Recuperating took much longer than I expected. The next morning it was a struggle to climb out of bed, so I had no choice but to continue resting, at least until I was well enough to ride a carriage. It would be even longer before I could manage a ride on horseback, most likely. I became intimately familiar with the cracks and discolorations in the stone ceiling above my bed.

  The elaborate pattern of bruises that covered my limbs and back would no doubt make Helian burst out laughing once I got home, even if she’d become incredibly angry with me about it afterward.

  And to be honest, it was kind of funny. The presumed heiress to the county, attempting a heroic stunt only to fall off her horse so hard she could barely walk afterwards. At least the stunt had worked… though my memory of what I’d actually done was still a bit unclear.

  I was still undecided on how to tell her about the sword, and part of me wanted to keep my whole encounter with Gold a secret. I felt like if I uttered aloud the things I’d learned, my relationship with Helian would be damaged permanently, if not destroyed forever. I knew this was simple paranoia – we’d been together too long for something like that to tear us apart – but I still couldn’t cast aside the feeling that I was still missing something; something terrible was lurking somewhere, waiting for the opportunity to come out into the light, and if I revealed what I’d learned, it would choose that moment to strike.

  I also knew that Helian had continued keeping secrets from me, and if I were to tell her the truth, I feared it might inspire her to be more honest. I had long since come to terms with the fact that most of the secrets she kept were things I’d rather not know, even if it made me feel small and unimportant when she hid the truth.

  On the day I planned to leave for the county, Selene and I met with Dame Ilex to discuss how to handle the situation with the frozen lizards. Once that was concluded, Ilex returned to her office to prepare a list of provision requests to send back with me.

  “Selene, can I speak with you in private?”

  She smiled and nodded. “Sure. Let’s go to my room, it’s quieter than yours.”

  As expected, she made a detour to the kitchen for a kettle of hot water and two cups.

  As she prepared the kettle in her room, I decided to just come out with what I had to say.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “I need your advice. I’m not sure how much to tell Helian about what happened… or what to tell her.”

  Selene turned back to me with eyebrows raised. “I suppose I’m flattered that you came to me, but I’m not exactly an expert on these matters…”

  “There aren’t many people I can talk to about this. It’s not a simple matter. And in any case, I trust you the most.”

  She nodded. “Okay, I’ll do my best. I take it the problem is more complicated than ‘Helian’s going to be mad at me for finding another sword in a cave?’”

  “Unfortunately. You see, the dragon told me quite a few things, and I don’t like the implications.”

  “For example?”

  “It insisted that I’m from elsewhere, like Helian. I just didn’t keep my memories.”

  Selene shrugged. “That’s not terribly surprising, to be honest. Neither of you are normal.”

  “And this certainly explains why I was able to read Helian’s notes. But that would mean we’re from the same place, which would mean-”

  “Ah.” I could tell she had guessed what I was about to say.

  Selene held her hand up to stop me, and then handed me a full cup of tea. “No need to say any more. Here, drink.”

  It was good, as usual. “I still don’t know how you do it.”

  “It’s about the brewing temperature and how you handle the leaves. If you’re interested, I can teach you sometime. You’ll be terrible at it, though.”

  I nodded. “Things like this are never as simple as they seem, are they?”

  She smiled. “Yes, that’s a good way to put it. Anyway… I can understand why you’re troubled. If you’re from the same place, you could have known each other and been on bad terms… hell, you could even be kin. It’s perfectly reasonable to feel like you should keep this to yourself.”

  I hadn’t even considered the possibility of being one of Helian’s relatives. That would be a catastrophe, based on what she’d told me about them.

  “I’m terrible at lying, though.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed. And your concerns being reasonable doesn’t mean the decision you’re about to make is correct.”

  Selene leaned up against the empty bookcase and looked out the window, then continued.

  “First of all, you’d have to keep a secret like that forever. It’d be very stressful; I don’t recommend it. In the event you couldn’t take it anymore, I can only imagine how furious she’d be to learn you had kept this from her for months.”

  “Second… it’s possible she already knows everything you’re going to tell her.”

  I had considered this, but if so, why hadn’t she ever asked me about the other world? I couldn’t think of a good reason.

  “And third… I know you don’t want to add to her stress, but if you keep all this to yourself, she’ll be able to tell that you’ve got something on your mind. She’ll worry for you.”

  “It sounds like you’re speaking from experience, Selene.”

  “We saw a lot during the war.”

  Of course. “Sorry… I should have realized.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not suggesting that your concerns aren’t important, and I do appreciate that you came to me for advice. I would wait until Helian’s in better condition to have your discussion, though.”

  “Until Helian’s in better condition?”