Leading Aegis

Chapter 12

The door flew shut behind them as a handful of hooded figures with weapons drawn came out of hiding in the small room, and Carolina’s daggers were out in the same breath. She was always ready for a fight, and if these people wanted one, then they had no idea what they were in for.

“Carolina, wait,” Ophelia hissed.

“Oh, I’m waiting,” she said, turning slow circles to keep an eye on every person surrounding them.

But the hooded figure who’d led them into the center of the room tilted their head and studied her. “Carolina,” he noted. “Daggers… You do look like a pirate…” His head tilted more toward Ophelia. “If she’s Carolina Trace, then who are you?”

“Ophelia Parker,” Ophelia answered. “Formerly known to Sovereign as Devina Parker.”

There was only a twitch of his shoulders to give away his shock, and then he said, “We have a Caster in our midst,” in more exaggerated surprise, and every hand on a weapon around them tightened.

Carolina didn’t care if this man knew her , but she didn’t like that he knew Ophelia, and she demanded, “Now who the hell are you?”

He ignored her and asked, “Why are you here?”

“Why do you need to know?” she countered.

But Ophelia said, “I’m trying to break a curse.”

Carolina groaned, “What did I literally tell Otis an hour ago about trust and information?”

“Trust goes both way, Carolina,” Ophelia whispered.

“And he hasn’t told us shit,” she said .

“You’re right,” the man said. “I’m sorry if we seem guarded, but we had a soldier catch on to us a few days ago.”

“I’m a pirate and she’s a deserter,” Carolina said, “you know that already. Why would that have anything to do with us?”

“Caster, and daughter of Commander Theobald Parker,” the man said, “a deserter. That is the official story, anyway.”

“Why else would I be here?” Ophelia asked. “How else would I know about Freedom in Shadows?”

“Well,” the man replied, “you wouldn’t be the first Caster that Sovereign claimed to have lost track of, only to turn them into an assassin.”

“You think she’s here to kill you?” Carolina snorted.

“I don’t even know who you are,” Ophelia said. “And I don’t kill people. I left Sovereign to become a doctor.”

The man didn’t answer, he just stood there silently, watching them from behind the darkness of his cloak for over a minute before Carolina couldn’t take it anymore. “This stalemate is getting boring,” she said.

The man sighed, hesitated for several more seconds, and then slowly lowered his hood and wrapping to reveal his face. He just looked like a man to Carolina, with close-cropped black hair, light brown skin, and bright hazel eyes.

But Ophelia murmured, “You’re Izaak Davar. But what- Why are you here instead of the Paramounts?”

“Ophelia?” Carolina asked.

“He’s the king of the Eastern Paramount Islands, Carolina.”

“Great,” Carolina sighed, “politics. At least I can put my daggers away.” She shoved her daggers back into their sheaths, and most of the other people around them lowered their weapons too.

“You’re not here to kill me?” Izaak asked.

“Why would I?” Ophelia said.

“I’m not very popular amongst those who stand to profit most off our current system,” he answered. “Apparently, I’m too radical. Someone’s already attempted.”

Carolina wandered to the side to sit on a stand of wooden boxes and rub at the growing pain in her wrist, no longer worried about being attacked by Izaak or anyone else in the room.

“Well, I’m not a deserter because I love all that Sovereign stands for,” Ophelia told him. He hummed, and she asked, “Do you know who it was? ”

“From what I gather, most people think it was one of the mining companies.”

“You disagree?”

He nodded. “Who stands to gain even more when the mining companies get what they want?”

“Sovereign,” Ophelia said, but Izaak cocked his head encouragingly. “Anseau?” she asked in surprise.

“I’d bet my life on it,” Izaak said. “Or not, you know, considering he wants me dead.”

Ophelia chuckled at that. “So you think he sent Simon Beecher after you?”

“If it wasn’t you, it had to be Beecher,” Izaak said.

“How did you escape?” Ophelia asked.

“I got a warning,” he answered with a shrug. “From someone with the initials L.B., who told me it was coming. And if it was Anseau who ordered my assassination, then that means I have a friend in a high place who’s yet to reveal themself.”

“Why come here?” Ophelia asked. “This island is crawling with soldiers.”

“I’d like you to answer one of my questions first, if you don’t mind,” he said. “Whose curse are you trying to break?”

