His heart pounded and he gasped for breath as the memories crashed into the forefront of his mind. They returned as lost pieces of himself and he experienced them anew, vividly, in a torrent of images and sounds.

He had met the Ascendant woman. A creature rose out of her hand and whispered something soft and clammy to him. The spell had closed off a part of his mind. The knowledge that he could lose himself in such a way made his whole body cold and numb.

His eyes were wild as they found her again standing beside the elders. She was chuckling to herself, her gaze still upon him. That same smile on her face. Still dripping with danger, but Aelric no longer thought it was playful.

His mind raced to find other gaps in his memory. What else did she take?

Then he remembered what had happened earlier that day.

He had returned from the forest with the cart of logs, sore but satisfied with his work. The garden had been empty. He'd heard noises from within the cabin. He saw them. The tax collector's satisfied sigh as he buckled his pants. His mother smoothing down the flaps of her dress.

Aelric felt sick as the scene burned again in his mind.

He looked at his mother who was raising her head back toward Chief Clarity now that the blessing was complete. He realized now why she had been acting strangely in the past two days.

"Don't tell your father about this," she had said. "He wouldn't understand."

He relieved the horror of that moment all over again. He remembered standing in the cabin, not knowing what to do but flee. And now, he wanted to run away again. But he couldn’t. The harvest festival had only just begun. He didn't know what to do. He did not want to think about what it would mean if he told his father.

But if he didn't tell his father, what could he do? What could he do to change the situation?

A part of him wished that memory was still hidden from himself. And in reply he heard another screech of that inhuman laughter. He fell back to the bench, a hand going to his head, the other to steady himself. Was the monster still inside him?

"Aelric?" his father said, sitting back down with the rest of the villagers now that the blessing had concluded.

Chief Clarity was speaking again, but Aelric could not make out her words.

"Aelric," his father said in a hushed tone, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Aelric said. "Just.. just a headache. I'll be alright in a moment."

He didn't want to speak to his father right now. What had the Ascendant done to him? Why had she done it to him?

Then he remembered the questions she'd asked him before she cast that horrible spell. She had wanted a demonstration of his arcana.

"Magic is faith, little friend."

When he couldn't cast the spell because he had already wasted his arcana earlier in the day, she had given him her own until his arcavoir was refilled. Arcavoir. That was something she had taught him then. The amount of arcana one could hold. It was different than one’s arcumen, which dictated the amount of arcana one could regenerate in a day.

The sharp images and sounds began to arrange themselves in a coherent memory now. She had heard him crying over Aelred and she had laughed. No… that's not right. She had laughed when she discovered his arcavoir. When she heard about his brother, she'd revealed that Fenlein, the arcanist, had spread The Drakh for reasons Aelric still didn't understand.

But why had she taken his memories? He tried to remember what else had transpired. But he couldn't think of anything that would warrant the splicing of his mind.

She had asked if he was dampening his arcana. She had also asked him his age. There was something to that, he thought. Her tone had changed them. As if his answer had made her curious about him. But why would his age matter? Was she looking for someone that was his age?

"Shall we head to the tables?" his father asked him, standing again. "How are you feeling, Aelric?"

Aelric realized it was suddenly loud, people were whooping and talking and laughing and shuffling toward the food tables. Chief Clarity had finished her speech and the feast had begun.

"Are you sure you’re alright, Aelric?" his mother said, now meeting his eyes with a wrinkle of worry between her brows.

"Yeah, I’m fine," Aelric replied standing. "Let's go eat."

He followed his parents and got in the line for the main feast table with the rest of the villagers. As he stood, his parents struck up conversations with some of the other villagers in line. Aelric kept silent, his mind agonizing over what he should do. He eyed the Ascendant again. She had not risen from her seat. She was speaking with Elder Keen who talked animatedly with her.

Aelric knew he had to tell someone of her danger. But he didn't know who. And he didn't know why she was here, seated with the elders. Nothing made sense. He wondered if he should tell his father, but he worried his father would take him too seriously and cause a scene by confronting the Ascendant directly. He thought of how his father had stood up to the portly merchant in the square. This woman was far more dangerous, not only in power and arcana, but in a way that he could not quite describe. It was a danger that was somehow quiet and subtle, and that was a danger that he felt he needed to protect his father from.

As Aelric's mind raced and his eyes scanned the crowds of villagers, wondering who he could turn to for help, they soon reached the feast table. Aelric was in no mood for food despite the spread and so he helped himself only to a serving of his mother's pie and a slice of his father's bread.

They sat back on the benches, and his parents made polite conversation with a small group that included their neighbor Ket, Miller Tabb, and the miller’s wife, Mitra who were seated not far from them.

