"Based on what I saw, no one in this city will care," Isabel answered drily. "Steal, and they'll have you drawn and quartered I'm sure, but other than that..." She just shrugged.
Ophelia choked out a laugh, then sighed and leaned her head back against Isabel's. Closing her eyes in anguish, she whispered, "I'm never going to forget his face, am I?"
Before Isabel could respond, they heard footsteps running towards them. They turned and looked right before Adeline tackled into them, tears of relief flowing down her cheeks. Ophelia welcomed the hug with shock, while Isabel looked past the younger girl to the man in the sailor's coat, taking special note of the stylized blue star on the lapel.
"A Chronicler?" Isabel questioned. Ophelia and Adeline both looked at her in confusion.
His eyebrows rose. "Indeed." He moved to the body of the man Ophelia had stabbed in the shoulder, and after a minute he nodded. "Just unconscious." He moved over to the other thug and started checking that body over, as well; Ophelia suddenly realized Director An must have knocked the two of them out, as well.
The sailor's hand started to glow with light, and the wound in the thug's side began to close. Eyes wide, Ophelia whispered, "You're a priest...?"
"Of sorts." The man got up, looking approvingly at the form on the ground. "Looks like he'll live, too."
"But... you don't look like..."
"Well, most Chroniclers don't, really. Comes with the job; we wander around, collecting stories and looking after people." Looking at Isabel and Ophelia, he asked, "Speaking of which, are the two of you alright? Hurt anywhere?"
Both girls shook their heads. He nodded, then gave the lanky man a quick look over, and only glanced briefly at the evidence of Director An's work. "Would you mind telling me what happened here?"
Ophelia's voice caught in her throat, and so Isabel gave a brief summary of what happened, leaving Mistress An anonymous.
The man scratched his beard. "Hmm..." After a few more moments of thought, he asked, "Do you have a place to stay for the night?"
Isabel nodded. "There's a clothier near the northwest gate run by a woman named Marina. That's where we've been staying."
At the mention of Marina, the man's eyes widened, and he slowly began to laugh. All three girls looked at each other in confusion before he explained, "Marina and I are good friends; I just found it ironic." Grinning widely, he said, "Please call me Captain Savoy."
Captain Savoy escorted the group through the streets to Marina's shop. Ophelia had wiped the blood off herself as well as she could, but she couldn't remove all of it; she tried her best to ignore the stares that followed her as they went.
Stepping inside the shop, Savoy called out, "Marina? You here?"
"One moment!" Marina stepped out, and taking one look at the girls demanded worriedly, "What happened?"
"Argrist sent his men after us," Isabel explained, her exhaustion coming out. Gesturing to Savoy, she added, "Adeline got help, and Ophelia defended me."
"It would seem these two also have a mysterious benefactor," Captain Savoy added. "Someone skilled, too; by the time I arrived, everything had already been... taken care of."
Marina looked worried. "Well, come in; you especially will need a bath and a change of clothes, Ophelia, although it wouldn't hurt the two of you, either." Glancing over at Savoy, she said, "You should probably come back later; now doesn't seem to be the best time."
He nodded understandingly. "Perhaps I'll swing by around dinnertime." Heading out the door, then turned and said, "Good luck, you girls, whatever you decide to do."
YOU ARE READING
The First Book of Adeline: Freedom
FantasíaAdeline hesitated, eyes darting around the ground briefly before nodding. Ophelia's face lit up with understanding, and she stated, "You were on your way to come let us out, weren't you?" Adeline nodded again, holding her bundle out to the two girls...
