Chapter 454: La Loba Did It
"It doesn’t feel right asking you to do that for me, Penelope," Zagan said, his eyes flitting around the group.
"But that is the answer," she replied, her expression positively elated at how obvious it was. She couldn’t believe it hadn’t occurred to her before this moment.
"She’s right," August added. "That makes sense. If no one remembers you in Gray Vale, then they can’t recall that you are a threat."
Nedra was watching them quietly, tucked into Seth’s side. She had mixed emotions about the suggestion that Zagan could be forgotten so easily with Penelope’s help. It seemed wrong—that Zagan would be able to do all of the things that he did, create so much suffering and pain and change the course of so many lives and then just be able to disappear from their memories.
On the other hand, Nedra felt the smallest bit of relief at the thought that perhaps she, too, could forget him. But then what would that make this whole time of hers working at his behest? What would that create in her mind? What else would be affected? Would she remember Seth and her children? How would she be able to reconcile all that had happened with the gaping hole left where Zagan’s identity had been?
"Can you target this enchantment?" Nedra asked, allowing herself to break away from Seth for a moment.
"What do you mean?" Penelope asked in reply.
"Rather than everyone forgetting him. Are you able to target the audience to which that applies. Say, only those from Gray Vale forget him. Would something like that work?"
"Yes," Penelope nodded. "I have done it before. It actually makes the enchantment less complicated when there is a narrower group to which it applies."
"I do not want to forget Zagan. Only because I don’t know how that would affect the rest of my memories from this place," she added, seeing the vampire’s curious eyes on her. She glared at him, and he felt the sting from it. He deserved it.
"But wouldn’t it be great if all of the alyko could forget their time here?" August asked aloud.
"No," Nedra scoffed. "No, it would not. Because what is left in its place? He should be remembered as the one who is responsible for doing that to them. It is at least some form of justice for the memory of how he terrorized others to be in tact. Perhaps he is changed or different in some way now, but it does not erase the past. The past is important. How those alyko carry on with their lives and the meaning they derive from what happened here... that is important. You can’t just take it away and expect it to be fine. Isn’t that also a violation of those alyko who have been through so much? Isn’t it a kind of violence in itself? To alter someone’s memory? It changes who they believe themselves to be!"
Nedra’s chest was heaving by the end of her rant, her lips curled back over her teeth in an expression of disgust for this idea. How could they truly believe that forgetting him was an answer?
"You are right," August said softly, dropping her eyes to the forest floor. "I’m sorry if the suggestion offended you, Nedra."
Nedra let out a heavy exhale and caught Zagan’s apologetic eyes on her, but she didn’t want them. She didn’t want to see the guilt that was there or the apology that he may feel compelled to offer. Fine, he was different. He was a new male with the miracle of a mate by his side, but she would retain her memory of him as the old Zagan. And whether or not she chose to forgive him was up to her and her alone. No one should take that away from her or pressure her into it.
"Then we target Gray Vale," Penelope said. "That I can do. I may need more names if there are others who may recall Zagan and bring that memory to those in Gray Vale, but we will keep the alyko out of it."
A muscle feathered in Zagan’s jaw. He agreed with Nedra, and he didn’t know how he felt about Penelope even directing some kind of memory alteration toward Gray Vale. It felt like he was being forgiven for something even if that was not the case. But if the enchantment would keep Penelope safe, that was all that truly mattered. She was guilty of nothing but being his mate. She should not be punished for what he had done or where he came from.
"I will have to speak with Zagan about the details of those closely associated with him in Gray Vale, but the only issue I foresee is that the enchantment does not work particularly well on other alyko. Or on other fae. So this guy..." she said, gesturing toward the oversized insect in his invisible jar, "being part fae, it is possible that the enchantment would eventually break for him. He may not be able to convince others of what he remembers, but it would not stop him from trying to get them to recall Zagan. Once there is a fracture like that which affects the integrity of the enchantment, it is possible that it will fall apart entirely."
"So we still have the problem of what to do with this creature," August mumbled, running her thoughts over possible solutions. She saw a glimmer of light within the vampire’s being before when she was speaking to him—perhaps that light was something that could be flooded with more of itself.
"What would happen if we tried to heal him like we did with Zagan?" She asked. "If we concentrated all of that healing light into him... what would be the effect?"
Nedra scoffed. "No chance." It was difficult enough allowing herself to open to the possibility of doing that for Zagan. There was no way she was going to allow this other vampire to be redeemed.
"I don’t know," Penelope shook her head.
August sighed. Obviously the possibility was not one they were wanting to consider, but... what if that was what could bring the unliving vampires to life?
"Don’t you think it is worth a shot? What if that kind of healing is also something that can finally start a beating heart? Other than mates... there has to be another way to give the vampires life, right? I mean... La Loba did it. That is what Zagan was searching for without realizing Penelope was also his answer."
