Zarina sa'Der is a category one memory witness trained to work with the most vulnerable victims of violent crimes. Her last court case left her with nightmares, which required her to take a break to focus on clearing her special memory banks before she went insane. As a Treasure of the Magicians' Order, the Grandmaster arranges for her to take her vacation at the High Order retreat for the ideal peace and quiet she needs.
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What is your full name? Do you have a nickname?
What is your background? What makes you you?
I was born a magician, and from a young age, I knew that my path was not going to follow the traditional route because of my ancestry. This did not limit my choices at all, and I am fortunate that my parents supported my choice to study at the Xa'anian School of Magic and Knowledge to become a memory witness. Our training starts at an early age; I was about seven, and involved rigorous and disciplined training in magic control. I am the only category one witness, and my teachers learned early on that I needed to develop my skills my way. Memory witness teachers are used to this and provided me with the guidance I needed to hone my skillset.
Where do you live?
I live in the capital city of Xa'an, Ikea. Xa'an is located in the third solar system. It is my dream, however, to retire in the village of Akan, because it is situated on the edge of a beautiful forest. I love the forest, and often go there to hike amongst the trees and waterfalls.
Who are your parents? Are they still alive?
They are Aaron and Liz'aBe sa'Der and they live in the second solar system where I was born. They are very much alive and in good health.
I had a happy childhood despite the history of my people. My extended family is small, but we are all close despite the distance between us.
I am 29. Since I was born with magic power, I will age much slower than non-magic folk. This requires me to look after myself so that my source of magic remains active and productive, which will help slow down my ageing process. The typical life expectancy of a magician is around 300 suns (or years, as you would call it here on Earth).
So your magic can slow the ageing process but not send you around the galaxies!
Me too! So, Zarina, what would you say is your biggest wish/desire?
Who is the person you respect the most, and why?
Do you have a secret? Does anyone else know the secret? What would happen if you told someone this secret?
Yes, I have a secret or two. Aside from my family, no one knows who and what I am. I share my secret with a small circle of trusted people, but they are also aware of the dangers of sharing that knowledge. It was necessary to share the knowledge for their own sakes.
Do you own a gun (or any other weapon)? Killed anyone (either purposely or not)?
Officers in the Xa'anian security service do not carry weapons, as a rule. A few select officers do, but they are only called into duty for very specific tasks, which I am not at liberty to discuss. My magical ability allows me to incapacitate someone, but I am not trained in offensive or defensive magic. I can, however, share power with a warrior if he or she needs more power to use in a magic battle.
Are you happy now your story has been told? Is there more to come?
Yes, for sure. I have been bugging my author for years to tell my story, and even I was surprised at some things that happened. Since my book is part of a series, readers will meet me again in future stories, as has been the case for many of the friends I have made along the way. (Note for the author: Zarina will be around again in Tarryn's Vampire, a future Grandmaster novel in the series.)
What, if anything, would you like to change about your life?
Something horrible happens in my story as a result of a choice I make. I will continue to feel guilty for that for the rest of my life, even though everyone assures me that the tragedy wasn't my fault. It is the one thing that if I could have predicted the future, I would have done differently.
Who is the person you despise the most?
The person I despise the most is the one behind all the tragedies, death threats, and deaths in my story. I hate him for putting the lives of innocents and good people in danger for his own cowardly and nefarious plans.
If you knew you were going to die in 24 hours, name three things you would do in the time you had left.
Excerpt from A Memory for Love, Book 7
in the Nations of Peace series.
With a groan, he got to his feet. Damn, the cold had made his muscles stiffer than he realised. Stretching his arms, he paused.
“What was that?”
He moved to the end of the
balcony. There it was again. It sounded like...
Ignoring his bare feet and the
cold, he jumped over the balcony railing and took a moment to find his balance
before he ran. As he came closer, his anger cleared the fog from his mind. No
one hurt a woman. Seconds later, he was over the balcony railing and bursting
through the flimsy balcony door.
Just as the light came on.
The door panels, fortunately not
made of glass, crashed. The impetus drove him to the bed. He almost fell on top
of her.
Shrinking back on the bed, Zarina
watched it all with wide eyes.
Feeling undignified, Aidan
managed to control his body enough to stop at her bedside. He looked around the
room. Everything looked fine, but he was sure she had screamed earlier.
“Where is he?”
She frowned at him. “Who?”
“The man who attacked you.” Then
he saw traces of tears on her face. He sat down on the bed. “Are you alright?”
Wiping her eyes with the sheet,
she turned her head away. “I am fine. There is no one here. I have nightmares
sometimes, that’s all.”
It was his turn to frown. She
looked so young with her hair down and wearing a white nightgown. Then his
brain clicked.
“Your last court case?”
Her head snapped back to his.
“You know who I am?”
“Yes. I finally remembered why
you looked so familiar. Didn’t you learn how to purge your memories so that you
don’t have nightmares?”
She shrugged. “The case was long,
and I didn’t do all my meditations as I should have. It just caught up with me.
I will be fine after I start working at it tomorrow.”
Confident that there was no real
threat, he got up.
She grabbed his wrist. “I am
sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to remind you of painful things.”
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