Rory sat patientlyon her bed with her window open, waiting to hear Sam’s car leave and her father go to bed. As far as they knew, she was already asleep.
It felt like hours before she heard the front door shut and Sam’s SUV roar to life. Her father had turned in earlier, and she texted Sera, sharing her location through her navigation app.
Rory slipped on her signature black hoodie, leggings, and boots before grabbing a hat and pulling it low over her eyes. Her hair hanging long over her shoulders still bothered her, and she pulled it through her cap, wrapping it in a tight bun.
She made a mental note to tell Sera they needed to stop by an ATM and take out moedas before heading to the underground market. After ensuring she had her things, she tiptoed downstairs and noticed a red light flashing on a panel next to the door.
“Fuck.” How would she get out, and how did she not know there was a security system?
Wait.When they set the house alarm, her window was open, meaning the sensor wouldn’t trip unless she closed it and opened itagain. Slipping back upstairs, she pushed her window all the way open and waited to make sure it didn’t trip the alarm.
“Rory, you beautiful genius,” she praised herself as she carefully stepped onto the roof and hesitated.Maybe she didn’t think this through.
Scooting to the edge on her butt, she cautiously peered over the side. The awning over the porch was lower than the roof of the house, and if she could lower herself onto it, she could try to shimmy down one of the pillars.
Moving as quietly as possible, she crab-walked sideways until she was over the porch, then slid off the edge, scraping her back. She cursed as her skin burned.So much for getting down unscathed.She stared warily at the edge of the porch awning and sighed.
She’d come too far now. This time, she turned around on her stomach, lowered herself until she hung by her fingertips, and dropped into the flowerbed. Scaling buildings looked easier in the movies.
A dark blue car pulled into the driveway with its lights off, and Rory tensed. What if it wasn’t Sera?
All of her anxiety melted away when Sera rolled down the window. “Get in bitch. We’re going to get your memories back.”
Rory laughed as she careened around the hood and slid into the front seat.
Sera held out a pair of black square-frame glasses. “Put these on.”
Rory obliged her friend, and when she looked in the mirror, it surprised her to see that Sera was right. Yes, anyone who knew her or who really looked at her would know who she was, but between the hat, glasses, hood, and the dark, it would be tough for a passerby to recognize her.
“Good call.” Rory held out her phone. “Here are the directions to the market.”
Sera grabbed the phone and attached it to her phone holder on the dash. “Thanks.”
After twenty minutes of random conversation and a stop by anATM, they pulled into the warehouse district. Despite the name, the underground market wasn’t underground; it was in an unmarked group of warehouses in the heart of the warehouse district.
To gain entry, you had to know somebody who knew somebody. Rory was thankful Fiona told her she could drop her name. She really liked that old bat.
They approached a large man sitting near the dumpster that hid the entrance. He looked drunk and homeless, an act they’d used for years. “I’m here for Fiona,” Rory told him.
The man sized her up. Standing, he pushed the dumpster slightly, revealing an open doorway. It quickly sealed behind them, and Sera ate up the bustling scene filling the extensive building.
“Holy shit,” she marveled.
Rory grabbed her wrist to guide her through the throng of people. “We need to get in and out as quickly as possible. Keep your head down, and don’t speak to anyone.”
She searched the building, looking for Fiona’s familiar face. TheAlchemistkept certain potions on hand, but sometimes she took orders to be picked up later. Rory prayed they wouldn’t need to come back.
Fiona’s familiar booth caught her eye, and she released a sigh of relief.
As they approached, Fiona glanced up and smirked at Rory across the way.
Sera tugged on Rory’s arm, stopping her. “Are you sure you want to take a potion from someone in this place?” Her voice was barely a whisper so as not to be overheard.
“I’ve known Fiona for years,” Rory assured her, glancing at theAlchemist.
Sera followed her gaze, and for the first time since Rory met her, she looked nervous. “And you’re positive you want your memories back? I will help you however I can, but I want you to be one hundred percent sure you want this. It could be traumatizing.”
“No more traumatizing than having a gaping hole in my memory,” Rory countered. “I need to know what happened in Vincula.There are too many unanswered questions that I can’t let go. My guards are spying on the fucking Lux King for aether’s sake, and apparently, some woman named Nina tried to kill me, but I killed her first. Do you know how unsettling it is to know you killed someone but can’t remember?”
