AMNESIA

by Canada Jackson

  “He would kill me?”

  Whyle grasped her by the shoulder. “Amber, this was a long time ago, when he thought you might not be who you said you were. He was struggling with the reasoning behind his infatuation with you. He said he lost himself around you, like it was a bewitching.”

  The admission floored her.

  So it was true.

  Wrexel was indeed under a spell.

  None of the obsession and desire were real.

  News that should have thrilled her made her blood run cold.

  “Whyle…” Her voice wobbled. “I haven’t been perfectly honest with you. I sensed all the same magical signs when I had an argument with Wrexel once.”

  Her throat thickened with anxiety. “He said some things to me that I hear Lilith say, about him being a sworn protector. It must be true, Whyle… I have bewitched him.”

  She couldn’t tell him about the Sanbara. He would stop her searches. She didn’t want to bewitch Wrexel, but she also didn’t want to let the beasts down.

  She had no idea what the orb was, but they had asked for her help and she would die before she gave up. She prayed that if Whyle discovered her magic, he would protect her, keep her in Four Wings even if Wrexel rejected her. Just long enough to finalize the search and set the creatures free.

  “Amber, if I take that test and you’re positive, I need you to swear on my life that you will not tell a soul. That it will die here with me, you, and Leyahanna. The Yimmyrd would take you if they found out. If they took you from Wrexel, I believe he would attack them. You could cause a war within Diogel.”

  “This may be my key to freedom and his… if you think about it, even with his difficult past… his behavior is extreme. If you discover I’m magic, then we can find out more, set Wrexel free… perhaps even turn to the Yimmyrd for help.”

  “No!” Whyle said immediately.

  * * *

  He slid onto the bed beside her. “If it is a bewitching, you have bewitched us all, Amber, for I think not one of us four would allow you to be taken from us.”

  “Whyle, I can’t live with myself if there is some spell on me, or if I am magic. I have lived with people who manipulated me all of my life and I will not subject others to the same. If I am manipulating Wrexel… he deserves to know.”

  She struggled to say the words, but she still held out her arm. “Do the test, Whyle.”

  “Swear on my life first.”

  “Whyle… it’s not fair on me or Wrexel if this is a bewitching.” She couldn’t hold back any longer and tears coursed down her cheeks. If Wrexel was bewitched, she needed to set him free.

  Whyle called the Gweithi over. “Witness, Leyahanna. If she tells a soul besides me or you, I will have to take my life.”

  “That’s a bit dramatic,” Amber sniffed but Leyahanna was wide-eyed because Whyle had his hand upon his crest. “He means it, my lady.”

  “If you are magic, we will get to the bottom of it. Amber, if you are bewitching Wrexel… we will fix it, but by we, I mean you and me… this goes no further than us.”

  “Swear it,” he said again.

  Amber wrestled with her feelings. A new taint upon her sense of self hung over her.

  New insecurities burned within her.

  “You are not alone; I will help you through this. We don’t even know if it’s true, Amber; perhaps you are not magic and somebody with power has played a cruel trick on you.”

  “I swear, Whyle, I will not tell a soul,” Amber said eventually, anxious to know the truth.

  He took the blood and packed the sample into his bag.

  “Now put it out of your mind; whatever the answer is, we will deal with it. We will fix this, Amber, I promise.”

  When Amber went to sleep that night, Whyle could not rest.

  He was eager to get back and test her blood. Desperate to keep her safe. He wanted to protect her from the Yimmyrd and then he had to set Wrexel free of the curse if there was one.

  Maybe Staede was afflicted, too.

  It didn’t make any sense why they would be and not him and Shihlo; however, it needed to be resolved.

  He put the call through immediately

  “I need out,” he said without a greeting.

  Wrexel looked taken aback, but he recovered quickly and smiled with elation. “Bored?” He laughed. “Or vexed? She can be infuriating.”

  “A bit of all of that.”

