My grip on my magic is looser than it should be, and I need to practice more. But it’s exhausting and easier to simply be alone. I don’t have that luxury right now, and by the time we’re midway through our meals, I’m nearly worn out from the effort.

Sebastian wipes his mouth on a napkin and pushes his bowl aside. “At least the Lady really is powerless,” he says. “That’s good news.”

He’s grasping at anything to keep himself from succumbing to fear of the body walker. I try to smile.

“It is. But the other things she said were strange. And didn’t really make a lot of sense. I don’t understand why she thinks I’ll be sorry if I ever find out who the body walker is.”

Sebastian shudders involuntarily. “Maybe just that it would mean you have to get too close to them to get away.”

An uncomfortable feeling swims through my belly. Sebastian might be on to something. “And that would mean that I could be used by them like she used us.”

“That would definitely be something to regret.”

I push a piece of potato around my bowl. There’s something else I must tell Sebastian, but I hope this will be good news for him, not troubling.

“The Lady said something about you while I was there.”

Sebastian freezes, every muscle tensing. I place a hand on his arm.

“Don’t worry, it isn’t bad. She took the memories of my past, not you.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

“When she captured you, she used your talent to remove years of my life. She said it was holding me back. You only willingly took the memories I asked you to, bad ones from missions she made me go on. It isn’t your fault I can’t remember my family.”

Sebastian’s face brightens as relief floods his thoughts. I don’t think I ever realized how guilty he felt about that until now. “I always thought I’d messed up. Taken too many by accident when you’d asked me to help you.”

His happiness makes me smile. “No, it was all her.” I finish the last of my lunch and set my bowl aside. “Shouldn’t your sister be back by now?” I frown, reaching out for Jemma’s mind.

My heart skips a beat when I don’t feel her thoughts nearby.

“Maybe the innkeeper’s busy. There are lots of people here this afternoon,” Sebastian says. He glances at me, and his face pales. “What’s wrong, Simone?”

My hands twist, and my knee bounces under the table. “Probably nothing. But I can’t hear her thoughts.”

Sebastian gets to his feet. “What?” The other travelers having their meals begin to stare. But I don’t care, and neither does Sebastian. The same fierce terror runs through us. I try to calm us both down.

“She must have gone across the street. Somewhere out of range. Maybe she’s down by the stables. She did say she was going to check on the horse. Maybe it’s farther than we thought.” The words pour from my mouth as we hurry in the direction we last saw Jemma go.