BOOK 1 | THE FORGOTTEN SAGA

  FORGOTTEN EVIL

  Quill Holland

  Content Warning:

  Forgotten Evil is intended for mature audiences and includes scenes with sexual material, violence, and offensive language which some readers may find distressing.

  Copyright © 2021 Quill Holland.

  Quill Holland asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of New Zealand.

  Smashwords Edition.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  ISBN: 978-0-473-59733-7 (Paperback)

  ISBN: 978-0-473-59734-4 (Epub)

  ISBN: 978-0-473-59735-1 (Kindle)

  ISBN: 978-0-473-59736-8 (PDF)

  Cover design by Cover Creator UK

  Map design by Dewi Hargreaves

  Editing by CA Proofing

  Published by ScorPress Publishing, New Zealand

  To the father figures who guided and inspired me,

  helped me learn and grow, but most importantly,

  helped me choose between the two natures within.

  “In each of us, two natures are at war – the good and the evil.

  All our lives the fight goes on between them, and one of them must conquer.

  But in our own hands lies the power to choose – what we want most to be we are.”

  – Robert Louis Stevenson

  Contents

  Title page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Map

  Epigraph

  Prologue: The Arrival of a Stranger

  Chapter 1: Happy Discovery

  Chapter 2: The Soul

  Chapter 3: The Place Between Worlds

  Chapter 4: A Shift in the

  Chapter 5: Home of War and Sex

  Chapter 6: “Where Do You Think You’re Going?”

  Chapter 7: “You Know Me?”

  Chapter 8: A Tale of Two Minds

  Chapter 9: Reflection

  Chapter 10: Manhunt

  Chapter 11: The Puppet Master

  Chapter 12: Planning is Essential

  Chapter 13: Mass Conversion

  Chapter 14: All Routes Lead to Home

  Chapter 15: An Evil … Forgotten?

  Epilogue: Something Wicked This Way Comes

  Acknowledgements

  A Letter from Quill

  About Quill

  Prologue

  The Arrival of a Stranger

  2144, Common Era – Planet Gaia, Outer Rim, Tynan Empire

  The arrival of a stranger was seldom a good thing, particularly in the Outer Rim. Bad things happened when strangers arrived, things like Soul Harvests or piracy. A farming couple entertained these thoughts as they stood over the stranger they’d found lying unconscious at the river’s edge. But perhaps he wasn’t a stranger to this planet, only to them. The farmer lifted the man, carrying him all the way to the planet’s only medical centre. As the stranger drifted in and out of consciousness, the couple waited anxiously to discover who it was they’d found.

  At long last, the doors to the room slid open as the assigned doctor entered.

  “And?” asked the farmer. “Who is he? Where is he from?”

  “That I cannot say. I know he’s not a citizen of Gaia, and I checked if he was from Ares, but he isn’t.”

  “So he’s a pirate?”

  “I don’t think so. The full-body scans suggest that he’s about thirty-three standard years old, in good physical condition –

  probably had an easy life. They also show that he’s got severe post-traumatic dissociative amnesia because of extensive, unnatural neural trauma. This man’s mind has been artificially tampered with and forcefully modified.”

  “And that doesn’t make him a pirate?” the farmer inquired, derision filling his tone.

  “We’re not graced with the technology to perform such operations here in the Outer Rim, nor the Mid Rim for that matter.”

  The doctor paused, carefully thinking about how to phrase his following words.

  “Therefore, I think it fair to surmise that he has come from the Inner Rim, and that is the domain of both the United Earth Republic and the core of the Tynan Empire – piracy doesn’t flourish there.”

  “So, what does all of this mean?” implored the farmer’s wife.

  “What will happen to him?”

  “I am no fortune teller, but if I were to make an educated guess, I would say that this man is largely going to be a blank slate.

  He’ll need to be cared for and supported as he forms a new identity.”

  The doctor watched as the couple exchanged a glance before checking his notes. “If I’m not mistaken, you are childless?” he queried.

  “We had a daughter!” the farmer snapped.

  “Livietta. She died five years ago,” his wife added quietly.

  “My condolences. Perhaps then, you could care for this man. I realise he is not a child, but he could become a strong set of farm hands in return for his board and lodgings.”

  The couple exchanged another glance.

  “But he is a stranger!” the farmer disputed. “Bad things happen when strangers arrive!”

  “This man is a stranger to himself! Trauma like his doesn’t leave you knowing who you are. He’ll need guidance, support: both of which I think you can offer him.”

  “And if bad things happen?”

  “Then we’ll send him to Ares – let the Empire’s grunts deal with him.”

  With a final glance and a nod, the couple agreed.

  “Fine … we’ll take him.”

  Chapter 1

  Happy Discovery Day!

  2146, Common Era – Planet Gaia, Outer Rim, Tynan Empire

  They say that dreams are built from your memories, constructed out of long-term memories of the self or specific memories from significant events.

