Chapter Three
Recanting the Past
Crickets chirped outside the window. Night had descended on the small village, and the moonlight percolating into their cottage illuminated Inara’s wrinkled face. The deep creases on her forehead and near her eyes betrayed her happy facade. Eramus had always known his secret would be discovered, but nothing could have prepared either of them for it.
Inara gave Eramus’s hand a small squeeze. “Talk to me, dear. I know today was difficult. I can’t imagine what you must be thinking.”
Eramus sighed. “I don’t know where to begin. I fear our people will never trust me again, and what kind of life would that be? Hated and despised…” He stared out into the darkness. A weight pressed on his chest, straining his lungs. Despite being granted permission to stay, his life would never be the same.
“You are neither hated nor despised. Our people know you, Eramus. They will not cast you out. The vote tonight proved that.”
Eramus shook his head. “No, many of them will not, but it doesn’t mean they will fully trust me, either. I feel as though I have lost something important. Having one’s honor questioned is far more difficult than I ever imagined.”
“Only an honorable man would find such questioning difficult.” She winked, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Give them time, Eramus. The people will come around. They will see you for the wonderful man you are. Your gift can help us in so many ways. They need only see the light it can bring.”
“I hope you are right. I want to prove to everyone I am the same person I have always been.”
“Especially Evree?”
Eramus smacked his hand against the table and scowled. “Mother!”
Her shoulders shook with laughter. “What? It’s true, is it not?” She pointed at him, a sly smile stealing over her lips. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you staring at her, even while the entire village was watching.”
He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face as she continued, “And…I noticed she stared right back. Couldn’t take her eyes off of you.”
Eramus scrunched his nose. “Of course she stared back! I was literally the center of attention at the meeting. Where else would she look?”
Inara shrugged. “Perhaps, but no one else stared at youthatway.”
He propped his head up with one fist and blinked at her. “You’re not going to let this go, are you? Even if I had an…anaffectionfor Evree”—he shook his head and pointed at her when her face lit up with excitement—”and I’m not saying that I do! No one would ever give me permission to court their daughter after what happened. You know they wouldn’t.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous. You saved her life. Kieran would be a fool not to accept your courtship.”
Eramus hung his head, his palms resting flat on his forehead. Inara would not be swayed, and truthfully, his mother was right. He cared for Evree; he had for a long time. But that didn’t change the fact that he had lost the trust of his people. Kieran had given him a clear warning. Eramus stood no chance of obtaining permission to court his daughter.
But now wasn’t the time to concern himself with that. More important matters plagued his thoughts. He had so many questions, and although he knew Inara had always been honest, Eramus believed information lay hidden within the details of the day she found him.
He leaned forward and took her hand. “Mother, would you…I know you’ve told me so many times, but…”
Inara patted his wrist. “Of course, dear. What do you want to know?”
“Just start from the beginning.”
She nodded, and a smile tugged at one side of her mouth. “Arnan and several women, including myself, had taken a trip to Olgetha, a small city on the Sea of Maleze. We hoped to sell our apple harvest to the merchants at the port. After unloading the crop, we took a stroll along the shore. I remember the sky so well—dark and cloudy, the remnants of a massive storm that had devastated the area throughout the night. The waves were still harsh and the air cool. I can’t imagine…if we hadn’t walked the beach…”
Her eyes glazed. Eramus wrapped his fingers around her hand and she continued, “I was picking up shells. There was a small cove where they would get trapped when the tides receded. I never expected to find more than a few white conks, but there you were. At first, I thought you were dead. Your body was cold and your breathing shallow. I called for the others and then pulled you into my arms. I still remember when you first opened your eyes—and captured my heart.”
Eramus remembered too. Inara’s face was his earliest memory. She was different now; her skin had filled with wrinkles and her hair held long strands of silver between clumps of brown. Everything before that moment was a complete mystery. As a young child, fear had gripped him like a prisoner bound in chains. He had trusted no one but Inara those first few days. Her genuine compassion made him feel safe from the beginning, and he had refused to leave her side.
“I guessed you were not more than seven or eight. We tried for hours to get you to talk, but you didn’t say a word. Arnan inquired around Olgetha, but no one recognized you. I refused to leave you. I couldn't bear to think of someone so young being left alone. It wasn’t until our trip home that you finally told me your name. And when you fell asleep on my lap, I decided right there and then to take you in.”
He sighed. His name was the only thing he could remember from his past. Occasionally, he would hear voices while he slept, but his mind could never conjure an image to accompany them. Eramus liked to imagine they were the remnants of people who cared about him, perhaps even still searched for their lost child. While he had no way to confirm such a thing, the idea always left a pleasant warmth in his chest.
“Was there anything else besides just…me?” he asked, although he already knew the answer. Inara had told him everything time and again, always the same. He hoped she had simply forgotten something, overlooked a minute detail that could provide insight.
“No, dear. It was just you and a great deal of debris. I could tell straight away that you had washed ashore after the storm. Shipwrecked, without a doubt. The storm was the worst I’d seen in years, so it made sense. Your survival was a miracle.”
Eramus shook his head. “I don’t believe it was a miracle at all.” He held his hands out and concentrated. Blue light encircled them. It danced around his palms and flooded his arms with warmth. “I think my power saved me, but…”
