Wynnie looked across the patio at George, eyes sad. “Extensive. He doesn’t know who we are. He’s not sure where he is or how long he’s been here. I don’t think he even remembers traveling north to Sorhaven. He was going on about being farther south in Gramenia.”
“Fuck.” George and Hildy swore simultaneously. It wasn’t just Isahn’s memories of Hepikoru that were gone. It was everything. The whole mission.Her.
The veil erased recent memories—anything connected to the secrets of the city it held inside. He must’ve been putting the pieces together since Sorhaven if it was wiped from his mind.
“Where inside? You said he’s inside. Where?” Nerves were even beginning to get the best of ever-composed Hildy.
“The basement,” Dunstan offered through a cough.
“What?” George’s voice was steel. She’d heard him just fine.
All six feet-whatever of Dunstan cowered under her unyielding glare.
“Explain right now. Take me to see him.”
“When we got Isahn off the boat, he was confused and out of it.” Wynnie glanced over at Dunstan before she said, “He started to take in his surroundings and got... overwhelmed.”
Dunstan uncrossed his arms. “He was downright belligerent, Georgie. Tried to run off a few times, tried to shank me with his damn ice-knife more than a few times.”
“What did you do?” A palm of her touch magic clung to Dunstan’s forearm, gripping him with panicked intensity, though, physically, she appeared placid, if slightly morose.
Dunstan fidgeted. “I had to subdue him and restrain him in the cellar.”
“Deiwa nekami. This is fucking insane!” she shouted, composure fleeing the premises.
“Georgie, I’m so sorry.” Wynnie’s arms spread wide as she offered a hug.
“Nope! No! Not right now.” George threw up a hand and stepped back from her circle of friends. Only one person was allowed to embrace her at the moment, and he was chained in the fucking basement without a clue in his pretty blond head as to who the fates she was. “He was only supposed to lose elements. Not everything!” The obvious burst from her mouth before she burst into tears.
She let her friends hug her, all of them at once, as her breaths came in ragged, heaving sobs.
After several minutes, when the deluge slowed to a trickle and she didn’t sound like a fat man having an apoplexy, they stepped back and attempted to devise a plan.
“There has to be a way to undo this. There has to be, George. We will figure it out. For now, know he’s safe,” Wynnie said earnestly.
“We could go back to the original plan? Give him memories to try to fix this?” Burke suggested halfheartedly.
“No! I don’t want him to have false memories. I want him to havehismemories. He needs to be him. I need him. I don’t— We’ve never rewritten memories lost to the veil. We can’t try now. Therisk? No. I love him.” George’s voice cracked at the end of her plea, and she found herself sobbing again.
A few-hour separation had turned into an absolute nightmare for her—for Isahn too—in a different sort of way. Her heart broke for him, restrained, confused, enduring wholly unjust torture, all because of her father’s idiotic, meddling spies.
They’re dead,they’re gone,she reminded herself, jaw shivering as she drew in a ragged breath.
Isahn was gone, too.
Her knees gave out, but Hildy was there on her right and Dunstan on her left, supporting George while she gasped for air. Hil patted her back, attempting to offer some semblance of comfort in an impossible situation.
George didnotwant to see him in his current state; it would be too difficult to bear.
She needed to see him, if only to confirm he was as gone as they said.
“Deiwa hathemi,” she keened, begging for support from a goddess who clearly didn’t care.
They were supposed to meet up in Nowosmont. They were supposed to have the day together before his journey. They were supposed to be back together soon. This was only supposed to be temporary.
Probably sensing George’s spiraling thoughts, Hildy spoke up, “I have a plan, potentially.”
“To fix the issue?” Burke asked.
