Aside from a few turns, the prison wasn't hard to navigate through by itself: It only took a few minutes for the girls to find their way out. The passages were so narrow though that there was no way to avoid the trail of bodies scattered throughout them. Most of their captors looked as if they'd been cut down; a few—especially the closer they got to the outside—had smaller, if precise, punctures in their face or chest.
What caught Ferris' attention the most though was that there weren't any other Monsters around—dead or alive. Stepping into the dry evening air for the first time in days, she quickly noticed that the only other people around them all had the same haggard look that she and her sister did: Mostly hybrids or Human children, just like she thought. She bit the inside of her lip and took a glance back the way they came.
He'd killed them all… It didn't seem possible, but it was the only conclusion that made sense. Both sisters had already been swept up before in the endless clash between Monsters and their own kind. They'd seen firsthand how devastating high-level magic could be, but just like them, the skeleton was barely more than a child. While both he and Ferris had magic, the gap between their abilities was frustratingly, and horrifyingly, wide.
She didn't feel any better when she spotted the gates ahead. Rubble from a nearby turret blocked it from the inside. The prison was an old, small structure—possibly what was left from an abandoned fort built when Ebott's borders were a little smaller and less cemented. It'd been repurposed since then and, aside from climbing the walls, the gate was the only way in or out.
Already, a few of the other captives tried clearing the rubble. Ferris didn't bother lifting a hand: It was too much for them to move. Moreover, given how little damage there was elsewhere, the collapse seemed intentional. It also explained part of the skeleton's behavior: He didn't mind letting them out of their cells because there was nowhere for them to go—or at least not before he came back.
What was his plan then? To kill them here in one swoop? Possibly, since Monsters didn't typically like mages any more than her own kind. However, that sounded like too much effort if he was as strong as Ferris thought and he had to march around the prison to release them anyway. Maybe he was just rounding them all up to prepare to move them elsewhere, or waiting for a partner. Him being a part of a rival band of kidnappers still wasn't out of the question.
Ciara's clinging brought her out of her thought and she looked down, patting her sister on the head. "It'll be all right," she shushed, her sister giving her a look of uncertainty. There just wasn't a way for her to share her confidence.
They didn't have to wait long before the last captive ran out and the skeleton came marching behind him. No one said a word. All eyes were on him. Those trying to dig through the rubble stopped and pressed themselves back against the nearby wall. Most small children ran to the young adults around them, as if they could protect them. Although Ciara didn't hide herself this time, she held her elder sibling's hand in a vice-like grip.
The skeleton stopped practically in the middle of the quad, looking them over. He no longer had his bone staff and stood, however rigid, with his hands relaxed at his sides. Finishing his brief inspection of the group, he finally said, "I'll get to the point. You're all getting out of here alive, don't worry, but first I need to know which one of you is Ferris of Mollendale. The Arnaud Guild has some business with you."
With that, he reached into at his belt and pulled out a silver talisman. The insignia on it was undeniable: The symbol of a SOUL caged by a pattern of chevron lines and a thin circlet. Talismans were an important part of a mage's identity: It declared your profession and meant you belonged to something. If you belonged to a ruler, the talisman was stamped with their coat of arms. If you belonged to a guild, they had their own. The Arnaud Guild was famous, so there was no way she wouldn't know what their insignia looked like.
However, its legacy wasn't always a positive one. While that guild produced strong mages, it was best known for accepting Monsters among its ranks. That was because it was a part of the Boroughs, a mostly self-governing town set between the Two Kingdoms. It was the result of trying to bring Humans and Monsters together through magic, with the mages of Arnaud's Guild still participating as negotiators between the species to this day.
In some ways, serving under a guild wasn't any better than serving under a lord. Depending on the town, they were effectively one and the same. The ones that did offer their mages a bit more freedom were often poorer, yet difficult to get into. Ferris had thought about turning herself over to one in the past, but unless she could make enough from jobs to take care of both herself and Ciara right away, it just wasn't worth it.
Meaning there was no point in revealing herself right away. Ferris might've been captured for her abilities, but there was no reason for a high-end guild like Arnaud's to know she existed. She'd never been that bold with her magic and most people who would've seen her use it didn't know her name.
When no one immediately stepped up, the skeleton continued, "There aren't that many of you here and I'm looking for a crimson mage. You're rare, so I can sort through you quickly. Even if I can't tell by some of your eyes, I can still check your SOULs." Realizing the potential threat in his words, he folded his arms across his chest and added, "As I already said, no one will be hurt. Just come forward."
