Cedar chewed on her lip, her eyes darting between Mazz, Cypress, and Vesper. “I think I made it,” she admitted quietly, swallowing hard. “I, uh, I noticed the signs lingering in Bellamywhen she woke up—disorientation, weakness, blue around the mouth. Is that… Does… Does she have that blue tinge too?”
“Why would you have made something like that?” Mazz narrowed her eyes.
“It was… something I had to make during my schooling. I sent some home. I sent a lot of my work home. Our parents”—she darted a quick look at Cypress. “They were very keen on what I was doing. I thought it was just them being supportive, but now…”
“Now, what?” Mazz asked, sounding angrier as she glared at Cedar.
Cedar looked apologetically at Cypress, grimacing before she continued. “I think they wanted it for Cy.”
“Why?” Wisp blurted out, sounding genuinely confused. It was in stark contrast to Mazz’s anger. “You said it’s a sedative. They want her dead. That doesn’t make any sense.”
Vesper knew exactly why. If they could get her unconscious, she was an easier target—a safer target. They wouldn’t have to worry about her untamed magic lashing out if she didn’t know what was going on. Dampener’s magic was unpredictable at the best of times. They so rarely survived as long as Cypress—no one really knew how it worked.
If a Dampener’s life was threatened, then it’s usually everyone else around them who’s in danger. Knocking her out before slitting her throat would be safer. It explained why they wanted Vesper to use poison. Why they had her and Bel go over after Cypress was already asleep. Safer—more likely to succeed.
Mazz opened her mouth to reply but quickly closed it when she realized that she didn’t know either. Cedar sure as fuck wasn’t going to say anything, and Vesper only hoped Bel could keep her mouth shut about it for now.
“Ayven!” Mazz called, turning to the door and waiting until a short, dark haired person poked their head inside. “Where is he?”
“Loaded up, like you requested. Transport is waiting for your signal to move.”
Mazz nodded and waved for their little group to follow her as she started toward the door.
“You coming?” Wisp called back, turning to see that only she and Ro had started to follow Mazz.
Vesper looked behind her at Cypress. Her blank stare hadn’t changed. She was chewing on her lip, hugging herself, seemingly lost to the world. Guilt gnawed at Vesper’s chest. She should comfort her, reach out, tell her it’s okay—anything other than what she was doing now. It wasn’t safe though. Cypress was too nervous, too fragile. She couldn’t contain her magic now.
Vesper looked at Cedar, an unspoken question in her gaze. Would their dad tell them? Was this safe for Cypress? She assumed, based on the fact no one seemed wary of Cypress, that no one but their little group knew Cypress was a Dampener.
Cedar gave a long, slow exhale. She didn’t have to answer. He might. They didn’t know what he’d planned for Cypress other than death. With the sedative, it could have been worse than that. It wasn’t safe for everyone to know about her though. Vesper had always thought she could trust Mazz, but now, she wasn’t so sure.
Without exchanging another word, Vesper slowly started for the exit, tugging Bellamy along with her. Cedar followed close on her heels, practically dragging Cypress with her.
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
Bellamy
The sun was blinding. Bellamy had been so used to the dim lighting in that concrete room that her eyes were watering now as she blinked rapidly. When her blurred vision finally cleared, her jaw almost dropped open.
They were surrounded by the tallest trees she’d ever seen. Their red bark was flaking and littering the forest floor, their branches lush with leaves. The sun was filtering through them directly into her eyes, but when she shifted a step forward, she was in the shadow of the canopy overhead. The air was crisp and cool, an early sign of the seasons beginning to change, and there was a sweetness she couldn’t place. Almost like the air was sprinkled with sugar or fresh baked pies.
She had no fucking idea where they were.
Vesper shifted next to her, leaning more of her weight on Bellamy’s shoulders. She was weakened—really weakened. Bellamy tried to keep her legs steady, to support Ves like she needed, but it was hard. Her legs were shaking too.
“Trucks?” Vesper asked Bellamy under her breath, and Bellamy finally tore her gaze away from the trees above them.
There were two large, grey, armored trucks, one with the doors shut, one with the doors open. They didn’t have truckshere. They had trolleys and motorbikes, but not trucks. Trucks were for the New Cities designed with wider roads and better access. They lived in an Old City. Bellamy hadn’t thought she’d been unconscious long enough for them to get her to a New City.
“Where the fuck are we?” Bellamy murmured in answer.
Ari and Ro stood next to Mazz in front of the open truck. Honestly, what was going on? Ari was here with Ro, and Mazz? Whatever the fuck happened to their dad’s business? Ro had a job—an Energy Designer, not some fucking queen’s agent shit like he was playing at. And she knew that’s what it had to be because the queen’s emblem, a stark gold crown interlaid with maple leaves and thorns, was visible on the side of the trucks.
But that didn’t make sense. Why would the government want to dismantle the Embunuh Organization when they were the queen’s biggest supporter?
“What’s in the syringe?” Mazz snapped. Her voice carried over the short distance to where Bellamy and Vesper stood.
Bellamy peered around Mazz and saw the people who’d kidnapped them—assuming, based on the earlier conversation, that they were Cypress and Cedar’s parents—tied to the bench in the back. The woman was still blissfully unconscious. The man was spitting venom in their direction.
