Jose looked over his shoulder and occasionally felt out his surroundings with a Pulse as he walked up the loamy green hillside of Ileah towards the edge of its walls. Each breath he took was a heavy and disorienting one the closer he got to the ramshackled shack obscured by the shade of the rusted metal walls.

“We’re being monitored. Meet at the Shack.” Lysa’s note had stated. She wasn’t comfortable enough to notify her on their private channel via journals either. Or maybe she didn’t want to raise any suspicion while in the council hall, he wasn’t certain.

Jose had started drafting his own short statement to inform Emma before being beaten to the punch by her, another cryptic message, “Do you remember raspberry?”

It was a story she always brought up whenever Lysa and Emma were sauced enough, laughing at his stream of purple puke over drinking a rotten bottle of raspberry wine. They were in Barnacle Bay at the time.

Jose replied, “Yeah. And then we rolled around near the shack and slept there til morning. Was afraid of getting caught down there.” He trusted Emma to understand what he was saying. Her mind jumped into these flights of fancy over codes and mysteries better than he did.

He focused his attention back onto the dilapidated building with cracked windows and dented wood, grass and vines having their way with its insides. At least to the best of nature's ability to reclaim and return to the soil what was made aberrant.

Jose took a deep breath and crossed through the yard and into the shacks threshold, the fresh vine scented air resting at the foot of the door. He inspected the runes in the wood.

“Still running.” He mumbled. Looking up and around the shack, he inspected its contents. The shack was surprisingly humble; a small kitchen and living room space, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. Jose wasn’t sure his mother’s study counted as a bedroom since it was more book than bed but that didn’t matter anymore. There were toys strewn around the living room floor, wooden figurines of adventurers and monsters set up for their next grand tale.

If there ever was one for them.

His steps pounded across the shack and he was made painfully aware with each step just how absent this place had become. Jose’s room was the same as he’d left it; a wide canvas of crudely drawn kingdoms and maps for walls, a simple bed with sheets and blankets removed, and a desk he used to sit at every night.

He ran his finger across the top of the table and felt its nostalgic grooves, the makeshift runes he’d drawn when dreaming of his future as an Arcanist.

What an acrid taste.

Jose turned his attention to the only section left. He stood at the door frame of his mothers study and his legs refused to move past its threshold of looming shadows. He’d grown at least, able to maintain his composure and steel his heart as he looked into a room his body dared not to go.

“Jose?” Lysa whispered, voice booming in all of that silence.

“Coming.” Jose shuffled out of the hallway and into a moving world. Lysa was standing near the shack with a serious expression on her face, softening when locking eyes with Jose.

“I’m trying so hard not to scream right now.” Lysa said. He could see her fists were taut and shaking.

“If you want to let it out, do it in the shack.” Jose gestured at the dilapidated building and promptly plopped to the ground. “I’ll be here when you’re done.” Lysa dropped a bottle of juice on his lap as she walked behind him. He looked out at the Ileahian colony from the hills and found the view worthwhile. The rustic structures of the town center still twinkled with the evening lights of its walking posts, citizens shuffling out of the center to the hillside homes like ants.

Or shuffling onto the drunkard's path towards the main entrance of Barnacle Bay. His journal pinged with two notifications.

He pulled it out and saw a message from Carmina and a response from Emma.

“We’ve finalized the team. Looks like a right bunch of misfits with these lot. Here’s to not dyin’ out there.” Carmina had written. Below her statement was the complete list of volunteers for the expedition along with the signed document by the three elders approving the whole thing. He’d recommended Marissa for the position in the end, her qualifications and attitude exceeding any potential value the other two train-wreck interviews were.

Matteo and Lysa snagged the Cienmiedos boy and Nemesio, the Bulwark Izirarry had recommended. He was surprised to see Carmina had added the Scout from Isabella’s squad but he trusted she had a good reason for it.

Switching channels to Emma’s message, her reply read, “I shouldn’t be home late.” He assumed she was coming over to the shack but this wasn’t his wheelhouse.

