‘Where’s your third head?’

  Cyrus sipped slowly from a cup of tea; his green eyes fixed on the two children before him, one almost dead on his feet and the other glancing anxiously at him, arms tensed and ready to catch him if he fell.

  ‘What?’ Vivian asked, confused.

  ‘Felix,’ Cyrus clarified. ‘You three are always together.’

  ‘It’s only been three weeks, so I wouldn’t say always…’

  Cyrus fixed her with a patient stare.

  ‘Alright fine. We had a bit of a falling out. And by we, I mean him and Aiden… But that’s not what’s important right now. We have a problem.’

  Cyrus glanced over Aiden. ‘I can see that.’

  ‘And Peri said we should ask you for help.’

  ‘Ugh!’ Cyrus set down his cup of tea. ‘Why did you have to bring him up? You ruined teatime.’

  Vivian rolled her eyes. ‘Yes of course, what was I thinking?’ She gently nudged Aiden. ‘Tell him.’

  Aiden took a deep breath. ‘I’m not able to sleep,’ he began. ‘Whenever I go to sleep, I have these flashes of other people’s memories. I first noticed that it happens whenever I’m around people, so I started avoiding crowded places, but that didn’t work. Then I noticed that I got a... well, a kind of tingle under my skin whenever I stepped on someone’s shadow. I didn’t know it was magic back then, but still, I kept away from everyone.’

  ‘Did it work?’ Cyrus asked.

  ‘A little. No new memories flooded in, but the old ones kept repeating. But they sort of lost their edge. I still woke up in the middle of the night, but I didn’t feel startled. Couldn’t fall sleep again though. Now, it’s gotten worse. I feel like I’m cursed, like I’m going insane.’

  Cyrus had listened carefully as Aiden explained his problem, his eyes narrowed in thought as he did so.

  ‘Firstly, let me assure you that you’re not going insane.’ Cyrus said. ‘Secondly, this is not a curse, but a very rare gift among shadow mages.’

  ‘Feels like a curse to me,’ Aiden grumbled. ‘Please just tell me there’s a way to make it stop.’

  Cyrus chuckled lightly. ‘Aiden, you are what we call a shade-reader, a person who can access the memories of the living through their shadows.’

  ‘That sounds… impossible,’ Aiden finally said. ‘How would that even work?’

  ‘Well, there is no solid proof of it, but we believe that a shadow is not simply an absence of light. It is our mark, our imprint on this world, the story of our lives from the beginning to the end. Our shadows are with us since the day we were born till the day we die and during that time they record everything that happens.’

  Vivian was having a hard time wrapping her head around the idea. ‘How would a shadow even be… I mean how could it…?’

  Cyrus nodded in understanding. ‘It’s a bit difficult to accept, I agree. Also, we have no proof of it.’

  Aiden frowned. ‘Then where did this… bizarre explanation even come from?’

  ‘I suppose the theory for this comes from religion rather than science.’ Cyrus picked up his teacup again. ‘You know the story of creation, yes? How Armoin used the threads of his sisters’ robes to weave the world into being.’

  ‘Archis and Aelos,’ Aiden said. ‘Yes, I know.’

  Vivian shrugged. ‘I don’t.’

  Aiden looked at her incredulously. ‘How can you not know? Surely you must’ve heard it read during your First Blessing.’

  ‘I never got my First Blessing,’ Vivian replied. ‘I was sick back then.’

  ‘Why not get it the next year?’ Cyrus asked curiously. ‘Or the year after that?’

  ‘I…’ Vivian hesitated. She didn’t really want to talk about it, but she had already started it, so might as well finish it quickly. ‘I was a weak child. Up until I was ten, I mostly stayed in bed.’ Vivian made a face. ‘There was this disgusting concoction my Ma used to make that I had to drink every single day. I think I got better just so I wouldn’t have to drink that slop again. And after I got better… well, the closest temple was still a week’s travel away and Pa wasn’t ready to risk it…’

  ‘Hmm, strange.’ Cyrus’ finger tapped against his cheek in thought. ‘Even before their awakening, mages are usually quite fit and healthy. Most of them don’t even so much as catch a cold.’

