Aoife glanced across at Orynn who was watching the conversation between the two of them with a mild curiosity but before she could speak, he answered her directly.
"If you're going to ask me if I think you should let her, I will remind you that she is my mother and of course, I trust her with my life. That is precisely why I wanted to bring you here." Orynn said with barely concealed amusement.
Aoife scowled at him as she crossed her arms in front of herself defensively.
"You're far too clever for your own good you know, " She quipped as she turned back to Bella, "Okay fine. I trust Orynn and I'm really not going to get anywhere if I don't let you at least try to have a look."
If Aoife didn't know better, she would have thought that Bella's mouth had turned up in a little knowing smirk.
"Is there anything specific that you would like to know whilst I explore your memories?"
"Not really," Aoife shrugged after thinking for a split second, "I can't really remember if I've forgotten it can I?"
"I thought you wanted to know the extent of your relationship with Lexi?" Orynn interjected with a sigh.
"Oh! Yes! Actually , that would be a good idea." Aoife exclaimed as she looked across at Bella, "Can we…"
"Don't worry, I heard. I'll see what I can find." Bella smiled as Aoife blinked at her in surprise.
"I'm not even going to ask how that works…" she mumbled.
"It's a lot like the way a wolf's mind link works…" Orynn began as both Bella and Aoife turned to him with stern looks.
"Do not compare our connection to wolves." Bella grumbled in irritation.
"I said I wasn't going to ask!" Aoife sighed at the same time.
Orynn held his hands up and rumbled in dissatisfaction as Bella beckoned Aoife closer and encouraged her to take a seat.
"Now, this will be completely painless, but you might feel a little tugging here and there. Are you ready?" Bellas asked gently.
"As I'll ever be." Aoife nodded with a resigned acceptance and with that, Bella began.
As she sat there, she could feel it…the barest whisper of pulling and tugging as something seemed to poke around inside of her head. She briefly wondered if it would have been this painless if she had been awake when that overly large Daemon had been poking around in there, but she had a funny feeling that he wouldn't have shown anywhere near as much restraint as Bella was doing currently.
Finally, the movement inside of her mind stopped and Bella's eyes opened as she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Is it done?" Aoife asked timidly as Bella nodded her head.
"It is, young one." she said slowly, "I will say this, you made a great sacrifice in the name of your friends and a great injustice was done to you both by your true mates family, and by Eromaug and the wraith Narcissa. I am not certain how you will react once you discover the truth, so I will not reveal more."
"What? But how can I recover my memories if you won't tell me what they are?" Aoife frowned.
"Just because I say something is true, does not mean that it is, child." Bella sighed as she regarded her with a deep sadness that inexplicably made Aoife feel as though she would burst into tears at any moment, "However, I can tell you that you and Lexi, as well as another called Ann, had become very close shortly before you died."
"I died?!" Aoife gasped as she tried to make sense of what she was saying, "How…what…"
"Physically you died, but your soul was denied the peace of death. That is the reason that you are alive now. I cannot say more." Bella answered softly.
Aoife's eyes hardened slightly.
"Are they responsible for my death? Did they kill me?"
"Those are two very different questions, but no, they did not kill you and no, they are not responsible for either of those despicable acts." Bella answered with certainty, "If you wish to know more about the circumstances surrounding your death then you will have to find Lexi."
"The Daemon Lord's Eternal?" Aoife snorted.
"Lexi will never accept that bond," Bella hissed furiously as Aoife flinched at the venom in her voice, "She just has to hold out long enough to enable us to get her, and everyone she holds dear out of here."
"If you were able to leave, then why are you still in chains?" Aoife asked, her eyes assessing the colossal links that bound her in place, "Eromaug seemed pretty adamant that I save her life so that he and his Eternal can do whatever Eternals do together."
"What you must understand, Aoife, is that both she and I are merely tools for Eromaug…he is a monster incapable of love." Bella answered darkly, "If she needs healing then you should do so. It is not wise to anger him in his own realm."
A deep throaty chuckle that made goosebumps erupt on her flesh echoed in the cavern. It was glaringly obvious that the sound did not belong to Orynn, nor did it belong to Bella and Aoife turned towards the doorway expectantly as a rush of fear swelled inside of her.
"Do not fear him Aoife, he cannot hurt you in here." Orynn murmured into her mind, "Do not answer me out loud otherwise he will know that we can communicate and I do not want all of our cards to be revealed just yet."
Bella held Aoife's gaze steadily, reaffirming Orynn's words as Eromaug's intimidating figure swaggered into the cavern.
"I thought I might find you here," Eromaug smirked as his eyes ran over the three of them, "You really are incredibly predictable."
Orynn's rumble of irritation caused a flash of anger in Eromaug's glowing eyes and his head snapped to him instantly.
"Do not push me, dragonling, or I will not hesitate to punish you whether it is in front of your mother or not."
"You will not harm him, Eromaug. You and your cronies have done enough to my children. Let them be for once in your life." Bella hissed furiously.
"As bad tempered as ever, I see." Eromaug smirked as he casually walked towards her but stopped short as her tail whipped forward and slammed into the ground only millimeters in front of him.
"Perhaps I wouldn't be quite so bad tempered if I was allowed to be with my soulbound, as the fates intended." She snarled, baring her teeth.
"The fates know nothing!" Eromaug snapped, "You make your own fate, not one that is dictated by a gaggle of dusty old crones."
"Mmm…crones that are as old as time itself…although I wouldn't call them dusty." Bella hummed thoughtfully.
"Enough games and enough talking. I don't have time to battle your smart mouth today." Eromaug snarled as his gaze fixated on Aoife, "You, little witchling, will follow me and fix whatever it is that is wrong with my Eternal. Do you understand?"
Aoife shared a quick glance with Bella and Orynn as Eromaug made his way around Bella's improvised barrier and nodded.
"I understand perfectly." Aoife answered sweetly as she stood and dusted off her backside from the cold cavern floor that she had been sitting on, "'Just show me where to go and I'll do the best I can."
Eromaug stopped in his tracks and fixed her with a look so intense that Aoife felt as though it burned through her very soul.
"You will not do the best that you can, you WILL heal her, because if you don't, then I will have no further use for you." Eromaug answered emotionlessly.