In the Open Cage

Chapter 25

"What the blazes are you doing?"

Misa ignored the question, running her hand along the uneven bottom of the fountain base. The water was freezing against her skin, and her fingers numbed enough that she thought they'd fallen off, but she had to check.

"In all of Harthem," Misa said, pulling her arm back to look at the captain, "is this the only fountain shaped the way it is."

Captain Bentham frowned. "Miss Carpenter, if this is your way of—"

"Just answer the question." Misa shivered as cold water slithered down her arm, raising goosebumps in its wake.

"Every fountain in Harthem is unique in its structure. They were built specifically based on the people they were dedicated to. This particular one was constructed for the witch slayer, Eragner Bell."

It was just as Misa had suspected. She studied the fountain, wondering how she had mixed up the bell for a chalice. Then, she scowled. "Who in the world thought it would be a good idea to build a bell upside down? It'd take more than one glance to figure out what it's supposed to be."

"I don't have answers to architectural questions. Why do you even—" He paused, and Misa could tell he had just figured it out himself. "Ludicrous! Absolute ludicrosity!"

Misa's mouth twitched. "It's worth looking into, Captain. I think we may have just found the location of the door to the witch market."

The night air was cool, and Misa loathed to do what she thought of next. She kicked off her boots, sending them sprawling on the ground. Then, she peeled off her socks and tucked them in one boot. Her cloak, she had already put aside with her sketchbook on top.

Rolling up her pants, she dipped a sensitive toe into the freezing water of the fountain. It sent a shock through her nerves, as if lightning had pulsed through the wetness. Misa wanted to jump back, to slip her feet back into the warmth of her woollen socks.

Hesitation would only convince her to come another day, so Misa forced her whole foot to sink to the floor. With a hiss, she dunked her remaining foot and tried her best to stop her teeth from chattering.

Captain Bentham came up next to her, leaning forward to glimpse the bottom of the shallow pool. Misa grinned. "Care to join me?"

He caressed the surface of the water. "It's freezing cold. You're a mad woman to jump in here."

"How else would I search the fountain thoroughly? If you don't want to come in, then make yourself useful and feel around the perimeter. I'll see if I can find anything at the center."

"Giving orders now?" Despite his words, Misa could detect a hint of resignation in his tone. He wasn't challenging her. No, it was something else, something Misa could have sworn was teasing.

She huffed. "You're free to leave if you want, but I'm going to see through to finding this door. I want to make sure this is the correct location, so we don't have to panic if it turns out to be wrong."

"A wise decision."

There it was again. Misa let herself smile at his compliment. She trudged towards the centerpiece, keeping her mind on the door instead of the numbness devouring her feet. Finding the door was another riddle in itself. Simply finding the location had only been the first step. She avoided the trickling water as best as she could, though there wasn't much she could do when it spilled over the entire thing.

Misa felt around the stony bell, looking for anything that would give way when her fingers pushed against the surface. It was difficult to ignore the freezing cold waterfall that drenched her sleeves and splashed her thin nightshirt. She searched every inch of the centerpiece before moving to the bricks that patched up the base. Her hands had gotten so numb that she could barely feel anything.