A Court of War and Sacrifice

32. Stolen Memories

The artwork above is not mine.

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"Rhys!" Elain called, stumbling down the stairs. Seren followed after, her mind spinning. What had Elain just said? What was she so upset about? Why couldn't she remember? "Rhys!" Elain turned down a hallway.

Rhys' head popped out of the sitting room doorway. "Elain? What's wrong?"

"I had a vision when I looked at one of Seren's new paintings. The dread lord is Koschei!"

"What?" Rhys grabbed Elain's shoulders and turned her around. "Show me the painting and tell me everything."

Seren groaned as they hurried past her. She heard doors opening upstairs as everyone left their rooms, hearing Elain's frantic words. Feyre left the sitting room and took Seren's arm.

"I'm so tired of stairs," Seren muttered.

"I know your pain," Feyre chuckled. "What is Elain talking about, though?"

"I don't know." Seren rubbed her forehead. "I can't remember." Didn't Elain just say something important to Rhys a few seconds ago? Why couldn't she remember?

"You can't remember?" Feyre's blue gray eyes darkened. "Come on."

When they reached Seren and Azriel's bedroom, everyone was already there. Elain and Rhys were studying Dreadful Unknown while Elain explained her vision.

"If the dread lord is Koschei, then he's just been stalling us," Lucien said. "He's been wasting our time and possibly using us to gain information. Do you think Jurian knows about this?"

"Neither of you knew," Rhys replied. "How could he? You, Azriel, and Cassian need to get to the Mortal Lands right away. Bring Jurian here and try to rescue Vassa. Steal her if you have to, unless that poses a threat to her."

Lucien dipped his head. Azriel moved closer to Seren. That odd feeling was stealing over her. She massaged her temples, frustrated. It felt like her memories were slipping away.

"Seren?" Azriel rubbed her shoulders. "What is it?"

"What...what were we just talking about?" She whispered.

"Amren," Azriel called.

"Feyre, Rhys, I'll need your help with this," Amren said. "Everyone else, out."

"What's going on?" Mor asked, knitting her brows.

"I think there's a spell over Seren that is making her forget certain things," Amren explained. "Don't worry. I know how to remove it."

One by one, everyone filtered out of the room. Seren worked her hands together nervously. A spell on my mind? But how could that have happened, and when? She wondered.

"Sit here." Amren pointed to a chair. Seren obeyed. "Rhys and Feyre will have to enter your mind to find where the spell is located. They should be able to break it fairly easily." Her gaze shifted to them. "Be careful not to touch anything in her mind besides the spell, and be aware of how the spell deteriorates when you break it. You don't want to accidentally shatter her mind."

Seren's eyes widened. "Don't worry," Feyre said, noticing her stare. "You'll be fine."

Azriel knelt by her chair and laced their fingers together. Seren closed her eyes and lowered her mental shields. She felt Rhys and Feyre approach. They were starlight and darkness. They swept into her mind, carefully picking through the tangled webs of her thoughts.