Drowning beneath the ice - 13.3

Desmond was walking down the hill towards the city.

Meanwhile, dawn was welcoming him with open arms.

They were still alone, so he could talk to Abigail without having to worry about attracting attention or finding a place to hide.

“I know you said that only the road in front of our eyes matters now. But I’d like to say something else before I put it aside.”

He received no response from Abigail.

He took it as permission to continue.

“You don’t have to feel guilty. Whatever happens, remember that this was my decision. That you didn’t push me to do it. On the contrary. Okay?”

No, Abigail said gently. If something happens to you, if you die…..

It sounded like she was having a hard time even talking about it.

I won’t be able to go on. So no, I can’t promise you that I’ll remember, because it won’t matter.

Heavy words.

The truth was always heavy.

A breeze blew. The wind stirred the grass, which swirled around his feet, brushing his ankles.

Everything invited him, pushed him forward.

The gentle breeze, the sunlight. He could walk the path that lay before his eyes.

But what was at the end of the road?

Nothing, an inner voice answered him.

Like for everyone else, at the end of the road there is nothing. Just silence and darkness.

Without intending to, Desmond found himself at the edge of the sea.

He had never seen the sea.

Desmond knew it existed, of course. But knowing it and seeing it with his own eyes was a completely different story. He found himself strangely fascinated by the slow swaying of the waters, how the surface shimmered. By everything, really. Desmond was oblivious to the surrounding buildings, people and stores.

With his feet on the shore, he only had eyes for the sea. It was beautiful. But nothing was perfect. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore bothered him. Still…

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Desmond turned around as he asked that question.

But they weren’t there.

Not Christina, not Amy. He had thought he would never be parted from them, but now he would never see them again.

He pursed his lips.

Desmond had changed his mind about the sea.

It was certainly beautiful in appearance, but many things in this world could say the same. That didn’t stop its outward brilliance from being no more than a cover for the unfathomable darkness that lay in its seemingly endless depths.

The sea was too big. Something distant and lonely, and cold. Like the reflection of moonlight on a lake. Desmond turned his head away from the sea in disgust, lips pressed together, slightly trembling.

Abigail reappeared in front of him.

How do you intend to proceed?

Desmond was in the city’s harbor. It was crowded with people, so he should not speak carelessly, so as not to attract attention. At the same time, there were so many people that his voice would be lost in the bustle. He just had to walk fast and speak in whispers.

That should be enough to avoid attracting attention. There was no need to look for a dark alley to talk to Abigail in private.

By not drawing attention, he meant not doing so for talking to “someone who wasn’t there”. Because, thanks to his sword and gun, he was sure to draw at least a little attention wherever he went. It wasn’t an unusual thing to see someone armed, but it wasn’t something they saw every day either.

Except for the city guards, but he clearly wasn’t a guard.

“I plan to get on a ship as a passenger. It will take me as far as it can…” Desmond put a hand to his mouth as an extra precaution, just in case. “And then I’ll jump overboard and swim the rest of the way.”

It won’t be easy. The Empire will have their shores guarded, ready for invaders.

“I know. But it’s no greater madness than doing this in the first place.”

There are secret dealings between the people of Albion and the people of the Empire.

She wasn’t making an assumption. She was saying it very confidently, as if she knew it from experience.

You should be able to get a ship to take you directly to the Empire. It’s still incredibly risky, but less so.

Crossing the border as a stowaway.

Without having to swim and dive, without leaving oneself exposed like that. Yes.

Desmond nodded his head.

That was ideal.

“Thank you,” he said simply.

He didn’t question the existence of these secret deals, although in the past he would have revealed himself at the mere possibility.

Even in the past, Desmond would have accepted anything that came from the mouth of his savior.

Now, however, he wasn’t reluctant to believe that simply because….

I guess I’ve lost faith.

Desmond saw two children running after each other. A boy and a girl. Desmond smiled at that image. before realizing something important.

The little girl had a rather heavy bag.

His bag of money..

How had she managed to steal it without him noticing?

“I’ve gotten careless,” he muttered without a hint of frustration or anger in his voice. Nor in his expression, for that matter.

Why don’t you go after them?

“Those kids need that money more than I do.” Then he realized something. “But….”

Desmond broke into a run after the children.

For a moment, he considered using physical reinforcement magic to make up for having stood still, to make sure he wouldn’t lose them.

But that would absolutely backfire, revealing himself as a mage in plain sight.

He was still in Albion.

In his homeland, he wouldn’t be persecuted simply for existing. Evidently.

But it’s not like there were many mages who resembled him.

