Day Five

The night had dragged on endlessly for Wilran. Locked in the brig with Thepa and Gamma, she had endured their tense, simmering argument, which, though it felt like hours, had only lasted about forty-five minutes. When they finally fell silent, a thick, icy tension settled over the room, pressing down on Wilran with an almost physical chill. She had half a mind to cast a protective spell to fend it off, but she knew it would be useless against the emotional freeze.

Sometime after the silence took hold, the boat slowed, and Wilran sensed it was docking. Hope flared that a change possible change in scenary, but the shouted commands of the sailors soon faded to quiet. No one was coming for them. Frustrated, she allowed herself to fall into a trance where she prayed to the Goddess for strength, while her two companions eventually found sleep upon the wooden beams.

She herself barely slept. The floor was far from her liking, as she tossed and turned throughout the night. When she did manage to find a few minutes of rest it was punctuated with images of Gamma and Thepa in all their glory; locked in a fierce battle. Gamma was exactly as she had seen her that day her arm was healed. The Youngling of the Plains was cloaked in moonlight, the mask of Chandeidra over her face, casting spells that glowed with blinding brilliance. Thepa, adorned in strange, ancient garb, dodged and countered with a massive bow, her diamond-tipped crown glinting. Behind them, the goddess watched with a look of quiet sadness.

"Fix it."

The words jolted her awake. Wilran gasped, snapping upright and pulling a muscle in her neck. She rotated her head, wincing, and could see through the small porthole, daylight streaming in. By its height, Wilran guessed it was many hours past dawn and she was surprised the two of them let her sleep so long or even kept quiet long enough not to wake her.

Gamma sat cross-legged, hands weaving in slow, meditative patterns as occasional glimmers of blue sparked in her aura. Meanwhile, Thepa was picking the lock. At some point, she had removed her belt in an attempt to use the point of the buckle as a pick, but based on the finesse she was applying to the practice, Wilran doubted she would be unsuccessful.

Here we go again, Wilran thought, suppressing a groan.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked, feigning a casual tone.

"Just our 'fearless leader' trying to stage a jailbreak," Gamma muttered dryly. "I'm sure she'll work it out."

Please, my love. Anything but this, she pleaded with Chandeidra. However, the goddess had other plans. Wilran felt a strong wave of positive energy bounding through her chest and once more the Goddess's words echoed through her mind.

"Fix it."

Wilran took a steadying breath. "Have you thought about what we're going to do next Thepa? We need to rethink the plan."

"Yes, Thepa," Gamma echoed mockingly. "All those schemes and steps you have racing through your mind—have you given them the attention they deserve?"

Thepa's hands clenched so tightly around the bars that her knuckles turned white. "Can you do us all a favor and shut up for five minutes? I didn't have to be here, you know. I could have let them carry you off."

Gamma smirked. "Fat lot of good it did you. At least then I'd have been alone."

"I could make you—"

"Why don't you try?" Gamma shot back.

"Enough!" Wilran's voice rang outcommanding their attention.

Time to end this, she thought, heart pounding. Planting her foot, she carved a wide, deliberate circle with her toe on the floor. Her hands moved in tight, rhythmic arcs, each twist drawing up energy that shimmered and crackled, thickening the air. She chanted under her breath, words laced with a bit more force than she would have normally used, but allowed her voice to rise in intensity until her pulse thrummed in sync with the magic.

At the final line, she thrust her hands skyward, palms aglow with power, and, with a forceful twist, sent the energy surging outward in a blinding pulse. Pale blue magic unfurled, rippling across the floor like a sudden frost, weaving a glowing, unbreakable ring around them, the mark of Chandeidra in the center of it. The air tightened as the spell snapped shut, sealing all three of them within its radiant radius.

Gamma's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."

Wilran held her gaze, unfazed. "I just did."

Thepa blinked, confused. "What just happened?"

"Truth circle," Wilran replied coolly. "Thepa, what's your greatest fear?"

Thepa's face froze, her body visibly rebelling, but the words spilled out before she could stop them. "Total failure." Realizing too late, she slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes darting to Wilran in horror.

"Gamma, yours?"

Gamma's expression hardened as she fought the circle's compulsion, but in the end, it too forced her hand. "My iniquitous past."

Wilran lightly touched the ground tracing one of the swirls outlined by the mark of Chandeidra. "The truth circle is a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing, for all truth sets us free; but it is a curse, because it breaks one of the greatest beliefs among the divine."

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"The right to choose," Gamma said softly.

""Exactly. So here's my rule: for every question, one of us must answer in turn. Myself included. You both have one question to ask me."

Thepa and Gamma exchanged a look, hesitancy flickering between them. Neither one of them wanted to do its, but if this was going to solve their problem or at the very least put an end to the fighting, Wilran was willing to risk their uncomfortability.

"Don't be shy." Wilran urged gently. "We have to end this."

"I..." Gamma stammered. "I don't think there is anything I need to know. You don't owe me anything."

And neither does Thepa.

"But you must. I trust you," Wilran said as she eyed the two of them. "Both of you. Whatever this is, we can get through it."

Gamma was the first to break, stepping forward and hesitating just inches from Wilran. She opened her mouth but no words came out.

"Well, since you asked," Thepa said finally, "what's your fear?"

Wilran's body resisted, muscles locking with an almost painful jolt, but the answer escaped her, raw and exposed. "That you two would learn the truth... about the colors."

"Colors?" Gamma's brows knit in confusion.

