Another chapter so soon! And this time, you hear from the shadow himself. Enjoy!

Maven's POV

I know what Cal's doing. I'm not stupid. Of course, it's not like I get much of a choice. I have to go along with it. The sword glinting at my brother's hip does wonders for persuasion.

But really, I'm curious to see what damage Mother did. The full extent of her ability. How much did she hack up, tear apart, deconstruct and put back together. Even I can't tell the difference anymore between what's mine and what's hers.

The wounds from the nymphs still sting, but the pain is fading. I'm never one to shirk at pain. I am the rightful king. I don't shirk at anything. So why does the boy across from me make my mouth go dry and send a tingle down my spine?

Cal watches my every move, searching for some sign of… I don't know. What is he looking for? What is the point of all this? I should have suspected his weakness. But I must confess, until a few minutes ago, I thought he just planned to slit my throat and be finished with it. When he took me into the dropjet alone, I was nervous, I'll admit it. Whatever he was planning, he couldn't do in front of everyone. He didn't want anyone to witness it; not Iris and the nymphs, not his grandmother, not Mare. I was expecting vicious mutilation. He wants to play a memory game.

"Okay, let's start when we were just kids," Cal says, sitting back down in the seat across from me, his face masking all emotion. A king's face. I grit my teeth. "Like that time with Holland," he recalls. "I think I was about nine, and you were eight. We got into so much trouble. From what I remember, we locked him in your bedroom and melted the knob off the door. He was stuck there for hours. Father got so mad, I couldn't even believe it." His eyes light up, remembering our father. His father. That man was no father to me.

"I do remember that day," I say softly, "Father had to call Volo Samos to repair the door, and made us watch him fix it. Then he took us into the throne room and thrashed the living daylights out of us. We couldn't sit for a week."

Cal nods tentatively, "Good. That's - uh - good. Let's do another one."

"This is a stupid game," I remind him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I'm enjoying it," Cal retorts, and I see the smile playing around his lips. "What about that time… I think we were a little older, and we started to play chess in my room at night. We'd meet almost every evening, after Father and Elara went to bed. Remember that?"

"Yes, I do." The image of the board with all the little pieces lined up in rows floats into my mind. "You would always win, your king taking out mine."

Cal's smile fades. "I just played with Father a lot," he muttered apologetically. "I picked up the new tricks from him. He thought it would teach me war strategy."

"Obviously, it didn't work." My mind goes back to the flood, Iris and her mother exchanging me for Salin. The king sacrificed for a pawn. Bad move.

Cal ignores the insult, his mind whirring. "When we were older, you would come into my room at night sometimes too. You would get nightmares, and you'd climb in my bed almost every night. It's the only way you could sleep."

What?! I feel my cheeks heat up like molten metal. I don't remember that. I don't remember that at all. "That didn't happen. You're lying. I remember the nightmares…" I shudder. "But I don't remember going to you," I sneer. "I would never. Mother would come into my room during one of the episodes and take them out."

Cal's eyes narrow, "What do you mean take them out?"

"She would kiss my forehead and draw out the nightmare. Eventually, I just stopped having them at all," I explain matter-of-factly. But my gaze drops to my folded hands. Did I really go to Cal? He wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. How could I have forgotten that completely?

"I'd stay up, waiting for you to knock. You were so quiet. You'd sneak in and slip into my bed around midnight. But by the time I woke up the next morning, you were gone. I always thought you woke up and went back to your room. Did Elara take you back?"

"Maybe she did." I can see Cal cringe at the thought of Mother in his room while he was asleep. But I know for a fact she never touched his mind. No matter how much she wanted to, she knew her life was worth more than that.

"What were those dreams about?" Cal asks softly.

I purse my lips, thinking. "I don't remember most of them. But after - the Choke, they always were about…" I trail off, pressing my fingers to my forehead. Pain. Blinding, white pain. It always happens when I think of him. Him. Thomas. Tears prick behind my eyes as I rub my temples furiously.

"Maven, what's wrong?" Cal asks anxiously, returning to his knees in front of me. "What's going on?" He forces me to look at him, taking my hands in his own.

"Breathe, Mavey. Just breathe. Look at me. Shut it out. Put up walls."

Somehow, I understand what he means. I've heard those words before, long ago. Has he helped me do this before? Something else Mother took out. The pain sharpens, like a needle pressing slowly, sliding through my brain. I try to block out the parts of my mind. I grip Cal's hands, knuckles turning white. He squeezes back. I think it's starting to work. It's just like drawing curtains at a theater. Slowly, the pain recedes. I'm left gasping, eyes watering.

Cal is silent for a moment. Finally, he speaks. "You remember that, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" I murmur, breathing raggedly.

"We practiced this. Whenever she tried to break into your mind. I'd help you get her out. We did it together, Maven."

My breath catches in my throat. "It happened every time I thought of him. When I thought of Thomas. She made it so that even a passing memory tears me apart."

Cal stares at me, his flaming eyes boring into my own. He looks at me, bemused. Puzzled. I am a puzzle. An impossible puzzle.

"What I don't understand is, how can this still be happening? She's dead, Maven," he says softly. "She can't control you anymore. It's impossible."

"But she can," I whisper. "She does."

Ooo, so mysterious. The fourth and final part is coming soon!