“Hey,” Lysa said as she plopped to the ground next to him, the two brushing shoulders as they stared out at the town, “I really needed that.” She popped the cork on her own bottle and drank it eagerly. “Ah!” She exhaled as the drink sloshed in the bottle, her breath smelling of fruit and alcohol.

“Are we going to talk about the note?” Jose uncorked his own bottle and inhaled the aroma of mango and pineapple. He took a sip and waited for Lysa to settle on an answer.

“We’re here, aren’t we?” She took a deep breath and placed the bottle on the floor. “How much have you told Emma?”

“I’ve told her everything. She’s planning to help in her own way.” Jose replied. “How much have you told Nora?”

“Some. I told her to be careful. To keep Ollie safe while she’s at home.” Lysa explained.

“Okay.”

There was a pause as the wind swept through the hillside.

“I’m going to kill that monster.” Lysa announced matter of factly. “I’m going to wring her fucking neck and show her how dangerous I am.”

“How’d you find out about the surveillance?”

“While you were interviewing, I kept getting this lurch in my stomach like something was odd. Find out halfway through your second interview that some guy had been peering into the building, taking a loop around the place with his Sight to do something, I don’t know what. It made me think, if she can get some guy surveilling from the outside round the clock and pay off a load of these volunteers, why wouldn’t she be able to surveil us from inside. From needling our private channels. From monitoring where we live.”

He had hoped Lysa’s family was safe from being a piece on the board but the Elder didn’t appear to have scruples. Most merchants never did.

“If you relocate, they’ll know they’ve been busted.” Jose started before Lysa shot him a glare.

“I don’t care if they know! They’re my fucking world, Ileria and I will burn this vessel to scrap if she even breaths in their direction!” Lysa cried out with a kindled temper she had kept contained within her.

He recoiled, “Then we have to figure out what we’re gonna do because letting them know we know might mean they’ll make their next actions more blatant. If they’re standing at the edges trying to find an in, let them stand there and have them think we might be their invitation until it’s too late.” Jose tried to think like Isabella as best he could. She would be willing to cooperate with them if they kissed her ring and swore fealty. He cared so little about his pride that he could stomach the decision and pretend to play along but his three close compatriots would give in to their anger immediately.

And it was better to avoid an all out war between their group and the unknown number of members embroiled in her conspiracy.

“I know I can’t relate but I care about Ollie and Nora too. Telling Nora to be careful was a good thing. Not letting her know too much so that she’s not implicated in our resistance strategy is a good thing. We just have to wrap our heads around what to do next that doesn’t involve breaking into the Elder's house and murdering her in her sleep.”

“And what? Have the fucking Vanguard try her as a mutinist? She’s looking to take over Ileah but she’s a damn merchant. I doubt she’d push to make this place into a Free Vessel when all of her contacts are Odallian, and I doubt they’d care to enact justice if the colony behaves.” Lysa spat out her rebuttals and Jose bit his tongue. Enough familiarity in the Annals had told them all they needed to know about the kingdom's sense of justice.

“The Vanguard’ll listen to Nero before they consider the law. And I doubt he’d be agreeable to the thought that some upstart Elder could take the reins of a whole Vessel for some personal gain.” Jose provided a counterpoint. This was assuming that the old fox was hearing whispers or amenable to listening to Emma’s statements, whatever she was planning to do on her end.

Lysa deflated somewhat, “Jose, I don’t feel safe in my own home. I thought I was just tagging along for a ride like we’ve always done but this is beyond us.”

Jose chewed on the statement. “It’s what we have to do. I won’t let our time get wasted getting here and I won’t let that woman intimidate us into subservience. If you want to leave now, I won’t hold it against you but I’m committed to seeing this through to the end.” He turned to Lysa and grabbed her hand, staring intently into her face with a passion of his own welling up in his gut. “Nora and Ollie can hide out here in the Shack if it’d give you peace of mind. Or I could… I could go into my mothers office and see if she has any instructions on warding. Or we could hide them at my place since it’s more noticeable to have people around the area. But I refuse to have you give up because you’d be yelling at me if I started to talk that way.”

