“Stop them!”
Townsfolk who heard this shout turned around, but could only catch a glimpse of three girls sprinting past them before they had the time to react. Aria would sneer if the situation wasn’t so serious.
One of the advantages of wearing a magical pendant that kept its owner in good health was the ability to outrun malnourished pursuers easily. But the sirens weren’t out of danger yet, as those who failed to stop them joined the chase instead.
“Where are you going?” Adagio asked from behind as Aria ran through a narrow street. Aria realized she had no idea. Darting in a random direction and hoping it would lead to safety was hardly the best course of action. She slowed down for a moment to let Adagio pass ahead, hoping she would have a plan, or at least know where to go. In all likelihood, Adagio, having spent the whole morning out of the inn, had a better knowledge of the town than Aria.
They went through more streets, dodging barrels and crates, slaloming between people and pigs, jumping over cats and dogs. The townspeople kept chasing them relentlessly, while Aria found breathing was becoming difficult.
They arrived at the bridge built over the river that crossed the town. Adagio looked at the ships moored in the harbor further downstream, then at the water below. Aria briefly wondered if jumping in the river was a viable option. Their pursuers probably wouldn’t follow them, so they would be able to swim out of the town’s walls.
However, they could also break some bones or drown, and Aria was sure their pendants didn’t immunize them against that. The best option was to keep moving forward. The three sirens ran across the bridge and reached the other half of the town. Aria’s legs and lungs were burning, but she had to continue.
After a few more streets, one of the town’s gates finally came in sight. The guard posted next to it didn’t seem to be looking in their direction, and maybe it would be possible to pass before he noticed them.
Adagio slowed down, but Aria decided to take the risk. She rushed past Adagio and made a run for the gate.
At the last moment, the guard spotted her and held his halberd across the entrance. Aria’s stomach violently collided with the weapon’s pole, sending her tumbling to the ground, breathless.
She wrapped her arms around her abdomen and curved her back, striving to keep her eyes open. Feeling nauseous and dizzy, she could barely hear Sonata shout her name. She vaguely distinguished the pursuers closing in, and Adagio escaping towards a nearby alley. She hoped Adagio had a plan, and wasn’t abandoning her.
Hearing a loud shriek nearby, she painfully turned her head to see Sonata being held by three people. The door’s guard appeared in Aria’s field of vision. He grabbed her and raised her to her feet. At least a dozen of other people surrounded them.
Aria and Sonata struggled to get free, but they were outnumbered, and Aria was too weak to do anything effective anyway. She didn’t want to give up; the exit was only a few feet away… but there was nothing she could do.
Adagio walked up to her two companions, flanked by the two soldiers and seemingly making no move to escape. Sonata quieted down, and Aria was in no shape to keep fighting. The soldiers gathered the three girls and escorted them through the main street. Most of the townsfolk nearby decided to accompany them, to make sure the suspects wouldn’t escape again. On the way, Sonata pressed herself against Adagio, biting her fingers and darting her eyes left and right. Aria was holding her stomach and clenching her teeth.
“Are you feeling well?” Adagio asked.
Aria felt awful, but she didn’t want to make it known. Moreover, she knew that the magic powers of her jewel would heal her injury much faster than for ordinary people. She turned to face Adagio and replied, “I’ll be fine.”
She then noticed that Adagio’s pendant was missing. She tried to recall the last time she had seen it. Adagio was definitely wearing it in the tavern. Did she lose it during the chase? Or did she remove it after Aria had been captured?
Aria hoped this was part of one of Adagio’s brilliant plans, since she couldn’t think of one herself. Singing was too risky at the moment, as they were surrounded by hostile people – including two carrying weapons – and most of them were too far to be immediately affected by their spell. Besides, Aria wasn’t sure she was in condition to sing.
They were led to an imposing edifice, but Aria didn’t pay much attention to the following events, letting Adagio handle the bureaucratic formalities as they were brought before an important-looking man, maybe the mayor or a sergeant. She only heard Adagio trying to explain that it was just a misunderstanding, and the man declaring that the girls would be sent to jail until their trial for witchcraft.
