In the Open Cage

Chapter 29

Misa's head was still buzzing when Nisha left her in front of Royle's room. They were planning something for the upcoming celebration. Something that required a lot of magic. And Misa had no choice but to aid them by giving away the positions of all the guards. She wished she could pretend it was nothing, but Nisha had said it would change the future of Plathea. What was she planning to do?

Feeling the hopelessness return, Misa reluctantly opened the door. The room was dark and lit only by the lamp at Royle's desk. It took a moment for her to make out his silhouette leaning over it, his hands resting over several pieces of paper as he studied them.

Closing the door behind her, Misa flicked on the lights that hung on the walls. He must have been too busy going over the plans to even think of turning them on.

"She's making you gather your magic, isn't she?"

Whatever Misa was going to say flew from her mind. Shock kept her frozen in place.

How did he know?

He straightened his back and looked at her, his eyes still burning with determined rage. "I'll take that to be a 'yes'. So then, the question is why. Why does she need you to gather the rest of Tika's magic? What is she going to do with it?"

"You..." Misa couldn't find the words. The fear struck her heart and it hurt to breathe. "How..."

"I'm not going to sit and do nothing when she has her filthy hands on you. You think I'll let her get away with it? Not in a million fucking years." A piece of paper bunched in his hand. "Think about it, Misa. She had the royal council stick you by my side. The orders I received instructed me to never leave you unless you were taking lessons from Nisha. Why? Why was it so important that I had to stay in your vicinity?

"Because for some reason your magic doesn't go out of control when you're with me.

"It's gotten stronger. I can sense it, Misa. I can sense it the same way I could sense Tika. You're not getting rid of the magic you can't control. You wouldn't do that unless you didn't have a choice."

Misa couldn't look at him. Why had she thought he wouldn't figure it out? This was Royle. He could piece together an answer from the smallest of clues. His logical reasoning was one of his greatest strengths. All he needed was a clear mind and the space to think.

"She killed your cat. She's been going out of the palace to meet people in secret." He threw down the crumpled piece of paper. It floated pitifully back to its place on the desk. He was keeping an eye on Nisha, probably by having someone track her. It was no wonder the reports were endless. "She's scheming something, but she has the royal council wrapped around her finger. And you—"

A heavy sigh left his lips. He fell onto his chair, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. The weight of the world was on his shoulders. Everything was against him, yet he was still fighting back.

"I can't do this anymore."

It was then that Misa realised that by refusing to share her burdens, she was also refusing to take his. They were both fighting their own battles in the dark.

Keeping your mouth shut isn't going to change anything, but sharing your burdens will.

She finally understood what he meant. Why fight alone when they shared an enemy? He had already figured out her circumstance on his own. Sooner or later, he would find out how Nisha was controlling her.

Perhaps he could figure out what Nisha was planning if Misa gave him all the pieces. Even if he couldn't, at least they would be on the same page. And together, they had a fighting chance.