Charge

Chapter 4 - Old Friends - Part 2

I demolish an entire bowl of meat and vegetables, hardly even stopping to chew.  Cordelia watches me with a smirk.
"They really don't feed their prisoners, do they?" her question makes me pause, remembering how Cal and I became acquainted. I swallow my last bite, putting my spoon down.
"No," I say quickly, pursing my lips together. Cordelia shakes her head, sending out waves of pleasant-smelling perfume.
"Monsters," she mutters under her breath. I raise an eyebrow at her sudden crassness.
"Cal mentioned you weren't on good terms with the Empire," I begin gently, not wanting to overstep boundaries. She smooths out her emerald green skirts, releasing a long breath.
"No," she replies. "Not anymore," I nod slowly. I don't want to push her, she could prove a valuable ally. She glances towards the window for a moment, seeming deep in thought.
"You're a witch, aren't you?" I ask, changing the subject. She laughs lightly.
"What gave it away?" Cordelia raises a brow, motioning to the stacks of books and herbs lining her home. I grin genuinely for the first time in days, enjoying the company. She's a lot more approachable than my other companion - but maybe it's because she brought me into her home instead of locking me in a cell.

Amidst our conversation, Cal reemerges with wet black hair that sweeps his collarbones. He's wearing another flowy white button-up with a wide open collar tucked into form-fitting black trousers that sit above his hips. He's made entirely of sharp, dynamic angles adding to his intimidating presence. His wound looks better after being cleaned, now only a deep red line down his forehead, over his nose and onto his cheek. He sits back down and there's a brief silence where none of us wants to start the conversation of what we're going to do. Cal clears his throat, resting an elbow on the table.
"We can't stay here," he says bluntly. "They're probably already after us,"
"How bad is it?" Cordelia asks. Cal gives her a look and she nods, understanding. "The Order?" Cal looks away, eyebrows furrowed. "How'd they find you?" Cordelia's voice is just above a whisper, green eyes wide.
"They came for her, my guard was down and I was sloppy," Cal replies. He rubs his chin, looking pensive.
"None of us can stay here," Cordelia says grimly.
"What do you mean?" I interrupt, my magic suddenly standing at attention.
"If they're after you they'll be lead right to me," she explains. "And I don't think they'll be so forgiving to a deserter," Cal looks away again.
"A deserter? You left the Empire?"
"I left the Order."
"You-" I stop myself, swallowing the rest of my sentence. Cal said they were old friends, it shouldn't be a surprise that she was in the empire with him. So now I'm a charge stuck in a room with a man who worked to eliminate my kind and a woman who was the one who told him where to look. And they're my best chance of survival.
"Listen, Lilith, we can talk about this later - right now we have to figure out what to do," Cordelia insists, already on her feet, rifling through piles of parchment.
"Any bright ideas?" Cal asks, looking over her shoulder.
"Well, I have one - but it's..." her voice wavers. I take a deep breath, pushing down my feelings of anger and confusion. My morals will have to wait.
"What? Dangerous? We're already in danger," I remind her. They both turn to look at me, Cordelia's face flashing gratitude at the lack of interrogation of her past.
"She has a point, Dee,"
"Okay, well..." Cordelia finds the scroll she was looking for, clearing a space on the table before unrolling it. On it is a detailed hand-drawn map with small crosses scattered throughout various places. "After I left, I began using my skills to track traces of Charge magic across the continent, but not to hunt," she points one long, painted nail to one of the crosses. "But to help - to intercept the order," I lean forward, peering closely at the map. "I have the locations of three others,"
"Three?" my voice gets caught in my chest as it lurches. For nearly two decades I've lived under the pretence that the Empire would never see justice for their actions against my kind - for what could one Charge do against an army? What difference could I make that would have a lasting impact? I know that four more - including Cal - isn't much better but it's the start and the chance I never knew I had.
"So what, we go and find them?" Cal asks.
"That might be our only way forward - because Gods be damned there's no going back,"

Cordelia begins stuffing bags, filling them with potions and herbs before wrapping them all up securely.
"Both of you, over there," she signals to a trunk in the corner of the room. Cal and I share a glance before walking over to it. As Cal lifts the lid, a dust cloud kicks into his face. Beyond the dust and grime is the distinct shine of metal. My eyes widen as I spot several swords of differing lengths and forms, with belts and sheaths to match. Cal reaches in and retrieves a sword identical to the one he fought with on my ship - a standard-issue straight-edge Imperial sword. In an effortless flourish, he wraps the belt around his hips, slipping the sword into its sheath. I push past him, noticing a cutlass with a sculpted golden handle. My old cutlass was crudely made, not meant to look pretty but to cut. This one however looks both elegant and deadly. I reach for the handle, admiring the beautiful craftsmanship in detail.
"Where did you get these?" I ask, unable to take my eyes off the carvings.
"All over the place - after a while you start to gather a collection," Cordelia replies. "Cal, can you go and check the horses?"
"Horses?" My normally fiery blood chills. Both of them look at me like I'm crazy.
"You do know what a horse is, right?" Cal muses, smirking slightly.
"Of course I know what a horse is," I snap back instantly. "I've just never ridden one," I add in a softer tone.
"Great, she can't swim and she can't ride a horse," Cal raises his black eyebrows.
"I can still slit your throat," I threaten.
"Oh you'd love that wouldn't you," he shoots back.
"Hey! Fight later, okay?" Cordelia walks up between us, slicing through the tension. I scowl but agree nevertheless. She then looks back at Cal. "Horses, now," Cal rolls his eyes but heads outside anyway. Cordelia sighs, handing me a pack. "Gods, you're as bad as each other,"