  The only thing I ever dreamed about was an ocean of darkness. There was always the tiniest sliver of the moon, like a crack of light in an otherwise black sky, illuminating a horrifying truth – that I was alone, floating in an endless sea that stretched to the very edge of the horizon.

  The water would start calm, but the longer I slept, the rougher it became until it had transformed into a thunderous storm. Waves as high as buildings would crash down upon me, plunging me to the depths where I would tumble about in the angry currents. Each time I would struggle to the surface, abating my fear as I gulped a lungful of air.

  Again and again the cycle would repeat, sapping my strength until I had none left. That was when the biggest waves would come, ramming into me with immeasurable force. As I sank beneath the surface, I’d hold on to my last breath of air for as long as I could.

  But when the urge to breathe took over, I’d trade oxygen for salt water and awaken to a now-familiar voice.

  “Drown!” it would hiss inside my head.

  The doctor had called it a “side effect”, nothing more than a consequence of the brain trauma. Yet, night after night, this was my reality. How long were trauma side effects supposed to last? As I lay in bed, sweaty and panicked, still reeling from the fear, I could only wonder why was this happening? What did it mean? Why was I a thirty-five-year-old man with only two years of memory? As the sunlight began to creep through the curtains, I knew that the questions would have to wait until tomorrow. Just like they did every day.

  ***

  Walking into the kitchen, my parents greeted me in unison, “Happy Discovery Day!”

  “What …?” I managed to mumble around a yawn.

  “Happy Discovery Day!” my mother repeated. “Had you forgotten?”

  Oh yes, I thought, remembering what day it was: the second anniversary of my discovery.

  “I hadn’t forgotten,” I replied, sitting at the table. “I was hoping to remember, as always.”

  “Oh, my darling!” Mother exclaimed as she placed my breakfast before me. She placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, smiling down at me. “I know you want to remember, but the doctor did say that given the lack of any recollection these last few years, it’s highly likely your memory won’t ever return.”

  I knew she meant well, but she had a way of speaking down to me at times, as if I were a child.

  “I know, Mother. I was there, remember?”

  For a moment, her eyes became distant, as if she were struggling to recall the moment of which she had just spoken. “Oh yes, of course you were!” she said with a smile.

  “She condescends …”

  Not now, I thought, trying to suppress the dark voice inside.

  Refocusing, I realised my mother was still speaking to me.

  “… of course, maybe I’m the one who needs to remember! The amount of things I forget, isn’t that right, darling?”

  “Mother, I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

  “Why n
ot?” she asked, her expression souring. “It’s your Discovery Day, after all!”

  “She doesn’t listen …”

  “Mother … please.”

  “Honey, let’s talk about something else,” Father interjected, motioning for her to sit down.

  “Well, he’s not going to remember if we never talk about his past, is he?” she argued.

  “Honey …”

  “Tell her …”

  “Mother …”

  “Don’t honey me. Why do you always take his side?”

  “Tell her!”

  “Silence!” I yelled, leaping to my feet, the darkness taking control at that moment.

  My mother moved backwards, cowering before me.

  “Boy!” my father hollered. “Sit down!”

  As quickly as it’d come, the darkness receded, and I collapsed back onto my seat. I looked at my mother, absorbing the look of fear her face still bore.

  “I … I’m … I’m sorry, Mother.” I stammered.

  She scurried out of the room without a word, leaving me to face my father.

  With a sigh, he leaned forward. “Son … you’ve got to remember the wolves.”

  “I know, Father … I know.”

  “I know you do, son. But every time the darkness arises, it’s my job to refocus you. To remind you of which wolf to feed.”

  I nodded. My father was very good at maintaining perspective, yet viewpoints were relative.

  My perspective was formed from thirty-three blank and empty years and two that were full and vivid.

  “Don’t worry. Your mother will come right. Just give her time.”

  “I know,” I mumbled, eyeing up my breakfast and finding myself uninterested in eating.

  “Would you go into town for me please, son?” my father asked, pushing his chair back and standing.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “Great. I’ll give you a list of things we need,” he said, taking his dishes to the sink. Pausing as he placed them down, he looked back at me. “Best you eat up. Don’t want the right wolf going hungry, aye?”

  “Sure,” I said, picking up my utensils.

  “Oh, and one more thing.”

  I looked back at my father. “Yeah?”

  “Whilst you’re there, buy something for yourself, okay?”

  “Sure thing. Thanks.”

  After my father left, I took my breakfast to the kitchen. A picture of Livietta sitting on the counter caught my eye. It was times like these when the illusion broke down and I remembered that I was the changeling – the substitute for a child taken. They never spoke about her, who took her or how she’d died – I suspected they didn’t even know the whole truth. The hole in their lives that I filled was a hole that I did a poor job of filling. It mostly worked, except for the moments when it didn’t.

