Kara awoke to the cloying scent of peppermint, and something else underneath. Something sterile. Neither scent matched the other sensations: silk sheets and a cool breeze. All of it clashed with the last things she remembered. A stun shot. Panic. Someone invisible catching her. Teorin coming toward her, though she wasn’t sure if that part had been real or just a hallucination.

  Now her whole body ached, and her thoughts felt heavy. She sat up, blinking at a sea of lavender tulle. Was this a… canopy bed? The room was all blonde wood and turquoise walls. A breeze filtered through sheer curtains across a glass door.

  Not a cell. Not even close.

  Kara swung her legs over the side of the bed. The fabric shifted wrong—a nightgown, not her clothes. She shivered. Bursts. Her stomach twisted at the idea of someone handling her, of not knowing how she’d even arrived here. How long had she been unconscious?

  She pushed to her feet. Her body protested every movement as she stumbled to the curtain and pulled it aside. Ocean view. Balcony. Gray skies, no sun. She was still by the coast, but was it the same one?

  Was this a quick drive? An island? And how could she even know? Her chest tightened.

  Lev.

  Oh stars, Lev. What if it had been days? What if he was unraveling?

  She pulled in a deep breath. Calm!

  Panic wouldn’t fix it. She needed more information. She pushed the door open and stepped onto the small balcony. The house was high up, built on a cliff overlooking the ocean. She leaned carefully against the railing, scanning what she could of her prison.

  It was a large stone mansion, dotted with balconies and wide windows. Familiar architecture, but nothing she could place for certain. A knock interrupted her thoughts, followed by a voice: “Dr. Tanel?”

  The speaker rolled his Rs and softened the L into almost a W. Portilian, then. He knew her name, and he’d knocked. Kara wasn’t sure what that meant. She turned toward the door but paused at the mirror. Her braid had come half undone, leaving a frizzy halo. Lovely. She reached up to smooth it, then froze.

  The lacy neckline of the nightgown. Her bare neck.

  Her necklace was gone. The one with the memory stick. The scans of Novem’s document. The one thing she couldn’t afford to lose. Her stomach twisted. The file was encrypted, but that wouldn’t stop anyone with the right tools.

  The knock came again. Kara’s attention snapped back to the door, which was thick, carved wood with an ornate handle. She pressed the handle down, and it moved. Not locked. She cracked the door and peeked out.

  A man stood there. Black hair, olive-toned skin, old enough that it was impossible to tell his age. He wore a gray Portilian-style robe over a green t-shirt, a leather bag slung over one shoulder.

  He smiled. “I’m glad you’re awake. No one was happy when they brought you in under that stun.”

  Kara didn’t know what to make of that.

  “May I come in?”

  She didn’t move.

  “I promise I won’t hurt you,” he said, gesturing to a phoenix pin on his lapel that indicated a medical professional. “I take my Healer’s oath seriously.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Was this a trick? But… If he’d wanted to come in, he could have. No visible weapons, but with the right affinity, he wouldn’t need them. Still, staring at him wasn’t getting her answers. She opened the door.

  He smiled and stepped inside. “I’m Lucas,” he said, offering his hand.

  She stared at his hand for a second, then finally shook it. “Kara.”

  Was this just some strange attempt to put her at ease?

  Lucas pulled a small metal scanner from his bag. “You were under a deep stun. That can have side effects. May I?”

  Kara hesitated. He acted like a houseguest, not a kidnapper. That was the problem.

  He smiled again. “I understand your unease, but deep stuns can disrupt things like hormonal balance. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “Do I have a choice?” Kara asked quietly.

  He blinked. “Of course.”

  It didn’t feel right to let him touch her. These people had taken her. Her clothes. Her necklace.

  But her head throbbed, her muscles ached, and if he’d wanted to hurt her, he’d had his chance. She took a breath and nodded. Lucas gestured to an armchair. Kara made it there without stumbling, but sitting sent pain lancing through her muscles. She half-fell into the seat.

  Lucas hummed. “Sore muscles?”

  She nodded sharply.

  “We can fix that. First, I need a blood sample.”

