The Forgotten (The Lost Children Series Book 1)

by Jennifer Sivec

  Jakob came running out of the wooded area as fast as he could. “Kell! I’m here!” He was breathing heavily and carrying something on a branch.

  Fish! Kell stopped crying immediately as the sight of the fish made his stomach grumble. He ran to Brother and hugged him as hard as he could. “Jakob! I thought you were lost or that you left me! You scared me!”

  “I would never leave you, Kell. You should know that, and you must always believe in me!” Jakob scolded him gently but felt bad for making him cry. “I tried to get back as quickly as I could, but I had to find some us some food.”

  “I know Jakob. It’s okay.” Kell was usually quick to forgive, especially where Jakob was concerned. He was hungry now and kept eyeing the fish that Jakob was carrying strung out on a long branch. There must have been about eight of them, and Kell felt his stomach grumble in anticipation. “Don’t forget Jakob, we have to feed the dog too!”

  Jakob looked annoyed.

  “Fine,” he said without arguing. He knew that Kell was right, but he was hungry and looking forward to eating as much of the fish as he could.

  Jakob heated up some large rocks after he fed the fire, and then took out his scabbard and quickly cleaned and gutted the fish. He cooked the fish on the hot rocks as Kell watched, hungrily. They were big colorful fish, unfamiliar to both of the boys, and they had a sweet meaty flavor to them. After they had eaten the boys were still hungry, but felt much better, even wrapping a piece in a leaf to save for later. Jakob could tell that Kell felt better too. Jakob offered the dog some of his fish, but she refused, nudging it back at him with her nose.

  Stupid dog! Jakob thought, annoyed. He gave her piece to Kell, and Kell was thankful for the extra food. He wasn’t used to being hungry.

  When they were done eating, Jakob suggested they take a walk.

  As they were walking, the dog stayed close to Kell’s side. Jakob looked at her with curiosity. “Kell, stop walking.” Kell stopped, and the dog stopped.

  “Kell, walk again.” Kell walked, and the dog walked right beside him, keeping in stride.

  “Kell, stop.” Jakob ordered again.

  Kell was irritated. “Why Jakob?”

  “Nothing. Sorry. Keep walking.” Jakob noticed that the dog mirrored Kell’s every move. He also noticed something that he hadn’t seen when she’d come to them in the dark. The tips of her long floppy ears and the tip of her tail were a rich magenta. Magenta? What kind of dog is magenta? Jakob was fascinated, but didn’t say anything. He knew that Kell wouldn’t understand.

  They walked in silence for a while through a dense forest of huge trees, which seemed to shelter them from the sky. Soon they came up to a little brook and they stopped, anxious for some much needed water.

  “Jakob, we need a name for the dog,” Kell said after he had finished thirstily scooping water into his mouth trying to quench his thirst. Jakob could tell he had been thinking of his question for a while.

  “No, Kell! We aren’t naming the dog. She isn’t ours, and if we name her we are putting a claim to her that we don’t have a right to. Maybe there’s a village nearby and we can find her owners, but we aren’t naming her.” Jakob didn’t want Kell to get too attached.

  “We have to! We can’t just keep calling her ‘the dog’. She needs to have a name!” Kell was insistent. Jakob knew that the look on his face meant business. Even though Kell was usually pretty easy going, when he had his mind set on something, even Jakob couldn’t get him to change it.

  “Fine, what do you want to name her?” Jakob asked after a short silence. He knew there was no point in arguing with Kell about it.

  “Um, let’s call her … Suka! Frampson! Humphrey! Poppycock!” Kell was excited. He always wanted to name a pet.

  “I’m not calling a dog ‘Poppycock!’” Jakob said, laughing for the first time that he could remember since he awoke yesterday. “She’s a girl. She needs a girl’s name.”

  Jakob could tell that Kell was thinking hard, and he was impressed with how much he cared about giving her the right name. Kell looked down at the water thinking, his little face deep in thought, his dark brows furrowed.

  “I know what to name her!” Kell said, excited.

  “What?” Jakob asked brimming with amusement.

