Cursed Daughter

Chapter 9

    Kyle pulled his compass out and saw that where I found the necklace was a straight shot from where we had been traveling from. His memories had been coming back slower than mine and more fragmented. The necklace felt like it broke open a dam in my mind. Memories had been coming back to me all night and it seemed like every few steps we walked another one flooded my mind. I had gathered enough information to know that my real name was Austin but the last name was still a blank.

    I know that when I was younger I was royalty but I wasn't quite aware of what extent, only that I was important enough to have my own guards. Most of my scars came from a fire that I had lost my mother in but I'm unaware of the rest of my family, if I had any, my other arm was still a mystery. I know that Kyle was somehow tied to my past since he remembered me as a child. We still had many holes but it was like we both knew where we were going.

    Walking seemed to last forever but in reality it must have only been a couple hours. The sun was starting to come to up by the time we got tired. There was no cover of any kind to sleep or hide so we decided to walk a bit longer until exhaustion took over. I was getting ready to stop in the open when I saw some buildings coming up on the horizon.

    "Kyle, I think we made it. This must have been what Katerina was running to, it's the only thing for miles."

    Kyle took a look at the horizon and saw it too. I could just sense that he was also drawn to this place, but neither of us could explain why. It only took an hour more for us to make it to the outskirts of town. The roads were compact dirt and the buildings were made primarily of wood and stone. They seemed both advanced and archaic at the same time compared to the Academy. There were no other people out on the street this early in the day but after passing some store windows it didn't take long to notice our clothing was a bit odd.

    I didn't take a moment to even think somehow I knew where I was going. I turned down roads and eventually made it to the heart of town. The roads here were cobblestone and the buildings made of brick. Store windows prominently displayed sales and new clothing lines. I passed by them all until I was in front of a more run down looking store with a thick wooden door. The windows were covered by black curtains and the shop name was in fancy looking gold lettering.

    "Austin I think we found it, it has to be, right?" Kyle glanced at me.

    "I honestly don't know but I feel like this is a start."

    I put my hand on the door feeling a light heat coming from it but when I turned the knob it felt like I broke the barrier again, only I felt safe this time. There were shelves lining both walls on either side with bottles filled with what resembled liquid. Towards the back there was a curtained doorway and a long desk with a register and more shelves behind it only with books on them instead of bottles. What should have been the display case was empty and covered with random items.

    A woman came through the curtains with a stack of books blocking her face, "I'm sorry but we are closed. You'll have to come ba-" she dropped all the books she was carrying when she saw my face.

    "Austin? I-is that really you?" She glanced at me in shock.

    I held up the necklace I found in the field, "I need to see Katerina."

    The woman called out to someone in the back. At first I thought Dimitra had walked out but then I looked a bit closer and saw that it was indeed her child. Katerina was still dirty and her clothes were a bit tattered. Her long brown hair was disheveled and her black eyes wide. Her cream complexion was flushed and she had a few bruises on her arms. She saw me and yelped for her mother but her aunt grabbed her arm before she could run back.

    "Katerina I have told you many times to not screa-"

    She broke off when she saw me and Kyle standing in the shop. Her face went pale and she gripped the counter with a deadly force as if to not fall.

    "Austin I thought you died centuries ago."