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Zoe woke up to the sound of banging against the front door. At first, she thought she might be dreaming, but then it came again, louder this time. She rubbed her eyes. “What is it?”
Nick pulled on a T-shirt. “I’ll go find out.”
Zoe glanced at the clock. It was only 6AM. Who’d be calling this early? She moved onto the landing as the sound of loud voices echoed down the hall.
Now what? Fear twisted in her stomach.
“Zoe Finn, get down here!” a voice yelled. “By order of the Circle!”
She gulped, glancing around for a possible means of escape. Where could she run to?
No, she couldn’t run. If she did, she’d live her whole life always looking over her shoulder. She’d have to face this, no matter the consequences.
Zoe headed downstairs, trying to regain some composure.
Nick stood struggling with one of the men. Two men, both fey, stood at the door.
“Zoe Finn, you’re to be brought before the Circle.”
They grabbed her and cuffed her, dragging her into the Circle’s meeting chamber after they emerged from the ley line. All five leaders including Sabine sat there, their gazes hard.
“What’s going on?” Zoe asked, feeling dazed.
“Zoe Finn, you’ve been brought before us today on charges of murder, endangerment to Magickind, and—,” Dorian said.
“I haven’t killed anyone,” she protested. “You’ve got it all wrong.”
The metal bracelets on her wrists burned her skin, making her want to rip them off. They prevented her from using her powers.
“We have proof. Footage of you visiting each of the psychics, of you at the café, the club where that sluagh attacked, and of you at the shop Enchanted.”
She froze. They thought she’d hurt Carmel?
“Those are all coincidences, just because I was there doesn’t—”
“My son Nicklaus has been watching you for weeks, observing your strange behaviour,” Dorian added.
She gasped. Nick is his son? How? What does that even mean?
“The evidence against you is overwhelming. For this you will be put to death,” Dorian snapped. “Does everyone agree?”
To her horror, Maeve and even Raf and Sabine all nodded in agreement.
She thought she sensed Nick’s presence outside, but that didn’t bring much comfort. Despite his promises, he was the son of the man now condemning her to death.
“Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?” Zoe asked. “Aren’t I entitled to some kind of trial?”
No one acknowledged her as they talked among themselves. Maybe Dorian had muted her out.
She thought fast, trying to figure out a way out of there. She didn’t want to die. She’d barely had the chance to live yet.
Deep down, Zoe knew she hadn’t harmed any of those people. It had been someone else, something else—the figure they’d seen earlier. The one who’d controlled and sent the sluagh.
For some reason, that person hadn’t harmed her. Why? What did they want? Why did she do strange things? She and that person must be connected somehow.
Zoe tugged at the bracelets, trying to get them off. She gave Sabine a pleading look.
Please help me, you know I didn’t do what they’re accusing me of.
But Sabine did not answer.
“I’m a guardian, doesn’t that count for something?” she demanded. “You lot forced me into that, remember?” Still they ignored her.
Dorian pressed a button under the table. A screen appeared on the wall showing an image of Zoe in Madame Zelda’s shop having a reading, then leaving. Madame Zelda started to look up as a figure moved out of the shadows: Zoe. Or at least it looked just like her.
Madame Zelda murmured something, and something flashed as Zoe raised her hand, knocking the woman to the floor, then gouging her eyes out with an athame.
Zoe looked away. “I didn’t do that. I wouldn’t.” What good would taking the eyes of psychics even do?
Next, an image of Original Sin appeared. The sluagh hovered over Devlin, draining his power. It showed Nick and Zoe, how she’d attacked Devlin, and the sluagh.
“That proves nothing,” she insisted.
They played more footage of her at other psychic shops, places she’d never been to, yet apparently killed each psychic at. Then it showed her at the cafe with the fey woman who’d been attacked by the sluagh.
Sabine, please. You know I’m innocent!
Still the witch did nothing. They started discussing the best way to kill her, noting her protective curse and her powers as a guardian.
Zoe squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to listen, and a memory flashed through her mind.
“No one has power over you. No one. Remember that,” said a voice. “Never trust them, keep your power safe.”
Flames suddenly appeared around the circle. Would this be how she died? By fire? The very thing that haunted her dreams?
Zoe? She thought heard Nick’s voice, but she ignored it. It hurt too much to think about him now.
Think, she told herself. Stay alive. Master of the sluagh? Whoever you are. If you hear me, please help me.
Fire enveloped her, licking at her skin before she had the chance to form another thought.