  * * *

  Amber awoke later and found herself in the usual position, curled up behind Whyle’s back. Two strong arms turned her around and her breasts gently collided with a solid chest as his gold eyes roamed hungrily over her face before he claimed her mouth with a burning kiss.

  She returned it with fervor, realizing only as he ran his hands over her how much she had missed his touch. He reached for her nightgown and then seemed to remember where he was. He leaned on one hand without releasing her and gave Whyle a forceful shove with his bare foot.

  The alien hit the floor with a shout and whirled around in combat mode, sure that he was under attack.

  “Get out,” Wrexel said to Whyle.

  Wrexel did not give Amber a chance to speak; he crushed her beneath him, then devoured her mouth as the door slammed behind them.

  “Where is Whyle?” Amber asked much later, when she lay upon his chest and he gently stroked her back.

  “I don’t know; perhaps he went to Hynafol City for some recreation,” Wrexel chuckled

  “Why?”

  “To have the sex he’s been denied all week, sweet Amber.” He nuzzled her forehead.

  “You would challenge a Yimmyrd’s morals.”

  She stared up at him for a long time.

  She wondered how she would feel if Whyle came back and told her she was bewitching him and everything they had shared was a curse or a spell.

  Whyle said he would help her fix it.

  Which meant Wrexel would see her in reality and not through a magical haze.

  He would be free.

  He wouldn’t stare down at her the way he was now.

  He wouldn’t stroke her back, hold her close.

  She reminded herself that the day he told her to leave Four Wings was an inevitability.

  Whether it was through the discovery he was bewitched, or when he tired of her naturally.

  Everything with Wrexel was temporary.

  Only now, the realization hurt.

  He frowned at her pensive look. “What’s wrong?

  She continued to stare at him, her throat thick with unshed tears. He lay on his back and lifted her to sit across his stomach, his thumbs gently stroking her hips. “Why are you looking at me like this, Amber? Did something change while you were here?

  He looked momentarily panicked, as if she would tell him she had fallen in love with Whyle. His hands clenched her and his throat moved convulsively as she struggled with her words.

  The monitor sounded and Staede’s face appeared. “Sacred, have mercy.” He grinned devilishly. “Wait, don’t ruin my day!” he moaned when Wrexel sat up, pulling the sheet over her back as he clasped her to his chest.

  “What do you want?” He glared over her head at the screen.

  37

  Painful Truths

  “Help,” Staede sobered up. “A Sketchi battalion broke through sector four at the same time as a Ferro pirate brigade. Vergana’s watchtower lit up like a full moon celebration.”

  Amber felt Wrexel stiffen beneath her.

  He moved away, careful to lift the sheet to cover her nakedness as she slipped from his embrace.

  “Our surveillance shows the Sketchi have large troops that landed upon one of Vergana’s moons and the Ferro pirates have broken up into warring groups all over Vergana.”

  “Scourge!” Wrexel swore.

  “We are spread a bit thin today – we have five out of eight watchtower reports on approaching convoys that the rest of the federation is helping to take care of, so we need help to thrash out those that made it th
rough.”

  “I’ll be there in a few hours.” Wrexel looked at Amber.

  “Don’t worry about Amber. Whyle is on his way back to get her and take her to Four Wings.”

  Wrexel closed the Comms when Staede began twisting his head to the side for a better visual. “You’re leaving now?” she asked.

  “I’ll be back in a day,” he promised. “Then maybe you can tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing is wrong, Wrexel.”

  Everything was wrong!

  Wrexel eyed her curiously but duty called so he left her alone with her thoughts and concerns.

  Whyle arrived shortly after. So, too, did their transporter. Dionys was waiting with a grim face as they approached.

  “Lord Whyle,” he said politely. “We have a few Red generals on board. This ship was the closest available and is returning from a mixed mission.”

  Whyle nodded and took Amber’s hand. “At my side, constantly,” he warned.

