Forgotten Promise (A Between Worlds Novel: Book Four)

Forgotten Promise

A Between Worlds Novel

Book 4

Talia Jager

Forgotten Promise

A Between Worlds Novel: Book 4

Copyright © 2015 by Talia Jager. All rights reserved.

First Smashwords Edition: May 2015

Editing by Christine LePorte

Cover Design and Formatting by Streetlight Graphics

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to best friends everywhere.

Chapter One

My eyes fluttered open and immediately shut again, stunned by the fuzziness that surrounded me. Blinking a few times until they focused, I became aware that I wasn’t alone. My gaze traveled between each individual watching me. Wide eyes and bunched up eyebrows stared back at me. They must have been worried about me since I was the one they were looking at.

Welcome back, a voice behind me said.

I pushed myself up on the bed I was lying on, wondering why I was here in the first place and where I was coming back from.

A guy stepped out of the corner. I hadn’t seen him at first. As our eyes met, for some reason my back tingled. He was gorgeous…long, lanky body, shaggy brown hair, tanned skin. He smiled…one of those heart-melting smiles…and my heart did a little jump.

A girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and wings that were pink, lavender, and white took a step toward me. Wings? I stared up at them, fascinated. Do you know who we are? she asked.

I refocused my eyes and looked at each of them again. No. Horror set in as I realized not only did I not know who they were, I didn’t know who I was. My breath caught in my throat and my eyes darted back and forth. What is going on? Why can’t I remember anything?

It’s okay, the girl said softly. She had tears in her eyes, but quickly dabbed them with a tissue.

It is anything but okay. Why don’t I know who I am? Uneasiness started crawling on my skin and I glanced around again. And what’s with the wings?

We’re faeries, she answered.

Faeries?

Yes.

Wait. Did that we include me? Was I a faery too? I reached behind me and my hands bumped into something soft and delicate. Oh my God! I had wings too! Everyone else had them, so why shouldn’t I? Did I always have wings? What did that make me? A faery. How did I forget that? Seriously? Who forgets what they are? I needed to see what they looked like, what I looked like; maybe it would help jog my memory.

I jumped out of the bed and crossed the room to the mirror and looked in it. Wide, green eyes stared back at me. My dark brown hair was braided to the side of my face and there wasn’t a pimple or blemish on me. I ran my finger over my pointy ears. It was so odd that I didn’t recognize myself at all. I studied the—my—wings next. They were big, but not huge, and were a combination of light purple and dark blue. They were cool though. If I wasn’t having an identity crisis, I would check them out longer, but right now I needed to figure out what was going on. I turned around and faced the others in the room.

How do you feel? The girl’s voice was shaky.

I looked at my arms and legs. I didn’t see anything wrong. No reason why I shouldn’t feel okay. Other than the fact that they were all staring at me. Physically I’m okay, but what is going on? Why don’t I remember? I’m so confused. I racked my brain for my name and came up empty. My heart thudded in my chest and my breathing came quickly. Had I bumped my head? How did I forget who I was?

There were four of them in the room and the noise I could hear coming from outside the room told me there were others in the house. Where was I? How did I get here? The questions kept piling up.

The girl looked around uncomfortably and said, Can you guys give us a few minutes?

The woman near the door left first. The dark-haired guy with black and teal wings walked up and kissed the blonde girl. He didn’t say anything, but she looked into his eyes and nodded. Then he walked out. The boy with orange-red wings wouldn’t stop staring at me. The girl turned to him and pleaded, Please, Drake.

His name was Drake. The one who made me feel tingly for some reason.

Drake shoved his hands in the pockets of his dark pants and muttered, Fine.

Once he was out of the room, the girl closed the door. Do you want to sit back down?

No. I’m good. I glanced back in the mirror and admired the wings again.

Very well. She stood across from me. Do you remember anything?

No. I’m a little freaked out. I glanced at her wings again. Make that very freaked out.

She was silent for a minute and then she looked into my eyes and said with a voice that sounded like it could break at any time, Your name is Sierra. Sierra Ryanne Davenport. My name is Rylie. We’re best friends, have been since we were kids.