Jose waited for Lysa to reply, seeing his statement resonate with her slowly. She took a heavy swig of her bottle and jerked him forward into a hug. Tender and loving.

“Let’s kick some ass.” Lysa whispered, her breath reeking of alcohol.

Jose pulled away as he saw a figure emerge from the horizon walking towards the shack. Looks like she got the hint.

“Don’t stop hugging on my account. I like seeing the two of you act all cuddly while I’m around.” Emma teased the two of them with a basket around her arm and her journal in her hand.

“Jose hugged me. He started crying about how scared he was and I just had to take it.” Lysa shrugged and scooched away from him with a shit eating grin.

“Yeah, I was so full of tears, love. I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt.” Jose looked to his partner in mock concern. She stared at him with a level gaze and smiled.

“I’m not the one that got us into this whole mess. I should be scared that my husband won’t come back from that boat with the way things are shaking up.” Emma replied. She shook her head and tossed the both of them a warm white parcel.

“I picked up some sandwiches from Alfonso’s on the way up here. Got some news to share with the both of you so sit tight and eat while I get all these notes out.” Lysa and Jose looked at each other and nodded, unwrapping their sandwiches to take deep, satisfying bites into the bread and its meats, cheeses, greens, and sauces.

“I take it Lysa asked us to come up here?” Emma waited for Lysa to respond.

“We’re being watched and the shack is a safe place to talk.” Lysa replied with a ball of half chewed food still in her mouth.

“Alright. That adds credence to their story.” Emma mumbled, writing down a note in her journal before looking back at the both of them. “I had a chat with Laura and Radolfo this morning. Did you seriously not tell that girl about our school days?” Emma looked to Jose for an answer.

“I didn’t want her to keep asking questions if she got curious.” Jose said. And Laura always got curious. “Did you talk to her about it?”

“That and other things. Like a certain fire down in Barnacle Bay.”

“What of it? I was surprised I didn’t hear the whole vessel was out of commission with the way those folk like to celebrate.”

Emma smiled, “Well, the fire in Barnacle Bay was nowhere near the festivities. I ask around for information and lo and behold I’m confronted by some thin girl carrying a black box and a black boy with a workers build and knife to his side.” Jose was following along but didn’t know what Emma was insinuating.

Lysa struggled to take a gulp, “No.” Her face was dawning with terror. “No. It's that mind fuckery bitch, isn’t it?”

Emma recoiled slightly seeing the panic on Lysa’s face and relented, “Yeah. You don’t have to talk with her if-”

“Like shit I would! She’s not here is she?” Lysa frantically scanned the area with her eyes for any sign of the woman.

“No, no, Lysa. I knew you two had some bad blood with one ano-”

“Bad blood? That sick fuck messed with my head. Made me-”

“Hey!” Jose yelled out, attracting both of their attention. He looked at Lysa, “You’re not going to talk to her if we have a say in it. She can only continue to have control over you if you give in so stop it. You don’t have to face your fears alone. Not while we’re around.” He gave her a moment to visibly settle down before turning his attention to Emma, “What did you talk to this woman about? And why was she with a dock worker?”

Emma sighed, “Admittedly, she told me a lot. The dock worker's name is Marquis. Not much older than thirteen I think. They met one another on the night Barnacle Bay was celebrating after Victoria and her partner, the Archivist you fought against, went to Barnacle Bay in search of information.”

“Information on what?” Jose asked quizzically.

“The way Victoria described it, they had a memory of meeting up in a maintenance tunnel with a couple of members and left the tunnel with one less member and no recollection in between. The Archivist did his own digging and led them to the home of an old sailor and his adopted son, the dockworker boy. Gabriel was wondering why they weren’t dead but the fisherman was.”

Jose didn’t have to prod too far into the dark to come up with a reason. “Isabella felt the sailor posed a threat even with whatever she did to the other loose ends. Did he refuse a bribe or something?” Jose asked.

