Page 44 of Thorulf

“More than any of us would like.” Thorulf scowled. Despite himself, he was hurt his brother would think him capable of being aligned with Mórrígan. “Yet he does not turn a doubtful, suspicious eye on himself.”

“He’s just struggling,” Jade murmured, surprising all of them with her comment.

Thorulf frowned. “Struggling how?”

“She doesn’t know,” Maya said softly when Jade looked equally confused. “Because that wasn’t her comment.”

“No.” Jade pinched her nose, shook her head then looked at Maya. “We need to seriously figure out this Trinity-possessing-us bullshit because it sucks.”

Maya nodded. “I know.”

“So Trinity took over you that quickly?” Thorulf asked. “Again?”

“Yes.” Jade frowned. “It seems if she’s not mysteriously talking to me like she’s right here, she’s highjacking my mind to scope out Vicar.” She flinched. “Or is it tohuntorkeephim?”

“It’s something,” Maya muttered, as stumped as the rest of them by what was going on between Trinity and Vicar. All but Thorulf, that is. He was much more interested in getting to the bottom of his own mystery. Interested in seeking out more memories and remembering everything he had forgotten.

“Me too,” Jade said, responding to his internal thought. She peered deeper into the cave. “So how big is this lair anyway?”

“Sizeable with several sub-caves.” Though tempted to take her hand again, he gestured that she follow him. “Come. I’ll show you around.”

“No need,” she murmured, looking this way and that as she fell in beside him. “Now that I’m here, I know this place...I remember it as clearly as I did the forests and mountains.”

When she walked a little faster, taken by something, he kept up, surprised when she ducked behind a boulder and shimmied sideways down a narrow tunnel few knew was there. It led to an area he called home in human form when not at the Fortress or Stronghold. A place only Dagr and his parents knew about.

“What is it?” he asked when she slowed, and her heartbeat increased. “What’s the matter? Are you all right or...”

He trailed off when what she sensed blew through him.

“Do you feel that?” she whispered hoarsely. “Do you feel...”

Despite his sudden untimely arousal at what he sensed, he managed to pull free Loki’s Dagger and put her behind him. Whatever lay ahead wasn’t supposed to be here...or was it? One part of him said yes, absolutely, it was always meant to be here, may it never leave. Another part feared because it made no sense.

“But it must somehow,” Jade said so softly he barely caught it. “Because, hell if I can’t feel it like it happened yesterday.”

He agreed yet kept his blade at the ready as they inched forward until they saw what they felt.

Until they saw just how much they had truly forgotten.