Sierra. I said the name over and over in my head. And my best friend was this girl, Rylie? Why wouldn’t I remember someone who had been my best friend for years? Why wouldn’t I remember my own name?

I still don’t remember.

What’s the last thing you do remember? she asked.

I tried to think back to before my eyes popped open. There was nothing. Just darkness. Emptiness. No sense of belonging somewhere. I didn’t remember any place I had been or the last face I saw. I don’t remember anything, I confessed.

She took a long, shuddering breath and then continued, We were on a walk a couple days ago when we were attacked. You’ve been unconscious ever since. She reached out, but I pulled away. A look of hurt registered on her face. I felt guilty, but I didn’t understand what was going on. I’m sorry. I know this is hard for you, but please understand it’s hard for me as well. You’re like a sister to me and I’m scared I’ve lost you.

I didn’t know how to respond. I’m sorry I don’t remember.

It’s not your fault. She sniffled. I don’t want to overwhelm you with information. I’m going to introduce you to everybody and maybe you’d like something to eat. We can talk more later. Does that sound okay?

No! Nothing sounded okay. I had just woken up to find out I had forgotten everything and now I’m supposed to go meet people and eat? But instead of saying that, I nodded. Sure.

If it gets to be too much for you, just let me know.

I glanced at my wings in the mirror again and flapped them. Do we fly? I asked, suddenly feeling excited.

No. They’re not that cool. One corner of her mouth turned up into a half-smile. They flutter when we’re attracted to someone and when we’re scared.

Oh. I thought about Drake’s wings fluttering earlier. Guess that meant he was attracted to me or scared of me.

Rylie, her blonde hair flowing down her back, led me out of the bedroom, down the hall, and into the living room. Everyone’s outside.

I walked through the screen door into the brisk air. The magnificent trees with their ember-red leaves told me it was autumn, reminding me of a page from a children’s book with colors so rich and bright. The beauty of the land left me astounded.

A bunch of faeries stood conversing on the deck. The guys were all dressed in pants and shirts with low backs. The girls were all in dresses of different lengths. Some were sleeveless, others had spaghetti straps. Two of them wore leggings under the dresses. A few of them wore some sort of jewelry on their feet. And they all had wings.

All the faeries that were conversing stopped and looked at us. I locked my knees so I wouldn’t crumble. Rylie didn’t pause though. She ignored the stares and silence. This is my husband, Kallan. She pointed to the faery who had kissed her earlier and squeezed his hand.

Married? She looked way too young to be married. You’re married?

She hesitated and then answered, Yes. You were my maid-of-honor.

Oh. I didn’t remember that either.

This is my mother, Azura. She placed her hand on the shoulder of the woman with blonde hair who had been standing at the bedroom door.

She’s your mother? She doesn’t look old enough. She looked more like an older sister.

Azura smiled and said, We don’t age like humans.

Something else I probably knew and forgot.

Rylie pointed to a girl with short platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, and an angelic face. That’s Lena. She’s our healer.

Good to see you up, Sierra. Are you in any pain? Lena inquired.

No.

Let me know if that changes.

I nodded.

Rylie continued, Tiern is a friend.

The guy with dark hair and a broad chest nodded at me.

And the girls are my cousins, Violet and Nessa. She gestured over to two girls with honey blonde hair. They both smiled nervously at me as if they didn’t know what to say.

None of these names sounded familiar. None of their faces looked familiar. They obviously knew me, but I had no memories of them, which made everything uncomfortable.

Drake had been standing in the back. He came toward me now. It took a minute to realize the tingle I felt in back of me were my wings fluttering. Rylie then said, This is Drake. He’s your boyfriend.

Our gazes met. And held.

Boyfriend? How did I forget I had a boyfriend? You’d think I’d remember important things like my name, my best friend, and my boyfriend.

He took a few steps closer to me. I don’t know what to say other than I love you.

Oh! I…um…okay. I really didn’t know what to say to that. He was good looking and apparently my wings liked him, but I didn’t know him.