Before Ophelia could answer that question, something in Carolina’s mind clicked into place. The soldiers, the harvesting, the timing, the way Izaak asked that question after he’d just admitted to thinking the emperor wanted him dead. She slid off the boxes and met Ophelia at the center of the room.

“Mine,” she told him, squinting at him thoughtfully. “But you’re here for a reason, aren’t you? Does Remigan being harvested have something to do with the emperor’s curse?”

“What?” Ophelia asked.

Izaak’s eyes widened. “You know about his curse?”

“I’ve been to the archives,” she answered, “the real ones.”

“But you have no interest in politics,” Izaak smiled.

“I don’t,” she said, “the emperor and I just happen to share a problem.”

“ Hello? ” Ophelia prompted. “What’s going on?”

Carolina gave her the most succinct summary of the emperor’s curse that she could — five years, leave and lose power or fall with the island .

“What is he trying to accomplish by harvesting this island?” Ophelia asked.

“And several others,” Izaak told them.

“He can’t,” Ophelia breathed. Izaak shrugged, and Ophelia took in a gasp. “Do you think he’ll try to use the hearts to reinforce Glasoro? To keep it from falling somehow?”

“That is what we suspect, yes,” Izaak said.

“That’s great, glad we could catch up and all,” Carolina said, squeezing her wrist with her other hand to try and distract from the ache. “Can we get what we came for now?”

“No, wait,” Ophelia said, “I want to know more.”

“Ophelia,” Carolina protested, “this is none of our business.”

“It should be,” Izaak told her. “I won’t be in hiding forever, and when the time comes, I aim to change the world as we know it.”

Carolina hummed sarcastically. “And I’m sure you sitting on that golden Glasoro throne is only a fortunate side effect.”

“I- No-” Izaak stammered, “I mean yes, but-”

Carolina didn’t let him finish. “So long as exclusionary power is the currency,” she told him, “pirates have no business in your affairs.” She looked pointedly at Ophelia. “Get what you need so we can go.”

“What about real change?” Izaak asked before Ophelia could say anything. “What about freedom? That is the currency of pirates, isn’t it? To some, even more so than wealth.”

“ Ophelia .”

Ophelia looked at her, and held her pleading gaze for several long moments before looking back at Izaak and asking, “What are you petitioning of us?”

Carolina gave an irritated groan to the ceiling.

“There are too many people still here,” Izaak said.

“The number of people we could fit on Omen wouldn’t make a dent,” Carolina told him.

“I don’t want you to act as transport,” he answered, and his eyes fell with purpose on Ophelia.

“No,” Carolina said instantly. “Whatever it is you want her to do for you, forget it. Her being on this island is enough risk already.”

But Ophelia asked, “What would you have me do?”

“Sabotage the mines,” Izaak said.

“ NO ,” Carolina said. “Absolutely not, and whatever information we needed from you isn’t worth it. Ophelia, we’re leaving. NOW. ”

“I’m not holding your information hostage,” Izaak said, offering a soft, sincere smile. “I’ll answer any questions you have and not stop you from leaving if that’s what you want. But you have the power to make a real difference here.”

“Good,” Carolina said. “Ophelia, please , ask him what you need to know.”

But Ophelia didn’t say anything. She hesitated, staring at the floor beneath her feet for so long that Izaak implored, “Please, sabotage the mines. It will rally the people here to fight for themselves. You could save thousands of lives.”

Ophelia looked over at Carolina for a few moments, and then back at Izaak and asked, “Will you give us a minute?”

He nodded, and when Ophelia gestured her head toward the door, Carolina stomped out of it ahead of her and whirled around on her outside.

“It’s not happening,” she said. “Let’s go.”

When she picked up walking, though, Ophelia gave a pointed, “No.”

“You saw how many soldiers are on this island,” she hissed, “how many do you think are at the mines?”

“A lot,” Ophelia said with a sigh, “and Alters too.”

Carolina threw her hands up. “Do you resent your freedom so much that you’re willing to throw it away for a power-hungry king?”

“He’s different,” Ophelia said.

“ He’s not different, Ophelia ,” she snarled. “None of them are different. None of the kings and emperors have been different for over a thousand years and I don’t give a damn who he’s convinced otherwise.”

