Chapter Text
The air in the cell was thick with damp and despair. Stone walls, rough and pockmarked, closed in on Lula Strega, pressing against her like the finality of her sentence. Somewhere beyond the bars, the town breathed with cruel anticipation. They had been whispering for days, their voices dripping with superstition and fear. A witch, they had called her. A danger. Something that needed to be burned away.
Lula sat on the floor, her fingers curled around the fabric of her dress. She wasn’t used to feeling small, but here, in this place, with the weight of what was to come, she was shrinking. Her breath came shallow, her chest tightening as the iron bars hummed with quiet menace. It was happening. It was really happening.
Then, footsteps.
Her head snapped up, her bright orange hair a tangle of waves falling past her shoulders. She expected the guards, expected them to come for her, to drag her out into the square where the firewood was already stacked. But instead, it was someone else.
Ruby Nail.
The woman stood at the cell door, a vision against the dimness. Tall, poised, and with a face that didn’t belong in a place like this. Her red hair framed a sculpted jaw, lips full and pressed together in something between determination and annoyance. She looked out of place in the filth and the shadows, her coat still crisp, her presence still undeniable.
Lula stared at her, her pulse thrumming. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Ruby exhaled, stepping closer to the bars. “And you shouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.”
Lula swallowed, gripping her dress tighter. “I didn’t ask to be burned at the stake.”
“No,” Ruby agreed, tilting her head, “but you sure as hell let them catch you.”
That stung. Lula’s fingers twitched, the beginnings of magic sparking at her fingertips before she clamped down on it. No spells. Not here. Not now.
Ruby’s gaze flicked downward, catching the faint shimmer before it faded. Her expression didn’t change, but there was something in her eyes, something that said she knew better than to linger. “I shouldn’t be here,” she said again, almost to herself.
Lula’s heart sank. “Then why are you?”
A pause. A breath.
Then Ruby reached into her coat and pulled out a key.
Lula’s breath caught.
“Don’t make me regret this,” Ruby muttered, sliding the key into the lock.
Lula surged to her feet. “You’re letting me out?”
Ruby didn’t look at her. The lock clicked. The heavy door groaned as she pushed it open. “I must be out of my damn mind.”
Lula hesitated, her pulse a frantic drumbeat in her throat. “You’re serious?”
Ruby’s sharp green eyes flicked to her, something unreadable beneath them.
“Do you want to burn, or do you want to leave?”
That broke her stillness. Lula moved, stepping forward, stepping out. The cold air of the corridor wrapped around her, and for a moment, she couldn’t believe she was standing outside the cell. But reality was fast, cruel, and unrelenting.
They would notice soon.
Ruby grabbed her wrist. “Move.”
Lula followed, barefoot against the freezing stone, her dress whispering around her legs as they made their way down the hall. Ruby moved like she knew the place, like she had planned this. But Lula had questions, too many of them, and none of them had time.
Guards.
The moment they turned the corner, they saw them, two men standing by the exit, leaning against the wall, unaware.
Lula’s breath hitched. “What now?”
Ruby’s grip on her wrist tightened. “You stay quiet.”
Lula felt a whisper of power ripple through her, instinct telling her to act, to strike, to use what she had. But Ruby was already moving.
Fast.
She let go of Lula and closed the space between her and the first guard with a terrifying ease. One moment she was at Lula’s side, the next, she was slamming the man’s head against the wall with a sickening crack. The second guard barely had time to react before Ruby was on him, twisting his arm behind his back until he crumpled with a grunt of pain.
Lula stood frozen.
Ruby turned back, breath steady. “Come on.”
Lula could only nod, following as Ruby shoved open the door.
The night swallowed them whole.
Cool air, thick with the scent of smoke and burning wood, rushed into Lula’s lungs. The town square was ahead, the pyre waiting. But Ruby wasn’t leading her there, she pulled her into the shadows, through narrow alleys, weaving through the dark like she had done this a thousand times.
Lula’s legs burned, her breath uneven. “Where are we going?”
