Chapter 62

Trystan wakes at a wooden table and realizes he is not in the manor kitchen but in the kitchen of his childhood home. Teenage Malcolm enters, and Trystan understands that he is trapped in a hallucination or vision. His mind is fragmented, but the smell of blueberry pie and the sound of his parents arguing anchor him in an old memory.

Trystan hears Amara and Arthur fighting over whether Trystan should work for King Benedict. Arthur argues that court life will improve Trystan’s prospects and pull him out of isolation, while Amara refuses because of her conflict with the king. The memory hurts Trystan, and when Malcolm notices his distress, the vision abruptly goes dark.

Trystan next finds himself back in the cell where Benedict once imprisoned him. The hallucination forces Trystan to relive his desperation as he begs Benedict to return, promises to be better, and offers to give up his magic because he does not want to be evil. The scene reinforces the depth of Benedict’s abuse and Trystan’s old fear of becoming what others claimed he was.

The vision shifts again to Hickory Forest, where Trystan is wounded, hiding with Kingsley in his satchel, and being pursued by men. Trystan sees Evie approaching and remembers their first meeting. The memory plays out despite Trystan’s awareness that it is only a test, and he pulls Evie down to keep them both hidden, calling her a nuisance while sensing the importance of her presence.

After another blackout, Trystan appears in his office, but this setting feels less like a memory and more like a new nightmare. The room is smoky and disorienting, and a pained sound outside the doors draws Trystan into the hall. There he sees King Benedict, crowned and standing in Trystan’s own stronghold, holding a knife to Evie’s throat.