Chapter 11
Ophelia returned to the infirmary with a belly full of breakfast and intent on finally finishing her self-set task of reorganizing the cabinets more efficiently. She’d spent the last few days doing it during free time, as well as compiling a list of supplies that Omen didn’t have but needed. When she pushed open the door, however, the infirmary wasn’t empty. Rue was rummaging through cabinets looking for something.
“Hello,” Ophelia greeted, closing the door behind her.
Rue whirled around, giving a grimacing smile as the shock on her face wore off. “Hi…”
“Looking for something specific?” Ophelia asked. Rue’s forehead was damp and her face was flush, and she’d been digging through the cabinet of sedatives.
Rue followed the look Ophelia gave, instantly saying, “I wasn’t looking for drugs.”
“Then you have a fever,” she observed. “Do you know why? Are you feeling alright?”
“I was cut during the fight with the bounty hunters,” Rue answered, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “It’s infected.”
“Six days ago?” Ophelia asked in surprise, earnestly gesturing her toward the table. “Sit, now. Where is it? Why didn’t you come to me sooner?”
“I tried cleaning it myself,” Rue said, lifting herself onto the edge of the table. “My shoulder.”
Ophelia set her palm against Rue’s burning forehead, and then grabbed her wrist to measure her pulse. Her fever was high, but her pulse was steady and strong. “Remove your shirt, please. ”
Rue hesitated, asking instead, “Will you promise not to tell Carolina?”
“Tell her what?” Ophelia asked, her brow furrowed.
“Lock the door?” Rue asked, and Ophelia obliged. After another moment of hesitation, Rue slowly peeled off her shirt to reveal the wound on her shoulder, and though it was wrapped in a bandage, there was a very distinct, iridescent mark peeking out from behind it.
“ Oh ,” was all Ophelia managed at first as she struggled to process what it meant, until she met Rue’s pleading gaze. “I won’t say anything. Is this why you’ve been avoiding me?”
“I was afraid you’d tell her,” Rue said, holding out her arm so Ophelia could remove the bloody bandage. “But it won’t stop throbbing, and it hurt so bad the last two nights that I haven’t slept.”
Ophelia almost wished she’d prepared herself better for removing the bandage, because the wound underneath was seeping more than just blood. She let out a sigh through pursed lips and shook her head in disapproval. “The good news is you won’t die.”
“The bad news?” Rue asked.
“If you want it healed the quick way,” she answered, “it’s going to hurt.”
“How much?”
“Like it did last night, only all at once.”
Rue dropped her head back and groaned to the ceiling, and then brought it forward with a decided nod. “Alright. Do it.”
Ophelia turned away first to wash her hands and grab all the supplies she’d need from the cabinets, and then set them on the table beside Rue. Before doing anything else, she doused a sterile rag in antiseptic and cleaned the entire area, wincing apologies at Rue several times because her inflamed shoulder was so tender that she was already in agony. When that was done, she grabbed another rag and pressed it over the wound.
“This is the part that really hurts,” she told Rue. “Brace yourself.”
Rue drew in a deep, steadying breath, and then nodded. Ophelia held that rag there while she began to use her magic, altering the flesh and blood in Rue’s body and around the wound to draw out the infection. She pulled it from deep, forcing blood out of the tissue and into the rag as Rue’s eyes filled with tears and she grunted through clenched teeth.
“Almost done,” Ophelia said softly, removing the rag to fold it over to a clean side and pressing it back .
Rue gave a trembling nod and lifted her free hand to her mouth to bite down on her knuckles, squeezing her eyes shut and sending tears streaming down her cheeks as Ophelia removed the last of it. When it was done, she dropped the rag into a metal bin that she’d burn later, and gave Rue a few moments to rest while she poured her a cup of water.
“Here,” she said, handing Rue the cup.
Ophelia let her drink while cleaning the area with more antiseptic and occasionally dabbing at the clean blood that seeped from the agitated wound, and tried to get her mind off the lingering pain by saying, “So… you’d joined Sovereign.”
“I had to,” Rue said. She set the cup down on the table and wiped at her damp cheeks, glancing over at Ophelia for several seconds before deciding it was safe to offer more. “Carolina was gone, and our mother was dead. When your other options are to go back to indenture or starve to death, Sovereign doesn’t look so bad.”
“Are you afraid she’ll be angry with you?” she asked.
Rue shrugged, staring down at her knees. “More disappointed, I guess.”
“She never judged me for it,” Ophelia said. “All you did was survive with what you had until you could find her.”