  “Brooke! Let’s call her Brooke!”

  Jakob looked down at the clear sparkling water in front of them and smiled. “Brooke, it is!”

  Brooke jumped up on Kell and knocked him down, her tail wagging with excitement. She kissed his face until she left it a big, sloppy mess. Jakob and Kell laughed as Kell tried futilely to dry himself off with his sleeve, a wide smile on his face as he forgot where he was, just for a moment.

  “Brooke likes her name, too.” Jakob said to Kell with a smile. Jakob was surprised with how much he already liked her and thought for a split second that he hoped they wouldn’t run into anyone who claimed her. He didn’t want to imagine giving her up, even though he had warned Kell not to get attached.

  Brooke looked up at Jakob almost as though she were approving of him, too, and for a moment, Jakob thought that the magenta in her tail looked a little brighter.

  15

  SAIYA

  There was nothing in the world that Saiya wanted more at that moment than her Mama. She was afraid and wet, water sloshing around at her waist.

  She was in a freezing cold, strange, and dark place. She didn’t know where she was, and all she wanted was to get out and be hugged tight against her Mama’s warm, soft chest. But when she looked up, she saw a thin sliver of light that seemed so far away, and she knew she was deep at the bottom of something, though she couldn’t imagine what it could be. She knew every bit of Tamaryn around her home and never recalled seeing anything that seemed as though it could be like this.

  Saiya desperately searched for a way to escape, but all she found in the dark were slimy brick walls. She could tell she was walking in a circle, first one way and then the other and she hit the wall in frustration. Where is Sister? Anabel! Where are you?!

  Saiya was angry. I hate it here! I hate it! I want out, now! I hate this place.

  She thought that if there were snakes in the water she would no longer be angry but afraid instead. Snakes were the only things that truly scared her. Her heart raced in her chest and she shivered at the thought of them swimming in the water next to her. She liked all animals except for nasty, dirty, slimy snakes.

  Saiya even liked worms!

  “Mama! Anabel! Daddy!” Saiya yelled and heard her small, high-pitched voice echoing all around her. “Anabel! Help me! Anabel!”

  Saiya knew that Anabel would always protect her because her sister always looked out for her. There was never a time that Saiya could remember that Anabel wasn’t there for her.

  “Well Anabel’s not here for you now,” a voice seemed to be reading her mind as it came out of the walls making Saiya’s blood suddenly run cold. Saiya froze, her limbs refusing to move. The voice sounded like Saiya imagined a snake’s voice would sound, slippery and slow, slithering its way into her head without permission. “Where is your SSSister?”

  Saiya looked around frantically, splashing at the water to see if she could catch sight of anything in the blackness, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the dim light that shined down on her. “Who are you?” she demanded angrily, her tiny voice forceful. She felt her temper starting to boil over; being scared always made Saiya mad.

  “Aren’t you a sweeeeeet one? Anabelllll isn’t coming for youuuuuu,” the voice said. Saiya cowered, imagined whatever it was slithering around the walls above her as its voice got louder, indicating it was getting closer.

  “Anabel always comes for me!” Saiya splashed the water around her angrily as she twisted and turned, searching desperately for the source of the voice. “Who are you? Come out now and show yourself!”

  “Yooooooou’ll find out sssssoon enough.”

  Saiya felt something big swimming near her legs. She imagined that she felt a tail, or
something like it, gliding against her and she threw herself as fast as she could from one side of the wall to the next. Her eyes were wide, every part of her tingling with fear.

  “Anabel! Save me!” she croaked, understanding at last that Anabel was nowhere near.

  The water suddenly started to get deeper around her. It was rising up quickly to her chest and Saiya knew that there was nothing she could do. If I swim, then maybe the water will take me to the top.

  “Nothing will take you to the toooooop. You’ll never see the top of thissssss well you are in, ever again.” the Serpent-like voice echoed menacingly against the walls. “I’m going to keep you down here with me, foreverrrrrr.”

  Without another thought, Saiya screamed.