Ruby didn’t slow. “Away.”
Lula wanted to press for more, wanted to demand why Ruby was even doing this, why she was risking everything to save someone she barely knew. But they didn’t have time for those answers. Not yet.
Voices rose behind them.
They had noticed.
Lula’s pulse spiked. “They’re coming.”
“I know.”
“Ruby—”
“Keep moving.”
And Lula did. Against the fear, against the firelight flickering in the distance, against all reason, she ran.
With Ruby Nail at her side, she ran.
They ran through the labyrinthine backstreets of the town, the uneven cobblestones unforgiving beneath Lula’s bare feet. The night was alive with distant voices, shouts of alarm carried by the wind, growing closer, growing sharper. They had noticed. The town was waking up to the fact that their condemned witch was no longer in her cell, and they would not take kindly to that revelation.
Ruby moved with the precision of someone who had done this before, someone who knew how to disappear. Lula, on the other hand, was running on adrenaline alone, each step a frantic attempt to keep pace, to match Ruby’s swift, decisive movements. She wasn’t used to relying on anyone. She wasn’t used to feeling helpless. And yet, here she was, stumbling after a woman who shouldn’t have been here in the first place.
"Where are we going?" Lula whispered, her breath ragged.
Ruby didn’t slow. "Out."
"Out where?"
"Away from here."
Lula grit her teeth. She wasn’t in the mood for vague answers, but now wasn’t the time to argue. The air was thick with the scent of burning wood, the distant pyre still crackling in anticipation of a death that would never come, at least, not tonight. She could feel the magic pulsing beneath her skin, desperate to be unleashed, but she didn’t dare. Not yet. The moment she used it, she would confirm every fear these people had about her. The moment she used it, they would never stop hunting her.
"Over here," Ruby said sharply, yanking her into a narrow passage between two buildings. The alley was barely wide enough for them both, the brick walls pressing in from either side, rough and cold against Lula’s exposed arms.
She could hear the sound of boots now, the guards spilling into the streets, their voices cutting through the quiet.
"She can't have gone far!" one of them barked. "Check the alleys!"
Lula felt Ruby’s fingers tighten around her wrist, a silent warning to stay still, to stay silent. She swallowed, willing herself to calm, to suppress the magic that was itching to react to her fear. She had never been good at restraint, but now wasn’t the time to lose control.
The voices drifted closer. A shadow passed by the entrance to the alley, lantern light flickering against the bricks. Lula’s breath hitched. If they turned their heads, if they so much as glanced in the right direction, they would be caught.
Ruby shifted slightly, her body pressing against Lula’s to keep them both hidden in the darkness. Lula could feel the warmth of her, the steady rise and fall of her breath, the tense readiness of someone who was prepared to fight if it came down to it. And for the first time since this nightmare had begun, Lula wondered-
"Why are you doing this?" she breathed so softly she wasn’t sure if Ruby had even heard.
For a long moment, there was no response. Just the sound of distant voices, the crackling of torches, the heartbeat pounding in Lula’s ears.
Then, finally— "I don’t know."
Lula’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t have time to press further. The voices were moving away. The guards were dispersing, their search fanning out into the wider streets. A chance.
Ruby moved first, pulling back just enough to glance out from the alley. When she was sure it was clear, she gave a sharp nod. "Let’s go."
Lula hesitated only a moment before following.
The town stretched before them, each street another potential trap, another path leading back to the fate she had barely escaped. But Ruby seemed to know where she was going, guiding them through the maze of backstreets with the confidence of someone who had mapped out their every step. Lula had questions, so many questions, but survival took precedence over curiosity.
They reached the edge of the town before Lula even realized it, the last of the buildings giving way to the open expanse of the countryside beyond. A road cut through the land, winding toward the distant hills, where the safety of the forest waited like a silent promise. If they could reach it, they could disappear.
But the town wasn’t ready to let her go so easily.
"Stop!"
The shout came from behind them.
Lula turned, her stomach dropping as she saw the group of guards spilling out from the streets, their torches painting the night in hues of orange and gold. They had found them.
