20. Magdalena

They circled around carriages and drunk patrons; Ravi moved quickly through the city, and Odie was easily keeping up. Soon they came to another dark alley, and Ravi yanked on the tassel of a curtain that was hanging on the outside of someone’s house. Suddenly, a rope ladder rolled down from the roof ahead of them.

“This way,” he said, heading up first.

Magda looked behind her before noting a stack of boxes in the corner of the alleyway that created a pathway to the roof. “Odie, up!” she commanded before heading up the rope ladder behind Ravi. While they climbed the ladder, Odie easily scaled the crates, jumping from each one skillfully. They all emerged on top of a roof, and Ravi gracefully jumped over a five-foot gap to an adjacent roof. “Come on!” he shouted, jumping onto the next roof. It all seemed too easy for him.

Magda exchanged a glance at Odie, and the dog looked back at her with his tongue out, panting. But two seconds later, the dog was charging towards the gap, launching his body to the other rooftop. If Odie trusted Ravi, maybe she should too?

Magda braced herself, lurching backwards before launching her body over the opening. When she landed on the other side, she finally allowed herself to take a deep breath. She followed Ravi’s exact footsteps until they came to a bright-turquoise roof.

Ravi knelt down and opened a sun-window, leading down into the space below. He squatted onto the roof and held his hands out to Magda, saying. “I’ll lower you down. It’s a long way.”

Magda’s face squinted, but she realized she had no choice. It was apparent that the guilds slept in every corner of this city, and if they were searching for her, she needed a proper place to hide. So she reached out and locked arms with Ravi once more, before sitting down on the ledge of the sun-window and letting him drop her inside.

She landed in a musty room, and the only furniture was a double bed in one corner. On the floor and walls, were brightly colored hand-woven tapestries acting as carpets and covers for the open windows. Across from the bed, were a series of clay jugs and trinkets, as well as Ravi’s violin case. In the opposite corner of the room, was a spiral staircase leading downstairs.

Odie jumped down from the window onto the bed, before leaping to the floor.

Ravi dropped down next to her. “I know it isn’t much,” he admitted, before lighting a lantern on a shelf that hung over the bed. Then he crossed to one of the water jugs and grabbed two clay mugs. “Want some?”

Magda’s throat clenched in thirst at the sight of the water. She hadn’t eaten or drank anything all day. “Thanks,” she said, reaching out her hands to grab the mug from Ravi. She took a sip before offering some to Odie, who lapped it up furiously. Then she stood there, silently, not knowing what else to say.

“I’m just glad I got there when I did,” said Ravi, “Or else you might not have seen your dog again.”

Magda shuddered. “Does Vex really kill animals for their fur?”

“Not exactly,” Ravi answered, “Vex never kills his animals right away. He either sells them, or makes them fight in matches against each other at his gambling house.”

“That’s terrible,” Magda shook her head. She knelt down, hugging Odie, realizing that she had almost lost another family member tonight. “What can I ever do to thank you?”

“Don’t worry about it. I was pissed at Vex for ruining my show earlier.” Then Ravi crouched down to scratch Odie behind the ears. “What’s his name?”

“Odie.”

Odie licked Ravi directly in the face, causing the musician to jerk back in alarm. Ravi smeared his cheek with the back of his hand and laughed. “You’re welcome, Odie.”

Ravi stood before crossing to a hook on the wall and removing his shirt, before hanging it up. He stood in front of her, bare-chested, in the dim candlelight.

“What are you doing?” Magda snapped.

Ravi shrugged his shoulders. “Getting ready for bed. Do you sleep in your outside clothes?”

“I’m not sleeping here,” Magda objected.

“The streets are now lined with Vex’s men. Inns are the first place they will look for a foreigner.”

“I…,” Magda’s face reddened, and she couldn’t find any words. She was too tired. She swung her knapsack off of her back, and dumped it down onto the floor. She only had one change of clothes.

Ravi crossed to the bed and sat down, before taking a large gulp of water. “Azurem’s a long way to travel from…especially when you seem to have no family in the city. Want to tell me why the guilds seem to be after you? It can’t just be because of your dog.”

Magda let out a sigh and sat down next to Ravi on the bed, while Odie traversed the room, smelling each corner and staking out the area. “To be honest, you know as much as I do. I have no idea what they want from me. I just got here this morning.”

“Why are you in Flaustra?” asked Ravi.

“To visit someone,” answered Magda honestly, “but it seems like they have no interest in seeing me.”

Ravi nodded. “Well, you’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But you have to be careful…you really stand out in the city.”

“I need to blend in,” Magda replied. She gestured to her outfit and her hair. “Any advice?”

“Your appearance and your accent do give you away,” Ravi smiled warmly, “but it’s not that. It’s the way you stand your ground…it’s the spark in your eye telling the world that no one can stop you. It’s real bravery, and it’s impressive.”

“You got all of that in a few minutes?” asked Magda with a laugh.

“I watch people for a living. And when I saw you in the marketplace earlier today, I really saw you. I knew that you were in trouble. The run-in with the Marauders only confirms it,” explained Ravi.

“Do you take it upon yourself to rescue every damsel in distress that ruins one of your street performances?” asked Magda.

Ravi paused, like he was thinking hard about the question. But then he said, “No, just you.”

Magda blushed. “If you really want to help me, you can tell me the best way into the royal palace.”

“That place?” Ravi scoffed, leaning back further onto the bed and looking at the stars through the sun-roof. Something had sparked interest behind his eyes. “Why do you want to get inside there?”

“That’s my business.”

