A Crown Of Fire And Wrath (The Shadow Walkers Saga #5) - Sloane Murphy Page 0,25
few people happy to look out for me. I wonder briefly where Amantara’s parents—my parents—are now. After they abandoned me so spectacularly, did they feel any guilt?
I shake my head and pull myself back to the present and the issues I have to deal with in the here and now.
“What was it you wanted to tell us about?” I ask Michael, and head towards the table he’s sitting at, with Levi close behind.
“Like I said to you before, I’ve been watching what’s been going on as much as I can since Levi was here last. I’ve been trying to piece the puzzle together, with what I’d seen even before then, though I can’t see everything in the human realm, it’s just not that simple. But, as I said in my letter, I think this all leads back to Amelia.”
I think back trying to work out who he means, when it hits me. She was a Death Dealer. I was never close with her, but she was always around. Never too far from us. Just, in the background. If I remember rightly, her and Serafina were pretty close. Both born as female warriors, destined to join the Death Dealers. They had a lot in common.
“There is no way,” Levi protests, but then it’s as if something in his mind clicks and his face pales a little. “The Archiver…”
“That was her nickname for a while, Nevin adopted it after he took up the role at your side, but she was a bookish type, despite her skill with a bow and arrow,” Michael reminds him, and I nod as it comes back to me. “She was also never a fan of Amantara’s.”
He looks at me, but it’s still strange to be called that, despite my memories. My name has been Remy for so long now, that despite the fact it was probably Amantara longer, Remy is what feels natural to me.
“You’re not wrong,” Levi says, his eyes narrowed as he takes in the maps on the table. “You really think she could be behind all of what’s happened? What reason could she possibly have? This is a very long time to hold a grudge.” His skeptical tone makes me laugh.
“She hated me. She hated me because I was at your side,” I tell him. “She hated me because I had Michael’s ear. Think of the family she’s from. The presumptive thought that she should be where I was, that a Shadow Walker didn’t deserve what I had. Think of how much that would have driven her insane considering how she thought of Shadow Walkers. It’s not implausible. I wouldn’t put it past her to be the one who fired the arrow that day. But to hold a grudge this long…”
“It was a man who fired the arrow that day. We never found them, but I saw the outline clear enough,” Levi counters and Michael nods.
“And I’ve never disguised myself to look like a man to get in and out of somewhere unnoticed either,” I say, rolling my eyes. “If you didn’t catch the person, do not presume anything. It could be that you never found anyone because you were looking for a man.”
“You forget that arrow was meant for me,” Levi says softly, his eyes looking down at me, the guilt there threatens to break in two.
“Or was it?” I shrug. “Michael is the only other person who can heal those wounds. Everyone knew he couldn’t go to the human realm back then, it was too risky. Especially since the King had only just fallen. Anyone that knew us, knew I’d never let you take that arrow, because I didn’t trust my abilities enough to trust that I could save you.” My voice catches, remembering the feeling of the arrow breaching my heart. The look on his face as he realized what I’d done.
I take a deep breath to keep the tears at bay. My emotions have been haywire since Michael unlocked my memories. Yes, he warned me, but I thought that like always, I could be a master of my emotions. That I could compartmentalize it all. I keep trying, but it keeps catching me off guard.
“She’s right,” Michael says, his voice croaking. He clears it and looks up. “Everyone knew about what was between the two of you. They knew that she doubted her healing ability, despite being so well versed in the others. It was no secret how selfless she is, even if people used it against her.” The weight