Flashback ( PDFDrive )

“Because I think I might understand what’s happening. But if you
don’t feel like cooperating—”
Sophie sighed. “I was thinking about . . . one of my nightmares.”
“The same nightmare you had while Tam was attempting to quiet
your echoes?” Lady Zillah clarified.
Sophie nodded—and even though she tried to block it, Amy’s voice
screamed through her brain again, each word a fresh stab.
“Then it’s what I suspected,” Lady Zillah murmured. “The echoes
have built a bridge between fear and pain.”
“Am I supposed to know what that means?” Sophie asked.
“I’d hoped you would—but I suppose it is an abstract concept. And
it’s possible I’m not choosing the best metaphor. But for now, let’s go
with it.” She turned to pace, her white cape billowing behind her as
she slowly crossed the Healing Center. “You were afraid during the
attack, weren’t you? I’m sure we all would be. And the shadowflux fed
on that fear. It also caused you a significant amount of pain as it
carried out the orders it was given. So now, as far as the echoes are
concerned, fear and pain are one and the same. And when something
frightens you—like a nightmare—the echoes react and cause pain
everywhere they touch. But it’s a different kind of pain. A shadow of
the trauma you experienced. Which is why you can’t see it,” she told
Elwin. “This pain is grounded in darkness. You’ve probably even
noticed that it looks dimmer where the echoes reside.”
“Murkier,” Elwin agreed, placing a fresh silver cloth over Sophie’s
forehead. “But I thought you said the pain wasn’t real.”
“I was wrong. It shouldn’t be real—and if the echoes were simply
echoes, it wouldn’t be. But shadowflux can cause change. And in
Sophie’s case, that change gives the echoes more power—enough to