  * * *

  As they entered the small transporter, Amber saw Dionys’s face contort into warrior mode. He stared at the Reds with open animosity. She felt a surge of gratitude for the young man who she heard was not only loyal but also extremely skilled as a fighter.

  Amber moved even closer to Whyle. She was relieved to see that while several red coats were aboard, Staede’s Blue Air Force operated the ship. Whyle kept her close, though he relaxed as the ship took off and he removed his loathed red jacket. As Dionys and now Freya had taken up positions near them, Whyle soon nodded off. Amber watched the action around her. She saw the Red guards asked to retire to their seats in the back. She and Whyle were safe in the front, surrounded by Staede’s supporters and, of course, Dionys, who had not relaxed once since they had boarded.

  After greeting Amber, Freya took her place beside Dionys. She had only greeted Amber before and they had never spoken, mostly because they never had a chance.

  Amber closed her eyes and listened as Dionys, Freya, and another young female spoke in hushed tones behind her. Her ears pricked up when they mentioned a pearl.

  Dionys was teased for wanting a human. The other girl was lamenting that Shihlo wasn’t accepting pearls, and that Whyle wasn’t ever able to do so. She also wondered if Staede would be interested since she was at the top of her cadet class and he would be at the ceremony. Being with a royal was sought after and only a few select graduates would come close enough to ask.

  Amber sat in confusion but after a period of time and lots of laughter, Freya came over with a warm smile and sat across from her.

  “Comfortable?” she asked. “Must be disappointing to end the honeymoon so soon.”

  “Yes.” Amber blushed.

  “I understand it is hard with two husbands,” Freya said, “It’s very Thromian of you to be so open about your marriage expectations. I am glad I can help with Whyle’s needs and I just wanted to discuss them openly with you.”

  She glanced at the sleeping Whyle. “If you ever want me to join you both, I’m game.” She smiled at Amber warmly.

  “Thank you.” Amber managed not to squirm and had the urge to poke Whyle awake rather than chat with his part-time lover, who was onboard to be hers, too.

  “He’s a wonderful man, You’re very fortunate.” Freya was oblivious to her discomfort. “We have always been friends, since the day he took my pearl, before the vow.”

  Amber seized her chance. “I don’t really understand the pearl giving.”

  “I gave him my pearl; it was before he made the second death vow.”

  Amber frowned. “I still don’t know what you mean.”

  Freya looked alarmed. “Perhaps I should not have spoken.”

  “No, please,” Amber urged. “I am trying to understand all of Throm’s culture, but they… my husbands don’t always explain enough.”

  Freya laughed. “Not very good at gossip, are they? When a Thromian female turns twenty, she

  takes a pearl which is a gift from her parents, and hands it to the man she has chosen to be her first lover. All daughters receive one at birth from their father or mother. It’s a special gift and symbolizes the girl’s innocence, which she gives to a worthy suitor when she is ready to have sex.”

  “Don’t Thromian females want to be innocent when they marry?”

  Freya shook her head and wrinkled her nose. “No, why would we do that?”

  “Earth culture,” Amber explained.

  “That is sad.” Freya seemed sympathetic. “You marry the man without knowing if he could fail you as a lover.”

  Amber had never thought of it that way. “Not all females wait. Our planet has very few marrying virgins over a certain age.”

  “You were,” Freya said directly.

  Amber nodded. “So, Thromian men prefer that their females have… been intimate?”

  Freya shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. The female would know what she likes and does not like, but Thromians always sleep together first so they can be sure. They seldom marry virgins.”

  Amber wondered if Wrexel was disappointed in her lack of experience.

  Obviously, it had worked out in their favor, but… did he wish she had more knowledge? She had yet to touch him the way he coveted.

  Freya was still talking and Amber hurried to catch up, leaving her thoughts of inadequacy behind for the moment. “Sorry, the ‘death vow’?”

  “As I was saying, when a Thromian female chooses her first, she gives him her pearl. He knows then that she has chosen him to be the first, and he goes out of his way to make the night memorable.” She sighed and smiled. “I chose Whyle. He was an amazing lover, the perfect choice. You would think he was boring, perhaps, because of his intense interest in nothing but technology, but wow.”

