Wakeful darkness.

“But w-what if—!” said a cute, nasally voice.

“Relax, we’ll be your eyes.” That lower-pitched voice had to have been Neph. “And you’re getting a hundred tomorrow.”

The wagon creaked, followed by two rocky thuds. I heard the city’s chatter against a backdrop of hissing water.

“Lucie.” A finger quivered against my shoulder. “Lucie!”

It came out as “Luthie” since Isaphine got those braces.

Once upon a time, she’d even tried to pronounce “Lucretia” in them. I always thought it sounded adorable coming from a woman in her late twenties. But maybe her repeated apologies were even more adorable.

My eyelids wrinkled as I ran my arm across them. I was cool and dry, and my throat wasn’t burning anymore. Ambient orange flooded my vision, and I blinked a few times, finally opening my eyes to a fidgety Isaphine.

“My glasses fell!” Isaphine put her hands on the edge of the cart and squinted at the ground before swinging her head toward the street we came from. “Can you look for them with Faris?” Her index finger rubbed against the bridge of her nose. “Neph’s taking me to the square.”

“Of course,” I said.

A gust ran through me and I clutched my chest. My back cracked as I rummaged through the backpack between my legs, finding my white sundress and straw hat.

Ah, much better. If my spine wasn’t on fire.

Everyone else was already in street clothes. White dress shirts—Hesira standard—and shorts that would’ve gotten one kicked out of class. Isaphine didn’t even need to change.

Neph held Isaphine’s hands as she climbed off the cart. Then she withdrew slips of silver-trimmed paper from Isaphine’s wallet before they approached the centaur.

Backpack, check. Hat, check.

Sandals, check. Keys and empty wallet… check.

For me, it was as simple as sitting down at the edge and standing up. Before I could even figure out where we were, Neph’s hand and Isaphine’s wallet were in my face, and our driver and cart were nowhere to be seen.

The formerly four-eyed elf coughed and stared at my nose. “Can you get us all dragon teas, too? No sugar for me.”

“S-same!” said Faris. Forever to be known by me as Flower-boy.

“Half,” said Neph.

I nodded as I stuffed her bulging wallet into my dress pocket. A few seconds of silence passed, and I blinked. Isaphine also blinked as her lips ground against each other.

Oh, right.

“Yes, Doctor!” I said with slightly curled lips.

Isaphine giggled through her nose.

Then, Neph took her by the hand, and they clattered toward the square in their sandals, stumbling several times and nearly running over a werewolf child.

Behind the Lower District’s square, far off in the distance, beyond the Grand Palace and the mountain’s jagged mouth, orange streaked with blue streaked the sky.

I turned to the search area.