The Memory Thief

by Lauren Mansy

  “But how can I help you find the Tribes?” I ask.

  “It’s not the Tribes I’m looking for anymore. As long as my mother and sister stay hidden with them, they’ll be safe until we take Madame down. I can’t say the same for my brother.” He meets my eyes. “He’s in the Maze.”

  My heart sinks. “So that’s why you’re here.”

  Reid puts his hand on my arm as I inch away, and when I flinch, he lets go. “Bray didn’t want you worrying about anyone other than Greer, but I have just as much to lose if we don’t get that map.”

  “Oh,” is the only thing that slips out.

  “All you have to say is oh? Ask me another question. Or two,” Reid says.

  Turning my back toward him, I put the ink back in his pack. Now it makes sense why he fought so hard to make me feel protected, why he volunteered for this job. Sure, this confirms we’re really allies, having goals which are fully aligned. But Reid planted the first seeds of trust between us when he gave me that memory of Ryder and I felt how much he cares for her. Ever since then, my words have seemed to pour out without permission, even in the midst of questioning his claims to want me as a partner.

  My stomach clenches as another thought creeps in. Is this the only reason Reid wanted to be friends? Because I’m his way into Porter’s prison?

  I brush my doubts away, irritated I even care. Despite it all, I’ve enjoyed sharing parts of myself with him that I haven’t spoken about in years. But it’s unlikely we’ll ever work together again after this job, especially if he leaves the Shadows to find his family. No reason to get attached.

  “When was your brother captured?” I finally ask.

  “A few years after I left the Tribes. I should’ve known he’d come after me,” he says, running his hand through his short hair. “I searched Craewick, Kripen, and Blare but couldn’t find a trace of him until I pledged to Bray. He discovered my brother had been kidnapped, sold to the Minders, and thrown into the Maze.”

  I face him, widening my eyes. “Your brother was a Shadow?”

  “No. He was Ungifted, not that it matters to Madame.” Reid picks up a twig, snaps it in two. “The Ungifted mind is still valuable, right?”

  I feel disgusted along with him. Memories can only be shifted around in life, only truly destroyed with death. The Gifted and Ungifted are treated alike in the Maze. They’re all trapped inside their own minds, forced to hold and relive horrific memories until they finally die—the deepest kind of torture.

  Reid adds, “We’ve been trying to find the Maze for years. I searched every Minder I came across and discovered Madame’s plan to take over the Realms, along with the memory that she knows what really happened to Porter’s daughter. That Minder I stole it from was still wearing the necklace Bray gave you.” He glances at the pendant before lifting his eyes to mine. “Until you showed up, I’d planned to go to Aravid alone, but there was no guarantee Porter wouldn’t double cross me. Your unreadability is the only thing that ensures once you steal the map, he can’t take it back.”

  I twist my hands in my lap. “The thing is, the Minders don’t usually keep prisoners for very long. I mean, we don’t even know if Greer is still alive, and he’s a Sifter. And the Ungifted . . . They can’t defend themselves at all,” I say, then regret how careless I sound when Reid tenses.

  “I understand how important it is to find Greer, and I swear I won’t leave you until you’re both safe,” he says. “But I won’t leave the Maze without my brother either. He’s alive, Etta. I’d know if he were dead.”

  Nodding, I’ve heard of the bond shared between siblings. Cade used to say he could feel Bray’s presence, a connection deeper than blood—one of energy and memory. “That’s good news. Maybe he is still alive.” I pause. “Some people deserve to be set free, right?”

  Reid gives me a tired smile.

  It’s strange how quickly life changes. For four years, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted: for my mother to wake. But now I want Greer to be set free, for Reid to be reunited with his brother, and for Madame to be knocked off her throne. Everything has gotten more complicated, but somehow, more hopeful too.

  I yawn. “Well . . . ‘night.” I’m halfway on my feet when Reid grabs my arm and pulls me back down.

  “Nice try,” he says. “What about my question? A deal is a deal.”

  Brushing him off, I say, “A lot of people break those.”

  “A lot of people keep them too. One question, then you can sleep. Promise.”

