They ignored her and discussed leaving, and as Rory continued to look around, her gaze snagged on the book lying on the floor. It bothered her that she didn’t remember taking it to Vincula, but she pushed the mystery aside and picked it up. Returning her attention to the two guards, she sighed and followed them into the hall, wondering what awaited her on the outside.
They usheredher into the dark night toward a black SUV with tinted windows. If they wanted it to look inconspicuous, they failed.
Once they piled into the vehicle and drove to The Capital gates, Rory held her breath. Usually, they made everyone get out, handover their mystic cards, and take a truth potion to ensure nothing was being snuck out, but when Sam jumped out and spoke with one of theAatxeworking the gates, the guard nodded and stepped back.
Sam climbed back behind the wheel and waited. “Who are you?” Rory demanded as he drove through, but before he answered, the magic surrounding The Capital perimeter washed over her.
She jerked in her seat, looking around frantically.Where was Dume, and why wasn’t she in the transfer van?
She grappled for an explanation, but the bursting colors around her made her gasp and cover her mouth. Two people sat in the front seat, and the woman with white-streaked hair turned around.
“Shit,” she cursed when she saw Rory’s frightened state.
“Am I being taken to the Scales of Justice for judgment?” Rory choked out.
The man’s gaze caught hers in the rearview mirror. “I forget the gates erase their memories,” he said to his companion, looking at Rory again. “Listen closely because you have already been told once.”
Rory looked behind her. The Capital gates grew smaller as they drove away. “What is going on? Who are you two?”
The woman sighed. “I’m Lauren. This is Sam, and you have been released from Vincula early. It’s been three months. The last you remember is being transported to The Capital, correct?” Rory nodded dumbly, and Lauren continued. “Because of the magic surrounding The Capital, you don’t remember, but you were sentenced to five-hundred years in Vincula, released early after three months, and now we are taking you to your new home.”
The magic surrounding The Capital made it so that when you left, you forgot everything that happened there, as did the magic in Vincula, but when you returned, you remembered everything. It irked her she’d lost her memory twice.
Wait. Sentenced to five-hundred years and released early? “What did you say?”
Sam glowered at her through the mirror. “Are you having trouble understanding or hearing?”
Rory narrowed her eyes at him. “Excuse me if I’m having a hard time grasping the fact that I have somehow come back from Vincula four-hundred and ninety-nine years early.” She motioned wildly to her surroundings. “Or that everything is in color.”
Her chest heaved as she fumbled with the safety belt pinning her to the seat. It was too tight, and the vehicle was too small. She needed out.
“She’s taking this worse than she did the first time,” Lauren remarked. “Calm down, Rory. Yes, your sentence ended early, and yes, your grey-scale sight lifted when you were in Vincula.” Lauren spoke as though she was explaining the weather forecast for the week.
“What the fuck?” Rory breathed, unable to form a sentence more complex than that.
Lauren undid her safety belt and twisted all the way around. “We’re driving you to a safe house. You need to keep yourself hidden.”
“If this is supposed to clarify things, it isn’t working,” Rory grumbled.
“You used to be smarter than this,” Sam grumbled, shaking his head. “No one other than us and your next of kin knows you have been released.”
Rory’s shoulders tightened at his sharp tone, and Lauren noticed, silencing him with a scathing look. “What he means is that it would be in your best interest if the citizens of Erdikoa didn’t know you’ve been released. Believe it or not, not everyone is a fan of mystics being slaughtered like cattle.”
Rory’s cheeks heated, but something Lauren said caught her attention. “You told my parents?”
Lauren turned back around. “Yes.”
The leather seat creaked beneath Rory as she slumped down. “No one will be there waiting for me, but I need to ensure my mother is taken care of.” When she moved, a book slid off her lap and onto the floorboard. Why did she have a book? She leaned forward to see what it was, but Lauren’s words stopped her.
“Don’t be so sure they won’t come.”
Would her parents be there? Would her friends?
She blew out a long breath.Doubtful.
The look on Dume’s face when he arrested her was seared into her brain.
No, she would spend her days alone, and with no loved ones to disappoint, she would hide from the masses and resume her search for Bane. TheSeraphimgave her another chance to avenge her sister, and she wouldn’t waste it.