How much does he know? And why did he know so much?! Ferris kept her arms at her sides, fighting the urge to bite her thumbnail out of anxiety. Did she steal from a mage one day without realizing and now they wanted to bring her in? No, then her eyes alone would have been a giveaway.
It didn't seem to matter. As some of the others fidgeted in place, nervous over what might happen if the Monster didn't get what he wanted, his gaze caught hers. She stiffened, more angry than afraid.
For someone without any skin, you've got a lot of cheek.… What were the consequences if she just ignored him? Would he second-guess himself or call her out for playing dumb? Or would someone else turn themselves over to avoid trouble for the group as a whole?
She couldn't easily wait to find out. Even Ciara was getting more anxious by the second now. Fear made people stupid and she didn't need to get caught in the crosshairs between a bunch of unpracticed magic users and a skilled killer. Pain was inevitable, not necessary. While she had no problem dying to get out of a situation, it didn't mean she liked it.
"That would be me," she confessed at last, further confirming his suspicions with a nod, "What's that to a walking bag of bones and his friends?"
A spark of annoyance flickered in his eyes. If he figured she was naïve enough to show gratitude, then he deserved her snark. Ignoring the tense stares of the people around them, the two continued to size each other up.
"That, I'll tell you later…" he replied in a steady, cold tone, then he turned back to the crowd, "But for now, everyone should rest and get ready to move in the morning. Lonkeld is about one hundred furlongs west of here. If you think you can make it there or to a neighboring town overnight, be my guest, but I wouldn't recommend it. A companion of mine is already headed this way. Make up your minds if you'll go by yourselves or travel with us at dawn. Use tonight to gather anything you might need."
With that, he dismissed them, walking over to one of the turrets to sit down and take watch. Confused, but relieved for the moment's safety, the group of magic-users shuffled aimlessly in-place. It took a few minutes for any of them to feel comfortable enough to move.
Ferris recognized one of the bodies lying a short distance from them. Out of the group, three kidnappers had tracked down her and her sister. This one had stolen a dagger from her. Sure enough, as she knelt by the corpse, Ferris found it still tucked away at his side. She pulled it free and returned it to its rightful sheath at her own hip.
She could feel the skeleton watching her from behind all the while. She couldn't guess what he and his guild wanted her specifically, but she'd let him come to her to explain. Some of the other captives followed her example and began to search the bodies. She overheard two teenagers debating if they should carry off the remains or leave them to rot as they were. Most people though either went back into the prison to search for food or propped themselves against the walls to bask in the last bit of sunlight. Whatever they were doing, everyone was careful to give both the Monster and her—who he had called out—a wide girth.
It was well past nightfall before Ferris got some answers. The group of prisoners worked together to make a warm stew from whatever they found available. It paired well with the dry, stale bread they'd also managed to get their hands on, the first decent meal any of them had gotten since they'd been dragged to that place. Whatever was left from the stores of foodstuffs was divided between them for the separate journeys ahead.
The skeleton didn't take anything: Not because no one offered—a couple of brave souls did attempt to give him a share of the spoils—but because he kept himself away from them, eating some type of hard ration he'd packed along instead. Well, it was fine since most of the captives were still scared of him. He didn't come down from his post until late into the night, when most of them were asleep and their bonfire was little more than embers.
Ferris and Ciara had found a place near some barrels to plant themselves until morning, the latter fast asleep in her sister's lap. Ferris had every intention of staying awake. She looked up, but was otherwise unmoving as the skeleton made his way over.
He shot a brief glance at Ciara, as if hesitant to speak in front of the little girl. Well, if this was about her magic, Ferris was at least grateful that he didn't seem to want to give her sister any grim details. She stroked Ciara's hair as the child moaned dreamlessly into her thigh, her gaze never leaving the Monster that stopped barely a meter in front of them.
Alright, hero-boy, Ferris mentally told him, Let's hear you out. If he wanted them dead, then they'd be dead already: She could concede that much. For the time being, they were just talking. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle.
Before getting to the point, the skeleton examined her quietly, "You're not afraid of me."
"Not really, but I don't trust you either," came the curt reply, "If you already knew who I was, why did you bother asking back there?"