Emma shook her head, “No. He’s familiar with what Isabella is. Marquis says she’s a hag. A witch. Placed a geas on Victoria and likely all of the other victims to physically prevent them from revealing her secrets without suffering excruciating pain in the process.”

Jose’s eyes widened.

“She must have been lying to you.” Lysa responded incredulously. “Paid the boy off to lie too. A hag? Really?”

Emma shook her head again with a severe visage, “She wasn’t lying. I felt the geas myself.”

“Fuck.” Jose uttered.

“Fuck.” Lysa drew out, rubbing her temple with two fingers.

“Yeah. And the only people with the means and the knowledge to safely eliminate her are a dead sailor and a terrified child worker.” Emma summarized.

“Where does the fire play into all of this?” Jose asked.

“The building that caught fire was the sailors home. Isabella wanted to be thorough that none of his knowledge and equipment would survive to stop her. Victoria and Marquis were caught in the fire and barely held onto their lives. The Archivist tumbled out of the building without them and is likely scuttling around like a roach with his head down.” Emma stated.

It confirmed what Jose was already fearing; that Isabella was more than willing to intimidate and eliminate potential threats. A hag though…

“Should we get the rest of the cabal in on this? I hate to admit it but it might be smart to involve them. Or get the Elders involved.” Lysa asked the two of them. The ones who embroiled them in this mess were the Del Mar siblings, not him. He was doing his best to manage the situation but this was proving far beyond their small ensemble.

“They have plausible deniability right now. If we involve them, that’s just a guarantee that Isabella tries to take them out. As for the Elders…” Jose thought about that prospect. It was obvious they’d be on his side if Isabella was conspiring to take over the vessel but they were tied. What evidence does their group have beyond the hearsay of two people and the presence of a geas. Not to mention the risk that’ll come if they tip their hand in alerting the Elders and alert Isabella in the process.

Emma placed her hand on his shoulder, “Hey, she thought of making the option available, love. I don’t need you frying your brain in there. Talk it out with us.”

Jose took her words of encouragement and kissed the top of her hand, holding it with his own.

“We’re out here because we’re trying to avoid being seen. The more people we bring into this mess, the more likely our ensemble gets discovered. Emma can handle herself if that woman has the gall to attack her or send people to our home. Those two aren’t fighters and I don’t want to lie to them about the risks. They’ve done enough.” He decided it was best that they cut discussions on the topic with the two of them. Much to his dismay. “We’d need to single out an Elder and present them with conclusive evidence that Isabella is a hag and she’s conspiring to take over the vessel. Evidence I am sure we do not have.”

“Not yet.” Lysa looked at Emma who returned her level stare with a nod.

“If my next trip to the bay is lucrative, the plan may not need to go that far.” Emma replied. The two gave her a puzzled stare and waited for her to continue. “The girl is currently searching for the Archivist. When they were investigating the inside of the sailors dwellings and just before he threw himself out the window, she saw he was clutching a book he didn’t come in there with. The boy identified that the book is a journal of the sailors' knowledge. His observations when dealing with the local Glade folk and their Covens. Will likely hold the proper means of getting rid of a hag if his collection of knives had anything to do with it.”

“Also check the remnants of the burnt building. If these knives are magic, they don’t burn easily. Reclaiming weapons meant to handle something like a hag will be useful.” Jose suggested.

“What about the surveillance?” Lysa asked.

“We ignore them. Get your family out to our home or up to the Shack for now. You let Nora know and try to avoid my name when letting her know the extent of the plan. I’d prefer she scream at Carmina’s ear than mine for getting you in this.” Jose’s ears rang at the thought of the yells.

Lysa smirked, “She’s gonna scream at you either way. Wouldn’t have joined if you didn’t participate.”

“Fuck.” Jose laid himself onto the ground and resigned himself bemusingly to the upcoming verbal assault.

They had five days to get familiar with their full party and sniff out any traitors that might have slipped the net. Five days to shore up defenses at home in case of any plan B’s on the Elder’s end. Five days to prepare for an opportunity of a lifetime.

Five days.