A World Of Treason and Tides

Chapter 24: You have a Tail

Ryan left the tavern, his arm still slung around me. Looking behind, I noticed several faeries staring at us, but for what reason? I did not know.

Squinting at the darkness covered figures, I rummaged my thoughts to remember why was I at that tavern or how I got there. I tried to remember why Ryan was holding me like he was afraid to let me go, like I would fall, I would shatter if he did not hold my already broken pieces together. My body was trembling--I knew it was not because of the cold--but the actual reason, I did not know.

My mind was void. My body was numb. I looked at myself, at the numerous cuts on my stomach. My hand was starting to swell and there was a tightness on my neck. Physically, they did not hurt much, however, mentally it hurt--it hurt trying to find the pieces of the puzzle, scattered in the unending shadows of my mind. I swayed a bit overcome by a sudden dizziness.

"You shouldn't have come here alone," Ryan's voice was firm yet gentle.

Groaning, I looked up at him and found his soft eyes gazing over my wounds. A frown marked his face.

"I didn't," my voice came out raspy, "Myra---Myra," Myra! Where was she? I became frantic with fear and I was sure it showed in my eyes too. Some fae had put heavy stone over Myra's tail--yes, I remembered it, but anything else....

"What happened to her?" Ryan asked, shifting me so that I was facing him.

"I- I saw some fae pin her to the sea-floor at the...," I sighed, holding my forehead and tried to think. Finally I admitted, "I don't remember at which tunnel."

"You don't," he angled his head, then said, "You won't remember. You did not know them."

"What?" Who were the 'they'? Were they the reason we were inside that tavern?

"Nothing," his finger feathered over a cut on my shoulder. "We should find Myra."

He should tell me what happened, I thought, but was unable to voice it. The feeling of not knowing was really terrifying, especially when I was aching all over, and had cuts on my skin, that burned when touched.

Myra had said that the fae liked when they did not remember what they talked about, or what they did after coming to The Obsidian. At that time, I had also thought that it provided an anonymity and a sense of detachment in a world where everyone lived for ages, but now, my own situation forfed to me wonder, was not remembering anything really good? What had happened in those tunnels--what had been done to some in those tunnels?

I shivered thinking about it--thinking that someone, after killing his victim in one of these tunnels, would forget about his deeds, or a victim after having survived, would forget what was done to him, except he would have his wounds and cuts as a reminder.

Would they not want to know what had happened? Would one be any less a killer if he did not remember what he did? Maybe I was again overthinking things--maybe whatever happened with me was because I was a human, maybe the fae were cordial towards each other. Although they did harm Myra, but maybe that was because she was a mermaid who was trying to help a human--I did not know. A whirlwind of questions were surfacing inside me.

"What are you thinking, Venus?" I realized I was staring at Ryan, and that we were too close to each other. I moved back and brought my braid to the front so that it rested on my shoulder. I had the oddest feeling that someone was going to hold my braid from behind and drag me to the floor.

"I was thinking about what might have happened with me, since I don't think you are going to tell me anything," I snapped.

Ryan had the decency to flinch back a little. He cleared his throat before mumbling, more to himself than to me, "I think it'll be better if you don't know."