The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 95

REMY

energy left to even try.

I was exhausted after all of the practice with Cain. We spent hours practicing diving into my own memories, and even though it became easier, I felt like my magic was completely drained. By the time Cain wanted me to try to search his memories, I didn't have the "Rest up for the night. We can continue practicing tomorrow," Cain said.

My face fell. I knew this was the only option because I wasn't sure if there was anything left in me to push forward, but I still wanted to make more progress. "We're supposed to be leaving tomorrow."

"Then we'll do a morning practice before you leave," Cain said simply. "Surely Adira isn't impatient enough that she can't spare a few hours."

I nodded my head, hoping that wasn't the case. As long as everything with the pack was still okay, I was sure a few hours wouldn't hurt. "Yeah, I'll talk to her."

"Good. We are having a group dinner later. You and everyone else are welcome to come. You can also hide away in your guest house, too, if you'd prefer not to interact with others." The offer from Cain felt casual and non-chalant, almost too carefree. I was sure my mom being here was affecting him, but I hadn't noticed anything that made it seem like he was happy or upset.

"Do you want us to join?" I asked.

Cain c****d his head to the side. "You can do as you please."

I pursed my lips. That wasn't a real answer. "Are you happy that my mom came to visit?"

Cain hesitated this time. He looked around, and most of the people who had come to watch had left by now. Watching me train had grown boring quickly, so one by one, the watchers went on with their days, leaving only Blade, Harper, a few guards, and Davina watching us.

"It was unexpected," he said slowly. "I had accepted the fact that she would never want to see me again a long time ago."

"Do you regret what you did?" I knew this was crossing a line, since Cain and I didn't have any kind of relationship, but I couldn't help myself. I knew my mom's side of the story and how she viewed everything that happened with Cain. Her pain was still so prevalent with the matter, so it was weird to think that Cain could be fine with all of this. It was weird thinking people would fight to protect the version of Cain I had heard about.

"You are a rather bold child," he said, looking me up and down.

"I'm not a child." I stood tall and didn't back down. I wanted to figure out who Cain was exactly. What he did to my mom seemed like something a psychopath would do, but seeing the way everyone around here looked up to him made me feel like there was more to the story. I knew he was the only one who could tell that part of it.

"No, no, you're not," Cain chuckled. He let out a long sigh, and the smile quickly faded. "In regards to your mother, I'm sorry that I caused her so much pain, but I don't regret what happened."

"Are you serious? How can you not regret that?" His response made the anger within me start to boil. I had expected him to explain his side, saying he wasn't in his right mind or something along those lines.

He looked up into the sky, and he had to squint his eyes because of the bright sun. "I have spent too much time regretting the past, and I have learned that it does me no good. Regret doesn't change anything. Instead, I've learned to accept my mistakes and grow from them. While no one wants to make mistakes in the first place, it's how we grow and change to be better and stronger."

He looked at me, his lips softer as he spoke. "So I don't regret what I did. It shaped me into the person I am today. I don't think I would've built all of this if I hadn't gone off the deep end. I'm just glad I was able to crawl back over the edge. I wouldn't choose to do something like that again, though."

I didn't know how to respond. The anger faded with his explanation. It made sense, but I had never thought about mistakes and regret in that way.

"Now, you are exhausted. Rest, eat, and we'll resume our training when the sun rises tomorrow." Without another word, Cain walked away. I watched as Davina approached him and instantly started talking to him. This time they were much too far away for me to hear their conversation, but I was too worn out to care this time.

Blade approached me with a water bottle in his hand. He passed it over to me and said, "You should drink. I'm sure you're a little dehydrated after all of that."

I gratefully took the water and took a few long sips. "Thanks. And thank you for staying with me the entire time." I leaned forward and rested my head on his chest. He started stroking my hair automatically, and even just being near him started to rejuvenate me. "I have nowhere better to be than by your side," Blade said before kissing the top of my head.

