Page 121 of Dawn of Hope

I find a small break in the names and run my fingertips over it. Here. This is where my mother’s name needs to be. I reach back and loosen the dagger from its sheath, a pang hitting my chest, knowing that I am not using my dagger from my kingdom to carve a piece of her into the island. Another moment Weston stole from me.

I carve, driving the sharp point into the stone until I am satisfied. I blow on the surface, pushing away any dust and bits of stone left inside the letters.

Lyla Holt.

I don’t write Queen, because to me she isn’t. She is my mother, and I am her daughter, longing for time with her.

I slide the dagger back into its sheath just as the voice speaks again, my task seemingly complete. I am ready for the next.

For eternity, the name remains

While hope and trust over this island reigns,

The second of which you must give

If you desire the person live.

A deal between you must strike

The terms once heard, you may dislike.

But trust of you is Dawnlin’s need,

Before the offer can proceed.

Upon the use of Dawnlin’s water

It matters not for son or daughter,

All memory of Dawnlin will cease to exist

For spreading its secrets, you might resist.

If on your return you are too late

The one you love one has met their fate,

Try as you might, your voice grows weak.

The secrets of Dawnlin you will not speak.

A drop of blood means you agree

Your memory of magic will be free.

This price an easy one to pay

To confer the waterswithout delay.

My jaw drops as the meaning hits me. If I agree to this, I will lose all memory of Dawnlin and the magic that helped save my mother.

Dane.

I would lose Dane. Fin and Mara, and the rest of the Voyagers that had become family to me. I’d waited my entire life to have friendships like these, and they are about to be ripped away.

Tears stream down my face, a gaping hole forming in my chest. How can I give up the love that I have for these people?

This is how the island protects itself. This is how it prevents anyone from knowing too much of the magic. The myth exists back in the kingdoms, but not actually where or how to get there. It is because as soon as someone finds it and uses it, all knowledge of it ceases to exist. And if they don’t, if they somehow choose to leave or don’t make it back in time, they are bound by the magic to keep it a secret.

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