  Vivian clapped her hands together, eager to change the subject. ‘Look, we’re getting off track. You were saying something about robes?’

  ‘Ah yes. Well, the story goes that the two sisters, Archis and Aelos, were locked in a fierce battle of inception and termination. It’s never explained what caused the conflict, just that it existed. Whatever Archis began, Aelos ended.’

  ‘Sounds like Aelos just likes breaking and destroying things,’ Vivian commented. ‘Why do we worship her?’

  ‘That’s a common misconception,’ Cyrus explained. ‘Archis and Aelos are not the goddesses of creation and destruction. They rule over beginnings and endings. Yes, Archis is responsible for the birth of new life, the dawn of the new day and first day of the seasons, but she is also responsible for the beginnings of wars, plagues, natural disasters, everything. All things in this world begin with Archis and end with Aelos.’

  ‘So then, how does Armoin fit into all of this?’ Vivian asked.

  ‘It’s said he got fed up with his sisters’ constant bickering. Archis would create entire worlds, only for Aelos to destroy them the very next moment. Tired of all the destruction, and the pain the sisters were causing the creations that were only allowed to blip in and out of existence, Armoin decided to put an end to the fighting. He stole a few threads of beginnings and endings out of his sisters’ robes and wove them together to create time. And then he spread that veil between the two of them, and declared it as his domain, meaning neither one of them could cross into it. After that, any creation of Archis had to cross the veil of time before Aelos could lay claim to it. And this veil of time is where we exist, where we begin at Archis’ hands at one end, are sustained by Armoin during the journey and we end at Aelos’ hand at the other side.’

  ‘… So, what I’ve understood is that if I stop walking, I won’t die,’ Vivian observed.

  Aiden rubbed his head, like his headache just got worse, while Cyrus simply chuckled. ‘Oh, it’s not that simple. You see, the veil is made with Archis’ and Aelos’ threads. Archis’ threads will always push for new beginnings while Aelos’ threads will always pull us towards our endings. There’s no escaping that.’

  ‘Oh damn.’ Vivian’s shoulders slumped. ‘For a moment there I thought I discovered immortality… Oh well, back to Aiden’s sleep problems.’

  ‘Ah yes, that’s how we got started on this,’ Cyrus said. Aiden leaned in to listen closely as they were finally at the part he needed to know. ‘Well, it’s believed that Aelos keeps score by maintaining a record of all things that her sister began and she ended. She does this by keeping our shadows by our sides from the day we are born. Until we die, our shadows record our memories and our experiences, and when we finally do bite the dust, she collects our shadows and keeps them in her library.’

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  ‘So, a cosmic being is eternally spying on us through our shadows which she implanted at our sides the day we were born, just so that she can put us up on a shelf in her library once we are dead,’ Vivian summarized. ‘Am I the only one who finds that incredibly creepy?’

  ‘I didn’t until you put it like that,’ Aiden bit out before turning back to Cyrus. ‘So, you think I can somehow access this memory bank when I step on shadows.’

  Cyrus shrugged. ‘It’s the only explanation we’ve got. Like I said, it’s a bit superstitious.’

  ‘Well, it doesn’t really matter how it happens, does it?’ Vivian pointed out. ‘We just need to know how to make it stop.’

  Cyrus set down his teacup. That wasn’t a good sign. ‘There is no way to make it stop. However,’ Cyrus continued before Aiden could interrupt. ‘It can be controlled. Eventually, you can learn how to do it yourself, but for an immediate solution, we simply need to get you a shadow familiar.’

  ‘What’s a shadow familiar?’ Vivian asked.

  ‘It’s simply a creature of the shadow element who will be bound to you with blood and act as your companion. It’s actually one of the first things they will teach you at school.’ Cyrus gave Aiden a once over. ‘But I don’t think we can afford to wait. If we can get you a familiar of the shadow element, they can be trained to control your ability for you, at least until you learn to control it yourself. Problem is that they are hard to come by.’

  ‘A shadow element creature.’ Something was niggling at the back of Vivian’s mind. She tried to remember why that sounded so familiar, and it suddenly clicked into place. ‘Wait, wasn’t that stygian wolf that followed us from the auction a shadow element creature?’

