repeat.”

Seth shook his head sharply as he stirred himself from his thoughts and nodded to her quickly. “Of course,” he whispered as he leaned forward to examine the wound again. “It shouldn’t take long if you don’t squirm while I’m stitching,” he informed her quietly as he wiped away the worst of the blood with a damp cloth.

“I won’t move a muscle. I promise,” Zoelyn murmured as she closed her eyes once more. Her mind returned to the faint echoes of her former life and she pushed all of her focus toward the memories to block out the pain. In time, she might even remember why she had died in Delvay. For now, all she could remember about it was betrayal, but she wasn’t sure who had betrayed her.





*





The sound of the door opening brought Zoelyn from her rest. She blinked the sleep from her eyes quickly and struggled up from the blankets to gaze at the doorway, hoping to see Seth. Her eyes found Yasny instead and she forced a smile on her face despite the disappointment. It wasn’t that Yasny’s company was bad. It was the simple fact that she had barely seen Seth in the past few days. If it hadn’t been for the dragon’s visits, she would have gone mad from worry.

“No, it’s just me. Sorry to disappoint you,” Yasny said with a smile as she closed the door behind her and moved closer to the bed.

“I’m never disappointed to see you, Yasny. It’s just I haven’t seen him all day. Is he OK?” Zoelyn replied softly as Yasny settled on the bed beside her. She knew Seth was still facing punishment for saving her in Delvay, though he wouldn’t tell her exactly what his punishment was.

“He is fine, as far as I know,” Yasny assured her. Gently the dragon pulled her bandages back and leaned closer to examine the wound on her head. “I think you will be able to take that bandage off today. You heal fast, girl,” she announced with a smile.

“I’m glad to hear that. It itches horribly,” Zoelyn muttered as she stretched and shifted to a more comfortable position. “I’m sick of being in bed,” she added with a sigh. She wasn’t sure exactly how long she had been confined to the room, but she was more than ready to get up. With luck, she might even be able to find Seth and put her worries about him to rest for a while.

“I don’t know. You still seem pale,” Yasny said doubtfully.

“I haven’t had any magic. Of course I look pale,” Zoelyn laughed and motioned toward the dresser. “Seth usually leaves a bag of stones over there for me, but I haven’t been able to get up to reach them. Would you mind bringing them over?”

Yasny glanced back at the dresser and rose silently. After several long minutes of fumbling on the dresser she glanced back at Zoelyn and shook her head softly. “I don’t see a bag here and I don’t follow what you mean about stones or how that would make you pale,” she said with confusion clear in her voice.

“Mage stones. My hair and eyes take on the color of the magic I absorb. Seth usually gives me mostly Shadow magic. He says the black hair makes it impossible for others to know what power I have at my disposal,” Zoelyn explained with a frown. It wasn’t like Seth to forget something as important as the stones.

“Well that is simple enough. I can craft stones for you if you need the energy. I’m afraid I can’t do shadow magic, but I can fashion others,” Yasny replied with a smile and moved back to the bed once more. “I think it would do you good to get out of bed for a while and if a bit of magic is all it takes I’m happy to help,” she murmured as she began crafting stones and dropping them in front of Zoelyn.