  16

  THE GOVERNESS AND THE PRISONER

  Kyla raced down to the dungeon holding the walls as she walked, still not completely sure of the footing in her Human body. Her thoughts were racing almost as quickly as her heart; another feeling she was not yet accustomed to.

  She needed to get rid of the Prisoner before Will asked to see her again. She didn’t know if everything would become undone if Will were to see the Prisoner. Would everything change, and would his memory fully return? His belief in me is flimsy enough as it is. I simply can’t risk that he will remember her. The Ubilez said that the bond between us would grow stronger the longer Will and his true wife are apart, which is what I need. I need him to have enough faith in me so that I can bond us by blood and that means I need to get rid of her permanently. She can’t ruin what I’ve worked so hard to do!

  Kyla paced slowly outside of the Prisoner’s door feeling surer with each step, the heels of her shoes clicking on the stone floor. She knew what she needed to do to ensure her plan would work, but it had never been done by a Yashwa before. Before the Ubilez had bestowed upon her the power of a Human woman, she would have lacked the ability to pull her plan off. She could feel that power growing inside her with every breath she took.

  They had warned her to be careful with how she wielded this power so it wouldn’t become out of control, possessing her and ruining her plan completely. Kyla knew she had to be sure what she wanted to do before she did it, which meant she had to know with certainty what she wanted to do with the Prisoner.

  I can imprison her or send her away, but I can’t kill her. The Ubilez said killing her would have an unpredictable effect on Will and the Blood Bond could be ruined. I can’t take that chance. There is only one place to send the Prisoner where she will not be able to find herself; a different realm altogether, one that is completely unknown to the Humans.

  Kyla thought about the Farther Realm, which was far beneath their own; the secret layer below the earth that only the most powerful Creatures knew about and Humans could never imagine existed. It was a secret realm and Kyla knew that Humans who were banished to the Farther had never found their way home. They either lost themselves in the attempt, or simply in madness. Sending the Prisoner to a realm where she would attempt in vain to find her way back was cruel. Kyla knew that the woman would most likely die from trying, which would ensure she would never be able to return.

  Kyla took a deep breath and nodded to the Governor’s Guard who opened the large, heavy door without a word. She entered the cold, dark room that imprisoned the woman. The woman looked at her, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the light from the hallway.

  “What do you want?” the Prisoner demanded, her voice full of anger and venom as she tried desperately to pull away from the chain that was holding her to the ground.

  “Why do you continue trying to escape? It’s completely useless to fight so hard.” Kyla’s voice was tinged with amusement. “The steel is strong and you will never get free.”

  The Prisoner grunted and groaned in anger. “Let me see Will! I want to see my husband!”

  “Your husband?” Kyla said, taunting her. “He’s not your husband! He’s mine and he belongs to me now. You’ve never deserved to have him, and now I will take care of him the way you should have. He doesn’t even remember you! Nobody remembers you. As far as anyone can remember, I’ve always been his wife and the Governess. I’ve made sure of it.”

  The Prisoner fought harder, desperation etched in the shadows of her smooth, beautiful face. “What are you talking about? I’m his wife and the Governess, how can you have changed that? Who are you to judge the kind of wife I have been to my husband? That is none of your concern! I want out of here, right now! I want to see Will!”

  “You don’t need to know how I changed it. All you need to know is that I have changed it and I’m the Governess now while you are nothing. You have no right to demand anything, or ask anything. You’re not going to see Will!” Kyla said innocently twirling the loose ends of her long hair slowly. “This is the way it should be. You are simply a prisoner now, and that is all. I don’t know who you think you are. Look at you. You’re not even fit to be the Governess.”

  The Prisoner paused from struggling and looked down at her dress. It was made of the scratchy, rough cloth of the simple People, and she knew how she looked compared to the Governess. But the Governess was wearing her favorite dress, the one spun especially for her as a gift from the People of Tamaryn for her birthday. The Prisoner shook her head. She suddenly realized she was thinking of this woman as the Governess. She’s not the Governess. I’m the Governess. Will is MY husband. It’s happening already! I’m starting to forget him! How is this happening?

