Viola and Lisa began running frantically in the snow, away from the fortress.
"Where now?!" Lisa yelled.
"Left!" she replied and the pair ran a sharp left.
Lisa heard distant rustling and panicked. "We're not gonna make it."
We're not gonna make it! Viola thought then felt a sudden presence. When she turns her head towards the snow mounds and realized she is too late, seeing the camouflaged soldiers waiting for them.
"Watch out!" Viola pushed Lisa to the ground and a large beam of light appeared above them.
Viola could tell that those lights are meant to incapacitate her, not kill them.
Before they could process what is going on, they are already surrounded.
"I can fight on my own." Lisa says and summons her battle axe, "What about you?"
"I've never killed anyone before, but I have to make an exception for today." Viola stood up, with her knife.
This is a disadvantage to them to be fighting soldiers on their territory.
*
1 week ago
*
The door opened to Julia who peeked her head inside the room.
"You are dismissed." Viola nodded tiredly and as she got up, all of the maids quickly got inside to prepare for the morning. The daily routine for royal heirs always starts early; leaving her to be grateful not to be Melissa who would one day have to follow this routine.
Viola's routine was difficult to follow because she isn't allowed to sleep at night. In fact, she stays by the Princess's bedside to purify the curse during that time so that she gets a decent night of sleep and a nurse is always besides her to check her condition.
The Princess wakes up at 4am in the morning, giving Viola time to sleep until noon where she would have brunch and allowed her daily exercise. Besides the lack of sleep and her kidnapping situation, she has otherwise been treated with great hospitality. Honestly, she gets more and more suspicious with the near constant supervision and notetaking. Her sensitivity to things around her made her notice the smallest of things that she never knew she could feel because of anxiety.
And things are getting stranger from here.
The moment she walked in her room, she saw Lisa tapping nervously on her seat. She could feel the tapping from across the hall. "Is something the matter?"
Viola gave her a serious expression. The tapping was not a nervous tic. It was a sign.
Both Viola and Lisa had one thing common with each other, and it was Amy. She taught them signals in the event they are in a situation that they cannot communicate by writing or talking. Neither of them knew if the other knew but Lisa took the chance seeing as they are sisters. Viola recognizes the rhythmic tapping and the first thing in her mind was 'Approaching Danger! Get ready to RUN!'.
She had no idea what Lisa had discovered but Lisa was quick on her feet the moment she read Viola's expression and without explanation, she pulled out a floorboard, surprising Viola.
"How?"
"Don't ask questions right now. Just put this on." Lisa says and tosses her a coat and laid out a number of winter attire like boots, gloves and magic insulator inner wear.
"You got it, right?"
Viola nodded and quickly put the clothing on while she did the same.
At first, she could only describe her as a bit of an airhead but in the right situation, she could be the most efficient and reliable person.
Preparations were short. Words weren't exchanged after that, but Viola has many questions. She prepared a survival kit and supplies in about a month under her nose. As soon as this danger is over, she is going to bombard her with questions for hours.
Lisa then slowly closed the floorboard and went to another one. Unlike the other one which housed a large amount of supplies, this one only had a fist-sized stone, and she immediately recognized the rune.
She held it in her hand with an unsatisfactory look before the pair touched it.
A light breeze like magic swarm around them and their surroundings changed as they land into something dark.
As soon as she felt the ground, she immediately knows where she is. It's the carriage that brought her here. Lisa was quick and kicked the door open. And she admits that she has no idea where she is but at least they are not in the fortress. She took in the surroundings while Lisa studies her compass and map. They seem to be in a coach house and a little boy, their only witness, who she presumes is a stable boy was incredibly gob smacked and would have screamed if Viola hadn't quickly cast a spell.
"ypno"
The boy immediately collapsed.
After a sigh of relief, she stares at Lisa, "Care to explain?" Viola asks.
Lisa, still in work mode, puts away the compass and show Viola the map. "We are in Tuonela." She murmured. "We can make our way south to Solin. I have to find some associates first and leave the place. Then once we head south, we will be close to the Solin border where you will be safe."
"You were planning an escape plan this whole time?"
Lisa put away her items and respond with a quick nod. "I've been planning one since we got to the Iron Villa. It is a hard place to navigate but luckily, they underestimate me because I've got no magical talent and I've let their guard down. I may look brutish or dumb on the outside, but I haven't lived life as a mercenary for nothing."
She and Viola head out of the building to see the busy sight in front of them. Tuonela; the Capital City of Right Hekaton.
Tuonela is the least prosperous of the two Capitals because of the lack of ability users in the two royal families. Not to mention, the Right side is dealing with more dangerous attacks from monsters than the left.
Luckily in the more public area, the pair are able to blend in as travelers.
"I know the reason you are brought here. That princess is craftier than I'd give credit for. She doesn't just want you. She is after someone else."
Viola is confused. "Where are you getting your information and who?"
"Being a mercenary can make you constantly think of theories, and I say this from experience, but they are not always farfetched. That Villa is just a name and looks like a mansion from the inside in the private chambers once you get the outer defenses out of the way. However, there are hidden passages underground. I happened to find one and found two separate rooms. One of them houses a magical circle."
Viola seems to understand where she is going with this.
Magic Circles have many uses and types.
Magic circles are created with many purposes. The most common use of them is summoning like the Getelans use. Then there is amplification, defense or absolute offense but they are advanced to cast by ordinary people or mages.
They also offer certain protections or effects in a given area.
"The Villa having circles is not odd. In fact, I would be surprised if it didn't have at least one."
Lisa stares at her seriously. "Even if the circle is written in blood?"
Now this is where this gets suspicious.
Magic circles are rituals. And blood rituals are often the most suspicious kind of magic.
Magic circles, especially the process making one, usually need a miniscule amount of blood or conductor; only enough to mix well with ink. What's vital is the magic poured into it and blood is the easiest conductor to transfer magic to a liquid. This doesn't count as blood magic because it doesn't actually require blood, but blood magic requires a large amount of blood to make it work. This is information she researched for an assignment in one of her classes.
But Lisa isn't a mage so she can't sense magic the same way a skilled mage can meaning that it is not mixed with ink, but it is written only in blood.
"Did you figure it out yet?"
Viola can only guess based on the Princess's comment on their first meeting. She said that she is destined to inherit the Purification ability by a seer. Is she gonna... No way...
She stares at her companion who shows a worried expression. "Who's the second person?"