Ruby swore under her breath. "Run."
Lula didn’t need to be told twice.
They bolted across the open stretch of land, the cold grass biting against Lula’s bare feet, the wind pulling at her hair. The forest was close, so close, but the guards were fast, and the sound of pursuit was deafening.
An arrow whistled past her.
Lula flinched, her instincts screaming at her to do something. She wasn’t powerless. She didn’t have to run like some frightened animal. But she knew the moment she used magic, everything would change.
She glanced at Ruby, who was running ahead, her focus locked on the trees. She had done so much already, had risked everything for a woman she barely knew. And if Lula revealed what she truly was, if she let herself lose control, would Ruby regret saving her?
Would she still want to help her?
The hesitation cost her. Another arrow shot through the air, and this time, she wasn’t fast enough.
Pain lanced through her arm. Lula gasped, stumbling as the impact knocked her off balance. She hit the ground hard, the damp earth stealing the breath from her lungs.
Ruby was there in an instant.
"Get up!" she snapped, grabbing her by the arm.
Lula hissed, pain flaring as Ruby’s fingers brushed the wound. Blood soaked into the fabric of her dress, warm and wet. The arrow had only grazed her, but it was enough to slow her down.
Ruby’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. Anger? Frustration? Concern?
She didn’t say anything, just hooked an arm around Lula’s waist and hauled her up.
Lula gasped. "I can—"
"No, you can’t," Ruby cut her off. "Move."
The forest was within reach now, the trees stretching toward the sky like silent sentinels. If they could just get inside, if they could disappear into the shadows, they would be safe.
Lula stumbled forward, leaning on Ruby as they crossed the final stretch. The moment they breached the treeline, the world changed. The sounds of pursuit dulled, the torchlight struggled against the darkness, and the air grew thick with the scent of damp earth and pine.
Ruby didn’t stop until they were deep inside, until the lights of the town were nothing but distant pinpricks through the trees. Only then did she slow, her grip on Lula loosening as they both sucked in ragged breaths.
For a long moment, there was only silence.
Then—"Are you alright?"
Lula blinked, surprised by the question. Surprised that, after everything, Ruby still cared enough to ask.
She exhaled, glancing down at her wound, at the blood staining her dress. It wasn’t fatal. It wasn’t the worst thing that had happened to her tonight.
"I’m fine," she murmured.
Ruby didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t argue.
Instead, she ran a hand through her hair, her composure fraying at the edges now that they weren’t running for their lives. "You," she said, her voice tight, "are more trouble than you’re worth."
Lula managed a weak, breathless smile. "And yet, here you are."
Ruby exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Yeah," she muttered. "Here I am."
Lula studied her for a long moment. "You really don’t know why you helped me?"
Ruby’s jaw clenched. She didn’t answer right away.
Then—softer, almost begrudgingly—"No. I don’t."
Lula believed her.
And somehow, that made her even more curious.
The night had settled deep into the forest, wrapping the trees in an eerie silence. The wind whispered through the branches, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant rain. Lula leaned against the rough bark of a tree, her breath still uneven, the pain in her arm throbbing with every heartbeat.
Ruby paced a few steps ahead, running a hand through her wild red hair, her frustration barely contained. "We can’t stay here," she muttered, more to herself than to Lula. "They’ll come looking."
Lula swallowed, shifting her weight. Her legs ached, her feet raw from running over sharp stones and roots, but she pushed the discomfort aside. "Then where do we go?"
Ruby stopped, eyes flicking toward the dark stretch of forest ahead. "There’s a place. Not far."
Lula lifted a brow. "You had an escape plan ready?"
Ruby shot her a look, sharp and unreadable. "I didn’t plan on rescuing a witch tonight. But I know how to disappear when I need to."
Lula wasn’t sure what to make of that. She wanted to ask- ‘who exactly are you, Ruby Nail?’ But she bit her tongue. She needed to trust Ruby, at least for now.
With a deep breath, she straightened and nodded. "Lead the way."