This time, Felix chose to open the portal inside the Grand Leader's audience room. He was surprised to see that the Leader wasn't alone. She was also there, sitting on his lap. His first instinct was to turn around and wait until they summoned him. The Grand Leader stopped him at the door.
'What is it, commander?'
Felix took a deep breath and walked back in.
'Grand Leader, sir. Ma'am. We have located the girl in another country. I believe it is called Aseaud. You ordered me not to take action without permission, so here I am.'
'So you have her?' the woman asked.
'Well, not exactly. But we know where she is. I decided to report early because I do not know if I will be able to do that later.'
'That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you, commander,' the Grand Leader said. 'You can continue with your mission.'
'Sir, if I may, what of the plan? It will be hard to execute it in current circumstances.'
'Right now, it doesn't matter how. Just get rid of her,' the woman said. 'It should be easy for you, especially in Aseaud. They have a bad relationship with Caranth.'
'Yes, ma'am.'
Felix saluted, unsure who he should be looking at.
'Wait. We should not be hasty. Contact me before you dispose of her,' the Grand Leader said.
'Is this necessary?' she asked. 'Let's not forget that every trip to us costs him. It would be a shame to lose such a talented asset prematurely.'
'Maybe it is unnecessary, but one little mistake might destroy our plan. It is better to be cautious.'
'So... what should I do?' Felix asked, shifting his gaze between them.
'I am your Leader. You do as I say,' the Grand Leader said with intensity.
'Of course, sir.'
When Felix left, the Grand Leader turned his face to the woman.
'What was that?' he asked, annoyed.
'What was what?'
'You're undermining my authority.'
'Don't be silly, honey. I'm just worried. Felix is one of the best, and by using soul magic when he doesn't have to, he's throwing his life away.'
'You think I don't know that? But...' he stopped.
'But what?'
'I dunno, maybe you're right.'
'Of course, I am, dummy.'
She kissed him on the cheek.
'But maybe you're right too,' she said. 'One trip won't kill him. And maybe it will save us.'
*
Sun was beginning to set when, three hours after his conversation with the Grand Leader, Felix arrived with his team at the dreary town called Doisson. The journey by ship took them much longer than it would have if they used the portals, but Felix couldn't forget the words of the Grand Leader's concubine. He almost felt the life draining out of him while traveling back to Caranth. He knew the price of soul magic but wasn't ready to pay it yet.
Thanks to the information from a bookselling woman in an insular village, who was very upset about someone's abandoned aunt, they knew the girl had traveled to Doisson. Now, all they needed to do was find her. Which wasn't easy since, unlike in the village, there was no one to ask about her.
They spread out to search the town. Felix stopped by a place called "White Hare Tavern''. He observed the inside through the window and concluded that a princess would never enter such a filthy establishment. He continued walking and, after ten minutes, reached the center of Doisson.
There was an old, dilapidated building of the town hall and a large yard before it. The most surprising thing to Felix was a group assembling a big wooden construction in the middle of the place. He had never seen anything like it, but it looked ominous.
He went across the yard and approached one of the workers.
'Excuse me, I'm a tourist. What are you doing here?' Felix asked.
'Tourist? Don't have tourists here,' he replied, annoyed.
'Well, you have me. I'm just curious.'
'You blind or what? We're building a stake, obviously.'
'Oh. I see. And what is this stake for?'
'You stupid? For burning a witch, what else would it be for.'
'A witch?'
'You hit yourself in the head? Yes, witch. My cousin saw them arresting that red-haired crone.'
Felix inhaled loudly and took a step back. Could it be?
'How old was she?' he asked to confirm.
'The witch? Don't know. Cousin said maybe twenty-five. But them witches can look whatever they like. Might be five hundred. Might be twelve.'
So it was her, Felix thought and couldn't help but smile. It looked like his problem was about to solve itself.
*
It was probably the worst morning in Aidan's life. Maybe it will forever be the worst. It would be hard to top waking up in a prison cell on the day of your execution.
For a couple of minutes, he watched sleeping Scarlett sitting next to him. If everything goes according to the plan, she will save him and their new friend wizard. But what if she fails? She only knew the basics for controlling the fire. And what if Jean-Gabriel was wrong, and instead of burning them, the revolutionists decided to hang them, for instance?
Aidan sighed heavily and leaned his head against the wall.
'How long have you been together?' he heard Jean-Gabriel's voice.
'What?'
'You and the princess here.'
'We're not together,' Aidan said, blushing.
'Huh. So she doesn't know,' the wizard more stated than asked.
'What?'
'I know that look of yours, kid. I saw it many times. In the mirror. There was this girl when I was your age. I had been in love with her since the day we met but was too much of a coward to tell her. The last time I saw her was at her wedding. Worst day of my life. Even worse than today.'
'So what did you do?'
'I devoted my life to a demigod. And now my own people wanna kill me for it. So don't follow my footsteps.'
'Could you be quiet? I'm trying to sleep here,' Scarlett murmured with eyes closed. 'This might be the last time I sleep.'
'Glad at least one of us is optimistic,' Aidan said, smirking.
Scarlett mumbled something indecipherable and tried to stretch out, but it was impossible with her wrists cuffed above her head. She opened her eyes and turned to Aidan with a serious expression.
'Listen, I was thinking all night, well, half the night. If this all goes south... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this. It was so damn stupid. Believing I could resurrect my dad. I don't know what I was thinking.'
'It's alright. We got this. I would pat you on the back or somethin', but I can't,' Aidan said with a smile.
'Yeah. You just hafta free us, and I will do the rest,' Jean-Gabriel said.
Sounds easy, Scarlett thought. Almost too easy.
The door to the cell opened, creaking deafeningly. Six people came inside. They didn't look like soldiers or guards. Just simple citizens of a small town. Simple citizens filled with bloodlust. Simple citizens who were about to take three innocent people to their execution.