  “One more,” I growl, although I’m quite enjoying whatever this is. For just a little while, the worries that haven’t left in four years have dimmed.

  “So many possibilities . . . embarrassing Shadow stories?” he asks before waving his question off. “Nah, too easy.”

  “Oooh, I’ll throw one in for free,” I say. “I once told Joss I’d fallen madly in love with Bray’s best friend, a boy with the cutest dimples, named Beau. Once Cade found out, he called me Mrs. Beau for weeks until Beau overheard and orchestrated a fake pairing ceremony, inviting every single Shadow to the celebration.” I laugh thinking of the pile of presents and heartfelt toasts. “To this day, I’m pretty sure a few of those Shadows never figured out it was only Beau’s excuse to throw a party.”

  Reid smirks. “So, it’s safe to say you’re in a pretty committed relationship?”

  “Our seven-year anniversary is next month.” I grin, but then my chest tightens when I think of how Beau ended up.

  He went missing right before I left the Shadows, and we’d heard he was imprisoned in Kripen. Imagining Beau, all dimples and laughs, as a captive of the military base, where criminals are released and hunted to train the Minders, was like day and night colliding. And the only reason I knew Greer was outside of Kripen when I gave up his location to Madame is because he, along with Cade and Joss as I later discovered, was on his way to rescue Beau.

  When Reid puts his hand on my arm, I’m already inching backwards.

  “I hear it too,” I whisper over the sound of snapping branches close by.

  On my knees, I peek out of the cave and count eight bodies right below, people dressed in frayed rags and worn boots. Their faces are streaked with grime, and their gnarled hair looks as if it’s nesting vermin.

  Ghosts.

  A furious shudder runs through me as something shiny catches my eye. A metal chain clamped around the neck of a girl who’s being dragged like a wild animal.

  I grit my teeth. I once knew a Shadow who was a captive of the Ghosts. She was tortured for months but thankfully, couldn’t recall much because they took her memories to use as ammo. But I can still hear her screams as she woke from nightmares. The little bits of torture she remembered had been brutal enough to make her cry.

  “Wipe that look off your face, Etta,” Reid whispers harshly.

  I glance over. “What look?”

  “Like you’re about to throw that rock you’re holding at one of them. Put your pack on and let’s get out of here.”

  I tighten my grasp around the rock’s jagged edges, afraid if I don’t, I’ll scream. Pushing myself to my feet, I lean over the edge to get a better view of the captive and slip my pack on.

  My heart aches at how much she looks like Joss. Her Shadow parents were auctioned when she was a baby, so Joss was raised by Greer too. Some of my memories were inside her when she died, and some of hers are still inside me. A sister in every way but blood.

  “We have to get out of here, not start a riot,” Reid hisses, holding out my bow, then seems to think better of it and pulls it back. “Don’t initiate, okay? You can’t save everyone.”

  We fall on our stomachs as a bloodcurdling war cry sounds right outside the cave.

  Out of nowhere, a man wearing a vest of thick black fur barrels toward the captive. He whips a dagger off his belt and slices the arm off the man jerking her chain.

  The Ghost drops to the ground, clutching a bloody stump.

  Dozens of Hunters emerge from beh
ind the trees, wearing animal skulls on top of their heads, bushy coats, and furry vests. Rushing toward the Ghosts, they’re growling, pouncing, howling, and some have whittled their teeth into sharp points. Others are biting throats and swiping chests with talons sewn into wooly gloves.

  I close my eyes as a memory of Bray rushes back to me, when we were stalked by a pack of Hunter wolves on a Shadow job.

  “Hunters are the fastest trackers, seeking prey from miles out. That’s why the Minders hire them to gather food, but some never return to any of the Realms,” he explains over the howling. “By reading the minds of animals, they become a combination of animal instincts and the unpredictability of our nature. Never trust one. You can only play around with memories for so long before those memories start to play around with you.”

  I peek outside the cave before Reid yanks me back. There’s a Ghost climbing up the trail, his bow and arrow drawn. Maybe we could’ve stayed out of this, kept hidden during this passing storm. But when the Ghost sticks his red-scarfed head into the cave, my hope begins to break.

