In the Open Cage

Chapter 27

Misa managed to convince the captain that she was going to bed early. The meet was as boring as it always was, and since they had found the entrance to the witch market, the captain hadn't protested when Misa said she wanted to stay in her room to relax after the day's work was done.

It would be tricky to sneak past the servants—and the captain himself—but Misa had found that her old habit of leaving her home unnoticed came in handy. She turned off her lamp and took it with her when she opened the window to creep out. There were guards at the gate and patrolling the premises tonight—an obstacle Misa couldn't get by without being noticed. So, she simply walked to the gate like she belonged there, gave the guards a friendly nod, and slipped outside. She was sure they wouldn't be aware that she was supposed to be in bed, and they hadn't been told that Misa couldn't leave.

Misa's skin crawled at the thought of meeting Rithian again. She never wanted to meet the witch, but she had no choice. So many things depended on her learning from the witch. The captain had asked nothing of her encounter with Rithian, but his burning curiosity was no secret. Misa had avoided him as much as she could after going to him for comfort the night before, and she told him nothing of her nightly excursion. Because he would insist on following her, especially with the state she'd returned from meeting Rithian. And if the witch found him...

Misa looked down at the bracelet that bound her to the witch. It gleamed under the firelight, taunting her with its winks as if it knew what she was thinking. She had tried to take it once she'd returned to her chambers the night before, but nothing she did could budge it even a smidge. It had remained on her wrist, like it was an extension of her very skin, burning every time she attempted to remove it.

Misa switched her gaze to the dirt path and swiftly moved towards the warehouse to change into a dress. She was playing a dangerous game, but it was a game she started the moment she left her parents.

When she was ready, Misa steeled herself and went to the fountain. The bell tower loomed behind it, glaring down at Misa as if it too was repulsed by her magic. Laughter and music sounded from the distance, filtering through the buildings that hosted parties and drinks.

And before her, Rithian sat on the base of the fountain, humming to herself a melody that chased away the rowdy music from bars. Her ethereal beauty held no malice, but Misa would not be fooled twice. She held her breath and approached the witch, lamp in hand.

The humming stopped. Rithian gave Misa a gentle smile. The monster Misa had seen was nowhere in Rithian's face, like it had all just been a nightmare.

"Are you ready?" the witch sang. A lilt that could not have warned anyone else of what she truly was.

Misa only nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She couldn't let her guard down, not when she knew what truly lay beneath that tender mask.

"Then come." Rithian smiled, and for a second, that sadistic woman who had tormented Misa slipped through her veil. She gestured for Misa to follow and led her through the streets of Harthem. Past the singing bars, past the familiar street, taking Misa to a place she'd never been to before.

The alley they slipped through was narrow, winding through buildings and walls. Rithian stopped at a dead end. She swept her gaze behind her, looking past Misa for anyone who may stumble upon them. Then, when the coast was clear, she chanted a spell in the same language Misa had spoken before.

Rithian's palm began to glow, and when she placed it on the wall, light traced her hand before streaking away to create a rectangle. The light faded with Rithian's chants, and before them, a door stood. Misa swallowed her awe, refusing to let it amaze her. The witch pushed the door open, and Misa followed.