“Mama!” Titus lurched toward her, patting at her cheeks to get a response.

  Pax’s mother sat slumped into the back of the couch, unresponsive. Mistress Harkness gripped Kindra’s right hand before aiming a pleading gaze at Pax to do something. Her look jolted him out of his panic.

  “Titus, give her a healing potion while I dive in and see if there’s anything I can fix.”

  As he summoned his Light Healing skill, Pax faltered briefly when he realized how much of his mana had disappeared. All his work fighting the dark threads holding his mother’s memories hostage had drained much more than he’d expected.

  At least a trickle had regenerated. A quick check showed the mana in his mirror drained, but at least half of his mana crystal was still full. Relief filled Pax, and he pulled on the stores to replenish his own. Like a long draft of water flowing down a parched throat, the mana filled Pax with fresh energy.

  He was just grateful that his two external mana sources had almost doubled his innate mana. He’d have even more as soon as he went through the notifications that likely contained information about leveling his Haste and reaching mage level 4.

  Pushing aside all distracting thoughts, Pax sent his Healing energy racing through his mother’s body, starting at the top. Despite his desperate searching, he found nothing to fix. All the old scars and defects he’d healed over the last two weeks were still healthy and recovering. Just as he’d feared, she had nothing physically wrong with her.

  Pax hesitated to delve into her thoughts again after what she’d said right before falling unconscious. She’d been terrified, which meant some of the additional memories he’d freed must be dark and painful ones.

  Just as he struggled to decide on his next move, Pax felt Kindra stir under his hands. He quickly extricated his energy and sat back on his heels, watching her closely.

  “Did you fix her?” Titus’ tension eased at seeing her coming around.

  “No. Actually, there was nothing to heal.” Pax kept a close eye on Kindra as she fought to wake. “I think this is all her mind trying to adjust to the memories I restored.”

  Harkness’s gaze snapped to him. “Memories? Plural? I thought the plan was to bring back just one happy one and stay far away from the nasty ones.”

  Pax winced and gave her a helpless shrug. “Turns out working with only one is not as easy as you might think. I was working with a happy one, where she was watching Titus teach me how to thread a needle. But when I severed the threads confining it, they snapped past my protections and lashed out to disturb a handful of other memories.”

  Both Titus and Harkness frowned.

  “But I stopped the cascade before it spread too far.” Pax hurried to reassure them. “It seems my light mana is adept at snagging them, and a strong pulse snuffed them out.”

  “But not before they restored more memories?” Titus let out a discouraged breath. “And you probably weren’t able to track this dark stuff back to the source? You know, to could clean it out, once and for all?”

  Pax shook his head. “I don’t dare. Not until we learn more and see how Mama handles the handful of memories that she just regained.”

  Despite her worried look, Harkness nodded her agreement.

  Before any of them could discuss the matter further, Kindra’s mouth twitched into a half smile, and she blinked her eyes, slowly opening them. She saw Titus first and gave him a soft smile. “Titus. You were always such a good brother to little Pax, teaching him so much and protecting him.”

  “You remember me helping Pax learn to sew?” Relief filled Titus’ voice. He gave Kindra a sharp look. “So, you recognize us, Mama?”

  “Of course I do.” She gave him a confused look. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Well, the two of us are a lot older than the last time you saw us, aren’t we?” Titus made a hesitant gesture between himself and Pax.

  Harkness scooted to the side to give the boys room while still keeping a close eye on Kindra.

  Titus’s words seemed to make Kindra suddenly notice the physical features of the brothers. Her gaze moved between the two of them, running over their faces, the armor they wore and their sizes. Her eyes widened in surprise. She reached out a tentative hand to run her fingers over Titus’ cheek before turning to do the same to Pax. “My boys. You’re so big and grown. How . . . ?”

  She turned to look at Mistress Harkness, gaze still confused. Then Pax saw the first flickers of understanding in her eyes as she made connections. He held his breath, hoping that not too many of the horrible memories had made it through.

  “Mistress Harkness? You brought my boys back to me. But after how long?” She shook her head as if it would make her memories easier to understand. “It’s been years, hasn’t it? So many years since you saved me. How many? I can’t . . . .”