  It shatters completely when he charges at us.

  CHAPTER

  10

  Reid yanks the Ghost forward and whips his bow out of his hands before the boy finds time to fire.

  The Ghost lets out a shriek, but one glance from Reid shuts him up.

  I don’t know what Reid stole, but the boy looks as if he can’t remember how to speak before he collapses.

  A hand grips my shoulder, and I spin, kicking my adversary in the stomach. The Ghost loses her footing. I reach for her, but she stumbles backwards out of the cave, falling down into the clash of metal below.

  “No!” I scream, furious at how quickly my fighting skill has overpowered me.

  Reid groans, and my heart races because I know we’re thinking the same thing.

  They know we’re here now.

  I clutch my head, panic rising up inside me. If something happens to me, this memory I’m holding for Porter will be lost forever—our only hope to free Greer. Or if I die, will my unreadability disappear? This memory can’t fall into the wrong hands, especially not the Ghosts.

  As I close my eyes, energy ignites every joint and muscle as I stop fighting the strength of my combat talent. Memories course through my head, shuffling my vision between the present and the past.

  I see Ghosts raiding the fray of Craewick and feel the panic of my neighbors as they rush through the streets, knowing the Minders never arrive in time to help them. Screams pierce the air as Ghosts push inside their homes, ripping memories from the minds of the helpless.

  When I open my eyes, I’m not scared anymore. I’m ready.

  As if he can hear my thoughts, Reid yells, “Don’t engage unless you have to!”

  We slip out of the cave, and I catch sight of the captive. Her eyes are narrowed, her hair wild and unruly, and her back is arched like a housecat. It strikes me this is no ordinary prisoner. She’s a Hunter too, looking as sly as a fox. This attack isn’t random . . . it’s her rescue.

  The girl makes a run for it, but the chain around her neck twists around a tree stump. She yanks it loose, and I think she’s going to escape until a Ghost grabs the end of the chain and pulls. She flies backwards and lands on her back. Tears stream down her cheeks as she claws at the lock, trying to free herself of the metal noose.

  The Ghost slips a knife from his belt, brings it to her neck. More willing to lose his captive rather than see her set free.

  A memory of Joss flashes before me.

  “You know, you’re my best friend, Jules.”

  “And you’re my sister,” I reply.

  Years of pent up rage flare up so quickly I nock an arrow, pick a mark on the Ghost’s thigh, and let it fly.

  Reid yells my name the second it whizzes past him, and what I’ve done sinks in. We knew we wouldn’t slip out of here without a fight, but I’ve picked an enemy. My fears are confirmed when a Ghost lunges at Reid.

  Reid shoves her off and raises his knife before she charges again.

  Swinging my bow onto my back, I grab my knife off my belt as a Ghost and a Hunter come between us. I wrap my hands around the Ghost’s thick neck, slamming his forehead into my knee. The Hunter backs off after witnessing this handy trick, and I clutch the hilt of my knife to throw it at him.

  Wearing the skull of a wolf, he angles his head, silver eyes gleaming.

  I brace myself for his attack, ready to feel his sharp teeth plunge into my neck. But it’s an even greater shock when he bows slightly before driving his blade into the Ghost behind him.

  Whipping around, I call for Reid, having lost him among the fighters, when the captive screams again. She’s still on the ground, trying to lift herself up as her elbows collapse under her. Every bit of me wants to help her, but I fly toward Reid when I spot him through the trees.

  He’s fighting a trio of Ghosts wielding wooden staffs. He blocks and lunges as they attack him, finally twisting a staff out of a girl’s hands before slamming it across her back. He’s clearly winning, but I’m not the only one who notices.

  The man holding the captive’s chain pulls a short axe from his belt and locks his sight on Reid. My arrow’s still lodged in his leg, but it isn’t enough to slow him down.

  He leans back to throw his axe, and my knife finds its target through his palm.

  Yelling, he drops the axe and the girl’s chain, and I sprint toward him.

