Veil of Shadow and Rain ✓ [TSC #1]

Chapter 17 - Fits on Its Own Accord

Ladislaya returned back to the Academy two days later. She arrived as a dragon, looking pink and breathless from flying so many miles. Wren kept forgetting her ability was shapeshifting. Wren and Jake accompanied her up to the common-room as she related her Christmas to them.

'How was your Christmas here?' Ladislaya said promptly.

'Interesting,' said Wren.

'How interesting?' wheedled Ladislaya. 'How was everyone? Did you get any decent presents? Is Lucian still in the hospital-wing?' she giggled. 'Did he miss the Christmas feast?'

Wren and Jake glanced at each other. 'Yeah, he wasn't there to ruin everything,' said Jake, walking on.

Apparently, Ladislaya had sensed something was off. She stopped in her tracks suddenly. Wren would consider both she and Jake good liars, but around Ladislaya? Huge no.

The two of them had agreed that they would tell Ladislaya all about Lucian once she had settled back into the Academy properly. Wren had seen, in her mind's eye, that the three of them were all huddled around the fireplace and then they would relate all of Chrsitmas's happenings.

But instead, there the three of them were, standing in the Entrance of the Academy, both Wren and Jake looking awkward.

'Let's go to the common-room,' said Jake quickly.

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'She's trying to erase her memory?'

Wren and Jake had just finished telling Ladislaya what had happened the day they strangled - ahem, talked with Lucian. Ladislaya was staring at them in aghast.

'But - that requires a lot of dark magic -'

'Funnily enough, we figured that ourselves,' said Jake sarcastically. Ladislaya took no notice. She was now pacing up and down the room.

'I was doing some reading at home in the Christmas holidays!' she cried. 'It was an interesting book -'

'Ladislaya, all books are interesting to you,' said Wren, her eyelids drooping lower and lower with each blink. She ignored her.

'- and there was a chapter containing information about erasing memories! How you banish them from yourself ...'

'Did the book say how?' said Jake eagerly. Ladislaya frowned.

'No. That stuff's illegal. So illegal I can't believe Nicaea wants to do it -'

'Since when did the Faerie Queen give a damn for laws?' demanded Jake. 'She does what she wants, I thought it was always that way around people like her!'

'I'm honestly so stupid to not bring the book back,' said Ladislaya fiercely, 'if I had, then - then -'

'Alright, alright, enough ifs,' said Wren loudly. 'Point is, why does Nicaea want this memeory to be erased?'

'Why didn't you ask Lucian?'

'He claims he doesn't know.'

'Or so he says.'

'And what does his father have anything to do with Nicaea Valdis?' pounced Ladislaya at once.

'Oh well, this is ridiculous,' said Wren. 'Seems like our dear Lucian is a little twitchy about his father ... he said his father was talking to someone in the dungeons of his house -'