I moved across the matted floor in one of the many form sets my dad had taught me in our special training sessions. I couldn’t even remember how many times I’d gone through it that afternoon. But here I was, at it again. But the annoyance I normally felt at doing the same moves over and over had dimmed somewhat as I became hyper focused on my movements.

And then it just seemed to click like it had so many other times in all my other trainings. It’s that moment where you finally stop overthinking it all, and the moves just become a part of you. There is just the flow and a deep understanding where you belong in it.

Arms fluid. Strikes quick and precise. Legs sturdy, but quick to respond to my cues. All of me focused on this moment like it was the only one that matter.

Until the movements of the form came to an end. And I found myself with feet together, arms at my sides, and my chest rising and falling fast with my rapid breathing. I felt a thrill. I had finally gotten this particular set correct.

“Excellent,” I heard my dad confirm what I already knew.

I looked to him. Proud that I had finally gotten it right. We had been working on that particular set for months. Dad waved me over to the side of the room where he had a small towel and a bottle of water waiting for me.

“You’re doing well, Michael. I think we can move on to the next level, but before that I need to tell you something.”

I finished gulping down the water and eyed my dad already eager to get to the next set. I might not know exactly why all this was happening, but I enjoyed the sessions more than I let on to dad. Mostly, because it was just him and I spending time together. I really liked that. I also liked knowing I was learning sometime Eric didn’t know. He was such a know it all sometimes. I couldn’t wait to show him I knew something he didn’t––some day. When I could actually remember the sessions outside of our trainings.

Dad placed a hand on my shoulder, which caused me to look deep into his eyes. I was a little taller than him now, and I was looking down to meet his gaze. I was still getting used to that.

“Like so many other things we have done in these sessions, what I am about to say to you won’t make much sense to you. I’m telling you this now, so you can remember when the time is right.”

I simply nodded. I had learned that this was the best course of action when he got like this. It was so frustrating, but I had been arguing with him for years, and it had done nothing to stop him from being so damn secretive. And whether I liked it or not, I did discover that when I could manage to put my frustrations aside, things with my dad flowed so much better.

“The Nadors are the key to your other adapted memories. Seek them out. Spend time with them. And the lock will release.”

I blinked at my dad like he was crazy. I had no idea what he was talking about. What the hell was adapted memories anyways? And who were the Nadors?

My dad clapped me on the shoulder, and then turned to walk toward the center of the training room. “Alright, let’s hit this from the top.”

I followed him and took my place across from him as I usually did and I stood waiting for my next set of instructions as the room around us slowly grew fuzzy. Only my dad’s face seemed highlighted for a long moment, before everything faded to black, and I was left in a dark void of nothingness.

My eyes flew opened and it took me a long moment to realize I was not in a black abyss, or still reliving a lost memory, but in my room in the White Palace. The room was darkened and quiet. My heart constricted. I missed dad so much. I missed them all.

My mind briefly pondered what my dad said about the Nadors. I suppose that made sense. From what I understood, from the brief time that Vang had touched on my past in Ethia, he had commented that my mother and I had lived with the King of Avi-da and his family because I had been born outside of a union contract, which apparently is what passes for marriage in the Empire.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

It felt good to know I now had a way to release the other lock, but it didn’t seem so important to me as it once did. Did I really want to remember my early years in Ethia after all I’ve been through the last few weeks?

I lay there feeling alone. Then I realized I wasn’t alone and there was a warm body next to me. It stirred. That’s when I noticed familiar bright emerald eyes peering at me.

“And he’s finally awake,” Tessa said smiled softly.

I startled, but found that my movements were sluggish and painful. I gasped at how much it hurt to move even a little bit.

She laid a hand on my bare chest. “Easy. You still have three more treatments to go before it’s all healed.”

“What’s healed?” I asked, but my memory was starting to come back to me. The pain a reminder of how I had gotten my wounds.

The confrontation with the Protector. His assault. Me fighting back. Then that towel wrapped around my neck, squeezing the life out of me. And then the memories, which allowed me to fight back and knock the Protector out. And then me realizing I was already bleeding to death from a wound in my side.

My hand moved down my body as I remembered being impaled with glass. My side was tinder to the touch, but there was no jagged hole and only a feint line where the glass used to be. Shock rippled through me.

“How long have I been out?”

Tessa sat up on one of her elbows. I was more than a little thankful to see she at least had clothes on, even if it was a thin, silky affair that dipped down into a plunging v-cut. “A day and a half.”

I gave her a startled look, bringing my wandering attention from the v-cut to her face. “Just a day and a half? But I had that huge piece of glass in me. There should still be a huge wound.”

She looked at me like I was crazy. “Why would there be a huge wound?”

I then noticed behind her and across the room a familiar cylinder machine was standing. I knew what the Remaker could do, but almost completely healing such a nasty wound in a day and a half? That was truly remarkable.

“Never mind.” I said absently, and then turned to a more obvious question.“Why are you here?”

Tessa gave me one of her stunning smiles. I could feel the surge of good feelings, while all my anxieties and concerns became a distant memory. Her Dome-ni hard at work no doubt.

“I came to keep an eye on you and wanted to be here in case you woke up needing anything.” She began to slowly move her hand across my chest in a soft caresses. “So I insist you let me know if you need anything, Highness.”

Between all the feel good emotions she was sending my way, the gentle caressing, and memorizing voice, it was like the world had been turned off and I was in some beautiful paradise of deep relaxation. So much so, I forgot to ask her why she was even in my bed, or be concerned that perhaps she shouldn’t even be there in the first place.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything too naughty. Caretaker Paxor says your outside might be healed, but there was significant damage to your internal organs. So no robust activities until then, which really is a shame.”

My only response was a deep groan as she worked her hands deftly up and down my chest, and then before I knew it, she had thrown a leg across me. She sat across my hips and started rubbed up into my shoulders in large caressing circles.

I was thankful to find out that I at least had pants on as she sat on top of me. The thin folds of her dress squashed between us as well, but I doubt it did much to hide how excited I was getting at all her attention. I did my best to think of something else besides the beautiful woman perched on top of me, but it was quickly becoming a losing battle. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to fight this. Though her warning that I should be taking it easy did linger in my mind, even if that was the last thing I really wanted to do right in this moment.

I felt her working all the tension that had built up over the past few weeks away with each stroke. I winched a couple times when her hands came across where I must have had other wounds. She took notice of those spots and carefully worked around them.

“You have so much tension in your shoulders, Highness. It’s a good thing I’m here to help you with that. Though, I’m most excited about helping ease tension in other areas too once the Caretaker clears you.”

She leaned down so I got a good look down her plunging neckline. “But maybe if we go about it gently, we can be more adventurous. What do you say, Highness? If I’m not mistaken, I think you are halfway there already.”

Tessa gave me a wicked smile as she slowly started to rock her hips over mine. Any thoughts of protesting evaporated. I grabbed her hips and started to help her along. I vaguely felt the pain in my side as it blossomed, but my desire was so strong, the pain felt small and insignificant.

Nothing else mattered. My body and mind completely taken over. It felt so good to feel something other than the stress and pressure I had been under. This was exactly what I needed.

A sharp pain cut through the side of my injury like a blade had been thrust inside me. My mind exploded with the intensity of it. I could hear a scream. Pretty sure it was mine. The pain didn’t stop. It just rose with intensity until it sent me into unconsciousness.