“It’s different,” Rue said. “We grew up hating Sovereign together, and I joined anyway.”
“She’d understand. She’d forgive you.”
Rue met her eyes for a few moments and then sighed. “Yeah, maybe. Eventually.”
“I can get the supplies to remove it, if you’d rather.”
“I’ve heard that hurts,” Rue said. “ Bad .”
“Oh, it’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt. Especially to heal it without a scar.”
“Yeah… no thanks,” she huffed amusedly.
“Fair enough,” Ophelia laughed, and gestured to Rue’s arm. “I’ll finish healing it if you’re ready. If you’re worried about how the scar will look, I can stitch it first.”
“You’d stitch it first?” Rue asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
“I can only hasten what the body’s capable of on its own,” Ophelia said with a smile. “Despite what some believe, magic doesn’t fix everything.”
Rue chuckled. “It’s fine, I’m not worried about the scar. ”
“Alright. You’ll be exhausted after all of this, so I recommend you go and catch up on sleep. And I’ll want to check on it again tomorrow.” Rue nodded, and so Ophelia set her bare hands around the wound and warned, “It will burn a bit, too, but not nearly as bad as removing the infection.”
“I’m ready,” Rue replied, and sat through the procedure quietly even though she winced when Ophelia first started. It didn’t take long until Ophelia had guided her body through the healing process, so that a scar cut over the Sovereign mark where the wound used to be. She examined it when Ophelia removed her hands, rotating her shoulder to get a good look. “Wow,” she praised. “I’d never been healed before, not even while in training. It is extraordinary, isn’t it?”
Ophelia smiled gratefully while handing Rue her shirt. “I’ve spent the last seven years in hiding, practicing without magic. It feels good to be able to use it again.”
Rue pulled her shirt back on, but once she was done, she didn’t get off the table. She stopped for a thoughtful moment and then said, “Can I ask you something?” Ophelia nodded. “Why did you leave Sovereign?”
Ophelia inhaled slowly and let the breath out in a sigh. “I suppose the simple answer is that Carolina opened my eyes to the injustice of the world. After she left, I just… couldn’t go back to living in ignorance. To be honest, I’m ashamed I even tried.”
“Did you feel free? Once you left?”
“In some ways,” Ophelia answered, giving a long, thoughtful pause before smiling wistfully. “But in a world like ours, there’s not really such a thing as true freedom, is there? Even the wealthiest of us is still beholden to Sovereign.”
Rue hummed thoughtfully, eventually nodding her slow agreement.
“Carolina taught me that, by the way,” she added.
“I see what you’re getting at,” Rue said.
She studied the hesitant look on Rue’s face for a moment and laughed, “Alright, I’ll stop nudging. What about you, then? Did you feel free once you left?”
Rue pursed her lips to one side, shrugged lightly, thought about it for another second, and then shook her head. “Believe it or not, Sovereign was never a prison for me. I was resentful of having to join but… I never felt trapped by it.” She shrugged again. “Prison isn’t always a place, you know?”
“I do,” Ophelia told her sincerely .
She gave a grateful smile, and a heavy silence passed between them before Rue said, “Can I ask you one more thing? And will you be honest with me?”
“Sure.”
“Are you really not still angry with Carolina for leaving?”
Ophelia crossed her arms in front of her, reaching up with one hand to finger the chain of the silver necklace that disappeared beneath her shirt, and sighed, “No, not for leaving.”
“What for, then?” Rue asked.
“Between you and me?” she said, and Rue nodded. “For not coming back for me.”
Rue hummed once more as her eyes fell to the floor across the room, and she stared there for a long handful of moments before murmuring, “Yeah,” and nodding. She looked back up and gave a more decided nod. “Yeah. I’ll get out of here now. Thank you for helping me.”
“You’re welcome,” Ophelia said.
Rue slid off the table, staggering as she reached her feet from the exhaustion Ophelia had warned about.
Ophelia reached out to help steady her, saying, “Water and rest. Lots of it.”
“I will,” Rue said, and as she turned for the door, there were several shouts from outside on deck.
Rue unlocked the door and threw it open, and Ophelia was too curious about the rising commotion not to follow. She hurried out onto main deck, joining the gathering crew while several pointed and the rest watched as parting clouds revealed Remigan to them. But it wasn’t the island of Remigan itself that was causing the stir. It was the support ships.
Ophelia searched for Carolina in the crowd and rushed to her side.
