Vesper shook her head. “She thinks she’s a high-value target.”
Bellamy huffed, not believing for a second that was what Cypress had been about to say.
She wished they hadn’t left. Vesper had beendyingto find out what was in that file. And she also needed to figure out a good way to apologize to Cypress. To make her feel like she was appreciated and shit.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Vesper
Vesper’s heart pounded against her ribcage. Her eyes darted everywhere, surveying the veiled figures as best as she could under their shroud of illusion. She’d known this was a bad idea. Okay, fine—it was technically her idea, but Cypress had been overjoyed when Vesper first mentioned it, so she really hadn’t thought it wasthatbad.
Of course, the kid wasn’t at all nervous about her life being in imminent danger as she tugged Vesper and Bellamy through the crush of people.
The crowd around them could be hiding anyone. They could work for the Embunuh. Shit, Cypress’s parents could even be there. It would be impossible to tell. The drab grey, brown, or black tunics people wore were designed to contrast against the white veils, which shimmered in the sunlight and cast illusions of flowers or animals or landscapes across their faces and down their arms.
Bells rang out across town and the grounds signaling the start of the illusion acrobats show where they’d be contorting their bodies in impossible positions while throwing out mind-blowing illusions of landscapes or planets.
“Maybe we should go to the festival instead,” Bellamysuggested, keeping her voice low as she kicked at a loose cobblestone on the path.
“We’ll go to the next one,” Vesper said, giving Bel a look. This could work to their advantage, after all. Once the festival goers cleared out, it would be a perfect opportunity for them to be confronted.
Truth be told though, if Vesper had realized today was Dewa Ilusi, she might have picked a different day.
White magic shimmered on the air. Excitement thrummed around them as the heat of the sun beat down on the pulsating crowds bustling them about. Sweat trickled down her back. This was her first time outside of the Downstairs in a week, and it was fucking miserable. There were too many people here. They were never going to get spotted by Embunuh agents.
“If we go somewhere more crowded,” Vesper explained, thinking of Cedar and Mazz hidden under illusion somewhere nearby, “it’ll be easier for them to lose us.”
Of course, Cedar had insisted upon coming when Vesper announced her plan. A plan that was, in part, to placate Cypress, and in part something that might actually work at drawing out their parents. Really, it had been Cedar’s fault—she’d made Vesper feel like even more of an ass than she already did. She had to do something to make Cypress feel better. Plus, the waiting fucking sucked.
Naturally, the gardens, which Cypress had spent days—years, really—begging Vesper to take her to see, were the best option for both lifting Cypress’s spirits and getting found out.
With a gasp, Cypress broke through a gap in the rush and shouted, “Vessie, look!” Vesper tugged Bellamy through the throngs, following as closely behind Cypress as she could, until they reached a small bridge that crossed over hundreds of flowers of all shapes and sizes. It led to a little gazebo, which was perfect for reading.
The bridge was empty, thankfully devoid of the crowds. Vesper finally felt like she could breatheagain.
“That one!” Cypress called excitedly, as if Vesper wasn’t right behind her. “See that one?”
She leaned over the thin, redwood railing, getting as close as she could to the large, grey-blue flower. Each petal was the size of Vesper’s hand and stood about two feet above the other plants around it; it was hard to miss.
“Lovely.” Vesper smiled, keeping Bellamy’s hand firmly clenched in hers, a subtle reminder for her to be nice.
“The same color as your eyes,” Cypress whispered shyly. “And look at that one!” Cypress shouted quickly, cutting off what Vesper was sure would be a snide remark from Bellamy. “The color of my eyes.”
Vesper followed her finger to the other flower, conveniently right under the first one. It was bright green with hundreds of small petals clustered around a yellow center. Cypress wrapped her arm around Vesper’s arm without waiting for a reply and continued tugging them along. She chattered away, pointing to every other flower she liked, bouncing on the balls of her feet when they paused for too long.
After two hours of Cypress dragging them around the gardens—with surprisingly minimal grumbling from Bellamy—Vesper finally directed Cypress’s attention to the little crêpe restaurant near the garden centre. Maybe if they were staying in one place they’d get lucky. Or unlucky. Either way, this outing was turning out to be a waste.
Vesper couldn’t be too upset though. Cypress had clearly forgiven her and gotten over the brief depression Vesper had accidentally planted in her mind. They’d head back after food—Bel had put up with Cypress long enough. Vesper could sense her getting antsy. This day was mostly an apology for the kid anyway. Couldn’t have Bel starting a fight.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Bellamy
Their little outing had been nothing but frustrating. She hadn’t even wanted to go. Vesper only suggested it because she made Cypress cry. It was fucking absurd. The girl was too attached, and Vesper was doing nothing to dissuade that. They’d spent their time with Cypress pretending she was on a date with Ves.
Regardless, they played their parts. Now they were stuck back in Cypress’s room, all sat in a little circle. Bellamy and Vesper were in chairs, Cypress and Cedar on the bed—because Cedar had an “update.”
“So glad we did all that,” Bellamy rolled her eyes after Cedar finished explaining that she had seen absolutely nothing out of the ordinary and hadn’t noticed anyone watching them. Mazz had already told them as much. “When are you gonna get us something that’s actually useful?” she snapped, glaring at Cedar.