“You’ve never been to a falling island,” Ophelia countered with a rising edge to her voice. “I have. You know all those transport ships at the docks? The ones that merchants send? They don’t give a damn about the people here. They’re here to make a fortune, and they charge as much as they can until every last spot is full or until no one can afford passage. Then do you know what they do? They lower the price just enough to bring in the next wave.” She paused just long enough to take a breath. “The estate we settled hull at is empty because its owners booked private passage for them and every one of their valuable belongings. Guess how many of those ‘belongings’ were the indentured people that worked for them?”

She paused, and though Carolina’s jaw clenched because of her genuine anger at the injustice, she didn’t respond.

“ Zero ,” Ophelia continued. “Not a single human being under their employ was on that ship, I’d bet my life on it. And you want to know what’s worse? All those Alters at the mines are here to make sure the mining goes as quickly as possible, which means that none of the lower class on this island have had time to save. None of them are leaving, Carolina, and the fact that Sovereign is here to make sure mining continues means that Anseau couldn’t be bothered to care. But do you know who does?”

“Don’t say Izaak,” Carolina groaned.

“I do,” Ophelia said. “ I care, and I will do everything in my power to save as many lives here as I possibly can.” She took in a handful of heated breaths. “I’m not asking your permission, and if you try to stop me, I swear on my life, I’ll run. I’ll run and you’ll never see me again.”

Carolina did her best to keep any admiration she felt from breaking through her frustrated expression as she sighed, “You never used to be so stubborn.”

“You sparked a fire in me,” Ophelia said, “a passion for doing good, and where there is good to be done, I’ll do it.”

She didn’t say anything to that, and she did her best not to show the pride she felt in Ophelia’s defiance, especially since she didn’t think she deserved the credit for it. Ophelia had always had a strong sense of justice, even before she knew the right place to direct it. And it had always been one of the things Carolina loved most, even if it vexed her now.

“Come on, Carolina,” Ophelia implored. “The pirate I used to know would’ve done this in a heartbeat. Where’s your spirit? Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“The pirate you used to know got trapped on a ship for eight years,” Carolina said, “her world’s a lot smaller than it used to be.” And while she’d only meant to be honest and not accusatory, Ophelia’s face fell. She gestured with her manacled arm. “I don’t have time even if I want to, Ophelia,” she said. “The pain’s already past my shoulder and the mines are too far away. I’d be immobilized by the time we even got there.”

Ophelia couldn’t even look her in the eyes as she said, “I can do it alone.”

“No,” she said, and though there was no demand or irritation or tyranny in her voice, she meant it with her whole heart. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do it alone.” And before Ophelia could propose what Carolina knew would come next, she added, “And I don’t trust anyone in that room to look out for you, not like...” She stopped and gave a small shrug .

“Not like you would,” Ophelia said knowingly, and though her tone said that she agreed, it was clear that she hadn’t given up hope. She stared down at her feet for a minute while she thought about it, and then finally looked back up. “What if I could take the pain away? Whatever you’re feeling right now, what if I could take it? Would it reset the timer, so to speak?”

“You can do that?” Carolina asked.

“It’s not preferable,” she said, glancing away as she shrugged. “The pain just gets transferred to me, so I don’t like to do it if I don’t have to.”

Carolina considered that while she stared at the manacle on her wrist. She didn’t know if it would reset the pain and give her another few hours before she had to return to the ship, and she wasn’t keen on Ophelia taking it on if it didn’t work. But it seemed to be their only option, and if her ache was going to be transferred to Ophelia, she’d rather it be before it became unbearable.

“I wouldn’t make you carry this,” she said, already feeling guilty about it. “But if you’re going to insist on sabotaging the mines…”

“I’ll do it,” Ophelia told her.

“Are you sure we’ll have time even if it works?”

“We’ll make sure there’s time,” Ophelia said, and held out her hands.

Carolina hesitated for another moment before she put her wrist into them. Ophelia’s warm hands clasped around the manacle, her eyes closed and her brow furrowed with concentration as a familiar glow shined out between the gaps in her fingers. The beginnings of relief were almost instant, and the pain seeped out of Carolina’s shoulder and receded down her arm until it reached her elbow. But when it passed that point, Ophelia reacted. She didn’t open her eyes, and she didn’t stop, but she let out one short, quiet whimper, like she was trying her best not to show that it hurt.

But it did. Carolina knew it did. And as the rest of the pain faded out of her lower arm and wrist, Ophelia’s bottom lip quivered. Then it was done. The pain was gone, and Ophelia let go of her and then just stood there without saying or doing anything else, her eyes still closed and her bottom lip trembling.