After a short trip, with the crowd still following them, they reached the jail, a sturdy stone building not far from the town square. In the main hall, the sirens ended up alone with a jailer and the two soldiers, who seemed to have lowered their guard. It looked like a good occasion to sing…
“I have to confiscate this for safekeeping,” the jailer said, pointing at Aria’s pendant.
Aria’s eyes snapped wide open and she immediately clenched her hand around the jewel. “No! You’re not touching it.”
The soldiers exchanged glances, then approached her with menacing looks. She backed against the wall. Adagio told her to give it without a fuss, but Aria didn’t listen. She was not going to surrender her pendant. It was too precious. She needed it.
When they grabbed her, she tried to kick them to keep them away, but before long she found herself immobilized on the floor, screaming as they forcibly removed the gem from her necklace. She felt power disappearing from her body, leaving her weak and vulnerable.
The jailer asked for Sonata’s pendant next. Aria couldn’t see her face, but she imagined Sonata was reluctant.
“Just give him your pendant. You will get it back when we leave,” Adagio said with a soft voice.
Aria painfully hauled herself up. In an adjacent room, the jailer placed both jewels in a wooden chest, along with the key to the inn room that Adagio gave him. He locked the chest then led the girls deeper in the building.
After a couple corridors, the sirens were brought past a grilled iron door, into a cell that already housed three female prisoners. One of them, a red-haired girl with pink skin, spoke up when the newcomers entered. “It’s getting crowded in here.”
A window with iron bars was pierced on the stone wall opposite to the door, giving a view of the street on the other side. Some of the people who had followed the sirens were still there, observing the prisoners with either interested looks or frowns. Aria replied with a defiant glare.
“Don’t stay in front of the window,” Adagio muttered, pulling her to the side, though Aria didn’t understand why.
She looked around the cell. It was devoid of any furniture, and rather small for six people. The pink girl and a blue-skinned middle-aged woman were sitting on the stone floor, playing cards. In a corner on the opposite side of the cell, an old woman was staring at the wall, unfazed by her surroundings.
Without notice, the jailer grabbed Aria’s arm and placed a handcuff around it, the contact with the cold metal making her shiver. Only then Aria realized he was holding a chain and manacles.
“What are you doing!?” She tried to back away, to no avail.
“I’m putting you in irons. You’re a troublesome girl.”
“Don’t try to resist,” Adagio sighed. Resisting was exactly what Aria wanted to do, but the soldiers were still standing menacingly behind the door, ready to intervene if necessary.
Aria felt heat rise to her face. Repressing the urge to fight, she gritted her teeth, letting the jailer handcuff her and tie a chain between the manacles and one of the window’s bars. Meanwhile, the blue woman openly laughed at her expense. Aria already hated her.
Finally, the jailer left, locking the door behind him, and the soldiers also walked away. Aria cursed them all under her breath.
The shackles weren’t excessively heavy, but she couldn’t stand being restrained like that. She spread her wrists apart as far as she could, with the faint hope that the chain linking them would break.
“Don’t stay in front of the window,” Adagio said again.
Aria let herself fall down against the wall, out of passersby’s sight. She didn’t want to be seen like that anyway. Still, she wondered, “Why not?”
Adagio sat in front of her, and Sonata next to Adagio. “If we want to avoid being recognized, we should be seen by as few people as possible.”
Aria raised an eyebrow. “But many townsfolk have seen us already.”
“Even then, let’s not worsen the situation. After all…” She leaned forward and brought her voice to a whisper, throwing cautious glances at their cellmates before continuing, even though the pink girl was looking at the sirens with attention. “Once we’re outside, if people recognize us and see we are not in jail as we are supposed to… I fear they may want to bypass the trial and deliver justice by themselves.”
“So we are going to leave?” Sonata asked, twiddling her fingers nervously around the empty space where her pendant used to be.
