Chapter 67
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
Vesper
Vesper’s world was turning upside down. She swayed on her feet, head swimming while they watched as more than one person filled Mazz in on the situation with Cypress’s parents. Mazz gave the order to remove Thoai and put him with Cypress’s mother.
Since when the fuck did Mazz get into field operations? And how the fuck was she in charge? Mazz owned and operated The Downstairs. She was a whore—a fucking good one at that. She did not do whatever the fuck this was. And did she just say the queen? Does Mazz work for the fucking queen?
Mazz nodded along to whatever the person in front of her was saying, heedless of Vesper’s group clustered in the center of the now almost-empty room as the last of the crates were carried away.
Mazz took in all the information being shouted without so much as a twitch, standing straight with her hands clasped behind her back.
Vesper stared in awe, unable to look away until Mazz’s eyes finally drifted over to them. Her expression didn’t change, but Vesper could have sworn something in her gaze softened. She had so many fucking questions.
“Close your fucking mouth,” Bellamy seethed, glaring between Mazz and Vesper. Her grip on Vesper’s arm was painful. “Does anyone wanna tell us what the fuck is going on?”
Vesper snapped her mouth shut, tearing her attention away from Mazz to Wisp, who cleared her throat.
“We work for a group that’s been… displeased with how your employers—” Wisp paused, looking up at the ceiling and tipping her head back and forth, weighing her words carefully, “conduct business,” she finally finished after way too long.
Bellamy laughed. “And what the fuck does that mean?”
“I can’t really give you details.”
“Seriously?” Bellamy snapped. “You owe us an explanation. We almost fucking died.”
“But you didn’t,” Mazz said, walking up to their group. Immediately, she grabbed Cypress and assessed her for injuries. “You okay?” she asked in a low voice, rubbing Cypress’s shoulders and scouring her face for any signs of emotion.
Cypress didn’t answer. She just stared past Mazz to where her mom lay unmoving on the ground and gnawed at her lip.
Vesper watched, planted in place a few feet away despite everything in her screaming that she should have checked on Cypress already.
She cursed herself for the newly forming fear in the back of her mind.
Bellamy squeezed Vesper’s hand, either wanting to ground her or keep her where she was. Either way, Vesper was grateful, and she gave Bel’s hand a little squeeze back.
“Hey,” Mazz whispered, moving in front of Cypress to block her view. “This isn’t your fault.” Did Mazz know what Cypress was?
Cypress sniffed. She lowered her eyes and stared through Mazz as if she could still see her mom. Her eyes were expressionless, her face was blank. Vesper just knew she was blaming herself for this. Cypress didn’t do anything wrong though, not really. She just lost control.
“Is she…” Cypress trailed off, biting her lip again. Vesper couldn’t tell if her question was based in guilt or relief.
“No, she’s alive. We’re going to take her to a secure facility where she can never try to hurt you again.
I promise, you won’t have to worry about her anymore.
We’re going to work to dismantle this Embunuh branch now that the head is down.
We’ll destroy the contract on your life.
You’ll be free!” Mazz smiled at her, clutching Cypress’s shoulders.
“Why isn’t she waking up?” Cypress asked, ignoring the rest of what Mazz said. Vesper wondered if it even registered.
Mazz finally turned to watch as two women hefted Cypress’s mom up onto a stretcher and carried her from the building. They were the only ones left in the room now. They were standing in the center as a confused little group, waiting to be told what the fuck was going on.
“She got injected with something. She had a syringe when the blast went off. Our healer told me that it looks like she accidentally plunged it into her leg when she fell.”
“What was in it?” Cedar interrupted, stepping closer to Mazz.
Mazz raised an eyebrow, looking Cedar up and down for the first time. Mazz had never much cared for Cedar. Vesper couldn’t blame her, but in this moment, Mazz seemed even more standoffish than normal. Her body was tense, and she angled herself away from Cedar, not glaring at her but pretty close.
When she spotted the broken chain around Cedar’s wrist, she sighed, dropping her arms to her side.
“We don’t know,” Mazz admitted, briefly looking down before her gaze flicked to Vesper and then back to Cedar.
“We assume, given her current state, it’s some type of sedative.
We’ve got an herbalist looking into it, but according to the healer, her magic was also blocked.
Though, we don’t know if that was the Dampener bomb or the sedative. ”
“Let me look,” Cedar said. Her request sounded more like a question than a demand, her voice meek and timid.
“Why?”
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 Bellamy when 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.