The Mountains Sang Their Silent Melody

XIV

Frances quickly laced up their shoes next to the gondola station. Opus sat on a nearby rock, watching.

With their shoes on, Frances leapt to their feet and pulled the cord to call the gondola.

Down in the valley, Gianna followed the Corpus and Ophelia to the town square. One of the higher ranking officials of the Corpus looked over Ophelia in satisfaction. One of the Corpus must have bound her hands together.

There were others in the square. Townspeople doing their shopping or running their errands. Some looked up at the commotion. Others did their best to ignore it.

"Let it be known that Ophelia Kronos is accused of sorcery," the official announced. "According to the law, she must be put on trial. The accused is to be bound hand and foot, weighted down, and cast into a body of water."

A light of hope gleamed before Gianna. There was no body of water in the valley. No rivers or lakes, and the coast seemed a world away. Even the stream in the mountains only ran knee deep. They would have to lock up Ophelia until they figured out how to hold a trial. That would give Gianna time to figure out what to do. Maybe she could strike a bargain ...

"Since there is no body of water in the valley," the official said, "the trial will take place here, at the fountain."

And Gianna's heart sank.

"If she dies, she will be declared innocent. If she survives, she will be burned for the sorcerer that she is."

Gianna frantically whipped her head around, searching for someone who could help her. Perhaps there was a friendly face in the crowd. These were her coworkers, her neighbours. How could they think that this was okay?

That was when Gianna noticed a figure in the shadows.

Frances peered down the mountainside and realised that the gondola had not moved a centimeter. What had become of the gondola operator?

"I need to get down there," Frances said frantically.

Opus was still sitting stoic on the stone. "You could take the path," she suggested, pointing to a trail that Frances hadn't noticed before.

Frances ran towards the path without a second thought, but Opus did not move.

"Come on then!" Frances urged.

"I am not coming," Opus said.

"Why not?" Frances demanded.

"I told you that the mountain is a liminal space. I cannot exist beyond here." Opus opened her palms towards Frances in a gesture that was almost a blessing.

"From now, you must go on alone," she said.

So Frances went on alone. Later, they would swear they saw Opus vanish behind them.

"You're behind this!" Gianna said, jabbing a finger at Armand Kronos. Beyond the alley, members of the Corpus were attaching weights to Ophelia's frail figure, preparing her for her "trial". "Your daughter is going to die," she exclaimed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Armand said. He held up his hands and slapped an innocent expression on his face.

Gianna punched him. He recoiled in shock.

"What? Too sacred to fight someone your own age?" Gianna said.

"Okay, okay," Armand said, because in his heart he was a coward. "The Corpus heard of your kid's little 'sermons on the mount'. They thought the only way to get them down here was if I filed kidnapping charges. Smoke 'em out, you know?"