  Kara tensed. It had to be a sample? She hated needles. Lucas waited. Finally, she nodded, and Lucas gently took her arm, pressing a small metal canister to a vein. She looked away, holding her breath. It was just a prick, then he withdrew and slotted the canister into the base of his scanner.

  “Why am I here?” she asked softly. ‘Why did you kidnap me?’ would’ve been more accurate, but she kept it civil.

  Lucas chuckled. “Straight to the point. I suppose that’s the only question that matters right now.”

  Kara just stared back at him. This wasn’t funny.

  Lucas sighed. “Your arrival wasn’t voluntary, but you're here because we need your help. Going forward, that choice is yours. Still, if you want answers, you’ll have to take it up with my prina. Not me.”

  Prina. Female cousin in Portilian.

  “So, where’s your prina, then? She have a name?”

  “Siera. She’s waiting for you in the other room.”

  His scanner beeped. Lucas glanced down and hummed. “Vitals look fine. I’ll give you something for the muscle pain, and I’m guessing you’ve got a headache?”

  Kara nodded.

  “Well then, let’s fix that.” He turned to his bag and began rifling through it.

  She didn’t like how okay he was with this, like it was some minor inconvenience that she was here. It was almost worse somehow than if he’d been cruel, like she was the unreasonable one. “You really can’t tell me anything?”

  Lucas looked up, shaking a small metal canister as he added two capsules. “Happy to chat. But if it’s answers you want, I can’t help you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Siera’s turf. She’s the only one here with the full story, and I won’t intrude.”

  Kara ground her teeth. First Teorin’s evasions, now this absurdly polite, equally tight-lipped doctor and his cousin. At least Teorin had seemed sincere.

  Lucas stepped toward her. “May I?” he asked, holding up the canister.

  Kara glared but nodded. Why couldn’t it be something she could drink? He pressed it gently to her forearm. A slight twinge, and it was done.

  “There. The aches should ease in a couple minutes,” he said, satisfied. He gave her another quick look. “I’ll take you to Siera. Her office isn’t far, but you might want to change. There are clothes in the dresser.” He gestured to the wood drawers. “I’ll wait outside.”

  The dresser was filled with clothes. She wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or horrified that they were all her size, but in the end anything was better than this lacy monstrosity of a nightgown. She changed into dress pants and a blouse. Then she wrangled her hair into a passable braid and just leaned against the counter for a second.

  Two days ago, she’d been home. She’d sat on her couch and watched a net drama with Lev. Things had been good. Safe. Now she just felt… violated. And it seemed like these people just expected her to be okay with it. She bit her lip, staring at the mirror.

  It didn’t matter. She was here now. If she wanted to get out of this, she needed to figure out what was going on, where she was. She took a deep breath, letting her muscles remember calm. She wasn’t as good at it as Lev was, her muscle memory not as perfect, but she let it settle like a mask.

  The memory of calm. The memory of confidence. Even if her head still ached, and muscles still burned. When she stepped out, her back was straight and her eyes were sharp. Lucas was still waiting.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Siera?”

  “This way.”

  Her aches faded as they walked through the halls, thoughts feeling less sluggish. Lucas led her to a large oak door and knocked. After listening a moment, he said, “She’s on the phone but will see you shortly. I need to check on someone else, so I’ll leave you to wait.”

  Kara nodded stiffly. Lucas offered one last smile, then strolled off whistling. What a strange man, but in a minute, strange might feel like the safer option. Because now, she had to face the person calling the shots.

  [Archivist] Lev.

  [Lev] What?

  [Archivist] Stop moping. You know exactly what I want.

  [Lev] Cruel. You mock me, then you’re angry when I mope about it?

  [Archivist] Yes. I upheld my end of the deal.

  [Lev] Fine. This is stupid, you know, but fine. Ahem. Dear readers, we are so grateful that you’ve read this far in the archive. If you could do us just the tiniest favor and follow the archive if you haven’t yet? Or if you adore it, you can favorite it. For me. Am I not your favorite? I’ve suffered horrific rent burdens for you. It’s just a click. Please?

  [Archivist] Rent accepted.

  [Lev] This still feels like extortion.

  [Archivist] As a consolation, Friday I’ll release a new version of that gala record. A more... accurate one.

  [Lev] I hate you.

  [Archivist] Unsurprising.