The capital fell away behind us. Mercury drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting in her lap. I sat in the front passenger seat, the city lights fading in the side mirror as we left the main roads.
"You see how many armored cars are heading into the capital?" she asked as four passed in the direction we'd come from, their headlights cutting sharp beams through the bright afternoon.
"Yeah. Government, probably," I said, watching the road ahead.
"It's strange." Mercury frowned, fingers tapping lightly on the wheel. "First time I've ever seen that inside the walls."
"Really?"
The system had already flagged the day. Riya's unfinished letter had seemed to warn about the awakening too. Maybe the revolution had started and things were moving behind my back. I couldn't tell.
"So why's May throwing a party?" I asked as we turned off onto a quieter road.