“You just got me wrapped up into more trouble with the Marauders for helping you. I think it’s my business too.” Ravi raised his eyebrows.

Magda didn’t know what to say to him. She couldn’t let a random citizen from Flaustra have any indication that she could be a royal, but at the same time, she needed someone on her side—especially if she wanted to have any street-smarts in this city. So she gave him a mischievous grin, “I’m trying to find answers that could help my kingdom. As for why, that’s a story for another day.”

Ravi laughed, sitting up and taking the empty mug from her. Then he reached over her head to put it back on the high shelf. As he did so, he leaned in close. “You’ve definitely piqued my curiosity, Dagmara.”

Magda swallowed, remembering she was hiding her identity. Everyone had to believe Dagmara was the real Magdalena. No one could know Magda was in Flaustra for both her safety and Dagmara’s.

She continued, “Then will you tell me how to get inside the castle?”

“I can try,” Ravi said. “I actually need to get into the castle myself.”

“Why?”

“My own reasons,” he shrugged, “but I’ll help you. The only people that are getting in there are those that have an invitation to Princess Kiran’s birthday celebration.”

Magda perked up, excited. “Are you serious? When is it?”

“This month,” Ravi answered, “but there’s no way you’ll get in without an invitation. So you’ll have to steal one from someone that is already invited.”

Magda thought about the plan, which could potentially be risky. Anyone who was attending the birthday celebration would likely be holding their invitation close—likely on their person.

“You’ll need to steal one from a member of a guild,” said Ravi, “They will all be going. But they aren’t found easily.”

“Where can I find them?” Magda asked.

Ravi stood up, and beckoned her toward one of the tapestries hanging on the wall. Magda followed, standing beside him as he pulled back the tapestry to reveal a gaping hole in the sandstone that acted as a window. As far as the eye could see were tiny, colored lights marking the dense houses, almost as bright as the stars in the indigo sky.

“There,” Ravi pointed to the north, “is their district. But their hideouts change, and secret codes are passed through the city as fast as the wind.”

“I see,” Magda nodded, realizing how hard this was going to be. She stood there next to Ravi, looking out at the stars, taking in once more how much brighter they were here than in Azurem.

“You like them?” he asked, watching her gaze.

“Yes,” Magda breathed a sigh of relief for the first time in days.

“In Flaustra, there’s an old poem about the stars. They say that the stars aren’t balls of fire, but they’re the hearts of the guardians, looking down on us, and pulsing with the secrets of a thousand ancient loves and battles.”

Magda smiled. For some reason, it was heartening knowing that her brother and father were looking down on her from their place in the heavens. It wasn’t what Azurem believed, but it did bring her some comfort. She stared up at Ravi, suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude for everything he had done for her in the past hour. If it wasn’t for him, Odie would have been gone forever. She wanted to thank him, or give him a token of her appreciation, but she didn’t know how. Before she could respond, he said:

“We should get some sleep. I have to hit the streets early, and you have to steal an invitation.”

“Right.” Magda shook her head in agreement. Odie was already on the floor, his eyes barely remaining open as he struggled to remain awake.

Ravi gestured toward the bed, stating the obvious, “Only got one of those.”

“I’ll take the floor,” Magda answered quickly and turned away from his gaze so that he wouldn’t see her face turn bright red. He had done enough for her, and for some reason, was going to continue to help her. She wouldn’t have him give up his bed too.

“No one has to sleep on the floor,” said Ravi.

“Well, I’m not sleeping with you.”

“What’s going to happen while we’re sleeping?” he asked.

Magda shot him a look, but he didn’t reply. They stood in awkward silence for a long moment, until Ravi said:

“I’ll take the floor—”

“No, I will,” Magda cut him off. She didn’t want to put him out of his way, or owe him anything.

“Suit yourself,” Ravi shrugged, before tossing her the only blanket in the room, “but you might be cold. The days are brutal but the nights are worse.”

“Thank you,” Magda said, catching the blanket before laying down on the carpet on the floor. She adjusted her knapsack underneath her head as a pillow before curling up next to Odie. It was the first time she had slept on the floor, and for some reason, having something completely opposite of her life in the Azuremi fortress was what she needed at this moment. She didn’t want anything to remind her of the life she once had, and the pain that it had brought her.

Ravi blew out the lamp before hopping into the bed, staring at the ceiling. A few moments went by before he said, “You’re being ridiculous you know. Just come up here.”

“I will not,” Magda rolled over, facing away from the bed.

“We’re not going to do anything but sleep.”

Magda sat up. “Sleeping leads to other things.”

“I can promise you that won’t happen,” Ravi said. “The floor is miserable, we can both be comfortable.”

Magda let out a huff and lay back down, trying to close her eyes.

A few moments of silence went by. When she didn’t respond, Ravi backtracked. “...not that I wouldn’t want to…you’re brave and stronghearted…”

“I know what you meant,” Magda cut him off.

Ravi rolled over on the bed to face her. “You know, in Flaustran culture, people talk more openly. Relationships are not secrets. It’s all small-talk. Needs and wants, that kind of stuff.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Just trying to help,” Ravi finished before laying back down. “You asked how you can blend in.”

Magda sighed, but she couldn’t help but grin. She did need to blend in, especially if she was going to get into Kiran’s birthday celebration. She needed to steal an invitation from a guild member, one that was high enough to have earned the prestigious invitation. Magda had just the person, and she knew that this girl would most definitely be at the docks. It was the very captain that had brought her to Flaustra and helped her slip past the immigration guards.

Ishani.