Memories in the Moonlight

Chapter 21

Harlow found Ilyana in the basement of the building. As she walked down the stairs, the air changed, now feeling chilly against her skin. The damp smell of mildew filled her nostrils as Harlow descended into the dark level. She could hear groaning as she made her way through a long, narrow hallway. The stone on either side of the walls seemed to press in on Harlow as she walked.

Eventually the hall opened up into a central area, the walls spreading into a circular space. There were torches hung on the wall, flames casting eerie shadows along the floor. Harlow's eyes caught on the chair in the center of the room with a male strapped to it tightly. She could tell with one glance it was Tioni Hollis, and she didn't need to get closer to tell. Ilyana paced back and forth on the other side of the chair, swinging a metal bar by her side.

"Tell me." Ilyana spoke roughly, voice appearing to be hoarse.

King Hollis let his head fall backwards as he laughed. "There's nothing to tell, Witch. Why would I waste my words when you'll be dead by sundown?" He taunted.

Harlow leaned her shoulder against the entryway to the room, nodding her head at Ilyana as their eyes met. She knew just as well as her mother that the King's word meant nothing. Ilyana stopped pacing in front of Tioni, leaning town to meet his eyes.

"No one has come for you yet. It's been nearly a week, and yet, nobody cares." Ilyana moved her lips near the King's ear as she spoke the last few words. Harlow could see him visibly recoil. The energy in the room shifted as Tioni tried to fight back against her.

Harlow stayed out of Tioni's sight, not wanting him to realize she was part of the reason he was in this place. Her heartbeat quickened as she watched the back and forth, eyes unable to stop in one place for too long. She just needed a moment to speak to Ilyana, her mother, she needed to apologize for how she had spoken the night before. Harlow felt like a small child hiding from her parents when she had done something wrong.

It was the Witch's turn to laugh now as she stepped back. "You realize you're not getting out right? Power dampening is no issue for me, I'll keep blocking it up until you can never access it again." She said, swinging the metal rod in a circle before connecting it with Tioni's knee.

A rattling scream filled the chamber after a sickening crunch noise. "I will have your head!" King Hollis threatened, straining forward in his chair.

"Not if I have yours first." Ilyana's voice was nothing but venom as she threw the rod across the room and strode towards Harlow. The metallic crashing sound couldn't be heard over the Kings shouting.

Without a word, her mother grabbed her arm and led her back up the corridor towards the main floor. Ilyana's hands were cold and clammy, and Harlow could feel the racing heartbeat through her fingertips. When they could no longer hear screaming, Ilyana stopped them.

Harlow sucked in a breath through her teeth and took a long blink before speaking. "I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you last night. I don't know what came over me." She tried to sound as sincere as possible.

Ilyana tugged Harlow in for a hug immediately, resting their heads against one another. Her hand reached up to stroke Harlow's curls gently. "Shh, Wildfire. I know." She mumbled against Harlow, squeezing tightly.

The pit of anxious energy in Harlow's stomach immediately started to dissipate out of her body. She wrapped her arms around her mother as well, holding on for dear life. As Harlow held her, the teetering tower of memories from the night before toppled over in her mind. She felt a shift before she saw the memories change in her mind.

Flashes of her formative years bounced around in her brain, each one changing as it went. Her mother replaced the woman she had remembered until now. Ilyana's wide smile superimposed itself over her false mothers frown again and again until she couldn't picture it anymore.