“What the hell is this?” Carolina asked, her stare fixed on the massive ships and chains as she shielded her eyes from the sun with a hand at her forehead.
“The island is being harvested,” Ophelia told her. “Have you never seen it before?”
Carolina shook her head. “Not this closely. Harvesting means more Sovereign presence. We tend to avoid it.” She dropped her hand to her side and let out an exasperated breath, growling, “Dammit. We can’t dock with all those Sovereign ships there now, it’s too risky. ”
Ophelia was so caught up in her own thoughts about how, and why, and when, and how long Remigan had left before falling, that she didn’t respond right away. It wasn’t until Carolina made to walk away, mumbling about new orders to Ryland, that she processed the situation.
“Wait,” she said, grabbing Carolina’s arm and pulling her back. “This could work in our favor.”
“I’m listening,” Carolina said.
She squinted against the sun, searching for a ship that had dropped anchor inland to demonstrate her point. “You see that ship inland?” she asked, pointing. Carolina hummed. “It’s likely anchored over an estate, picking up the estate owners and family to provide private passage off island. We can pretend to do the same.”
“Sovereign doesn’t monitor those ships?” Carolina asked. “Or require a permit?”
Ophelia shook her head. “Sovereign is here to make sure mining doesn’t stop. The only time they’ve ever cared about an estate is if they're paid to.”
She waited patiently while Carolina continued to search the approaching island, until she eventually nodded. Carolina turned without a word but with a small gesture, and so Ophelia followed her to quarterdeck, where Berkeley was already waiting. Rue had followed them too, so that they all stood there beside Ryland.
“What’s the plan, C?” Berkeley asked.
“Ophelia seems to think we can pass as a transport ship,” Carolina told him. “Ryland, take us inland, we’ll settle hull at an estate so we’re less likely to be seen, and let’s do our best to find one that’s already empty.”
“Aye, aye,” he answered, leaning over to relay that information down to the heart handlers.
“Do you think the Fortuna’s even still here?” Rue asked.
“We have to try,” Carolina said.
“I still don’t think you should give her your blood,” Rue protested.
“I’m not,” Carolina answered. She pulled a pouch off her belt and held it out to Rue. “You and Berkeley are going to take Otis. In that pouch is money and gold omacyte, you’re going to give it to Otis, and while you and Berkeley stay hidden, Otis is going to solicit a civilian to see the Fortuna for us. Good?”
One of Rue’s eyebrows quirked, considering all of that while she slowly reached out for the pouch. “Yeah,” she finally answered, glancing only briefly at Ophelia while taking it, “I suppose that works. What are we asking her?”
“We’ll only get one question,” Carolina answered. “I think the most reliable way to get what we need is to get as close to Vivienne Wright’s descendants as possible. Find out where they are.” Rue nodded, so Carolina looked at Berkeley and said, “No one else leaves the ship. This isn’t a rest stop, I don’t want to have to figure out who’s still missing if shit goes sideways, and I want the ship protected.”
“Understood,” Berkeley answered.
“Go,” Carolina told them, nodding toward the rest of the ship, and they returned to main deck.
“Captain!” one of her crew shouted, yelling again as he sprinted up the stairs and came to a stop in front of her.
“Take a breath, Patrick,” Carolina told him. “What is it?”
“Captain,” he breathed, inhaling several times to calm himself down. “I have family here. My grandmother, my aunt, and several cousins.”
“Are they still on the island?” Carolina asked.
“I’m not sure,” he answered. “But if they are, it’s because they can’t afford to leave. I can’t leave them here, Carolina.”
“Alright,” she said, her lips pursed as she thought about it. “Where else do you have family that could take them in?”
“Eksin,” he said.
She nodded. “We’ll take them. Go and get them as quickly as you can when we settle hull. But them only, yeah? We can’t evacuate the whole island.”
“Aye,” he said with a sigh. “Thanks, Captain.”
He turned to leave, and Ophelia waited several long moments after he’d departed to see if Carolina would bring up her request about leaving the ship before finally saying, “Carolina?”
Carolina hummed.
“Are you going to let me off the ship to search for another way?” she asked.
There was a lengthy pause, and then Carolina said, “Yes.”
She smiled gratefully and asked, “Are you sending someone with me?”
Carolina nodded. “Me.”