“Ophelia?” Carolina asked. “Are you alright?”

Ophelia took in a shaky breath and whispered, “Did it work?”

“I think so,” she answered. “I feel no pain.”

Ophelia finally opened her watery eyes, blinking fast to try and rid the tears as she blew a shuddering breath through pursed lips. Carolina couldn’t help it. Watching her struggle with the pain hurt worse than carrying it herself, and she wrapped one arm around the back of Ophelia’s shoulders, cradling the back of her head in her other hand as she drew her close and hugged her.

“I shouldn’t have let you take it,” she murmured.

“Yes, you should,” Ophelia cried. “I had no idea… You never seem to be in pain, Carolina, but it’s so much.”

She shrugged against Ophelia’s head on her shoulder. “I suppose I’m used to it.”

“I’m sorry,” Ophelia whispered.

“Come on,” she said gently, letting her go and waiting a moment for her to wipe the tears from her eyes. “We’ve got a rebellion to start.”

Ophelia nodded as she swiped at her cheeks with the backs of her hands, and then she shook out her right hand as she took in a deep, solid breath.

“Will you be alright?” Carolina asked. “Can you handle the pain?”

“I wasn’t expecting it,” she said, giving a pursed smile and shaking her hand again, “but I can handle it.”

Carolina nodded decidedly, gestured toward the door, and followed Ophelia back inside.

“We’ll do it,” Ophelia told Izaak. “Will your people be ready to act when the mines are sabotaged?”

Izaak grinned and gestured to one of the people beside him, and they handed him a tube with a fuse sticking out the end, which he then held out to Ophelia. “Shoot this into the sky when it’s done. We’ll see it from here in town.” She took it from him and put it into her satchel. “There are five of my people at the mines who have been preparing the crowd there and are waiting for any instructions. Tell them what you’re doing, and they’ll be ready to take over the fight once you’re done.”

“How will we know them?” Carolina asked.

Izaak pointed to the black earing in his left ear. “They’ve all got one anywhere on the left side. Look carefully, it may be hidden.” Carolina nodded, and he asked, “Before you go, what were you here for?”

“I’m looking for a witch named Lia Kane,” Ophelia answered. “I only need to send a letter. Do you know of her, and where she might be?”

“Yes,” Izaak smiled, “I know Lia very well. She’s monitoring my situation back home, on Balshire. Send your correspondence to Violet Shane at Calbey.”

“Thank you, Izaak. ”

“No,” he said, holding out a hand to her, “thank you.”

Ophelia shook with him, and then Carolina did the same when he extended that hand to her, and they left. Outside, she trailed Ophelia around the corner to a more private alley, and was about to ask what they were going to do and how they were going to get to the mines before the pain in her wrist came back, but then Ophelia breathed into her cupped hands. She pushed the breath outward as a shadow formed in front of them, growing and condensing until Carolina was face to face with a smoky mistling.

“Is this safe?” she asked.

Ophelia patted the side of the mistling, hand striking a flesh that seemed more the consistency of charcoal than smoke. “Perfectly.”

“I meant for you,” Carolina said, gesturing to the creature’s glowing heart.

“I wouldn’t say it’s any more dangerous than what we’re about to do,” Ophelia answered. “Besides, it’s only for getting there quickly, and shadow purge aren’t standard munitions anyway.”

Carolina nodded and they both climbed onto its back, and once she was situated comfortably behind Ophelia, they took off into the air. Ophelia kept them as close to the roofs of buildings as possible, and once they’d left the border of town, they sailed higher above the farmland to use the sparse clouds as cover. When they finally reached the edge of the forest, the mistling landed to run instead, winding through tree trunks so fast that all they were was green and brown blurs.

Before long, they were close enough to the mines that they had to walk. They hopped off the mistling’s back, and as they started their short hike to the mines, Carolina asked, “Alright, what’s the plan then?”

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Ophelia said. “I saw a river on the way in. I think I’ll flood the camp and the mines.”

“Don’t they have Alters?” she asked. “Couldn’t they undo that fairly quick?”

“Well, they probably have earth Alters,” Ophelia said, and then sighed disappointedly. “But you’re right, even earth Alters could clear it eventually. We need to get the people to rally. We need to make a scene.”

