Page 49 of Where Darkness Falls

I fully expect Maeva to make some snarky comment, or even spit in his face. To my surprise, she doesn’t attack or push away. She just stares at him, almost dazed.

“The captain killed your family, didn’t he?” Virgil asks.

“Yes,” she whispers. “Along with others. The Cales took me in as an orphan and adopted me when I had no one else. They are—were—kind people, and he snuffed them out for a crime they didn’t commit.”

“Is it correct that they didn’t know of your ability?” he asks.

She shakes her head. “I didn’t even know,” she replies.

My brows furrow. “How could you not know?” I ask, not believing that she didn’t have an inkling of such an ability. She looks at me before averting her gaze to the floor.

She doesn’t utter a word.

I suppose she doesn’t want to answer my questions.

A part of me wants to remind her of who I am, but Laisren speaks before I can.

“Is that why you killed him so brutally and left his body?” he asks.

Maeva smirks. “What happened to him is what that coward deserved, but I didn’t kill him. I just left him to rot,” she replies with such vitriol. Her words are chilling, but her answers leave me with more questions.

Where is her signet tattoo?

How could she not know of her ability?

How did the captain come to discover it?

Then my eyes focus on the pendant around her neck, my jaw clenching. “Where did you get the Dragon’s Flame pendant?” I ask, needing to confirm that she is in fact the wielder the king has sought after for so long.

She remains silent while absently reaching for it.

“Did you steal it?” I ask.

My question makes her feral eyes look up to meet mine. “No, I didn’t. I have always had it as long as I can remember,” she says.

“As long as you can remember?” Laisren asks.

“Yes, I don’t remember any details of my life before the last ten years,” she replies.

Well, that’s interesting.

“The first memory I have is wandering the streets here at fifteen,” she continues. “I was cold and homeless. The Cales saw me and took me in. They’re all I’ve known these past ten years. So, I don’t know whether I’m a thief. I have no recollection, even though I’ve tried to remember.”

“I see,” Laisren replies.

I’m nearly speechless. Her story is getting more interesting by the minute. Is it possible that she truly doesn’t remember? Is she trying to paint herself as someone non-threatening? I know I won’t get those answers tonight. We need to rest and prepare for our journey back tomorrow with Maeva in tow. Now, I just need to find out whether she’ll come willingly, or if I’ll have to force her to join us. Without any reason to stay, perhaps it’ll be an easy extraction.

“Well,” she says, pulling me from my thoughts. She holds out her arms, looking at us expectantly. “Go on. Let’s get this over with.”

The Cadre and I exchange looks, unsure of what she’s referring to. Does she already know why we’re here? If so, who told her? When none of us immediately reply, she speaks up again. “Aren’t you here to execute me?” she asks. “Isn’t that the punishment for killing some of the king’s most esteemed soldiers? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

This woman has no filter.

“No, Miss Cale,” Laisren says, removing his helmet. “We’re not here to kill you. We’re here to escort you.”

Her eyes widen as she drops her arms to her sides . “E-escort me?” she asks.

“That’s right,” I say. “King Tiernan has requested that you be brought to the palace in northern Malvoria,”

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