Adagio nodded. “I still have mine. As soon as the jailer comes back, and when the streets are clear…”
“Hey there, newcomers,” the girl said, popping up next to them and startling Aria. “I’m Rubyshine.” Aria didn’t bother remembering the name and was sure she would forget it within ten minutes.
Sonata smiled weakly. “I’m Sonata Dusk.”
Aria groaned. “We’re trying to discuss in private here,” she said, crossing her arms as much as her manacles allowed her to. Rubyshine grinned and stayed where she was without a word, as if she was expecting the sirens to continue their “private” conversation in front of her. Aria was starting to hate her as well.
“This place is awful.”
Though the other prisoners couldn’t know, Aria was not talking just about this cell or the jail. A buried disgust for the human world was being rekindled in her mind.
A slight pain in her stomach grabbed her attention. She didn’t understand where it came from. Of course, she clearly remembered her encounter with the town’s guard earlier, but the pain had dulled down while they were walking to the jail, thanks to the regenerative powers of her pendant. Even if she wasn’t wearing it now, the injury shouldn’t have reappeared. As she rubbed her abdomen, she realized this pain was actually a different feeling from before.
“Are you all right?” Sonata asked.
“My stomach feels strange. I don’t know what it is…”
“Isn’t that because you ran into a pole?”
Aria shook her head. “No, it’s different. As if… it was empty.”
“That’s hunger, dimwit”, the woman said without even looking at her.
Sonata leaned toward Aria and spoke with a soft tone. “Aria, when was the last time you ate food?”
Aria couldn’t remember. At least two weeks, probably. While she could admit that some of the human food tasted good, she usually avoided eating it due to the digestive aftereffects. Eating had never been necessary for the sirens; at long as there was magic in their pendants, it would keep them alive. Aria realized that, without that jewel, eating was more than just a luxury.
That thought made her dizzy. Without her pendant, she was vulnerable to natural hazards such as starvation, diseases, or aging. And, from what she had seen of this world, diseases were quite common. She instinctively held a hand to the base of her neck, grasping the air. Her breathing accelerated and sweat formed on her brow.
“Calm down,” Adagio said. “We’ll get out of here, and retrieve what is ours.” One of their cellmates chuckled, but she paid no attention.
Aria tried to compose herself. At least Adagio had a plan, so there was still hope. All she could do now was trust her.
Even though it was Adagio’s fault if she was in this situation to begin with.
“You can always beg food from passersby outside,” Rubyshine said, pointing at the window. Begging? Aria didn’t even consider it, no matter how much her stomach protested.
Sonata didn’t seem to have the same pride. “Oooh, can I try?” she asked. Did she think it was some kind of game?
“No, you shouldn’t let people see you.” Adagio stood up. “By the way, Sonata,” she said with a stricter tone, “remind me to scold you once we’re alone.”
Sonata looked up and blinked. “Huh? Why?”
“Because you’re a moron,” Aria said, frowning at her. She knew what Adagio was referring to, but Sonata was as oblivious as always.
Sonata jumped up and clenched her fists. “You are a moron!”
“Girls! Cut it out!”
Aria stood up and took a few steps towards Sonata, stretching the chain behind her. “You’re the one who always speaks without thinking.”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
Aria barely had the time to see Adagio grab the chain before she was suddenly yanked back, and crashed into the wall. It took her a second to understand what had happened. She glared at Adagio and clumsily straightened herself while the woman chuckled, and Sonata tried to repress a laugh.
Adagio placed herself between the two other sirens. “Can’t you two stay quiet for a moment?” She sighed, lowering her shoulder. “Sometimes I wonder why I even put up with you.”
“What a lively band,” Rubyshine said with a large grin. “So, what are you here for? Disturbing the peace?”
The woman, who was now leaning against the wall, spoke up, rolling her eyes. “Didn’t you hear the mob earlier? They’re accused of being witches, like us.”
Adagio’s eyes brightened and she turned towards Rubyshine, smiling. “So, you are the witches I have heard about.”
