Lauren’s face softened. “I’ll get you one and fill it with her when she’s not paying attention. Otherwise, she’ll break the camera if I stick it in her face every day,” she joked, and Caius laughed lightly at the thought of Rory threatening Lauren. TheAngelstood and crossed the room to leave.
“Lauren,” he called out as she closed the door behind her.
The door swung back open, and she poked her head in. “Yeah?”
“Record her laughing for me.”
Emotion passed over her face, followed by a smile. “I’ll tickle her if I have to.”
A couple of hours later,Lenora bustled into the room with Lauren and Kit on her heels, and Caius smiled, genuinely happy to see her.
His eyes landed on Kit before sliding to Lauren. TheAngelstepped in front of Lenora and kicked her a path through the rubble. “She needs to weigh in. If anyone will know anything, it’s our resident bookworm.”
Kit and Lenora looked around at the wreckage. “Did you do this?” Lenora tsked at him. “Start cleaning this up.”
He straightened defensively. “I have staff to do that, and those who do will receive extra credits this month.” Lenora didn’t seem impressed, and three men stepped into the room with extra chairs, stopping her from scolding him further.
“What happened?” Kit asked, jumping to the point.
Caius glanced at Lenora. “Will restoring Rory’s memories help?”
She regarded him thoughtfully, and Kit muttered something under her breath.
“I know my daughter, and if you tell her, she will try to avenge her sister. Even if she resists at first, she won’t be able to help herself. It’s who she is.”
Caius shook his head. “I don’t mean telling her.” He paused. “I mean, yes, that is an option, but I’m talking aboutrestoringthe memories she lost.”
Kit mumbled again, and Caius turned to her. “Is there something you’d like to say?”
The librarian looked at the other three, baffled. “Restoring her memories is no less of a feat than breaking the magic holding you here. It was put in place by theSeraphim, not aMunin.”
AMunin. They were mystics with the ability to manipulate memories. Caius hadn’t considered having Rory see one.
“It won’t work,” Kit said, interpreting his thoughts. “You think mystics haven’t tried?” She snorted. “They have, and not only did it not work, but it’s also illegal.”
Lenora sat quietly, listening to the exchange, and Caius cleared his throat. “That’sifwe decide restoring them is the best course of action.”
“Right,” Kit agreed, nodding her head sardonically. Shadows wound around Kit’s ankles, and she shrieked, kicking at them.
He smirked. “As I was saying, our choices are to tell her nothing and allow her to live as she is now,tellher what’s happened the last three months, or find a way to restore her actual memories.”
Kit glared at the retreating shadows, and Lauren gave her a look that said,‘You should have known better.’
Ignoring them both, he turned to Lenora. “I can try to jog her memory in our soulscapes, and if I believe it’s working, we can try to restore them completely.”
“What is the difference between telling her about her missingmemories and you jogging her memory?” Lenora asked, leaning forward.
Caius adjusted in his chair. “If theAngelsand I tell her, she might not understand the seriousness of the situation and go after Gedeon herself.”
“She will,” Lenora agreed.
Caius’ mouth pressed into a grim smile. “That’s what I’m afraid of. If I try to remind her in our soulscape, it can be explained away as a dream if it doesn’t work. But if it does and she remembers bits and pieces, then maybe aMunincan bring the rest of her memories back.”
“Why do you think she will remember anything?” Kit questioned him. “It has never happened in the history of Vincula, as far as I know.”
“I believe it’s already happening,” he said, glancing at Lauren.
Kit sat straight up, and Lenora sucked in a sharp breath.