“Oh,” she breathed, her eyebrows shooting up for a moment before her face fell and she said more quietly, “You still don’t trust me. ”
“It’s for your safety as much as it is my own reassurance,” Carolina said, but she must’ve recognized the still disappointed look on Ophelia’s face, because she paused and drew in a deep breath before sighing. “Look, Ophelia, I know that I rescued you for my own reasons, but I won’t see you in Sovereign chains again. Not if I can help it.” There was a brief pause before she added, “Besides, if I can’t be a part of the Fortuna endeavor, then I may as well help take care of your business.”
“How long are you able to stay off the ship, then?”
“A few hours,” Carolina answered, “so we should make it quick.”
“Since we’re disembarking,” Ophelia said, and pulled out the list of supplies she’d been working on, “there are some things that need to be restocked in the infirmary. If we have time and there are any supplies left on the island, I’d like to purchase some.”
Carolina held her hand out for the paper, and Ophelia gave it to her. She scanned the list of items and medicines, and then asked, “What about your medicine? It’s not on here.”
“Oh,” Ophelia murmured, and then smiled gratefully at the thought. “It’s unnecessary… I, um, found a more permanent means of transition.”
“A spell?” Carolina asked, and she nodded. “Another of Sovereign’s well-guarded secrets, huh?”
Ophelia rolled her eyes. “Can’t hold a medicine hostage if people know there’s something better.”
“I’m glad you found it,” Carolina said, giving her a small but genuine smile before busily glancing back at the list and asking, “How much will it all cost?”
Ophelia pursed her lips, hesitating for a moment before answering, “Seven hundred dominions. Maybe eight.”
Carolina’s brows rose.
“But these supplies should last a while,” Ophelia added, “…barring any particularly nasty fights.”
Carolina thought about it for another few seconds and then held the paper out between two fingers. “I’ll have it when we disembark.”
Ophelia nodded, and it seemed like Carolina wanted to collect herself before leaving the ship, so she left quarterdeck and returned to the infirmary to retrieve her satchel. Once she had that, she headed back to main deck to lean against the bulwark and watch as they approached Remigan. It had only been seven years since she’d been in training and had access to the plans and schedules for harvesting islands, but even then, she remembered the name of every island on that list. Remigan, she was certain, hadn’t been.
Even worse than her certainty that Remigan wasn’t supposed to be harvested was the state of things as they finally got close enough for a heightened view of the situation. The port was extremely over-crowded with people, all kept at bay from the ships by the uncommonly large Sovereign presence — the tents and soldiers looked like the backlines of a battlefield.
“If I didn’t know any better,” Carolina said, stepping up beside her, “I’d say you look angry.”
She didn’t realize she’d been clenching her jaw till that moment, and she swallowed hard and forced herself to release the pressure. “Tell me, how long is the standard harvesting schedule?”
“Thirty years,” Carolina answered, “everyone knows that.”
Ophelia hummed her agreement, tapping an uneasy nail against the bulwark. “Remigan was never on the schedule,” she said, and gestured above them. “Support ships are final phase where harvesting is concerned, and there are still far too many people here. I don’t know what’s going on here, Carolina, but I don’t like it. Not at all.”
“Then we’ll be as quick as we can,” Carolina said, and Ophelia nodded.
They didn’t say anything else to each other while they sailed over the island. She just stood there, looking down at how many people were left, at how many soldiers there were on the streets when usually there were few to none. The mines were visible in the distance, surrounded by a large camp full of Sovereign tents, and some of them were distinctly emerald-colored when she’d rarely ever heard of Sovereign sending Alters to aid mining companies.
Soon, Omen was slowing down over a sprawling estate, and when no one came across the grounds or out of the massive plantation house to watch them, they decided it was empty. They dropped down onto the expansive yard in front of the house and lowered the ramp.
“Carolina,” Berkeley said, stepping up to their side and making an indicative glance back at some of the crew. “They want to know if they can raid the house while we’re here.”
Carolina looked back at them, watching their eager faces for a few moments before she finally nodded. “Not all of you, not all at once. And only the house, I want you to stay close to the ship.” They let out shouts of approval anyway, and then Carolina reached up to pet Ribbon, who was perched on her shoulder. “You need to stay here, my girl. I think you’re more infamous than I am.” Ribbon chirped and nuzzled her cheek. “Go on, keep Ryland company.”
Ribbon left her shoulder to fly to quarterdeck, and then Ophelia followed Carolina down the ramp with Berkeley, Rue, and Otis trailing behind them. All five of them were heading into town, and so they walked together in silence for several minutes before Otis broke it.
“Captain?” he asked, and Carolina hummed. “What am I going to the Fortuna for instead of someone else?”
