"Home?" Aubrey repeated. The word sounded foreign and unfamiliar in her mouth. "You—you're letting me go back home?"

"We are," the Warden with the braid replied. She spoke so simply, as if she weren't changing Aubrey's very life. 

"But I..." Aubrey's gaze darted between the two Wardens, expecting this to be some kind of trick or cruel punishment. "I killed people. Three people. Two of them were Wardens. I'm dangerous. I'm unstable. I'm—" her voice hitched. "I can't be trusted." 

Jericho snorted. "Maybe we should listen to her, Aza." 

"Shush," the female Warden—Aza—chided. Her focus returned to Aubrey. "That wasn't your fault, Aubrey. You're sick. You need help, and being away from home for so long isn't doing you any good." 

Aubrey stumbled against the cold marble wall. Her head was spinning, a smile curling across her lips. Home. She could go home. 

"And I can go now?" Aubrey asked excitedly, running a hand through her auburn hair. "Right now? Just—just like that?"

"Just like that," Aza repeated with a grin. "So if you're ready now..."

"I am!" Aubrey replied eagerly. 

She let Jericho and Aza lead her through the tunnel. 

The carriage rattled along the path like dice in a gambler's hand: loosely, carelessly, and ready to be tossed about at any moment. 

Aubrey's hands clawed into the plush red fabric of the seats. She kept her head lowered and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her magic sizzle and snap at every thump and jostle. Up ahead, she could faintly hear the horse's hooves thudding against the path. 

She'd never been in a carriage before. She'd seen them sometimes, packed with Wardens or uppity nobles, and she'd always figured the ride would be a bit smoother.

Along with the nausea brought on by the unsteady trip, excitement was writhing in Aubrey's stomach. 

Home. Just the thought of being able to go back made her feel more grounded than she had felt since she ran away. It was odd—all her life, she'd heard that the Wardens were cruel, heartless monsters. They stole witches from their homes and beat them, tortured them and tried to steal their magic. It was why she'd had to stay hidden for so long. Why her mother had been so insistent. But here she was, having finally, properly met Wardens for the first time, and, well... they were helping her. They were being nice to her. It was unexpected, but welcome. 

Aubrey wondered if her mother was alright. She had to be worried sick. But was she okay? There was probably some kind of punishment for hiding a witch, and now that Aubrey's powers had been revealed...

The carriage turned sharply, veering dangerously to the left, and Aubrey couldn't help but let out a small squeak. 

Jericho laughed loudly. Aubrey cracked an eye open to glare at him, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as her cheeks flushed red. 

"I take it you've never been in a carriage before?" Aza asked conversationally. 

"Um, no," Aubrey replied. "I wasn't expecting..." she trailed off as the carriage drove over what she could only guess was a patch of especially bumpy gravel, causing the vehicle to shake back and forth wildly. "...That." 

Aza laughed. "It is a bit rough," she admitted. "View's nice, though." 

Aubrey looked reluctantly towards one of the small round windows, watching the world blur past her. Trees stretched upwards and the sky was sprawled out in an endless see of blue and it was all moving a bit too fast for Aubrey to keep track of much of anything. 

"It's really pretty," Aubrey agreed with a soft smile, rubbing her wrists absently. "How... um, how long will it take to get home?"

Aza and Jericho exchanged an amused look that made Aubrey's stomach lurch, though she wasn't quite sure why. 

"Just another couple minutes or so," Aza assured her. 

Aubrey tilted her head uncertainly, looking out the window again. "Are you—are you sure?" She asked reluctantly, glancing back at the two Wardens. 

Nothing out there looked familiar. None of it looked like home. 

"Of course," Aza said with an easy smile, though her gaze shifted to Jericho for a moment. "Carriages may be a bit shaky, but they move quickly. You'll be there in no time." 

"Oh!" Aubrey nodded. That made sense. She'd never moved this quickly before. "Okay. Thank you. So much."

"It's no problem," Aza replied. "Really. We're just happy to see you better." She nudged Jericho lightly in the arm, prompting him to say something. 

"Right!" Jericho added with a rather flimsy smile. "Um. Yes. That."

Aubrey raised an eyebrow and was ready to respond to Jericho when the carriage suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

Panicked, she glanced out the window. Clearly visible up ahead was a large, square building made entirely of polished white marble. 

It looked absolutely nothing like her home. 

Jericho and Aza stood up. "Come on, Aubrey!" Aza grinned.

Aubrey hesitated. Her stomach twisted. She could feel the magic in her veins, pulsing and eager to attack. "What is this place?" She asked quietly. 

"Just... just a short stop." Something dark and hungry made itself visible in Aza's pupils. "And we need to go real quick if we're going to get you home."

Aubrey didn't budge. "This isn't home." 

"No, it's not, but we need to stop here before we get you home—"

"Why did you take me here?" Aubrey asked, tone growing more frantic. 

"You don't need to worry about that," Aza hissed. "Just come on." 

Disbelief and anguish swirled in Aubrey's mind. They'd betrayed her. She didn't know what that building was, but it—it couldn't be good. Aza and Jericho were both glaring at her, but she couldn't go with them. She couldn't. This wasn't home. She was never going home. She was as lost as ever, alone and stranded and detached from everything, and this was it for her, this was how she would die—

The magic was ravenous. It was eager. It was sick and tired of being contained, alive and bright and wicked and honestly, Aubrey could use a little bit of wicked right now. 

"NO!" Aubrey found herself screaming. 

And the forest screamed with her.