"How's Harper doing?" She was sitting on the sidelines with the two sorcerers by her.

"She's been... quiet. I can practically hear her thoughts screaming at me though," Blade said. "She's definitely struggling."

I pulled back and glanced over at Harper. She was lying on the grass, staring up into the sky. "I wish I could help her. If Caulder were here, he would know how to cheer her up better than me, but if he was here, she would be okay." I would also be okay. "He'll come back," Blade said. "He's strong and determined. He won't just let the council use him. He'll replace a way to fight his way back to you."

I nodded slowly. I knew Caulder would try his best, but I wasn't sure if it would be enough. He was just one person stuck with an entire council of sorcerers and whatever minions they had.

-

DAVINA

"Since you're done, can you go meet him now?" I asked.

Cain sighed. "I told you tomorrow is the earliest I can do. We have to set up for tonight. Why are you pushing this so much? You have never cared about any newcomers like this before."

I didn't know how to explain this feeling to Cain exactly. The man I saved just seemed so different from everyone else I knew, and I felt like it was my responsibility to get him back home. "He feels like a prisoner, not being able to leave that room, and it seems like he's cracking. He's not our prisoner. He didn't do anything against us. If anything, he helped us with his attack against the Council of Magic. We should be treating him like a refugee, not an enemy."

He looked up into the sky, and he had to squint his eyes because of the bright sun. "I have spent too much time regretting the past, and I have learned that it does me no good. Regret doesn't change anything. Instead, I've learned to accept my mistakes and grow from them. While no one wants to make mistakes in the first place, it's how we grow and change to be better and stronger."

Cain sighed. "I already told you that if he is willing to tell you who he is exactly, then he can leave. Until then, we can't risk him attacking the camp."

"What if I escorted him?" I asked, starting to feel desperate. "He's still so weak he can barely walk. Even if he wanted to, I don't think he could do any damage. If he tried, I would take him down."

Cain stopped walking and looked at me. He looked tired. "You said he escaped from the Council of Magic's stronghold by himself. No one has ever been able to do that. I'm not even sure if any of the council members could accomplish such a feat. I don't think you could stop this guy if he decided to attack us. I don't want to treat him like a prisoner either, but he is refusing to tell us who he is, which is suspicious. We can't risk it. I will make the final call after I meet him." Read more free novels at Narugi.com

My heart sank. I needed the guy to tell me who he was to get him more freedom, but until he had more freedom, I wasn't sure if he would be willing to tell us the truth. I felt stuck and unsure of how to help him.

"Just a five minute walk. Please." I knew I was begging at this point, but if Cain couldn't spare the time to meet him today, then I wanted to at least tell him he could go outside. I wanted to give him some sort of good news.

Cain sighed. "I can tell you care about this boy, but not until tomorrow. He waited this long. He can wait another day. Please don't ask again."

-

CAULDER

Davina said she would return as soon as possible, but it was late. The light from outside was no longer peeking through the cracks around the door, and I was starting to wonder if she would return at all today. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out of here. Even if I wasn't in a condition to move around, I felt like a prisoner. I had just escaped the Council of Magic, and I wasn't about to be stuck with another group of sorcerers.

I moved to the door and tried to open it. Davina had made sure to lock it behind her, but it was just a simple lock. My body was still tired, but I had felt a spark of magic return this morning. I knew I was still weak, but I hoped a spark was all I needed.

The first thing I tried was shifting to the other side of the door, but I didn't have the power to accomplish that, so I needed to try something on an even smaller scale. I touched the door handle and closed my eyes. I willed my magic to unlock the door. I had never done something like that before, but I imagined the lock clicking open.

As I concentrated, I could feel the door handle wiggling. I pushed a little more, and then I heard a click. This time when I tried to open the door, the door handle twisted, and I was able to pull it open. I didn't know where I was going to go exactly, but I was ready to leave this place and replace a way home.