“You left it on purpose?” I asked.
She nodded. “May I hold it again? It helps me remember what has been stolen from me.”
“Remember?” I handed her the book, feeling Grey come to sit at my side. He stayed silent, tucking himself back, likely so that Evangeline could focus on me. “You mean your memories were taken like everyone else’s?”
She nodded, a bitter laugh escaping her as she pressed her hand flat to the book, cradling her sleeping baby in her other arm. “My father did not spare me, of course.”
“So you remember what he did? Hiding the Shadow Guild and erasing everyone’s memories of it?”
“Oh, yes.” She nodded her head. “I believe that only I and the housekeeper, Mrs. Birch-Cleve, know the truth. For different reasons, of course.”
“Why were you running?”
“It is all quite a story.” She looked down at the book. “But I believe we should start with this.”
16
Carrow
Evangeline rubbed the book with her fingers. “It is not a simple book, as I am sure you’ve found.”
I nodded. That was an understatement.
“This is a guide,” she said. “A talisman. A holy relic to our family. It has been imbued with the magic of our blood. Not only did it bring you back in time and help you find me, but it is immensely valuable to both you and me.”
It hit me hard, then. Harder than it had previously. This woman was my great-grandmother six or seven times back. My throat tightened. It wasn’t quite like meeting my mother, but it was the closest I would come.
Grey gripped my hand, as if he could feel the turmoil inside me. I clung to him.
“I left it for you,” she said. “Before my memory was taken by my father, I hid the book in the Shadow Guild tower, hoping that down the line, one of my children or their children would find it.” She smiled. “It seems to have taken a while, if you are from the year 2020.”
“It’s helping you remember the memories that were taken,” I said.
She nodded. “It is partially my magic, which is the same as yours. And partially the book itself, reminding me of what has led me here.”
“Please tell me more. I want to understand what happened to you.”
“I believe you know my father, Councilor Rasla, and what he has done,” she said. I nodded, and she continued. “After using great magic to hide the Shadow Guild tower, he erased the memories of the townsfolk, including mine. No one can remember that there was a guild by that name. I remember feeling something lost inside my head. It became worse when he locked me inside my room, along with my baby.” She rubbed her head. “It is all a bit of a mess in my memories. But my power allowed me to see glimpses of what he had done. I could read the story in the various things that I touched. Eventually, I understood enough of it.”
“And you ran away.”
“It was always a matter of time, whether or not I discovered my father’s terrible deed. He hated my child. Was glad when her father died of illness.”
Anger shot through me.
She seemed to notice it and shook her head. “No. Don’t be angry for me. I am moving forward, away from those terrible feelings and memories.”
“That’s why you’re running from Guild City. To start over,” I said.
She nodded. “My father is a monster. I can’t live there anymore.”
“What about the Shadow Guild? You don’t want to fight to bring it back?” I asked. “It’s your birthright.” I pointed to the baby. “From what I understand, she is meant to lead it.”
The woman smiled down at the baby. “Power for power’s sake is a trap. Being born into a role you are forced to fill is a terrible fate.” Her words rang with experience, and I couldn’t help but think back to my fear of taking over the Shadow Guild as leader. It wasn’t the same, though, was it?
“I want my child to be able to choose. It is wonderful to live among one’s own kind, but Guild City has been tainted by my father. It is not a place she can live freely. Better to hide her magic in this world than to be forced to live a life of fear in that place.”
“Are you speaking for yourself as well as for her?” I asked.