Carolina nodded her agreement as they arrived at the outskirts of the crowd of over a hundred people gathered around the mines. There was a large earth wall beyond the crowd that surrounded the mines, and while it wasn’t the tallest wall she’d ever seen, it was thick, and over it was the tops of tents and a large crane and …

She grabbed Ophelia’s shoulder. “Ophelia, what is that ?”

“Wha-” Ophelia stopped short when her eyes locked onto the massive basin she was talking about. “I can’t believe it.”

“Well? What is it?”

“A crucible,” Ophelia answered. “Normal harvestings take so long that they usually melt and transport the mineral in smaller batches, but that has to be all of what they’ve recovered from the heart.”

“ That would make a scene,” Carolina grinned.

“But it would kill everyone down in the mines,” Ophelia said quietly.

While she thought about it, Carolina reached up for the branches of the nearest tree and began to climb until she was high enough to see completely over the wall. Ophelia followed, grabbing her outstretched hand so she could help pull her the last few feet.

“How much mineral do you think is in there?” she asked in awe.

“I don’t know,” Ophelia answered, “several tons, probably.”

“I’ve never seen an island’s heart before… There’s so much of it.”

“That’s not even half,” Ophelia told her. “Not even close. If we returned it to the heart and the people maintained a rebellion, it could save the island, Carolina.”

Carolina hummed her agreement, and they stayed crouched there in the branches for a silent minute before she asked, “Could you rattle the island and scare the miners out?”

“Like a windstorm?” Ophelia said, and she nodded. “I couldn’t muster that much wind… But if I could get my hands on the heart, I could make it tremble. The whole island would feel it, but I couldn’t do it without being seen.”

Carolina shrugged. “You’re a Caster , cast something.”

Ophelia looked over at her with her head tilted, stared for a minute, and then smiled slowly. “You know what? You’re right.”

“I am?”

Ophelia began to climb out of the tree as she answered, “The only reason that potions exist is because there aren’t enough Casters to sail with ships.”

Carolina shimmied down too, asking with hopeful enthusiasm, “Fury potion?”

“Fury spell ,” Ophelia smiled proudly. “If I could get down there and affect a handful or so of the miners, they should be able to chase the rest out.”

“I’m going with you,” Carolina said .

“I need you out here,” Ophelia said. “We’ll find Izaak’s crew, and you can wait with them. The miners I curse should cause enough of a distraction that the civilians out here can rush the wall and get you into the camp.”

“Then what?”

“Then I’ll tip the crucible.”

“How?”

“I don’t know, I’ll-” Ophelia thought about it. “I’ll summon a bullox.”

Carolina drew in a breath to protest, but held it as the plan formed in her mind. She wasn’t keen on Ophelia summoning anything, as any creature’s glowing heart would reveal a vulnerability and, as rare as shadow purge were, they were surrounded by Sovereign soldiers with potential access to them. But she couldn’t deny that summoning a bullox – a hulking frog-like horned creature the size of three draken – would be enough to tip the crucible.

“Fine,” she finally agreed. “Let’s find Izaak’s crew.”

It didn’t take them long to find one in the crowd, and Carolina stopped at the woman’s side and whispered, “Izaak sent us with instructions.”

The woman looked over and examined her for several long seconds before nodding for them to follow.

“Wait,” Ophelia said, “you go, get them ready.”

“You be careful,” Carolina said seriously. “Do you hear me? Don’t summon anything until you find me so I can help protect you.”

“Got it,” Ophelia answered, and motioned her hands in front of her, giving Carolina a playful bob of her eyebrows just before she disappeared.

“Oh,” the woman at Carolina’s side laughed mischievously, “I am so ready for whatever you two are here to start. Come with me.”

Carolina followed her through the crowd, picking up others of the crew as they walked, until all five were there and gathered around her on the outskirts. “My partner is going to cause a distraction and get all the miners out of the mines,” Carolina told them. “Izaak said you’ve been working this crowd?”

“They’re itching for a fight,” one of the crew said.

“Good,” Carolina said, “because when that distraction reaches the surface, we’ll need to start it.” They all nodded. “Once we’re inside the wall, my partner will push that crucible over and spill everything back into the mines. ”

“No shit,” one of the other crew murmured, bouncing his fists in front of him with excitement.

“I hope you’re ready to take this island back,” Carolina told them, “because you won’t get another opportunity like this.”