  The Governess smiled at the Prisoner. “You have nothing to worry about. I’ve decided what I am going to do with you.”

  The Prisoner cringed as the Governess clapped her hands together and a tiny, bright, white light appeared, small and round, floating above her hands. The Prisoner was suddenly mesmerized, her deep gray eyes wide, her pupils black and large. The light floated from the Governess closer to the Prisoner, but the Prisoner didn’t seem to notice, her eyes fixated on the light. As the light slowly got closer, it grew until it was as almost as large as the Prisoner’s torso. Suddenly, the light seemed to explode; bright beams lighting up the dank cell. Just as quickly as it had come, the light disappeared, taking the Prisoner with it.

  The Governess looked around the cell for a moment, making sure it was completely empty, and then walked out the door, pleased. She smiled, her lips curled, turning her pretty face dark and sinister. The Governor’s Guard stood completely still, hiding his surprise at the disappearance of the Prisoner. He opened the heavy door for the Governess and made sure to stand back, giving her plenty of room to pass. She walked right by him, her head high, and clicked her way up the stairs to the main floor.

  She met Aldo at the top of the stairs as she made her way toward the master bedroom to check in on the Governor.

  “Governess,” Aldo said, bowing respectfully.

  The Governess nodded, her mind reeling as she thought of an explanation for why she would be down in the dungeons. She could tell Aldo was already suspicious of her, though she knew he wasn’t quite sure why. In his mind, she was the Governess and always had been, and he would not know differently. The Governess knew she should simply continue walking. After all, she didn’t have to answer to anyone.

  She took a few steps away and then she heard Aldo’s voice.

  “Governess, if you will,” Aldo said, calling to her.

  Kyla paused and composed herself. Turning around, she flashed her sweetest smile in Aldo’s direction. “Yes, Aldo?”

  “I was curious. What would you be doing down in the dungeons? The dungeons are certainly no place for a lady of your station,” Aldo said, taking a step toward her.

  “I’m afraid it will sound strange to you,” Kyla said, stalling for a moment while she gathered her thoughts together.

  “I’m sure it won’t,” Aldo said, not smiling at all. It struck Kyla how handsome Aldo was, and it suddenly occurred to her that Human men were beautiful.

  Kyla wasn’t offended by Aldo’s approach. She had been watching him long enough
to know that he rarely smiled and never gave away his thoughts unless he meant to. She found him intimidating, though she tried hard not to show it. “When I am upset, I like to go to the dungeons and clear my mind. I like the way my shoes echo on the stones when I walk and it gives me clarity and peace.”

  Aldo stared at her evenly without saying a word. Kyla couldn’t tell if he believed her, but she was anxious to get away from him.

  “I was heading to see Will,” Kyla said, pointedly looking toward the stairwell to the master bedroom.

  “By all means,” Aldo said, nodding slightly. “I just left him. He seems to be quite agitated about the Prisoner, but we convinced him to rest. For now.”

  “Thank you,” Kyla said, her mouth going dry. Aldo didn’t believe her, but her bigger problem was Will. The Ubilez gave her the power she needed, but there was much work to be done in order to ensure the permanent completion of her plan. Kyla knew that getting rid of the Prisoner was the first step, but nothing was going to be easy. She turned and walked as quickly as she could toward the master bedroom.

  It was time for her to continue working her plan.

  17

  SAIYA AND THE MONSTER

  Anabel slumped down on the grass in frustration.

  “Oh Saiya,” Anabel cried in desperation. “Where are you?”

  She strained once more to hear Saiya’s voice calling her name, but all she heard was silence echoing loud and clear in her ears. She was tired and cold, and she was … lost. Her stomach rumbled from hunger and her tongue was as dry as she imagined a desert to be. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate or drank anything.

  She stood up slowly, not sure which direction to go. She was afraid of moving further from Saiya, but it seemed she was at risk of leaving her no matter where she went. All she saw was a field of grass. Anabel finally decided which direction to go in and as she did so, she tried to ignore the gnawing sensation deep down in her belly.