  ***

  The EV glided along the road, sweeping through each corner and soaring down each straight. I’d often wondered what it would be like to drive a classic car. The planetary archives contained many records detailing a time when people drove vehicles. Not on Gaia, mind you, but on the motherland: Earth. The word resonated within. The doctor believed that I might’ve come from the Inner Rim, and the thought that I had been to and probably lived on other worlds was tantalising. If my dreams were based on forgotten memories of an ocean, there was credence to this idea. Gaia only had one sea, and I’d never been there. But Earth, Mars, and Terranova all had several oceans.

  The feeling of deceleration broke me away from my thoughts.

  “Vehicle – why are you slowing?”

  “Obstruction ahead. Please clear it to proceed,” the EV replied as it came to a stop.

  “Open the doors.”

  Natural light flooded into the interior as the doors silently slid apart. Grabbing onto a handle, I pulled myself out and stepped onto the road. Glancing around, I discovered the source of the obstruction: A lone figure standing in the middle of the road.

  “‘Alt! Goes no further, ya ‘ear! This be a stickup, innit?” the figure called out.

  “But sweet robber, I have nothing of value upon myself to give to thee!”

  “Now, don’t youse be gettin’ clever wit’ me! I ‘ears you’ve got the best kisses in the land! And I’ve come t’ steal one!”

  “Well, I couldn’t comment on such claims – I kiss too few people to know the quality of mine. But, if you insist, I will let you steal a kiss, and in exchange, you let me continue on my way!”

  The lone assailant laughed, breaking her well-crafted character. “Safe passage is worth at least two kisses, maybe even three! It depends on how well you kiss.”

  I smiled as I watched her walk over to me. I held out my arms, and she walked straight into them, grabbing my face and pulling it towards her own. Her lips met mine, exchanging a soft and familiar greeting. One kiss became two, and then a third; each time our lips met, our kisses deepened further. I gripped her body tighter, pulling it as close as was physically possible. With a final lingering touch of our lips, she pulled back and looked at me with a beaming smile.

  “That was … sensational. I might have to steal kisses from you more often.”

  “Oh, Amorina – where would I be without you?”

  “You’d probably be in town by now,” Amorina replied.

  Laughter rolled from me, releasing any lingering tension from the morning. Amorina grinned and pulled my head back down, silencing me with another passionate kiss.

  When our lips parted, I cupped her cheek in my palm. “Would you like to join me? We can continue this robbery on the way into town.”

  “I would like that very much, but only if we take a detour first.”

  “Consider it done!”

  ***

  As I stared at the pile of discarded clothing, I mused over how the detour had gone. As it turned out, Amorina’s surprise was a picnic set up in “our place” – a tree grove sheltered from the elements, hidden from the world, just a short walk from the road – our little slice of paradise. My parents never questioned why the trips to town took as long as they did, but I was sure they knew why.

  “Whatcha thinkin’ about, sexy?”

  Breaking away from my thoughts, I turned to look at Amorina, tracing my eyes over the curves of her body until I arrived back at her face. “How perfect this place is and how sensational you are.”

  The corners of her mouth curved into a coy smile. “Not too bad for a Discovery Day present then?”

  “That was the biggest understatement ever! You’ve made today … mind-blowing!”

  “I should hope so!” she replied, leaning in for a kiss.

  “She distracts us …”

  Her lips skimmed my cheek as I jerked back from the sudden presence of the darkness.

  “And yet …” she said, pulling back, “you’re still distracted. And not by me, unfortunately.”

  “I’m sorry …”

  “Never apologise!”

  “I don’t mean to be.”

  Amorina nodded. “I know. Is it the voice again?”

  “Yes,” I sighed. “I snapped at Mother this morning. I didn’t hurt her … just left her scared, was all.”

  “Lie back for me.”

  I obliged and Amorina moved closer, pressing her body against mine as she snuggled into me. Partially draped over my chest, she reached up with one hand and pushed back my hair. Her thumb traced along the now exposed scar that circled my head.

  “I assume you haven’t remembered anything new?”

  “Of course not! I haven’t remembered anything for two years – why would it change now?”

  “I don’t know, but it never hurts to check. I just … I get frustrated, like I know you do, with not knowing. I wish we knew the story behind this scar. How you got it, who gave it to you.”

  “I know …”

  “The way it goes around your whole head … like someone pulled the top of your skull off.”

  “She doesn’t know …”

  “It has to be connected to your memory, right? It has to be!”

  “Silence her!”

  “Amorina, please … we need to stop talking about this. Please!”

  “Okay.”

  “Coward …”

  “Thank you.”

  “Yeah, no worries,” Amorina said, rolling off me, an awkward silence filling the space between us.

  “Listen, thank you for everything today. The picnic, the conversation, the sex.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her, drawing a small smile from her. “It means a lot.”