“Let’s get rowdy,” the first woman said with a grin, and began to lead the way closer to the entrance in the wall. Carolina followed the crew to the front, where the woman shouted at a guard, “Hey, you!” Both guards looked around, staying in place as the aggression in her voice drew the attention of the crowd. “Yeah, you! You’re uglier than a veltis’s buttcrack!” A roar of laughter rumbled through the crowd. “Yes,” she taunted, “ you . Don’t give me that dumb look, sausage head, you know I’m talking to you.”

“Back away from the wall,” the soldier barked.

She waved her hands down at the line drawn in the dirt. “I haven’t crossed your stupid line, bullox brain.” She looked around at the crowd. “Sovereign really will put a sword in anyone’s hand, then, won’t they?”

That got the already interested crowd to start responding. They laughed and began to shout their own insults at the guards, and though the guards yelled at them to settle down, they advanced instead. The crowd crossed the line and got closer and closer to the entrance of the wall while several more soldiers came to see about the commotion, and Carolina silently urged Ophelia to hurry. It wouldn’t be much longer until things escalated and a fight broke out no matter what, and she kept her eyes trained past the entrance at the massive hole in the ground.

“Come on,” she whispered to herself as the guards drew their swords. Several people in the crowd dared the soldiers to strike first. “Come on, Ophelia.” Someone at the front picked up a large rock and held it poised above their head, ready to throw it, and Carolina drew her daggers. “Come on, come on.”

Finally, from beyond the soldiers at the entrance, several miners began to surface as a rumble of panicked yells carried from down below. And while the soldiers before them turned in surprise to look behind them, Carolina let out a battle cry and sprinted her way to the front to lead the charge. The guards didn’t stand a chance, and protesters flooded through the entrance into the camp behind Carolina while the fury-infected miners finally reached the surface. The cursed miners attacked anyone near them with no inhibition, each drawing as much attention from the Alters and soldiers as ten of the protesters put together .

Carolina minded the fight. She dodged the swing of a soldier’s sword to drag her dagger across the back of his knee and immobilize him. She redirected the arcing blow from another and plunged a blade into his chest, but the whole time, her focus was on the people emerging from the mines, searching desperately for Ophelia. And when the last miners reached the surface and no one else followed for half a minute, she began to panic. She sprinted through the chaos to get to the edge of the hole and peered down. There was no one left.

“She’s invisible,” she murmured to herself, turning in a circle to search the area. “Where are you?”

As she searched, a loud pop like a gunshot went off as a bright red light shot into the air, leaving a red trail of smoke in its wake. It was Izaak’s signal, and Carolina followed the line of it back to the ground to finally find Ophelia in the crowd. She was closer to the crucible than Carolina was, but shooting off the flare had also drawn the attention of several other soldiers and a couple Alters. Carolina ran as fast as she could, ducking around soldiers instead of engaging to try and get there as quickly as possible, but she was too far to do anything as an Alter hurled a boulder at Ophelia.

It sailed directly at her head, but Ophelia’s hands clapped together just as it reached her and then separated. The boulder split right down the middle, and all of its momentum continued to carry it in two pieces past Ophelia’s head. She didn’t let it fall once it passed her. She redirected her hands, making a motion that broke the boulder apart into hundreds of small pebbles, and she threw those pebbles outward to pellet the soldiers that were trying to close in on her. The Alters used their own magic to fight Ophelia’s and keep themselves from being buffeted by stones, but the soldiers stopped advancing to shield their faces and heads as a hurricane of stone collided with their bodies.

It gave Carolina enough time to reach her, and Ophelia dropped the stones and focused her attention on fighting off the Alters while Carolina took on the two soldiers. She threw herself between them, dodging and redirecting blows from their swords while waiting for an opportunity to make a strike of her own. Eventually, one of the soldiers put too much of his body weight behind his blow, and her parry knocked him off balance. It was the perfect opportunity for her to trap his arm between one of hers and her ribs, and she yanked him forward to plunge her dagger into his back, then threw him forward into the other. The other soldier fell and got trapped under the dead weight of the first, and Carolina left him there to search for Ophelia.

The Alters had been no match for Ophelia’s strength, and she trapped the last Alter’s hands in a pillar of ice just as she’d done to the other two. The fight was over as quickly as it had begun, and they ran together through the battle of protesters and soldiers to the crucible. The cylindrical crucible’s flat bottom was set into and held upright by a box of x-crossed planks half a foot thick. They skidded to a halt in front of it, and Ophelia didn’t waste any time before using her magic to rip the front beams off the support.