  ‘Oh, I forgot about that one,’ Cyrus said. ‘Yes, that could work, if we can find it.’

  ‘Well, it definitely followed us up the mountain, so my guess is that it’s somewhere in the Druscan woods.’ Vivian was getting excited. ‘This is good. I can ask the druscans to keep an eye out for it. If they find it, we can go and catch it.’

  ‘We can’t go into the woods right now, remember?’ Aiden pointed out.

  ‘Well, we can’t wait for another five weeks before we do.’ Vivian put her hands on her hips. ‘You look like you’ll keel over at any moment. I’m sure if we explain the situation to Sith and Peri, they’ll help us.’

  ………

  ‘Absolutely not!’ Sith said. ‘Did you two forget that there’s a madman in there waiting to murder you?!’

  Well, I guessed wrong…

  They were back home, in the living room with a hearty fire crackling in the hearth. Sith stood with her arms crossed in front of Vivian, who was also staring back at her stubbornly. Aiden was slumped down in an armchair. Peri had also adopted a similar posture on the sofa next to him, silently watching as Sith and Vivian argued back and forth.

  ‘The woods are huge!’ Vivian tried to argue back. ‘The chances of us running into him again are very small.’

  ‘Not if he’s looking for you. For all we know, he could be waiting for you to return so that he can silence you. Permanently.’

  ‘Well then, what do you want us to do?!’ Vivian was irritated. She pointed at Aiden. ‘Look at him. He looks horrible.’

  Aiden narrowed his eyes. ‘Gee, thanks.’

  Vivian ignored him. ‘He’s going to keel over if he doesn’t get some sleep. And he can’t sleep when he’s having those… those memory flashes.’

  Sith sighed, trying to calm herself down. ‘I am sorry that you’re suffering Aiden. But I cannot, in good conscience let you go into the woods. You might be tired right now, but if you step into those woods, you could end up dead. You’re not ready. Even five weeks later you won’t be ready, but at least you’ll be a bit better prepared than right now.’

  ‘But-’ Vivian began.

  ‘That’s enough.’ Sith said, trying to shut down the conversation. ‘I know this sounds terrible, but Aiden is just going to have to wait. Five weeks is not a long time. It will be difficult, but if he stays home and avoids contact with others, he should be able to evade those nightmares.’

  ‘You’re saying that he should just shut himself in his home and not talk to anyone for the next five weeks!’

  ‘I’m saying that he should be careful to not step on anyone’s shadows for the next five weeks and it will be easier to do that if he’s at home. You and Felix can still visit him. He just needs to be careful. After five weeks, you’ll be allowed to roam the woods again and you can search for the stygian wolf then.’

  ‘This is ridiculous!’ Vivian exclaimed. ‘There is a solution right in front of us and we’re refusing to take it because we’re afraid.’

  ‘Yes, we’re afraid!’ Sith’s voice was definitely raised now. ‘And you should be too! Do not think for a moment that you escaped a Remnant that day because you were strong or because he was weak. He underestimated you and yet still you barely managed to make it back alive. You do not know how ruthless and destructive a Remnant can be. You got lucky that day, and you won’t get lucky twice.’ Sith took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry I lost my temper. But that is the end of this conversation.’

  ‘But-’

  A hand on Vivian’s shoulder stopped her. Aiden had gotten up from his seat. He shook his head in discouragement. Vivian felt torn. On one hand, she could understand Sith’s point. She knew it was dangerous, that it was reckless. But looking at Aiden’s worn-out face and black circled eyes, she couldn’t help but worry. What if the memories persisted? Aiden did mention that the old memories kept repeating over and over again, that he still couldn’t sleep despite avoiding contact. Vivian had once heard from her local healer, that going without sleep for long could kill you.

  Vivian decided to keep quiet… for now at least. Sith clearly wasn’t going to change her mind about this.

  And neither was she. One way or another, she was going to get that stygian wolf for Aiden.

  ………

  Vivian hesitated before she knocked twice on the imposing front door. She waited a minute before pushing open the door and stepping into the musty smelling entrance hall.

  ‘Hello!’ she called out. ‘Anyone home?’