Aelric barely tasted the food in his mouth. Then he spotted a crooked old man in the feast line.

It was Elder Sharp. Unlike the other elders who wore bright festival colors, Sharp wore a simple gray tunic that looked no different than Aelric’s father's. The man had a small, wrinkled face that was hidden behind a large grey beard that seemed to begin in his nostrils. Aelric was surprised to see him there. The man rarely attended village events anymore, but there he was shuffling along in the line, half leaning on his walking stick. Unlike the other elders, he was in the line with the other villagers and did not take his food from the high table which was reserved for the elders and their guests.

Aelric put his plate down and told his parents he'd be right back. Then he rushed over to Elder Sharp as the man filled his plate.

"Elder Sharp!" Aelric called as he approached the old man.

"This is the front of the line, young Aelric. A good man does not cut lines. Your father should have taught you that."

"I'm not here for the food, I am here to talk to you."

"Ah, well…" Elder Sharp intoned as he filled his plate with surprising speed—drumsticks, cornbread, grilled pumpkin, and everything in between. "A good boy does not bother his elders when they are about to feast."

"I turn seventeen the day after tomorrow. I need to talk to you, Elder Sharp."

Elder Sharp sighed and nodded. "Take a slice of bread and some soup at least. It will not look well for me to be eating this kingly portion and you with nothing."

Aelric glanced at Sharp's quickly filling plate and noted it was a kingly portion indeed.

"I've already taken a plate earlier that I have yet to finish,” Aelric said. “And I haven't waited my turn in line in any case."

"Very good, now take a plate. A good glutton does not eat alone."

"I'm not a glutton."

"I was talking about myself."

They found an empty patch of grass away from the main crowd and they sat down with their legs crossed as they ate their food.

Aelric found that he was oddly comforted to be in the elder's presence. He had always liked Elder Sharp, but he rarely had an opportunity to see the man. Sharp was known to be a hermit in his old age, often away from his farm, and rarely in participation at community events despite his rank. Though everyone knew they could go to Elder Sharp for advice—when they could find him.

Watching Sharp gorge on his food like the glutton he claimed to be, Aelric suddenly felt the pang of hunger that had been masked by the shock of his memories. He quickly spooned down his soup and bread, feeling only a little guilty that he had another plate unfinished that he'd left with his parents.

"Let's hear it then," Sharp said, and Aelric was surprised to see the man wiping his empty bowl with the last piece of his bread. "If this was all a ruse to cut the line, commendations are in order, as are punishments."

"No, I wasn't even planning on—"

"What is it then?" Sharp said. "If it's a loan, you should know that my fortunes aren't exactly much better than your family's. Otherwise I wouldn't be here stealing a bite."

"No, it's not that. It's… uh…" Aelric couldn't seem to find a way to begin that didn't make the story sound unbelievable.

Sharp raised a big grey eyebrow at him and gave him a look of dwindling patience.

"Do you know who that woman is at the elder's table?" Aelric said finally. "The one with the violet hair and fine robes."

"I know."

"Who is she?"

"She's a guest."

"But who is she?"

"That's not for me to share," Elder Sharp said, peering at Aelric. "What is it to you?"

"You know who she is?"

Sharp nodded. "I know a little. I am an elder after all."

"She's an Ascendant, isn't she?"

Sharp was raising his brows again. "Not every beautiful woman is an Ascendant, Aelric."

"She is one, isn't she?" Aelric pressed on, knowing he was right and avoiding Elder Sharp's ribbing.

"What's this all about, Aelric?"

"I met her two nights ago in the forest." He clenched his fists to keep his voice steady. "She asked me about my arcana… then she… she took away my memories of the day."

Sharp's eyes darkened. "What do you mean she took your memories?"

"She cast a spell on me. I couldn't remember part of that day until I just saw her now."

Aelric couldn't exactly tell, but he thought Sharp may have been frowning beneath his thick grey beard.

"What did you forget?"

"I… I forgot meeting her," Aelric said, deciding not to reveal the day's earlier events. "She wanted me to cast a spell… and I couldn't… I'd used it on a log earlier in the day. Then she gave me her arcana and told me I had a small arcavoir. That's the breadth of one's—"

"I know what an arcavoir is, Aelric. How did she take your memories?"

"She cast a strange spell. Something came out of her hand, a long, odd creature that was very red, like a long tongue. But it had only a mouth. It was laughing. Then it said something to me. I… I heard its laughter again when I remembered everything."

Sharp's eyes had widened then. He turned quickly and squinted across the crowd. And Aelric realized then that the man was afraid.

"What is it? What does it mean?"

"I don't know," Sharp said, still staring out into the crowd. "But what you've just described is a demon spell, Aelric. And only the Tainted cast demon spells."