You loved me too.

I’m sorry. I backed up a little and nervously looked at Rylie for help. Maybe I should go back inside?

Rylie stepped in between us. It’s okay. Drake isn’t going to push anything, right, Drake? She faced him.

Of course not. He turned and walked away, hanging his head.

I’ll go get you something to eat, Rylie offered.

Azura stopped her. I’ll get it, Oleander. You stay here. She disappeared inside.

Wait. I thought your name was Rylie.

It is. It’s both. I have two names.

Well, that was confusing. Why?

She hesitated. It’s complicated. Short answer is I have two mothers and they each named me something different.

You like Rylie better? I guessed.

Yes. It’s the one I grew up with. Most of my friends call me Rylie. This mother calls me Oleander in public. And people who don’t know me call me Oleander.

Hmmm. I called you Rylie?

Yes.

Whose house is this?

Mine and Kallan’s.

Beautiful.

Thanks.

Sierra? Lena approached me. You heard I’m a healer. I tried healing you while you were unconscious, but I’d like to try again if you don’t mind.

You think healing me will get my memories back?

I don’t know, but I’d like to try.

Okay, sure. What do I need to do?

Just sit.

Ignoring the continued whispers, I sat down on the ground. Lena put her hands on my head and began chanting in another language. I waited, hoping that my memories would spring back to me, but nothing happened. Lena’s voice got louder and I detected a hint of frustration.

Maybe it was me? I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on her words—even if I didn’t understand what she was saying.

Finally she grew quiet and I felt her hands leave my head. I opened my eyes and met hers.

Anything? she asked, although she didn’t look hopeful.

No. I shook my head.

Sorry, she said softly. I’ll keep thinking.

I didn’t know what else to say. Everybody’s eyes were still on me and I thought about going back inside, hiding in the room, but the beautiful surroundings made me want to stay. The scent of a hundred different flowers tickled my nose as I walked to the small lake in back of their house and sat down. It looked like a great place to swim on a hot day. I wondered if I liked to swim—if I even knew how to swim.

Other questions started forming in my head. If this was Rylie’s house and family, where were mine? Why weren’t my parents here? Why didn’t I wake up at my house? I stood up, dusted the grass and dirt off my clothes, and started over to Rylie to ask her, but Azura stepped out of the house with a tray of food and my stomach let out a loud growl. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until my eyes rested on the food. My stomach took over and I gobbled down everything in sight, disregarding all the stares. Rylie said I had been unconscious for a while, which meant I hadn’t eaten in days. I was just making up for all the meals I had missed.

I thought about how absurd this was. Sitting around a picnic table surrounded by faeries. What if they had kidnapped me and stolen my memories? But I didn’t feel scared. I probably read that in a book somewhere. Right? Did I read? As I looked at each of them again, I could feel the love between them all. They really cared about one another and that made me feel safe.

Chapter Two

After the meal was cleaned up, Kallan brought out a large brown book that looked like it was from the beginning of time and plopped it down on the table with a thud. What’s that? I asked curiously.

A spell book.

Rylie walked over to it and flipped the pages. Too bad I can’t read it.

I craned my neck and realized the words were not in English and it appeared that I didn’t know the language it was written in. A spell book meant magick. Did faeries do magick? Did I?

Lena and I will go through it, Kallan said. See if there are any memory spells.

What if there aren’t? Rylie’s tear-filled eyes looked up into Kallan’s.

Nobody answered.

Lena and Kallan sat down next to each other and put the book on the table between them, studying it. The way Lena flipped the pages searching the book for an answer, I could tell she was annoyed by the fact she couldn’t heal me and was desperately looking for an answer.

After a few minutes, I excused myself to the bathroom. I couldn’t watch them dig for a cure anymore. Inside, I wandered around until I found the right room. The light green and blue room smelled like lavender. After washing up, I stared at my hands as the soap bubbles covered them. Washing hands was a simple thing, something I remembered, it was automatic. So why couldn’t I remember my name? I looked up into the mirror. My face? Anything about me? It was blank, as if I had been born today.