  Amber nodded and lied through her teeth. “Yes, wow indeed.”

  “Sadly, after the Gweithi took her life, he will never take another innocent.” She pointed at the second band on Whyle’s arm.

  Amber felt the pieces falling into place. The suicide. Leyahanna blaming Whyle and now Freya’s admission that he would never be with a virgin again.

  “I don’t know why he blamed himself. He didn’t know she was innocent. It’s not like they even do anything.” She sighed. “He never got over it, though. Said he would never do that again with anybody, Thromian or otherwise, and then he got his hands on the unbreakable curse and ensured it was forged with his life.”

  “Interesting concept this… er… pearl giving.” Amber wondered if Wrexel used to have a line of young Thromian virgins at his door. Her anger rose with her imagination as Freya continued. “Staede is a favorite, and he obliges at times. It is not seen as an insult to have a pearl turned away, so nobody takes offence. However, his preference is… erotic sex, so virgins aren’t his first choice.” She laughed.

  “To have Shihlo accept your pearl is especially coveted. But he is very selective, and not as eager as he used to be before he married Cyla.”

  “So, Shihlo would not have been Cyla’s first,” Amber said absently, still dwelling on Wrexel.

  “No, if I remember correctly, she chose Wrexel.”

  Agony.

  “How did Shihlo feel about that?”

  “He married her a year after her choice. They weren’t in love at the time.” She shrugged. “He wouldn’t be concerned that his brother had been with her and taken her pearl.”

  Amber could not comprehend Thromian logic.

  She shifted uncomfortably. She wanted to ask if Wrexel had taken many pearls, but the thought nauseated her.

  How many females had there been?

  Possibly hundreds.

  “Do married men or women accept pearls?”

  * * *

  Whyle stirred and Freya showed Amber it was time to be silent. Amber stared at her forlornly as she slipped away. She hoped she could talk to her again soon. She hadn’t had a woman-to-woman conversation since her last one with Rix, and that wasn't nearly as enjoyable as this one.

  “Was that F
reya?” Whyle looked up.

  “Yes… Freya is lovely. Whyle…”

  “Mmm.” He appeared ready to sleep again.

  “Why have you never considered Freya as a wife?”

  “She wants a tri-marriage.”

  “She wants to be with two men?”

  “No, she is bisexual and likes the company of females possibly more than males. She offered to join us anytime. Besides, I told you I don’t want a real wife.”

  “Oh.”

  She was trying to understand Thromian love affairs and their arrangements. She remembered that she had not received an answer from Freya as to whether the concept of the pearl was for non-married men only.

  Was this something Wrexel would accept, or was it outside a monogamous contract?

  She groaned when she realized the path of her thoughts. Then again, it didn’t matter.

  Her future had two possibilities: Wrexel leaving her when his bewitching lifted or Wrexel leaving her when he was bored.

  Either way.

  Wrexel would leave.

  * * *

  Her thoughts plagued her for hours after she was home and alone. Jealousy, fear, anger, sadness. She ran for her communicator when Whyle called.

  “It was negative,” he said immediately.

  She was not a magical being.

  Amber began to cry with relief, but then reminded herself it didn’t matter, anyway.

  “Whyle, it must be a curse; Wrexel could still be bewitched.”

  “I’m looking into magical apparitions. You mentioned your visions of Lilith started changing to a green hue only once you were in contact with Thromians. I don’t know if some restricted magic somehow linked up with what you are seeing in her. You said you were down in the catacombs with Staede as well; maybe some old magic from the past is still down there and attached itself to you… I don’t know, Amber, but I’ll figure it out.”

  “But Wrexel?”

  “Amber, the bottom line is, you aren’t the one causing this; you aren’t bewitching Wrexel knowingly. If he is bewitched, I will find out and we will fix this.”