“Stay away from it!” she shouted at Carolina as the whole thing creaked from the readjustment of weight.

Carolina moved out from under the crucible as the supports collapsed and its flat bottom dropped straight to the dirt with a quaking thud, and she fought off the first soldier who noticed what they were up to while Ophelia breathed life into a bullox. But the noise of the breaking supports and the massive creature drew more attention than that one soldier, especially once the bullox set up behind the crucible and began to push its hulking head against it as high as it could reach. Carolina fought off another soldier, and then another, and then glanced behind her to see what progress they were making. The bullox was pushing as hard as it could, and Ophelia was straining with the energy it took from her just to tilt it an inch off the ground.

But little by little it moved, and so Carolina would do what she had to. She crossed her daggers to parry a blow from another soldier, but an Alter had joined the fight and shifted the dirt beneath her feet. She stumbled, losing the balance of her block so that her arms gave in to the weight of the soldier’s blow. She reacted quickly enough to lift her elbow and guard her shoulder and collarbone, and took the strike deep into her forearm instead. Before the soldier could pull his sword back, she used her right hand to put her blade through his heart, pulled it out, and spun on her knees as she threw the dagger into the skull of the Alter before he could hurl another attack at her.

That left her with only one blade and her right arm. She twisted away from the stab of another soldier as she charged at him, and his blade nicked her ribs while hers went through his throat. The crucible was almost halfway tilted then, and she wouldn’t have to fight much longer before it tipped .

She sprinted and slid across the dirt to dodge the hurl of a rock and reach the dead Alter to retrieve her second dagger. The Alter who’d just thrown the rock at her had redirected it in midair when she missed, but just as Carolina was getting ready to try and dodge another throw, the crucible finally tipped. She didn’t even get to see it on its way down. There was an earth-shattering crash as it hit so hard and with so much weight that it broke the ground where it overlapped with the mine. Dirt and rock collapsed beneath it and fell into the pit, sending the balance of weight forward so that the rest of the crucible tipped and followed. The whole thing dropped, spinning over itself and slamming into the sides of the giant hole three times before they heard the boom of it reaching the heart.

It was so deafeningly loud and caused such a stir that every single person stopped fighting to look. Or so Carolina had thought, but the Alter she’d been about to fight with hadn’t, and the only reason she wasn’t struck in the head with a rock is because Ophelia redirected the bullox to kick the Alter aside.

Carolina snapped back to focus as everyone else got over the shock and resumed fighting, and she ran to Ophelia’s side. “Thanks.”

Ophelia scanned the blood on her arm and side. “You’re hurt.”

“I’ll live,” Carolina told her. “We need to get out of here.”

Ophelia nodded, and with a twirl of her hands, she changed the shape of the bullox into another mistling. They both climbed onto its back, and before any more soldiers or Alters could attack them, they’d taken off into the air. Carolina tore a strip of cloth from her shirt to wrap her arm as the battle below disappeared, with smoke rising from the burning platforms in the mines, only to find more smoke and fighting as they neared town. Izaak hadn’t been lying. He really had rallied the people for a rebellion, and as satisfying as it was to witness the crowds and riots down below, they needed to get off the island. Ophelia took them back to the ship, where Berkeley was just coming up the ramp with Otis as she got off the mistling’s back.

“Carolina,” he said, running to her, “what the hell is going on out there?”

“The people are taking the island back,” she told him.

He looked her over and saw the blood, and his mouth fell open with exaggerated offense. “ Did you start a rebellion without me? ”

“Sorry,” she chuckled, “I promise to get you in on the next one. ”

“Yeah, sure,” he said, but quickly added, “but we can’t leave yet. Patrick’s not back and we lost Rue.”

“What do you mean you lost Rue?” she asked.

“We were on our way back when the people started rioting,” he answered, offering a grimacing smile, “we lost her in the crowd.”

Carolina examined him for injuries, and then strode to Otis and threw an arm around his shoulders. “You alright, Bug?”

“All good, Captain,” he said.

“Did you get what we came for?” she asked.

His head fell. “Sorry, Captain. The Fortuna already left the island.”

“That’s alright,” she told him. “Did you find out where she went?”

“Cotisall Island,” Otis answered. “Near Grafport.”

“Good,” she said, ruffling his hair and then letting him go, “then you did all you could.” And to Berkeley, she said, “The only people in danger out there are Sovereign soldiers. Rue will find her way back.”