Sonata moved aside, making sure Adagio stood between her and the girl. She poked her head above Adagio’s shoulder and asked hesitantly, “Are you really a witch?”
Aria sat again and clenched her teeth. She knew all too well where this conversation was going, and waited for her companions to realize their stupidity.
Rubyshine shrugged. “No, I don’t think so. The neighbors claimed I’ve been casting diseases and eating infants, but I’ve never done any of this, as far as I know.”
“They’re just a bunch of lunatics who don’t like us,” the woman said, her voice trailing with anger.
Rubyshine continued, “But maybe the old Green Clover over there is really one. I’ve heard rumors about her.”
The sirens looked at the old woman, still sitting in a corner and staring at the wall. She hadn’t moved since they had entered the cell.
Adagio slowly walked to her. “Hello?” The old woman muttered something unintelligible in return. Adagio leaned closer. “Excuse me?”
“Leave me alone. Don’t touch me.” She grumbled more things that sounded like gibberish. For a moment, Aria wondered if this place was supposed to be a jail or an asylum.
Adagio rubbed her chin for a moment, then she cautiously glanced around and slipped a hand through the top of her dress, retrieving the red jewel that was hidden there. She held the gem at its rightful place against her chest, and chanted the traditional siren song, pacing back and forth along the cell’s length.
Aria knew what she was trying to do. Beings with magic inside of them could resist the sirens’ spell. In Equestria, they always had more difficulty charming unicorns than earth ponies or pegasi. The most powerful unicorns, like the bearded wizard who had banished them, weren’t affected at all.
After a moment, the three human prisoners half-closed their eyes, which briefly shined green, and mindlessly stared at Adagio. That was the sign that they had fallen under her spell, and it had taken the same time as usual.
Adagio looked down. “It doesn’t look like any of them are actually witches.”
Aria had been waiting for that moment. “What a surprise,” she spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She and Adagio glared at each other. “We’ve followed a false lead and came here for nothing. Again. I knew coming to this town was a stupid idea. And now we’re stuck in that cage.”
Adagio dropped her jewel inside her dress and put her hands on her hips. “Are you saying it is my fault if we’re in jail?”
“Yes. It was all your idea. Because of you, we’re trapped here and I end up like this.” Aria stretched the chain between her handcuffs for emphasis. “And you’re at fault for a lot more than that,” she muttered. She remembered how, a long time ago, Adagio had convinced her to leave the sea and travel to the land of ponies, but their conquest of Equestria eventually led to their banishment to this world.
“You can only blame yourself. You wouldn’t be chained if you hadn’t tried to resist. You should have let me handle everything instead of attacking the soldiers and running away.”
Aria frowned and growled; she couldn’t believe Adagio was trying to put the blame on her. Her arms shook uncontrollably. She wanted to shout, but no words came to mind.
After a few seconds, Sonata broke the silence. “So, I’ve been wondering,” she said to no one in particular, a hand under her chin, “what will happen to us if we’re found guilty of witchcraft? Pillory?” Aria rolled her eyes at her ignorance.
Rubyshine put a hand on Sonata’s shoulder, making her jump. “Nah, they’ll probably hang or burn us.” Aria couldn’t help but think that she sounded strangely indifferent to the prospect. The woman on the other hand had more of a reaction, staring at the ground with a dejected face.
Sonata looked at the girl and blinked. “Burn? Where?”
Rubyshine snickered, and with a big smile she explained, “Everywhere. Basically, they tie you to a big stick and –”
Adagio interrupted and separated them by pulling Sonata’s arm. “You don’t want to know.” Sonata tilted her head, looking confused.
Aria was now convinced that this jail doubled as a madhouse, and was starting to doubt that Rubyshine had never eaten a baby.
Powerless, hungry, chained, angry, and surrounded by crazy people, Aria felt it couldn’t get worse. Part of her wanted to cry, but she resisted. She wished she could be anywhere else, away from this accursed town. She had no other option than to wait for Adagio to get her out of this place. This was going to be a long day.