It was like looking into a window, not a mirror. Although the girl moved when I did, she was a stranger. I looked from side to side trying to catch a glimpse of something familiar. Nothing was. I didn’t remember ever brushing my hair or putting on a necklace. My lip quivered, but I refused to cry right now. I kept saying the words be brave in my head.

Slowly, I peeked out the door, thankful to find that nobody else was in the house. I wandered around from room to room. The furniture showed no indication of ever having been used. No worn spots or stains. The hardwood floor was shiny and didn’t have a scratch on it. The tables and counters were spotless.

The quiet inside was refreshing. Not just the quiet from the talking, but from the looks and the high emotions that ran through everyone out there.

The door opened and Azura stuck her head in. Are you okay?

Yes. Just needed a minute.

Take as long as you need. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.

Thanks. I decided I better go back out there before the others came to check on me.

Rylie was standing at the edge of the lake. Her long floral dress was blowing in the wind. The mesh racerback ran between her wings. I watched as Drake approached her. She reached out and hugged him. I walked closer, trying not to be too obvious that I wanted to hear what they were saying.

This is so hard, Drake confided. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it’s harder than I thought.

I know, Rylie agreed. I look at her and I see our Sierra. Her mannerisms are the same—like the way she always rubs her thumb and pointer finger together in a circle. She’s still the same inside.

I looked down at my fingers. Did I do that?

I know. That’s what makes it so much harder. He let go of a sigh. Do you think we’ll get her back?

I don’t know, she responded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. We can only hope.

I walked away before they could realize I had heard their conversation. I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I just walked around forcing myself to smile at the others.

Violet and Nessa tried to make small talk, but I found reasons to excuse myself. I didn’t want to chitchat. I wanted to remember who I was. I wanted to know about my life. I wanted to remember something…anything!

Drake’s arm brushed against mine and I pulled back. Sorry, he apologized.

Shrugging it off, I asked, How long have we been dating?

About six months.

How did we meet? I wanted to know something about my life—no matter how little of a detail it was.

Through Rylie.

There was an awkward silence and I chewed on my lip. Drake closed the space between us and placed his lips on mine.

I pushed him back. Stop! I don’t know you.

Rylie rushed over and glared at Drake. What are you doing?

I’m sorry. I just thought maybe a kiss would bring her back, Drake stammered.

This isn’t a fairy tale. True love’s kiss isn’t going to break the spell! Rylie shouted.

It was worth a shot.

My fingers ran over my lips. For that brief second his lips were on mine, I could feel how much he loved me. Something inside me began to churn, like it had awakened. I thought maybe my memories would spring back and waited excitedly for it to happen, but it didn’t.

You need to leave now, Drake, Rylie said firmly.

Sorrow filled his dark brown eyes. Please, it won’t happen again.

Drake, I told you to take a break. Come back in a few hours.

Yes, of course, mo Bhanríon. Drake backed away and scurried off.

Confused by his words, I asked, What did he call you?

Mo Bhanríon, she repeated. It’s like a nickname for…my queen.

Why would he call you that? Are you a queen?

Sort of. I’m an Aurorian, which means I’m the leader of the fey. She touched the side of her face near her eye and I noticed a star-like shape. I wondered if the mark meant something. It wasn’t the first time I had seen her touch it today.

Oh! I’m sorry for all these questions. They must seem pretty stupid to you.

Rylie smiled. It’s fine, Sierra. Really.

Feeling disappointed my memory had left me stranded, I said, I think I’m ready to hear more.

Okay. She sat down on the wooden swing that hung off to the left of the back door and I sat next to her.

What happened? Why don’t I remember? I took a long shuddering breath, wondering what I was about to hear.

Short version or long?

Long? I wasn’t quite sure.

"Some of this may sound strange to you, just bear with me. There’s this faery stone and long ago there was a lot of fighting so the last Aurorian broke this stone in half and hid the two pieces. By doing this it put a barrier up between the dark and the light faeries. An evil faery found the dark half and began