If he resorted to his magic to catch that girl, then people would talk about it and when the story reached the ears of interested parties, they would know where to look for him.

So it was best not to show what he was capable of doing.

Anyway, he should be able to reach those little ones without the help of magic. And even though he had given them a big head start.

There was a big crowd around.

The little thieves were making the most of their size, slipping through and through the crowd just like fish swimming in water.

Desmond had to make his way through, often by pushing and shoving.

Bumping into someone slowed him down, if only for a few seconds.

All in all, he was wasting too much time and felt he wasn’t getting any closer to the children, although at least he was managing to keep his eyes on them.

He was running in silence.

Spending breath asking for help surely wouldn’t be worth it.

Most people cared only about themselves. They didn’t want to get into unnecessary trouble. Then there were the opportunists, those who would see this as a chance to take candy from a baby. So to speak. Besides, he was more than capable of taking care of this on his own.

They were just a couple of kids.

From the street they moved into the alleys, trying to make him lose sight of them.

It was no use, however.

Desmond quickly caught up with the girl. He grabbed her by both shoulders and pulled her, forcing her to stop.

“Listen to me. I’m not going to hurt you. And you can keep that, you just have to…”

She didn’t have it.

Desmond turned his head. Sure enough, at some point, unbeknownst to him, the girl had passed the bag to the boy.

“Shit.”

He released her and changed direction, running after the boy.

I’ve been played. Again.

Desmond’s cheeks burned.

If he failed here, he wouldn’t live in peace. Abigail wouldn’t be reminding him of his humiliating failure continually.

It was better than that.

But he would. He would remind himself again and again. That was more than reason enough.

More important than the humiliation, he hadn’t gone out after the children on a whim or because he’d regretted it, because he’d decided he needed the money, after all.

He needed at least one of them.

He couldn’t afford to let them get away, therefore.

And he didn’t let him get away, he managed to catch him, held him with one hand. The other he extended toward the bag.

At the last moment, the boy threw the bag over Desmond’s head.

The bag full of coins fell, clinking, into the girl’s hands. She had followed him here, only he hadn’t noticed her, fully focused on the target.

This is humiliating, he thought. His cheeks must have been as red as a chandelier by now.

“Hey!”

The chase continued. This was certainly humiliating, but the way they worked together, how thoroughly practiced they had this….

He couldn’t be sure yet, but he believed his suspicions were true. Adding that to the fact that they were indistinguishable from normal children at first glance. Their clothes weren’t particularly ostentatious, but they were clean, in good condition, meaning they didn’t look out of place.

Desmond was almost certain. And before long it would be confirmed whether it had been worth all the running after them.

He looked back, over his shoulder. The boy hadn’t followed him. If he caught the girl, this would be over. Finally, In the crowd, she had the advantage of his small size. Here, in the alleys, she had the advantage of knowing this city, which was her territory.

But things didn’t go well for her.

Panicking, she made a mistake somewhere along the way and the girl ended up facing a dead end. That wasn’t quite right, actually. The girl tried to climb up the alley wall.

Oh, no. I’m not going to let you.

He grabbed the girl by the leg as she climbed. He gave her a good yank and she almost fell on top of him, but she impulsively pulled away, so she ended up on the ground.

Desmond grimaced. He hadn’t meant to be so rough with the girl.

He should have caught her in his arms, but seeing ‘something’ approaching him at high speed, he had instinctively pulled away. He hadn’t been able to help it. He felt like an asshole, especially since, grabbing her by the ankle, he had felt it. The girl wasn’t all skin and bones. But you could still tell she wasn’t eating as much as she should. Her desperate situation, the same one he had gone through a decade ago.

“Listen to me, child. I just want to talk.”

The girl looked at him from under her bangs, wordlessly.

He must not have been too believable after what he’d just done. Or in general. Surely this child didn’t trust adults, anyone but herself, rather.

The life that had been forced upon her demanded it.

Desmond slowly set the backpack down and opened it in front of her.

“I’ll let you keep the money. I’ll even give you some food. But in exchange…”

“I’m not selling myself,” she said quietly, but with a powerful will.

Desmond wished he didn’t know what she meant.

But he did.

“I’m not asking that of you. In return, all I want you to do is take me to your boss. Okay?”

The homeless kids had two choices. Two paths.

Survive on their own or depend on a higher power.

Many kids ended up in a criminal organization. The head of such an organization would be the perfect person to ask about those ‘secret deals’ Abigail had told him about.

It was his best bet, as he saw it.

At least a start.

“I’m not a cop. I have no intention of meddling. All I want to do is do business with this person. Okay? Do we have a deal?”

Slowly, and after a while, the girl nodded.