  Her voice echoed back to her in the silence. She stepped in and closed the door behind her, cutting off the only source of light in the room, the sound reverberating through the empty house.

  ‘Felix! We need to talk!’

  Still there was no answer. Vivian moved to the sides to push the curtains aside and open up the windows. The cool evening air filtered into the room chasing away some of the musty smell and dust that hung in the air.

  ‘I saw the lights in your room, so I know you’re here. Either you come down here or I’m storming in there.’

  A shuffling was heard from upstairs, followed by hurried footsteps and the sound of a door opening. Vivian kept her eyes trained on the stairs as a figure stumbled its way down them and came to a stop before her.

  ‘You look like such a mess.’ Vivian gave him a once over. ‘Were you crying?’

  ‘Real men cry,’ Felix sniffed, his tone defensive. ‘And I am a sensitive soul. You should know that by now.’

  ‘I wasn’t teasing you. It was a genuine question.’ Vivian folded her arms across her chest. ‘Look we need to talk.’

  ‘If this is about the introvert, I don’t want to hear it.’

  ‘You can’t even say his name now?’

  ‘I said I don’t want to hear it!’

  ‘Well, too bad. You’re going to.’

  ‘No, I’m not.’

  ‘Yes, you are,’ Vivian insisted. ‘Aiden needs our help, his friends’ help. You’re the one who called us friends. Do you think you’re acting like a friend right now?’

  ‘He just said that I should be ashamed of what I am, of what my family does.’

  ‘He was exhausted. He hasn’t slept well for… I don’t how long. You can’t expect him to be at his best.’

  ‘And that’s why I know it’s the truth,’ Felix said quietly. ‘That is what he really thinks of me.’

  Vivian sighed. She wasn’t always the best at reasoning with people, but since there was no one else, she had to step up. ‘Listen. I agree that Aiden made a mistake. A mistake he immediately apologized for. And I know you know that it was a sincere apology.’

  ‘But-’

  ‘Isn’t the point of an apology that you have understood what you said or did was wrong and that you needed to change?’

  ‘Well, yes-’

  ‘Perhaps Aiden did feel like being a spy is dishonourable, but do you think he still believes it, that he still thinks that way after having met and befriended you?’

  Felix was quiet for a moment. ‘No.’

  Vivian gave him a small smile. ‘We’re flawed. The three of us didn’t come together because we saw perfection in each other. We make mistakes all the time. Perhaps that’s why we need friends, people who will tell us when we’re doing something stupid, to teach us something new. Remember how the two of you couldn’t wash a plate even if your life depended on it?’

  ‘It wasn’t that bad,’ Felix defended himself.

  ‘You broke the cauldron. The iron cauldron. I still don’t know how you did it.’

  ‘And your point is?’

  ‘Well, now you can wash a plate without breaking it… most of the time. And you learned how to boil an egg, how to fold your clothes. And more importantly, you have friends that love spending time with you so much that they would rather spend their afternoons cleaning your house than doing something fun. Because being with you is fun.’

  Felix was trying and failing to hold back the smile that was forcing its way onto his face.

  Vivian grinned, happy that she was able to get through to him. ‘And it’s not just you. Aiden is talking a lot more than when we first met him. You remember how reserved he used to be? And as for me, I can actually walk with a straight back in a city full of nobles. And that’s thanks to you two.’

  Felix let out a deep sigh. ‘Alright fine. Perhaps I was being a little too sensitive. It’s just… I used to hear comments like that everywhere I went. It was especially bad because my mother wasn’t nobility. Even my own relatives used to do it whenever my father wasn’t around. My aunt Betty used to talk down to my mother every time she saw her, and of course I was dragged into it as well. The mix-breed, the halfling, the mutt… After a while, it gets to you.’

  ‘Alright, so we hate aunt Betty, that hag.’

  ‘And so, when Aiden insinuated that I should be ashamed, I over-reacted. All I could think was not again. So, I left. I didn’t want to get hurt again.’

  Vivian laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. ‘Tell this to him. He needs to know.’

  Felix sniffed and dried his eyes. ‘Maybe later. Right now, we need to help him.’ Felix squared his shoulders. ‘What do we need to do?’