"Well, I guess since you asked," Thepa pondered. "What's your fear?"

Wilran sighed, a rueful smile tugging at her lips. "I started seeing your aura. It began in the cabin up north—your emotions would radiate, changing colors with your moods. Yellow for joy, gray for worry, and..." She chuckled softly, glancing at Gamma. "Red for Bidant."

Gamma's face turned crimson, her aura pulsing with a telltale hue. "Even now I can see you're thinking of him." Wilran's voice softened. "I was afraid of what this ability might do to our friendship. I didn't want to lose either of you."

Gamma shifted, looking ready to interject, but Thepa spoke first. "Just her?"

Wilran shook her head. "No, not just her. But she's the most... prominent. I've seen the colors faintly in a few others. Even Fokin, strangely enough."

Gamma raised a brow, her hand on her hip. "Fokin? But you barely know him."

"I don't know why. You're the only one I know well where the colors are so vivid. Everyone else? They're practically strangers."

"Chandeidra." Thepa's voice broke through. Wilran looked at her, surprised, as Gamma did the same.

"You're both followers of Chandeidra," Thepa continued. "Maybe that's the connection."

Gamma shrugged, though her expression softened. "Makes as much sense as anything else."

It did, Wilran thought. If the colors are a gift from the Goddess, it make sense they were somehow connected to the Goddess's followers. That means the reason I see them the brightest with Gamma is because Gamma has the strongest connection. She wields the mask. Though I guess there are other possibilities. I'll have to think about that more later.

"Something to explore. Now, you both asked me two questions. Instead, I'm going to pass one to both of you to ask each other."

"I can go first," said Thepa about to raise her hand but brought it back down.

Gamma took a deep sigh and nodded. Wilran once more asked the Goddess for help, but the warm feeling she got earlier stirred in her stomach and slowly spread out to her heart. Somehow, she knew the Goddess was pleased. Everything was going to be alright. She had done her part. Now, she just had to watch it play out.

Thepa faced Gamma, her expression serious. "You are the kindest person I know. Truly, you have the heart of a servant. I also know that forgiveness is second nature to you. So why are you being so harsh to me? Why is my innocence so important to you?"

Gamma didn't fight it, but Wilran could see a mist in her eyes. She could tell whatever Gamma had to say would be extremely important. However, as she spoke the words that weighed on her heart, Wilran stared back in confusion.

"I don't want you to make my mistake."

Thepa's blue eyes scrunched together and she tilted her chin down slightly. She wordlessly made clicks with her tongue as Gamma's answer rung in their ears, until her eyes widened and she formed a small 'oh' with her lips.

"How long ago?"

"Ten completions." Gamma's voice was barely a whisper. "I carry it with me, every day. It's what led me to Chandeidra... for forgiveness, for a path forward."

"That must have been difficult for you ..." Thepa trailed.

"I'm worried you'll have no idea."

Thepa stepped forward, closing the space between them, and drew Gamma into a tight embrace. Silent tears traced their way down both their faces as they clung to each other, wordlessly sharing in the comfort they both needed. Wilran, watching them, felt a wave of relief sweep over her—her plan had worked. She murmured the last words of her spell, flicking her wrist to dissolve the magic circle with a faint shimmer, letting the barrier fall away as the tension in the room finally softened.

After a moment, Gamma pulled back and held Thepa at arm's length, her voice steady. "But what if it does happen to you?" Her gaze searched Thepa's face, intense and unyielding.

Thepa met her eyes without hesitation. "Then it will be exactly what I want."

"Uh, guys?" Wilran tried to cut in, gesturing awkwardly toward the floor where the circle had been.

"One second." Gamma said, holding up a finger in Wilran's direction. "I'm owed one last question." With a piercing look and the wipe of her nose, Gamma once more drilled Thepa not even realizing the magic was gone. "Are you ready for it? It's a big responsibility."

"No, I'm not ready," Thepa replied, her voice hinting at vulnerability. "It is a big responsibility... but I hope—" She pulled Gamma toward Wilran, grasping both of their hands to bring the three of them together. "I hope I'll have my friends—my sisters—to stand by me."

Gamma's eyes softened, and she wrapped her arms around them both, pulling them into a warm embrace. Wilran, feeling the intensity of the moment, suppressed her questions—Ready for what? What responsibility?—realizing they could wait. Instead, she let herself sink into the closeness, savoring it. It had been so long since her parents had passed; she'd almost forgotten what family felt like. The thought brought a sniffle to her nose, and her eyes misted over. As she tried to steady her emotions, she caught a whiff of heat and a scent that reminded her of a cool fall day.

The moment snapped as instinct kicked in, and Wilran pushed Thepa and Gamma down just as the door to the brig blew off its hinges. Smoke poured in, filling the room in a thick haze. She choked, trying to see through the cloud, when a male voice echoed from beyond the fog.

"I told you I'd get the key! You're going to blow our cover."

"And I told you we don't have time," a woman snapped back. "There's no telling when those fools will get back, and we need to be out of here before anyone realizes what's going on. The phantasms I placed won't hold much longer."

Wilran watched as the smoke finally cleared from the room and found a female halfling with a vague familiarity standing in the door. Her brown hair was rolled up in a bun; fixed with two small sticks that protruded from its shape. A red pair of spectacles sat on the bridge of her nose, and she wore a heavy blue shirt that went down to her knees. Her brow was furrowed, and a stern, tight-lipped expression spread across her face as she regarded them.

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Wait until Draco hears about this."