Carolina tossed an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into her side as they walked. “You’re the youngest of us,” she explained, “and you’ve been with us your whole life, right?”
“Right,” he answered.
“Then it makes sense that you’ve probably met the least amount of people,” she said, “so, when you find a civilian to go to the Fortuna for us, and the Fortuna sees you in their memories, she’ll have a harder time placing you amongst my crew.”
Otis nodded, watching the dirt beneath his feet for a few moments and then asking, “But how come you don’t want her to know it’s you?”
Instead of answering his question directly, Carolina asked, “What do we say about people we don’t trust?”
“Be careful what they know about you,” Otis answered. Carolina nodded, and Otis gave a proud smile and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get the information you need, Captain.”
Carolina laughed and ruffled the straight brown hair on his head. “I know you will, Bug. And Berkeley and Rue will be with you if you need help.”
Otis nodded, and then paced around Carolina to come up to Ophelia’s side. “The crew say you’re a Caster,” he announced.
She chuckled, “I am.”
“What does that mean, though?” he asked. “What can you do?”
“It means that I can change the energy around me,” she told him.
“Isn’t that what healers do?” he asked, a skeptical crease between his brows.
Ophelia couldn’t help but laugh to Carolina, “He’s sharp, isn’t he?”
Berkeley said teasingly, “He likes to know everything about everything.”
“I’ve got to!” Otis said, ducking over and giving Berkeley a playful shove. “I’m going to be a captain someday. ”
“In that case,” Ophelia said with a smile, gesturing him back over, “I’ll tell you exactly what it is.” He rejoined her side with a bright, enthusiastic gleam in his eyes. “Healing is only channeling the energy of a person’s own body.”
“Alright,” Otis said expectantly.
“When I say that I can change energy,” she explained, “that means that I don’t need a related source.”
“Related?” Otis asked.
“Right,” she answered with a smile. “I can use my own energy to affect the intangible world around me.” He puckered his lips in thought while giving a slow nod. “For example,” Ophelia continued, “I can change the light around me and make myself disappear.”
She motioned her hands in front of her to cast the spell, and Otis gasped as his eyes searched wildly for her. Much to her amusement, there was even a hint of panic that crossed Carolina’s face when she realized she couldn’t see her.
“ Wow ,” Otis breathed, reaching out as if she was completely gone and then laughing when his hands landed on her arm. “I can still feel you though.”
“That’s because I’m still here,” she said, and dropped the spell so they could see her again.
Otis laughed loudly, saying as he tapped Berkeley on the back for a piggyback, “I’m glad we rescued you from the bounty hunters.”
“Me too,” Ophelia chuckled.
They got to the edge of town then, and Rue reached up past Berkeley’s shoulders to give a gentle tug on Otis’s ear. “Come on, Bug, we’ve got to find the Fortuna.”
“See you back at the ship!” Otis said, waving at Ophelia and Carolina as they began to part ways.
“Be safe,” Carolina told them.
“Will do,” Rue called back.
As Ophelia took the lead and wandered closer to the storefronts and houses they were passing, she asked, “Are you raising him?”
“Otis?” Carolina asked, and she hummed. “We all are, I suppose. It takes a village, and all that.” Carolina looked over at her, watching for a moment as she walked along beside the shops, running her hand along pillars and the undersides of banisters as they went. “Do you know where we’re going?”
“Not yet,” she answered. “Who are his parents? ”
“His mother died in childbirth,” Carolina said, “his father was part of my crew. When he died two summers ago, we… Well, we were Otis’s family then.”
“How come you call him Bug?” she asked.
Carolina laughed. “Because he used to scurry about the ship as a toddler and get into every little nook and cranny he could find.”
“Like a bug,” Ophelia giggled, and Carolina nodded. She slowed to get a longer feel of the rough shape beneath her fingers, and then turned a corner, saying, “This way.” Carolina stopped at the crossroads, looking every other direction in confusion before deciding to follow instead of protesting. “He looks healthy,” Ophelia continued, her hand still brushing wood as they walked. “But I’d like to give him a full examination soon. I daresay he’s never had one.”
“Not since he was a newborn,” Carolina replied, but when she went to lead them around another corner, Carolina finally stopped. “Where are we going, Ophelia? Are you not aimless? What are we even here to find?”
“Come,” Ophelia said, ascending the steps to a storefront porch. She leaned against the railing above the spot that had instructed her to turn, and told Carolina, “Run your hand under the banister.” She glanced around at the people nearby, adding, “Subtly.”
