Chapter 20 #2
After twenty minutes of random conversation and a stop by an ATM, they pulled into the warehouse district. Despite the name, the underground market wasn’t underground; it was in an unmarked group of warehouses in the heart of the warehouse district.
To gain entry, you had to know somebody who knew somebody. Rory was thankful Fiona told her she could drop her name. She really liked that old bat.
They approached a large man sitting near the dumpster that hid the entrance. He looked drunk and homeless, an act they’d used for years. “I’m here for Fiona,” Rory told him.
The man sized her up. Standing, he pushed the dumpster slightly, revealing an open doorway. It quickly sealed behind them, and Sera ate up the bustling scene filling the extensive building.
“Holy shit,” she marveled.
Rory grabbed her wrist to guide her through the throng of people. “We need to get in and out as quickly as possible. Keep your head down, and don’t speak to anyone.”
She searched the building, looking for Fiona’s familiar face. The Alchemist kept certain potions on hand, but sometimes she took orders to be picked up later. Rory prayed they wouldn’t need to come back.
Fiona’s familiar booth caught her eye, and she released a sigh of relief.
As they approached, Fiona glanced up and smirked at Rory across the way.
Sera tugged on Rory’s arm, stopping her. “Are you sure you want to take a potion from someone in this place?” Her voice was barely a whisper so as not to be overheard.
“I’ve known Fiona for years,” Rory assured her, glancing at the Alchemist.
Sera followed her gaze, and for the first time since Rory met her, she looked nervous. “And you’re positive you want your memories back? I will help you however I can, but I want you to be one hundred percent sure you want this. It could be traumatizing.”
“No more traumatizing than having a gaping hole in my memory,” Rory countered.
“I need to know what happened in Vincula. There are too many unanswered questions that I can’t let go.
My guards are spying on the fucking Lux King for aether’s sake, and apparently, some woman named Nina tried to kill me, but I killed her first. Do you know how unsettling it is to know you killed someone but can’t remember? ”
Sera blanched. “How were you not sent to hell for killing someone again?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “That’s why I have to get my memories back.”
Sera pulled her wrist from Rory’s hold and adjusted her ponytail. “We’ll get them back. Even if this potion doesn’t help, we’ll think of something.”
Rory led the way to Fiona’s booth and gave the woman a wide smile. “Hey, Fiona. We’re interested in buying a memory-restoring potion.”
Fiona’s eyes were hard, and she looked pissed. What happened in the last five minutes? “What kind of memory potion are you wanting?”
Rory glanced at Sera and back to the Alchemist. “We weren’t aware there were different types.”
Fiona looked unimpressed. “Is it for you? No one has restored their memories from Vincula.” She crouched down as she searched through a shelf of bottles.
“I have a potion that reverses the effects of a Munin’s magic and another that helps with old age memory loss.
” She stood and placed two bottles on the counter.
Rory felt uneasy with Fiona’s hostile tone, but she dismissed it. It was likely a shitty customer trying to swindle her. “We’ll take them both. How much?”
Fiona bagged them quickly and held out her hand. “Ten gold moedas each.”
Rory narrowed her eyes. “That’s steep, even for you.”
“Then find someone else,” the woman quipped.
“Fine.” Rory pulled twenty gold moedas from her bag. “We’ll take them.”
Plunking the potions on the counter, Fiona swiped the moedas and waved Rory and Sera off with her hand. “Leave.”
Sera was quiet during the exchange, and once they were out of earshot, she whispered, “I thought you two were friends.”
Rory glimpsed over her shoulder and saw Fiona still watching her with slitted eyes. “I thought we were too. I saw her recently, and she told me to come see her.”
Sera glanced back and pulled her along faster, but Rory stopped and veered her to the right. “The exit is over here.”
Sera flipped off the headlights as they pulled into the driveway of the safe house. “Are you going to take them now, or do you want to wait?”
Rory pulled the bottles from the bag and nodded. “I need you to stay here in case they’re poisoned.”
“It’s strange that she had two memory potions in stock, don’t you think?” Sera asked with a hint of suspicion.
Rory stared at the bottles in her hands. “Yes, but what other choice do I have?”
Sera unbuckled her seatbelt, signaled for Rory to do the same, and pulled out her cell phone. “In case you start to die, and I need to call for help and give you mouth-to-mouth or something,” she explained when Rory stared at her.
“Okay.” Rory took a calming breath before throwing back the first potion. She covered her mouth as she gagged. “I hate potions.” Her eyes watered as she gagged again.
“Don’t throw it up,” Sera commanded. “I don’t want to go back.”
Rory breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth until the nausea passed. Gulping down the second one, she willed herself not to puke. “These are worse than any potion I’ve ever taken in my life.”
They waited for what felt like forever, but nothing happened, and Rory cursed. “I don’t know if she gave me fake potions or if they don’t work.”
Sera inspected the bottles, turning them over in her hands. “You said you two were friends. Why would she lie?”
Banging her head against the headrest, she closed her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“We will try every memory recovery tactic in the realms before we give up,” Sera assured her. “But for now, go back inside before we’re caught by one of your guards.”
“Thanks, Sera.” She hopped out and leaned down to peer into the car. “I’m glad you harassed my friends while I was gone; otherwise, we wouldn’t have met.”
When Rory shut the door, Sera rolled down her window and poked her head out. “Get some sleep!”
After waving goodbye, Rory turned back to the house with a groan. She jumped onto the porch railing and clung to a pillar, climbing until her fingers grabbed the awning’s edge.
There were no gutters on this house, and while dangling in the air, Rory wondered if that was bad for the roof. She used a pillar to push off with her feet, and her arms had never ached so much in her life.
Picking up anything tomorrow would be impossible. When she tumbled through her bedroom window, she stayed sprawled on the floor, huffing. Even with her Fey strength, that was hard.
She wouldn’t be surprised if her heavy breathing alone woke her father. Would it be ridiculous to crawl to the shower? Yes.
Rory managed to get up and dragged herself to the bathroom. Once in the shower, she stood under the stream until the water ran cold. She practically fell into bed, but instead of sleeping, she lay awake and hoped the potions would kick in, eventually.
They didn’t.