“Use that tongue or lose it,” she says.

“N-no, not Patrol. Dwegini. Grag, tell ’em.”

But Grag just looks away. Bri pats down the Dwegini and pulls a key card out of his pocket. Much like the one Kai found on the Breakfast Lady to free us from our cell.

Phiz Cielo

Dwegini

Head Researcher

Magical Molecular Anatomy and Thermodynamics

“Carrying identification?” I say. “He’s an amateur.”

Tears stream down his cheeks. “I-I… the money. There’s no work anymore. The labs are all closed. I j-just wanted the money. My family, I need…”

Zora hits him in the back of the head and his head bobs. “Tie him up. We should get out of here.”

I nod in agreement, stream a coil of light from my fingertips, and rope it around his hands.

“Twixame,” I say, pointing at his lips, and they snap closed. He wiggles them but they’re glued shut.

“Bri, sedate him, give him a memory sweep, and let’s go.” I turn to the others. “We’re leaving him here.” I have no use for him.

Phiz’s eyes grow as Bri pries his lips open and pours a honey-colored liquid down his throat. His expression dulls and he slow-blinks.

“He’ll be drowsy for a bit, then he’ll come out of it completely confused as to how he got here.”

“It’s for the best,” Grag mutters.

“Excuse me?” I ask.

“I… just, he… it’s good you didn’t keep him as a hostage. He’s very lower level, hardly knows anything. He’d probably be more of a liability.”

I narrow my eyes at him. Is that a lie? And if not, why would he help us?

“We have to go,” Jhamal says. I give Grag one more glance before we snake our way back toward the exit of this death trap of a building and follow the moonlight.

“You sure you’re okay?” Zora asks me.

“I think so. I’d never felt anything like that before, my magic leaving my body… it was… I felt so weak.”

Images of my cuffs being pulled away from my body sludge through my memory. I burn all over as they slice. My breath quickens. Long eyelashes in a lab coat’s face is clearer this time. He smiles as he pries. I scream. Everything goes black. Something warm is pressed to my lips and I swallow. It burns my throat. I gasp for air. I’m cold all over like my blood, or my power, or something is draining out of me. Someone yells. My knees give way underneath me.

My pulse races and Jhamal squeezes my hand. “You okay? Breathe.”

Five… four… three… two… one.

“You’re not in there anymore. You’re here, with me. You hear me?” Jhamal squeezes my hand again and this time I squeeze back. “I-I’m okay. Th-thanks.” I shake off the haunting memory and force out a breath.