“I know she will,” he agreed, and then tossed a look at her wounds. “In the meantime, you should get all that healed up.”

She hummed her agreement, and Ophelia nodded her head toward the infirmary. Carolina followed her to it, closed the door behind them, and then went to sit on the table in the middle of the room. It was quiet for several long moments while Ophelia gathered supplies and brought them to the table. They’d just fought a small battle together, but behind the privacy of a closed door it was like all the history between them resurfaced, and Carolina didn’t know what to say.

Ophelia was the first to break the silence with, “Are you really not worried about Rue?”

She shook her head. “Why would I be? She’s got no reason to get into any fights out there. She’ll be back soon.”

Ophelia hummed, motioned for her arm to examine it, removed the cloth, and then breathed in shock, “ Carolina , this is almost to the bone.” She slapped the cloth back on and kept firm pressure over it with her hands to slow the bleeding she’d unleashed.

“Yeah,” Carolina agreed, “…I got hit with a sword.”

“Doesn’t it hurt? Aren’t you in agony?”

“Very much so,” she answered, “yes.”

“I just- You-” Ophelia stopped, her eyes wavering between Carolina’s for a few moments before she sighed, and her posture and gaze fell. She stayed like that for several seconds before her shoulders rose with an inhale. Then she looked back up at Carolina and gave a tight, sad smile and said, “I’m going to undo the curse.”

“Does my pain tolerance frighten you that much?” Carolina teased.

“I’m serious,” Ophelia said. “This isn’t right. I’m going to find a way.”

And she took that seriously, so much so that she held Ophelia’s gaze while she nodded. “Thank you.” And they stared at each other for another handful of moments before she cleared her throat. “Right, then, I’m still bleeding.”

“Oh, right.”

Ophelia spurred into action. She removed the cloth and set a clean one down on the table, positioning Carolina’s arm out over it to absorb the disinfectant that she poured over the wound. It stung so badly that Carolina growled through pursed lips, but it didn’t last long, and once it was clean, Ophelia set to healing it. She put her hands on Carolina’s arm near the wound and focused, and even though it hurt, Carolina couldn’t look away while the cut closed from the inside out, right before her eyes. She was so entranced that she didn’t notice Ophelia’s strain until it was healed, but Ophelia was sweating and leaning against the table for support, and clearly trying not to breathe as heavily as she needed to.

“You’re exhausted,” she observed.

“I’m still getting used to using magic again,” Ophelia answered, looking down with a shy huff of amusement. “My stamina is out of practice and, with the curse still drawing from me, today was… a lot.”

“You saved thousands of lives today,” she said, bending to catch Ophelia’s gaze. “Mine included.”

“ We saved thousands of lives,” Ophelia corrected, and looked up at her. “I think the pirate I used to know is still in there somewhere.”

If anyone could find her, it was Ophelia, and while the confession was on the tip of her tongue, she couldn’t forget Ophelia’s anger when she’d tried bringing up the past earlier in the day. She didn’t get to have feelings, not those kinds, because she’d made her decision eight years ago, and Ophelia had made it clear that she was holding her to it. She gave a small smile instead and said, “Yeah, maybe.”

Ophelia nodded gently, and then gestured to her side. “I’ll do the other one now.”

She leaned over to try and reveal the wound through her shirt as she said, “You can do it the non-magical way if you’re tired.”

“I can’t see how deep it is,” Ophelia mumbled to herself, and to Carolina: “the shirt’s got to go. ”

Carolina pulled the garment up and over her head. “It’s not as bad as my arm,” she said, and followed Ophelia’s indicative pat on the table and laid down, moving her arm up toward her head so it was out of the way of her ribs.

“No, it’s not,” Ophelia agreed. “I’ll clean it and then heal it.”

“You’re not too tired?” she asked.

“I’ll manage,” Ophelia said, and shrugged. “Besides, the only way to get my stamina back up is to push myself, right?” While she reached aside to grab a clean rag and the disinfectant, she added, “You’ll need rest, too. I had to repair muscle in your arm and that will have taken a lot out of you.”

Carolina nodded and lay there quietly while Ophelia cleaned and healed the cut in her side. Once it was done, there wasn’t any reason for her to linger, and it pained her that Ophelia could be so personal and impersonal at the same time. And so, she pulled her shirt back on, said thanks, and headed out the door, hoping that someday soon Ophelia might actually forgive her for leaving.