“It does indeed, my warrior bold. You must give up what is foretold.” Jacobim shook the parchment with the prophecy written on it.
“But how do you lose your name?” Serenai asked, still perplexed. “Does that mean you forget your own name?”
“You’re very close—the die is cast. You give your vow and forget your past.” The little man nodded.
“Forget your past? All of your past?” Brax frowned.
Jacobim shrugged, his swirl of orange hair waving with the gesture.
“As to that, who can say? Could be a year, could be a day.”
“So you’re telling us that in order to break the curse we have to have part of our memory erased?” Serenai didn’t like this idea at all! She needed her memories.
“Yes, my lady—that is true. But only one—not both of you,” Jacobim told her. “One may pay for both, I’d say.”
“So one of us had to be willing to lose part of their past memories and we don’t know how much we’re going to lose or what part of our past we’ll be forgetting,” Brax said, clarifying.
Jacobim nodded.
“Yes indeed—now you see!”
“But what if we don’t want to do that?” Serenai asked.
The little man made a sorrowful face.
“Then after the seventh time you see, the curse will bring its death to thee.”
“But I’ve seen it six times already!” Serenai felt a lump of panic in her throat. “So that means the next time it’s going to kill me! It’s going to stop my heart—like it stopped my mother’s heart!”
“No, baby—that’s not going to happen.” Brax shook his head. “Because I’m going to break the curse.”
“What? But you’ll be giving up a piece of your past!” Serenai protested. “And we don’t even how many memories you’ll lose!”
“I don’t care.” He looked grim. “I’m older than you so I have more memories—I can afford to lose a few. Why should I care if I lose some of the memories from the past ten years? I’ve just been fighting in the Blood Circuit—I don’t need to remember all that pain and violence. In fact, there’s a lot I’d like to forget.”
“But what if…what if you forget me? What if you forget us?” Serenai could hardly get the words out. The thought of the big half-Kindred not knowing her was almost too awful to consider. But it was a possibility and she knew she couldn’t discount it.
“We have to hope that doesn’t happen,” Brax said. “But there’s really no choice—we have to break this curse to keep you safe.” His voice softened and he cupped her cheek. “Look at me baby—didn’t I swear I’d do anything in my power to keep you from being harmed?”
“Yes, but—” Serenai began.
“But nothing,” he growled softly. “I’m going to do this and afterwards we’re heading out to the Kindred Mother Ship to make a life together. Okay?”
“Well…” Serenai didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to let him do this for her…but he was right about the fact that he was older and had more memories. If he lost a day or a year of his memories of fighting in the Blood Circuit, would it really be so bad?
But what if the memories he loses are the ones we made together? whispered a little voice in her head. What if?—
“If the curse you wish to break, there is an oath that you must take,” Jacobim’s high, piping voice interrupted her thoughts.
“Tell it to me—I’ll take it,” Brax said.
“The oath is here—nothing to fear. Break the seal—the answer reveal!”
Jacobim waved his hand over the parchment and suddenly letters began to appear on the back of it, on the other side of the prophecy.
“Let me see, please.” Brax held out his hand and the little man handed him the parchment. Brax turned it over and began to read aloud.
“I’ve seen it now,
