Chapter 483: Forgotten
Penelope closed her eyes and held the scroll tied with Zagan’s hair in her hand. This was an enchantment she had done so many times, it was almost second nature to her at this point.
She exhaled deeply and concentrated, imagining the individuals on this paper circulating in the Veiled around her like a crowd that was gathering to witness what she was about to do.
This was the first time she had performed the enchantment with the intended person standing right next to her, and rather than staring at the scroll, all of the energy signatures of those who were gathered looked at Zagan next to her. He was drawing their attention like they recognized him. Hopefully his presence wouldn’t change the effect, but either way it would become apparent almost immediately once the spell was cast.
"Let this scroll be a funeral pyre for the memory of Zagan. He has never been. He never was. He never will be. Let the memory of him and every trace of his spirit be dispersed to the sea of forgotten time where no stories are remembered or told, swept away and replaced in your minds with an echo of your other memories."
Penelope felt the entranced gaze of those who were not truly there in body but whose memories were represented in their forms gathered around in the Veiled. They were watching the scroll in her hand now rather than the male who was standing next to her. That was good. It was working.
The scroll burst into flames in her hand, and she felt Zagan flinch next to her and restrain himself from grabbing it away. The flame did not touch her hand, and at first it did not appear to even touch the paper. Its bright red color was surrounding the scroll while the paper stayed upright and unperturbed.
Slowly the red flames lessened and changed to a dark orange. The orange shifted to a lighter hue before the edges of the paper began to char and curl in on themselves like they were seeking to escape the heat that was finally affecting them.
Individuals in the crowd around Penelope and Zagan began disappearing. These were successes. The enchantment had worked on them.
Finally, the flames turned a brilliant blue color and consumed the remainder of the scroll that was in her hand and took the rest of the crowd in the Veiled with it. Penelope curled her fingers inward and ran them against her empty palm. Every last trace of the list of names was gone. She breathed in slowly and then let it out, cleansing the air in her lungs before she whispered the last line that would seal the enchantment.
"He is forgotten."
Her eyes opened to rest on the male next to her. He appeared to be in awe of what he just witnessed, but there was a pride shining in his eyes as well.
"This was different than when you did it for August and her mate," he said.
"I wasn’t making a great number of people forget them. I was asking that they forget each other," she explained.
He nodded, his brows threading together as he thought of what it would feel like to be forced to forget her. He had asked her to do that for him without even considering how tragic that would be for the mates who were the target of the enchantment.
"You’ve been given another chance," she drew him from his thoughts by grabbing both of his hands. "Stop dwelling on all of your previous actions and focus on what you will do with the life you have been given now."
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Down below outside the castle, the vampire in the cage shook his head as if he was trying to clear it of some confusion. He looked around at those who were surrounding him, wondering where he was and how he had gotten here.
August noticed the change in him immediately. It was as if a threat that had been looming nearby had suddenly disappeared. There was no more menacing aura overflowing with rage directed at them. There was only innocent confusion.
"She did it," August said softly, and Nedra and Seth turned their gazes on the caged vampire as well.
"Where am I?" He growled.
August pushed back a smile. Penelope was brilliant.
"It seems you are lost and stumbled onto our land. Perhaps we can help you find your way home," she offered sweetly.
His eyes narrowed at her. Why did he not recall leaving Gray Vale?
"I don’t need help from anyone," he said. The menace in him had reignited.
"Does this mean we no longer have to kill him?" Nedra asked, and Seth shushed her when he noticed the vampire’s eyes snap their way. "What?" She asked innocently.
"Hmm," August hummed. "I don’t know. But how can we just let him go when we know what he does? He needs to be taught a lesson about what it means to be part fae."
"How do you know that I am part fae?" He growled again.
"You shared your abilities with us," August said. "You see, we are part fae as well. Perhaps that is what brought you to us. Were you seeking to understand the fae better?"
The creature frowned. Had he gone wandering away from Gray Vale in search of fae? It didn’t seem like anything he would ever do, but it must be as they said since he had no memory to contradict it.
Deep down, he had always wondered about the extent of his fae abilities. His unique nature allowed him quite a bit of power in Gray Vale. Vampires aren’t afraid of many things, but the ability he had to torture them with his fae blood was an exception.
He could probably be a god if he wanted to, but he allowed the royals to maintain their positions of power and use him for their purposes. It was enough for him. What would he do as a god of the vampires anyway? He had too much fun enjoying the perks of his position without the weight of so much responsibility.
A wicked smile curved on his face. "What can you teach me?"
