Page 27 of Memory of Ashes

She lifted the broken figure and examined it more closely. She traced the cracks with her fingers where pieces had been glued back together. The technique was familiar, one she’d used many times herself. Someone had cared enough to try to preserve it. Had he done this? The figurine’s face was still missing, but she could tell it represented a woman.

She put it down and picked up another relic that looked like it had been part of a weapon. It was made of stone, rough against her skin, and the end had been carved into a sharp point. Small runes had been inscribed into it, a faint blue glow pulsing within the lines.

“What do you think it is?”

She jumped, the relic tumbling from her hands.

Casyl snatched it from the air in one swift move. His jaw stiffened.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop. The door was…”

He kept hold of the fragment, adjusting the position of the figure she’d returned to the shelf, and moved around her slowly, placing himself between her and the door.

“Are they yours?” she asked.

“Well, this is my room.”

She glanced at the floor, her cheeks heating.

“What are they?”

She couldn’t stop the question any more than she could have stopped herself from entering his room.

He was silent.

“Memories.” His expression grew distant. “They are all we have left.”

“Memories of what?”

“Our past. Where we’re from.” His attention returned to the broken figure before them.

“You repaired it incorrectly,” Amelia said.

His expression hardened. “I repaired it.”

She pointed at the broken figure. “This fragment is the wrong way round.”

He frowned. “It has remained that way for two centuries.”

“Then it has been wrong for two centuries.”

She could have sworn she saw a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

“Why do you keep them?”

“You ask a great many questions for someone caught trespassing.”

She met his gaze, waiting for his answer.

“Because no one else remembers what they are. I’m not sure anyone else cares.” He picked up the female figure. “My mother gave me this one when I was younger. She kept many treasures from before.”

“From before what?” Amelia asked.

His mouth tightened. He’d been speaking more freely, but she had clearly pushed too far.

“Where is your mother?”

“Not here.”