Zoe screamed, yet felt no pain. She felt the intensity of the heat, the power behind it trying to burn through her flesh and bone.
Then she heard chanting.
An invisible power forced her to her knees. Zoe coughed from the flames. Just because they didn’t burn her didn’t mean the smoke didn’t hurt. Her lungs burned, rasping for air.
She closed her eyes and slumped to the floor, unconscious. When she opened them again, they shone bright amber as power surged through her.
“Fools.” She yanked the bracelets off and pushed out of the circle, feeling its power burst like a bubble. “I knew you were stupid but didn’t realise just how much. You can’t hurt me.”
Zoe raised her hand. Maeve slumped to the floor unconscious, Lancaster followed next. She didn’t care. She rounded on Dorian, breaking through his mental barrier until she saw the last conversation he’d had with Nick, and flung him across the room.
Sabine raised her hand. “Zoe, stop this.”
“I’m not Zoe. That’s not my name. I won’t die.”
Something forced Zoe against the wall, pinning her in place. She laughed. “This won’t hold me for long.”
“Forgive me,” said Raf, plunging a knife through her chest.
She felt the cold metal ripping through her flesh, the biting pain. Then blackness as her heart started to slow.
Zoe floated through emptiness seeing flashes of colour. Everything felt just beyond her reach.
Light broke through the blackness, she gasped as she jolted awake.
Nick stood next to her holding her hand. “Oh, thank god.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Are you alright?”
She pulled away, looking down to see no trace of the wound. Raf and Sabine stood on the other side of the bed.
“You... You killed me!” Zoe said, jumping off the bed.
“We had to, it was the only way to get Dorian to believe you’re dead,” Raf answered. “I’m sorry I had to stab you.” He glanced at Nick. “I was right. The curse protects her even from death.”
Zoe touched her chest, feeling the lingering sensation of the blade ripping through her.
“Dorian won’t believe it for long. We have to work quickly.”
Zoe shook her head, backing away from them.
“Zo, it’s okay. They did it to save you,” Nick said, and turned to the others. “Can you give us a minute?”
“We don’t have a minute,” said Sabine. “Dorian will want to test her body. We need to act now, before it’s too late.”
“To do what?” Zoe demanded. “Kill me again?”
“No, to bring back your memories.”
“How?” She frowned at them.
“It’s dangerous and may have unforeseen consequences,” Raf answered.
“It’s called a spell of undoing. It reverses any magic, and I think it’ll be strong enough to reverse your curse and bring back your memories,” Sabine explained.
“I need time to think,” Zoe said, pacing, running a hand through her hair.
“I can buy you five minutes at most. You need to decide quickly,” Sabine said.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Dorian being your father?” Zoe snapped.
Nick winced. “Because he’s not, he’s just the bastard who used and abused my mum for over a decade.”
She shook her head. “He’s your dad, Nick. I saw in his mind.”
He flinched. He hadn’t wanted to believe he could be related to such an awful man. “So what? I’m not him, you know that.”
“I’m not sure what I know any more. You saw that footage. What if I’m the one who did all those things?” She continued pacing. “I don’t believe it, but...”
“Because you’re not. That’s not you.” Nick gripped her shoulders. “You don’t have to do that spell. We can leave, run away. Leave all this behind us.”
“You know how important finding out who I am is to me. I need to know. If it can prove my innocence...”
“What if something goes wrong? I don’t want to lose you.”
She hugged him as she blinked back tears. “I have to do this.”
Nick pulled her in for a kiss. “Whatever happens, don’t forget I love you.” He let her go. “Just come back to me.”
She nodded.
Sabine came back in to the room.
Nick didn’t want her to do this. It felt wrong.
“What happens once the spell is done?” he asked, arms crossed. “Do her memories come back?”
“The results are unpredictable. I can’t say how it will work,” Sabine admitted. “It’s not just memories, the curse itself is rooted deep within you,” she said to Zoe. “It could work, or it could trigger the curse again.”
“Then don’t do it.” Nick grabbed Zoe’s hand. “Please, Zo, I don’t want you to lose yourself because of this. We’ll leave and figure out another way. You know who you are now.”
Zoe shook her head. “I have to know why this is happening to me. If something inside me caused this, I need to know.”
“Hurry, the guards are on their way,” Raf called from the hallway.
Sabine began to chant so fast Nick couldn’t discern the words.
Light pulsed around the room, swallowing Zoe up until she vanished from sight.
Continued in Memories Found.