Carolina felt around the wood. “Is that a symbol of some kind?”
Ophelia hummed. “It’s a blackfire dragon. Can you feel the point of its horns?” Carolina nodded. “That’s the direction we need to go.”
“To find what?” Carolina asked.
“Depends on the island and who’s there,” Ophelia answered. “Usually its deserters, or rebels. Witches use it to escape and trade magic that Sovereign has kept from us.”
“And you think there will be anyone left here?”
Ophelia shrugged. “There’s only one way to find out.”
She made to walk away, but Carolina didn’t move. “Ophelia.”
Ophelia stopped, but when Carolina didn’t look at her or say anything else, she returned to the railing. “What?”
It took several long moments before Carolina finally looked at her and asked, “Why did you run?”
Ophelia’s heart and stomach switched places, and she had to swallow down the emotion that question stirred before she could answer. “After everything you showed me, everything you taught me, how could I ever stay? ”
“But your father,” Carolina murmured, “your mother. Have you seen them?”
“You know the answer to that,” Ophelia said, clearing the soggy lump in her throat. She hadn’t seen them, not in over twelve years, and there weren’t words for how much she missed them. “But it wasn’t their conscience at risk.”
“I’m sorry.”
Ophelia shook her head. “That part, at least, isn’t your fault.”
There was a long, silent pause as Carolina stared down at the banister, watching her thumb run across the grains in the wood. “If I ever thought,” she finally whispered, “even for a moment that-”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Ophelia spat, exhaling a shaky breath as she struggled to keep tears from rising to her eyes. She’d done so well at not thinking about it since Carolina had rescued her. So well at keeping old feelings buried deep. “Don’t you dare. You don’t get to do that, not now.” She inhaled deeply, and when Carolina’s sad face finally looked up at her, she pushed away from the banister. “It’s too late for that. For this. For all of whatever it is you’re about to say. Just don’t. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Alright,” Carolina sighed, nodding. “I’m sorry.”
She was suddenly frustrated, angry, hurt… and all of those things paired with the fact that Carolina let the matter go so easily after bringing it up was infuriating. “You’re insufferable,” she muttered, spinning away and stomping down the steps.
Carolina huffed in offense, hurrying after her. “Am I not allowed to try making amends?”
“I don’t want you to make amends,” Ophelia said, stopping and turning to face her again. “Whatever happened between us was eight years ago. I’m over it. I don’t want excuses or apologies, and I don’t want you blinking those big brown eyes at me like this hurts your feelings. Quite frankly, Carolina, you made your choice. You don’t get to have feelings about anything other than the curse, which I’m making amends for now, got it?”
Carolina nodded and said, “Understood,” but she did exactly what Ophelia said not to, and just stood there, blinking those big brown eyes at her with a sad, pursed-lip smile.
“ What? ” Ophelia demanded .
“Nothing,” Carolina mumbled, finally dropping her head and her gaze, and gesturing in the direction Ophelia had tried to take them before. “Lead the way.”
And as upset as she may have been, Ophelia didn’t want to dwell on the things she was feeling either. So she picked up leading the way, searching those hidden spots for a meeting location and taking them down several more roads. It was slow progress, sometimes the direction symbols were facing wasn’t clear, and other times they had to double back because a symbol wasn’t as easy to find as the rest.
They wandered through town for over an hour before Carolina whispered, “Ophelia, we’re being watched.”
“Who?” she asked, pausing her search for symbols.
“That alleyway,” Carolina said, nodding, “over there.”
Ophelia followed the motion, and sure enough, there was a hooded figure with a wrapping around the lower half of his face standing in the shadows of the alleyway, watching them. She lifted a hand in a slow wave as she glanced around to make sure there were no soldiers nearby, and to show her intentions to the figure, she gave a small snap of her fingers and produced a spark of fire between them. It disappeared almost instantly, but it was enough to reveal her magic and to let them know that she was a deserter. The figure gestured for them to follow.
“Come on,” Ophelia said, hurrying across the road to catch up as the figure disappeared deeper into the alley.
“Is this safe?” Carolina asked.
“…Probably?”
They followed quickly, barely keeping up with the figure as they lost sight of them around every corner, until they eventually turned one and found them stopped at a doorway up ahead. The figure made sure they’d followed, and then disappeared into the building. Ophelia didn’t hesitate to enter after them, but as she and Carolina walked through the door and into the center of the room to meet the figure, several more emerged from hiding spots, and another swung the door shut behind them.