“Yeah.” Mazz nodded before turning back to Vesper. “As for why they hired you to do it, I think that’s more obvious. They were terrified of her. They didn’t want to risk their own lives to sedate her.”
Vesper laughed sourly. “So, send in Energy wielders instead. Much better.”
“Yeah, well, they aren’t exactly the most ethical people, V.”
“So… What’ll happen to Cy now? Is she safe to leave?”
“Well.” Mazz readjusted in her chair, tucking her feet underneath her, and throwing a quick glance over her shoulder to check the door was still closed. “We’re trying to help her. For now, she’s still staying with me. She has a safe place where she can learn to control her magic—since none of the girls are Energy wielders. My people are working to destroy the Embunuh’s records—tomake sure there won’t be another district coming for her since she is a known Dampener.
“She’ll probably stay more or less inconspicuous until we determine the extent of her records. It is possible that her parents kept it secret. Once we know how safe it is, I’ve offered for her to help my team dismantle the rest of this branch. The offer is there for Cedar too.”
“Fuck that,” Bellamy interrupted, and Mazz shot her a sharp, warning look.
“This district was their parents' legacy, Bellamy. They deserve that closure. Especially since we now know their parents wanted them dead or captive.”
Bellamy deflated. Vesper winced against a sudden sharp sting in her arm—not from Bellamy, from the bubble. It was behaving as if the magic had heard its wielder’s name and wanted to go to her. She looked down at the sparks still on the string, keeping the bubble trapped as it moved fluidly, hovering over her arm, listing toward the door.
“Can we get Cypress to get rid of this fucking thing?” Vesper asked, nodding to her arm.
Mazz strode over to them, watching the sparks of Energy as they were unaffected by the darkness. “Why aren’t they absorbing?” she asked, reaching out to touch the string. It was a bad decision as the Energy had clearly been looking for a host and jumped onto her finger with an electric shock.
Bellamy snorted when Mazz yanked her hand away, sucking on her little finger to ease the sting. “Your shit healers fucked up,” Bellamy supplied.
“They overloaded me,” Vesper explained. “I can feel the Energy under my skin, itching to get out. I don’t think my body can absorb anymore.”
“That doesn’t explain why the bubble hasn’t sucked this Energy out though,” Mazz murmured, more to herself than to Vesper. “I’ll be right back,” she said under her breath before briskly exiting the room.
Vesper stared at the closed door, turning to look at Bellamy who was wearing an equally confused expression. She opened her mouth, but before she could get anything out, Mazz returned. There was a young blonde woman with her, someone Vesper had never met before, trailing hesitantly behind.
“Look at the Energy,” Mazz instructed without preamble, shoving the woman toward Vesper’s bed. She was fucking tiny. Shorter than Mazz by at least a head, and Mazz was already short.
She pushed her rounded glasses up her pointed nose and squinted down at the magic, hunching over to bring herself almost at eye level with it. Vesper watched astonished as the woman’s eyes shifted from blue to yellow then back to blue before she straightened.
“I’ve seen this happen,” she squeaked out in a high, lilting voice. “The Dampened part appears to be protecting her from the excess Energy on this string.” She looked at Vesper, addressing her now. “They’ve overloaded you.”
“Yeah, we know,” Bellamy grumbled on Vesper’s other side.
The woman glanced at Bellamy curiously before continuing as if she hadn’t spoken. “There’s too much Energy in your body. The Dampener magic can sense that. It’s blocking the Energy from absorbing into you on this side—protecting you in a sense. It is quite interesting.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the tip of which curled upward into a spiral.
Mazz must have seen the look on Vesper’s face and finally bothered with making introductions. “Ah, yes. V, this is Deliya. She’s a reader, from the Bukura planetary system.”
Vesper nodded slowly. She’d heard of their species before. They were sort of like empaths for magic—could read it in a sense, like it was a living creature.
“I’ve always wanted to go there,” she said, quietly watching the strange woman’s eyes shift between color phases in rapid succession while she observed Vesper’s magic. “I heard they have amazing gardens.”
“Yes, yes. Quite lovely. Atmosphere is too dense for humansthough,”Deliya agreed absently, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. Vesper tried not to squirm under the scrutinizing gaze that saw right through her. Deliya angled toward Mazz, not taking her eyes off Vesper’s arm, and lowered her voice. “How long did you say it has been like this?”
“A week.”
“Hmmm,” the reader nodded. “Interesting.” Deliya straightened up, fully dragging her attention back to Mazz now. “Has the Dampener attempted to remove it?”
Mazz cleared her throat. “Well, no. We didn’t think she should be here. Not while she’s still trying to heal from everything.”
Deliya smiled genuinely. She cocked her head. “That’s silly. Let her try.”
“I already know she can take it back,” Vesper added. “I’ve seen her do it.”
“It’s not worth the risk,” Bellamy snapped, eyes narrowed as she watched Deliya. “Not when she’s still healing.”