  Coming up from behind, I latch onto his arm and leap into his mind. Hundreds of images flash before me, passing so rapidly I’m dizzy as the Ghost shuffles his thoughts. His memories are moving too quickly for me to steal anything. Though it’s a helpful trick to keep me out of his mind, it comes at a price. Shuffling your thoughts this rapidly results in a splitting headache. He’s grimacing, clearly in pain. All I have to do is wait until he can’t bear it any longer, and I’ll be able to snatch whatever I want.

  The Ghost punches the side of my face.

  Stumbling away, I feel warm blood trickling down my cheek as the gash from the Minder reopens. The Ghost kicks my back, and my knees hit the ground. He whips me around and wraps his hands around my throat, pressing down hard.

  My sight blurs as I force my way into the Ghost’s mind and see a picture of the captive. The Hunters’ attack sits on the very tip of his consciousness, waiting to be stored with other frightening events.

  I work as quickly as I can, slicing apart bits and pieces of his memories. I’m careful to take enough to confuse him so he’ll let the captive go. Not enough to manipulate my own emotions. If I take too many of his thoughts, they’ll make me hate her as much as he does.

  He lifts my head and slams it onto the ground.

  Deep, sharp pain erupts in the base of my skull. I pull out of his mind and spend my last bits of energy kicking him. One, two, three times before I pull my bloody knife from his palm and slip away.

  My skin buzzes as warmth spreads from deep inside my body, the energy of my Gift set free after years of holding back. But a part of me feels ashamed that in the midst of fighting and theft, I finally feel like me again.

  With a dazed look, the Ghost drops the captive’s chain and joins the rest of the fight.

  With a cry of joy that my trick worked, I rush toward the captive, and she recoils as I jam my knife into the lock around her neck. She stops squirming when I scream that I’m trying to help her.

  When the chain falls to the ground, the Hunter grins, her teeth whittled into sharp points.

  Reid grabs my arm as he passes, pulling me along with him.

  Just before we break out of the chaos, I spy a Hunter kick a knife out of a Ghost’s hands before gripping her forearm. She convulses, screaming and gnashing her teeth, but the Hunter doesn’t stop driving memories into her head. When she opens her eyes, she takes her knife and plunges it into the back of a fellow Ghost.

  A shudder runs through me. If a common Hunter can so easily manipulate, turning an enemy into an ally with only a fe
w memories, how are we ever going to stop Madame?

  We twist and curve through a sea of evergreens as we move north toward Aravid. I struggle to keep my footing with all the mud left over from the storm, but I’m careful to stay right behind Reid.

  He navigates the forest with such ease that I imagine him growing up with the Tribes, running through these woods as a child while his brother and sister chase after him. He doesn’t slow his pace until the lights of Aravid flicker in the distance. We’re high up in elevation now, overlooking a patch of forest with the fence surrounding the city dead ahead.

  Clutching the necklace, I lean over to catch my breath. I shiver as I realize how real this has all become. Somewhere down there is Porter, a player in a game I never wished to be involved in.

  “Are you okay?” Reid asks. He doesn’t give me time to answer before he puts his finger under my chin, turning my face this way and that. “Your face is swollen. Black and blue too. You promised you weren’t going to initiate. What were you thinking by helping that captive?”

  “What was I supposed to do? Let her die?” Let you die? I almost add, thinking of that Ghost, only seconds away from lodging his axe into Reid’s back. “Why are you so angry?”

  “I think you know why I’m angry,” he snaps before sighing. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “You won’t. We’ll get your brother out of the Maze.”

  He meets my eyes. “You honestly think that’s the only reason I’m worried?”

  At his words, my mouth dries up. I remind myself this is a job, and we’ll be out of one another’s lives once this is all over. What confuses me is I don’t like the idea and I’m getting the impression Reid doesn’t either. Now I’m fighting to keep my breathing steady, and I think he is too because he turns away, looking toward Aravid.

  “We should stop here for the night. If Bray is right about all the measures Porter has taken to secure Aravid, arrows will be flying at us the second we set foot on his land. Only Ghosts and Hunters prefer traveling in darkness,” he mutters, glancing back at me. “You’re shaking, Etta. Just sit down.”