"They're here." 

Aubrey had woken up to these words a thousand times before, but they never ceased to fill her with dread. Her eyes snapped open, heart racing, and she sat up in bed. 

"How close?" She asked quietly. 

Her mother walked back into Aubrey's room, a bundle of clothes in hand. She set the clothes down on the corner of the bed. "Not too close," she assured her. "We've got a few more minutes." 

"O-okay." Aubrey took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. 

Aubrey's mother left the room. Aubrey pulled the blankets off herself and reached for the clothes, flinching when the pale underside of her arm caught the light. Blue veins pulsed and glowed just beneath the skin. She squeezed her eyes shut and did her best to dispel the energy rushing through her. When she opened them again, her arm had gone back to normal

She forced herself to ignore it, tugging off her white nightshirt and pulling on the thick black tunic. Hopefully the heavy fabric would help to hide the evidence of her magic. 

Aubrey belted her tunic at the waist with a fine red ribbon and attempted to comb her dark hair back into something somewhat resembling a hairstyle. The Wardens appreciated presentability. She rejoined her mother in the kitchen, standing quietly at her side and awaiting the inspection tensely. 

Hands folded behind her back, Aubrey knew by now not to flinch when the door or her house was roughly twisted open. Silver-robed Wardens filtered into the cramped building, flooding every inch of the space. She and her mother remained silent as the Wardens flowed around them like rocks in a river. 

Two Wardens stayed in the sitting room with Aubrey and her mother, their hands resting loosely on their weapons. Five more fanned out, inspecting every inch of the house. Aubrey struggled to stay calm as they pulled the house apart. 

It wasn't like they'd find anything. The only illegal magic source in the house was Aubrey herself. And yet she couldn't help but worry. 

Minutes ticked by, punctuated by the occasional sound of breaking dishes or toppled shelves. Finally, the five Wardens returned to the front room. 

"Clear!" One of the Wardens said in a rough voice.

Beside her, Aubrey's mother let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief. 

The Wardens left as suddenly as they had come. 

"Are you okay?" Her mother asked softly, whirling around to face Aubrey the moment they were gone. She grabbed the girl's shoulders, concern etched onto her features. 

"I'm alright," Aubrey said shakily. She let herself collapse into her mother's arms. "I think I'm getting better."

They both knew it was a lie. Her mother pursed her lips, catching one of Aubrey's wrists and gently pulling back the tunic's material. Her veins had started to glow again. 

"Seems like they were a bit nicer than last time," Aubrey's mother said with forced lightness in her tone, a weak smile plastered onto her face. She gestured around the room. "Not too much cleanup, at least."

Aubrey was more than happy to play along. "I'll sort out the kitchen?" She offered. 

"That would be great, thank you," her mother nodded. 

Aubrey walked out of the sitting room and into the kitchen. It was better than last time—a couple broken plates and cups littered the ground, and the rack holding up all the pots and pans had been  knocked over, but nothing seemed badly damaged. She grabbed a broom that was leaning against one of the bare wooden walls and started to sweep up the shards of ceramic. 

As she started to lose herself in the simple, repetitive movement of sweeping, she felt the magic recede again. It wasn't gone—it was never gone. It was just a bit less obvious. 

She was almost finished sweeping the pieces into a pile when a piercing scream split the air. 

Aubrey froze.

The world slowed down. She was dimly aware of the broom slipping from her hands and clattering to the ground. Dimly aware of her footsteps as she raced out of the house. Dimly aware of her mother's shouts behind her, begging her to please not go. 

But she was already gone. 

She sprinted across the street, eyes wide as she took in the scene in front of her. The Wardens were trying to pull a young boy from his father. Tears ran down the boy's face as one of the silver-robes figures grabbed his arm roughly, trying to yank him away. The father was yelling in protest. 

A group of people had gathered around the commotion, but years of experience had taught them that there was no point in helping.

Aubrey trembled as the boy was ripped from his father's grasp, sobbing helplessly. A small, shimmering object in the boy's hands caught the light. A gasp rippled through the crowd. 

A moonstone. 

The boy gripped the moonstone tightly, even as one of the Wardens grabbed his wrist and started to pry his fingers off the stone. The Warden help the stone up triumphantly and watched it sparkle in the sunlight. Small specks of blue light glanced off its surface. 

"Where did you get this?" The warden snarled at the boy. 

The boy had fallen to the ground. He couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old. 

"I-I don't..." The words were choked by a sob. "I was playing in the forest," he said quietly, voice hoarse. "And I found it." 

Though Aubrey couldn't see the Warden's face through the mask, she suspected that they were smiling underneath. 

"The boy is guilty of illegal possession of a magical item," The Warden decreed, roughly pulling the boy to his feet. "He is sentenced to a lifetime in prison in the Capital."

Everyone in the crowd knew what that really meant. The boy had some kind of gift. People didn't just find moonstones. 

They were taking him to the mines. 

Aubrey swayed back, fragile and trembling. Her heart broke for the little boy and his father—the way the child was howling as he was pulled away, the hollow expression on his father's face as he could do nothing but watch. She could feel energy crackling and sparking in her blood stream. 

She rubbed her wrists anxiously. Her mother was right. She shouldn't have left. She turned away from the crowd, trying to ignore the screams and cries as she took deep breaths to try and soothe her magic. 

"Please," she heard the boy call, voice ragged. 

A low crackling sound filled her ears, angry and vengeful. 

Aubrey felt herself fall forward, vision going dark. 

"You okay?" Someone asked. 

Hands gripped her shoulders tightly. Aubrey realized someone must've caught her. Her eyelids fluttered, goosebumps rippling down her limbs. 

"I-I-" she shivered, cold despite the thick tunic. She leaned against the figure holding her. 

Energy pooled at her fingertips. She shuddered, head lolling to the side. 

"I think she's—" Aubrey felt the figure readjust their hold. "She's sick. Can someone get some help?"

Aubrey moaned as a headache bloomed at her temples, invisible roots of pain lacing through her skull. Please go away, she begged the magic silently, becoming dead weight in the figure's arms. I don't want it. Please, just go. 

The world went still. 

Aubrey's eyes widened. The pain had faded away. She regained her footing unsteadily, smiling gratefully at the person who'd caught her. 

She was halfway back to her house when everything exploded.