  “It’s alright. Take your time.” Mistress Harkness’s voice was soft and patient as she reached over to pat Kindra’s hand.

  “I can’t believe how long it’s been since I saw my boys.” Kindra looked at Harkness, her words coming out slowly as she pieced things together. “But you? I’ve known you for a very long time. You called me Jane? You’re the one who saved me when they hurt me so badly that I forgot everything. How could I forget my family, my boys?”

  She turned to aim a fond look at them before her eyes widened. A devastating look of horror and loss suddenly filled them. Her head shook in denial. “Your father. He . . . .” Emotion choked her throat, and she couldn’t finish. She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands as silent sobs wracked her body.

  Both brothers quickly moved to flank her, wrapping their arms around her, offering soothing words, and rubbing her back.

  Titus aimed a desperate look at Harkness and whispered, “What do we do?”

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  She shook her head and shrugged. “Just give her love and time. It has to be a lot to process, and we don’t know how many holes she still has in her memory. Trust that she’ll come around and explain more once she calms down.” She stopped and aimed an awed look at Pax. “That mana skill of yours works miracles. Trust that Vitur gave you what you need to help your mother.”

  Mistress Harkness was right.

  The next hour passed in emotional upheaval for Kindra as she reconciled lost years with memories that felt much more recent than they actually were. Titus and Pax stayed by her side, offering as much reassurance and love as they could.

  It took a while for Kindra to become coherent, but when she did, it was obvious that gaps still filled her memory. Both of them tamped down on their desire for more answers and let her tell them whatever she felt comfortable with.

  She spoke with a tentative voice, seeming to take comfort in sharing the details she remembered. Pax was just happy she knew enough to remember her name and family. He tried not to be impatient to find out who had hurt her and what had happened to their father. Vitur willing, everything would come with time.

  She’d just finished regaling them with an old Winter’s Solstice memory she’d remembered when her face twisted with emotion again.

  “What is it? Don’t force anything.” Pax rubbed her arm, doing his best to convey his love. “You need to be patient with yourself and your memory. You’ve already come so far. There’s no need to pry into the hard things right now.”

  She shook her head, looking up at him with glistening eyes. “This one doesn’t need any prying to be clear. But it’s definitely one of the hard ones.” She fell quiet as she looked over at Titus.

  “Mama, you don’t need to do this right now.” He patted her arm. “You can take all the time you need.”

  “But isn’t everyone leaving for the war in the morning?” She smiled sadly as they gave her surprised looks. “I may not have many of my old memories back, but I still remember being Jane. She wasn’t a dunder, just focused more on her little piece of the world. And I know you must be wondering what happened to your father.”

  Pax couldn’t help nodding. Titus did the same on her other side.

  “Well, I only remember brief scenes, and I can’t offer you context about who and where.” She took a slow breath, giving them a chance to object. When they didn’t, she continued. “There’s one memory that keeps looping through my mind, both wonderful and horrible at the same time.”

  Pax could barely breathe as silence filled the small room, all of them rapt and waiting to hear what came next.

  “I think it might have happened the night you found me.” Kindra gave Harkness a quiet look full of gratitude. “I have a vague memory of Celis leading me through a bitter, icy darkness. My body and mind were delirious with pain. Everything hurt, but I knew somehow this was our chance to get free. I’d just felt a bit of hope that we might make it when I sensed it—a surge of mana from behind us. I couldn’t see anyone when I looked back, but I knew they were close.”

  Pax clenched his jaw, but stayed silent.

  “Your father must have felt my flinch and understood immediately what caused it. I’ve always had a talent for forbidden magic.” She gave the brothers a sad smile. “He didn’t hesitate. He darted into a collection of trash cans and, with more strength than I thought he still had, stuffed me into one. Your papa threw more slop in on top of me to hide me, and then he ran.”

  “The memory is both new and old.” She shook her head with some frustration. “How can I ever forget the sounds of his running footsteps, the shouts that followed him, and the smell of my hiding place? Even worse was the silence that fell over that dark alley afterward.”

  She raised her hands helplessly. “And that’s all I remember. The last thing your papa did was save me. I assume I got out of the trash at some point and made my way to Mistress Harkness’ door. But I can’t remember that. The first memory I have, as Jane the worker, is waking up clean, fed, and very weak in the bed hidden in the Mistress’ back room.”

