Chapter 9: The Truth


There was a hole in the mountain that led to a secret lair where the Witch resided. I had been there once before, on a mission from the Wizard. I had not ventured there since, out of fear of being caught, but I remembered a certain artifact in the Witch's Hut that might have had the answers I was looking for.

Three shrines stood inside the small shack, each promising a grave alteration for the price of a single offering. One would bring monsters to the farm. Another would change one's offspring into doves that would fly away and never return. The one I wanted, though, was the Dark Shrine of Memory, which would erase the memory of an ex-spouse, making it seem as though the relationship never existed. All I needed to do was offer more gold.

Why do relationships cost so much money? I inquired internally, but I was more than ready to lay my gold out before the shrine. Yet, something stopped me from moving my hand to my wallet. What am I doing here? What do I hope to gain by erasing Sebastian's memories of me? Do I expect to make him fall in love with me again? Pretend we never met? What will his family think?

It would have been obvious to anyone who knew my internal struggle that I had made a huge mistake by driving him away, and I wished I could take back everything I said and be more open with him. But at that time, no one knew what was going on in my mind, and I myself was oblivious to my own stupidity.

I heard a crash coming from outside of the Witch's Hut, and a loud cackling alerted me to the return of the woman of the house. I darted into a corner to hide, but the walls began disappearing all around me. I screamed as everything went black. A flash of white light blinded me, and when my eyes adjusted, I found myself in an old basement, empty save for a couple of barrels and a large, arcane object that I recognized as the Shrine of Illusions. This is the Wizard's basement…

I picked myself up and dusted off. My eyes darted around for the ladder that would lead to the exit, which stood slightly to my left. When I emerged from the basement, the Wizard himself was waiting for me.

"The answers you seek are not in the selfish magic my ex-wife has to offer." He remained calm, while I looked downward in shame.

"I don't really know what I want," I admitted. "I just wish I could undo the damage I've done."

"There are consequences to actions taken in the heat of the moment," he replied sagely. "And there are some things you can't take back." He lowered his gaze. "That is why she never tried to use the Dark Shrine of Memory on me…she knows that I deserve to live with the consequences of my actions."

I mulled over his words silently. I didn't believe that Sebastian deserved to be hurt by me, but I also didn't believe him to be completely innocent. I still don't know what his intentions were in marrying me…I want to believe that he honestly loved me, but I can't be sure that he loved me enough…

I bid the Wizard goodbye and left his tower. The sun had already set, so I prepared to return home. I was caught off-guard by someone calling my name from the bushes. Upon investigation, I saw Abigail hiding in the brush.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I've been curious about that tower ever since I was a little girl." She pointed to the Wizard's Tower. "I didn't know that you had been inside…what's it like?"

I remembered a secret the Wizard had confided in me long ago and decided it was best to dissuade Abigail's interest in the tower. "It's not as exciting as the mines."

"I haven't seen you in the mines lately. Did you already deplete all of the good ore?"

"I don't know…I just don't like to go up to the mountains anymore."

"Oh, that's right…" She averted her eyes, and I realized that I had said too much.

"It's…it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Abigail sighed. "I feel like it's my fault, though."

I remember what the Fortune Teller had told me about talking to another woman who had some knowledge of what I was going through. Maybe this is what she meant. "I don't blame you for wanting to tell Sebastian how you felt. It must be hard keeping a secret like that."

"But now he hates me." I caught a glimpse of a dark streak running down her cheek. "He thinks I said something to you to try and steal you away. He made me promise not to tell you what I told him, and he thinks I broke that promise."

He's a jerk, I thought. "Nobody told me anything. I accidentally overheard you two talking by the graveyard one night…I started thinking that he might have secretly returned your feelings, and I let it poison my heart against him."

Abigail paused inquisitively. "What do you mean, 'return my feelings'?"

"I mean, I thought he might secretly want to be with you, and that I was just a means to an end."

"You…you think I'm in love with Sebastian?" She brought her hands to her face in shock. "No…that's not what happened at all!"

"What do you mean? I heard you talking – " I stopped myself short, realizing that I had not actually heard the beginning of their conversation that night. If Abigail was telling the truth, then she could have been talking about anyone. But why would it be such a big deal to keep it from me, if not about Sebastian?

"It was you," she confessed, sobbing. "It's you that I love."

I was taken aback. My mind went completely blank. All I could think to say was, "I didn't know you liked girls."

"I don't," Abigail continued. "I mean, you're the only one. I don't understand it…but you're different from other girls. You're not too masculine or too feminine. You're confident and adventurous. You defy what I was taught a girl was supposed to be…if that makes any sense."

For a moment, I forgot all about Sebastian and tried my best to process this new information. "When did you realize this?"

"That one time you came to my house, and we read the spirit board together…you were already dating Sebastian at the time, and I didn't want to come between you. I thought it would go away, but it got stronger." She wiped away a tear streaming down her face and further smeared her eyeliner.

I wanted to hug her, but I was afraid of making a gesture that might lead her on. I had caused enough heartache already. Instead, I put a hand on her shoulder. "Abby…you're a good friend, and I enjoy the time we spend together. But once I got to know Sebastian, I knew that there could be no other. Even now, I'm struggling to resolve my feelings for him…"

"I know," she whispered.

"I wish I could offer some better advice…but I can't even help myself right now. I'm sorry."

"It's okay…I'm glad I could finally tell you in person, though." She smiled through her tears. "It's like we were fated to have this conversation…maybe I was meant to learn something about myself."

I smiled back at her. "Maybe I need to learn something about myself, too."