"I didn't know: You were just a little too confident. I came here looking for a crimson mage, a seer, and anyone who carries themselves the way you do either has to be incredibly stupid or overly prepared," he glowered, "You revealed yourself."
She glared at him in turn, but couldn't come up with a good enough quip to snap back with. She pursed her lips and asked the same question from earlier, "What do you want from me? How do you even know who I am?"
"I know who you are because you've apparently been warping time enough to alert every other crimson mage across the Two Kingdoms."
Her eyes widened. He was so blatant about it that Ferris wanted to think he was lying. As far as she knew, there wasn't a magic like hers. For Humans, each type came with specific abilities. Green magic could be used to heal others or create barriers. Purple magic could be used to corrode or create traps. Crimson magic was unique in that it was a jack-of-all-trades on top of giving them premonitions of the past or future. If that's what she was doing though when she died, warping time, then the idea that a seer might be able to track her actions made some sense.
For a second, the assurance she felt in her power and its secret wavered. She tensed up. No… She'd run into other crimson mages a couple times before and had escaped them using her ability just as easily as anyone else. They forgot just like everyone else. Besides, aside from saving herself, what could she have possibly done to change time so much to get anyone's attention?
However, the skeleton quietly continued his explanation as if he could read her exact train of thought, "When you die, it's not just you that goes back: You drag everything else with you. Some people get déjà vu, but a talented seer can figure it out sooner or later. Ours did. Others will come after you too. I'm here to bring you to Arnaud's before that happens."
Ferris scoffed. No matter how pretty he made it sound, his intentions really weren't that far off from the kidnappers he'd plowed through. He'd come after her for her magic. That wasn't surprising… It took her mind a bit longer to grapple with how severe the situation had become though—from just being a random kid on the street with a little potential to an actual target. If he was telling the truth.
Mentally scrambling with this new information and the questions that came with it, she pressed back, "So, they sent a boy to come after me?"
His frown deepened and he gave her the most ridiculous answer, "I'm fourteen."
"And you think that makes you a man?"
"You're younger."
"By two years, but I'm not denying anything."
Her light taunting baffled as much as irritated him. His mouth twisted into a sneer, and he fought to control his voice as he grew more impatient, "Do you think this is a joke? Look where we are. Even with your ability, do you really think you can hide forever? You're better off working with a guild."
The girl crossed her arms over her chest, "I think you're the joke. You're not here to help me; You want me to think there's no other choice."
"That's because I'm not giving you one. I have my mission and that's to bring you back with me."
"And I have my sister!"
The skeleton's eyes pierced through the dark like a beast of legends'. Little did Ferris know that her eyes had begun to do the same—blazing with a red ferocity that dared for him challenge her. It was probably the most distinct trait of any magic user, Human or Monster, when they drew their power at its strongest or their feelings began to boil over.
It warned the skeleton to be a little more careful with his words. "Take her with you then," he sighed, "but don't be an idiot. I'm not going to pretend to care about either of you, but I'm not lying when I say your best place is with us." He knelt down to match Ferris' eye-level, "Think about it: If I wasn't on your side, would I have gone to the extra effort of breaking you and everyone else out of here? I could've just paid those hunters to hand you over."
Her eyes narrowed. There was no way she'd believe a point that bad. He could only manage that if the price he offered was more than the price of their lord's. And if he had done that, then the guesswork it took to find her would've been worse for him as well. Rather than call him out on it though, she pressed him, "And what does the guild get out of this?"
"Besides another mage? They get to keep some of their power. The last mage who had your ability, the one who figured out who you are, is also one of our members."
"Had?" That didn't bode well with her. Ferris didn't know how she got her unique power in the first place, much less how to lose it. And what if this other mage thought she has taken something that belonged to them?
"It's the nature of your type: All crimson mages can see potential futures, but only one can change the future like you can." He let the news sink in, apparently taking pride in finding something she couldn't argue against, "Like it or not, three days or thirty years from now, you'll pass that power along to someone else too, and what'll you do then? You'll be back to being just another easy target for mage hunters."
As much as she hated it, Ferris really couldn't answer that. She usually only thought far enough ahead to keep something in her stomach and anyone who came after her off her trail. To her, survival meant knowing how to change plans, not making them long-term.
The skeleton rose back to his feet, ended their conversation there to let her stew on that, "We set out in the morning. I hope getting some sleep will make you a little more rational by then."