Ruby, the anchored woman.
Do not be afraid, Mo Aesling. I am here to save you.He’d followed her because she felt familiar, he just hadn’t known why. His memories had already been stolen.
The sharpest memory cleaved him right down the middle as Sebastian let go.
His mother. Bruises and fear and pain. Her stinging words, the threats, the dark room.
Gods, the dark room.
Do it again.
I can’t!
Pushing and pushing and pushing until August finally—
Sebastian seized his wrist and slid something onto his pinky finger, disrupting his spiraling thoughts.
A ring.Hisring.
Sebastian said something too quiet to hear, and a half-second later, August’s body locked up, frozen. Icy terror as he fought furiously against the invisible force.
Stop!
Then, he lost all hold, and his body moved on its own, responding to some unspoken order.
His head turned to Felix.
Dread settled in Felix’s stomach as he watched August push to his feet. His movements were strange. Too stiff. And his eyes were black from lid to lid.
Felix glowered at the guard. “What did you do?”
When the guard responded with a sharp smile, Felix stepped in front of the others, aiming his magic like a weapon. But before he could give an order, August thrust out his hands. The darkness he’d drawn from Felix surged back in a violent wave, knocking him off his feet. He hit the ground hard, pain lancing through him.
It took everything in him just to sit up.
August flexed his fingers, attention shifting to the others as Gideon stood, drawing his saber.
“Run!” Felix shouted. “Just go!” They couldn’t stand up against August’s magic. They couldn’t fight him.
But Gideon rushed forward, drawing back his weapon.
Felix cursed, desperately calling for his magic. It didn’t answer. He couldn’t focus.
The shape of a man appeared out of nowhere, grey and hunched. August tipped his head forward, threw out a hand, and the anchored lunged.
Felix winced, forcing himself to look away as it tore through Gideon.
Darkness clawed at the edges of his vision, dragging him under, but the flurry of panicked screams kept him tethered. He had to do something.
Three more anchored rippled into existence, and he looked desperately to August, pleading silently for him to snap out of it.
Why was he doing this? What had the guard done to him?
A band of black on August’s finger pulled Felix’s attention.Impossiblyblack. Like the locket.
That hadn’t been there before. He would’ve noticed it.
Felix didn’t have time to think.