  Harkness choked on a soft sob. Pax looked over to see silent tears streaming down her face. Only then did he realize both he and his brother had damp cheeks, too. He tried to reassure his mother. “Mama, we both know Papa always did his best to protect his family. You would have done the same if you had the strength. And maybe he survived somehow, like you?”

  She gave her head a sad shake. “Ever my optimist, Pax. You have to know I would wish that with all my heart, too. But it just isn’t possible. He would have moved the heavens to find me and you two again. If none of us have seen him in all these years, he has to be gone.”

  Titus opened his mouth to object, but she raised a hand to interrupt him. “And I’m the one whose mind they tortured with magic, not him. He can’t be lost somewhere with no memory like I was. You know that, right?”

  Pax didn’t want to agree. He’d had the impossible dream of regaining both his brother and mother come true. Why not one more?

  “Just know that he spent his life doing the one thing most important to him, protecting us.” Kindra gave them a wistful smile, much calmer now, though her expression showed how heartbreaking this process had been. “The two of us might have had to hide who we truly were when you both were young. But neither of us minded because it gave the four of us a wonderful life together for a while, a safe one.”

  Pax couldn’t resist asking more questions now that she was calm enough to answer. “How did you pretend to be crafters and skilled tailors, then? Weren’t both of you mages, you flame and Papa water?”

  Her eyes widened in surprise, and Pax wasn’t sure if it was because she’d forgotten, or was surprised that he knew about their history at the academy.

  “That’s right?” Her voice was hesitant, processing what he’d just said. She nodded then, more confident. “Yes. We were both student mages together.”

  “My friend, Rin, and I found both of you mentioned in old yearbooks in the academy library.” Pax gave her a reassuring look while hoping his words would jog her memory.

  Her eyes shifted back and forth as if struggling to access more. But nothing settled. “I’m sorry. Somehow, I can tell what you’re saying is true. But when I try to remember being at the academy, there’s nothing there. Just a sense of fear and a need to hide. Maybe there were people or an artifact that helped Celis and I pretend to be crafters?” Her brow wrinkled with pain as she rubbed a hand over her face.

  “That’s enough for tonight.” Mistress Harkness stood and moved in front of Kindra. “We’ll get you to bed now and let you rest. A good night’s sleep is the best medicine for the mind, right?” She aimed an expectant look at the two brothers.

  They both agreed quickly, shifting to help their mother up off the couch. By the time they had her back in her room and tucked under her blankets, the truth had finally settled inside Pax.

  He had his mother back. Not all of her, of course. But she recognized him and Titus. It was the first step in reaching the impossible dream he’d had for so many years.

  She gave him and Titus a tired smile. “Good night, my boys. Thank you for bringing me back, Pax. I know you took a risk working with my mind, but it’s what I wanted.”

  Tension Pax hadn’t realized he’d been holding onto released.

  Kindra aimed an apologetic glance at Mistress Harkness. “I owe you everything for saving my life and giving me a good life as Jane. But none of it compares to being Kindra again and knowing my boys.”

  “I agree.” Harkness didn’t miss a beat as she finished tucking her in. “This is the best possible outcome I could have hoped for you. Welcome back to your life, Kindra.”

  As they prepared to leave, Pax wanted to pull out a bedroll and camp right on his mother’s floor. He’d just gotten her back. How could he leave her tomorrow?

  But Harkness shooed them out of the room, whispering, “She needs her rest, with no one making her mind dredge through the memories returning to her fragile mind.”

  Titus nodded, leading the way to the door. Pax turned back, unable to leave without a final reassurance. “Mama, we’ll both come back tomorrow to see you one more time before we leave you here.”

  “What do you mean?” She propped herself up in her bed and frowned at them. “There’s no way I’m letting you leave me after all this. I’ll be coming too.”

  The three of them froze and stared at her.

  She laughed and shook her head, a shadow of the strong woman Pax remembered suddenly evident. “Armies need to eat. I can work in the field kitchen until I get my broken head working better and figure out how to be a mage again. You know there’s no way in Vitur’s name that I’m letting my boys out of my sight again.”

  Then she turned and lay back in her bed while the three exchanged worried glances.